My colleague and I came to this restaurant based on Yelp's rating when we searched for Italian cuisine in Toms River NJ. This is the second time we had a really bad dinner experience thanks to the misleading rating on Yelp. I ordered Baked Spaghetti With Broccoli Rabe & Sausage ($12.95). It tasted so bitter that no matter how much Parmesan Cheese I sprinkled on my pasta, I still couldn't eat it. The broccoli rabe is just too bitter and the fact that they sauteed the spaghetti with it gave everything in the dish a bitter taste. The sausage also tasted horrible with a very stale and grayish color. The sausages I bought from the supermarket tasted so many times better. I don't know if these sausages were just made too long ago and stored in the freezer for too long. I just never had sausages this bad.
The Ministrone soup that came with the pasta also didn't taste good and I didn't care for it. I love Minestrone but I didn't like this one. I made much much better Minestrone at home even though I'm not Italian and I certainly don't have much cooking experience.
The rolls tasted acceptable and the butter was good. The rolls and butter turned out to be the only thing I could eat for my dinner tonight. My colleague ordered some kind of Chicken pasta with marinara sauce which was very bland. I can't tell whether the marinara sauce here is better than the last Italian restaurant Yelp led me to where I also had a bad experience. I feel that the Marinara sauce in both places are equally bland. How can this be? I never knew marinara sauce could taste this bland until I came to this area.
The interior of the restaurant is spacious, comfortable and clean. There is this painting that I love very much. But I came here for the food, not to just sit and stare at a painting. I don't think I will come back to this restaurant again, because I don't want to hate Italian food. I would have had much better pasta tonight if only I ordered room service at my hotel.
Address: 21 Union Ave, Lakehurst NJ 08733
Tel: (732) 657-7000
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