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Frog
and the Peach
29 Dennis Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08701
732-846-3216
www.frogandpeach.comAmerican
What a disappointment! The Frog and the Peach has for many years
enjoyed a reputation as one of the best restaurants in Central New
Jersey. Indeed, we have enjoyed some memorable meals at this
restaurant. Anticipating a wonderful evening of sensuous culinary
pleasures, we arrived a few minutes early for our eight o'clock
reservation. While waiting for our table we sat at the bar sipping our
drinks, recalling past sensations.
Unfortunately our euphoria was short lived. Upon being seated, our
waitress described a swordfish special that sounded irresistible.
However, by the time we selected our wine, she informed us
the special was sold out. So early in the evening, too. Bummer! But
not to worry. There were many other selections that sounded as if they
would do very nicely. But we soon were to learn some dishes had better
sounding descriptions than flavors.
The pumpkin gnocchi appetizer was tiny pillows in brown butter sauce
with hedgehog mushrooms, parmesan cheese and walnuts. While it had a
good pumpkin flavor, it otherwise was lackluster. Our spirits rose
however, with the beet salad and golden delicious apples, walnuts,
salsify, and white balsamic vinaigrette. This salad was near perfect -
light and refreshing. The nuts were crunchy and the white balsamic
vinaigrette added a nice tangy zest.
But alas, one good dish does not a meal make. Iona's fettuccini
appeared to be hand made but tasted like plain boiled fettuccini with
boiled broccoli rabe. Even the pequillo peppers and pine nuts didn't
save it from being bland. It was topped with manchego cheese, which
helped, but just wasn't assertive enough to pull the whole dish
together. Dan's striped bass in clam broth was good (the baby clams
were excellent, although there were only four of them) but the chef's
effort seemed sophomoric compared to the meal we had expected.
We ended the evening on a high note by sharing a dessert that was a
special for the evening: lemon cake served with warm huckleberry
compote and sorbet with lavender flavor. Voila! It all came together
like a charm. The hint of lavender worked wonders on the tongue along
with the flavors of lemon and huckleberries.
The tariff was about $85 plus our wine, tax and tip. While this may not
be tremendously expensive, it certainly is too much to pay for the fare
we received. But we know from past experience that The Frog and The
Peach is capable of much better. Hopefully we'll try another time and
then look back and conclude this was all just a bad dream. Last reviewed 3/03
Grumpy
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