Restaurant News

Walking on White Street in Red Bank, it’s possible to walk right past Dish and try the door of the neighbor, the Sweetest Sin Boutique. I did. But make no mistake, this the unostentatious BYOB in downtown Red Bank is a local favorite. And, if you want a table on a Friday or Saturday, you’d better make a reservation, because the 50-ish seat restaurant was standing-room-only by 7:30. And, for good reason.

Mussels.
MELODY KETTLE

Rosie will be on vacation until mid-February—guest blogger Melody Kettle will post in her place.

The menu at Dish doesn’t threaten to set the NJ dining scene on its heels. All items are traditional Italian American riffs you’ve seen before. But, sometimes, the familiar could be refreshing.

What makes Dish so special, and likable, is what it isn’t. Dish doesn’t play to dining or decor trends. I didn’t hear farm-to-table uttered once. There are no chalkboards, no ball jars or slate plates (thankfully). No wood mounted menus. No reclaimed barnyard equipment, no sleek lighting, no foams, no cones, no “house-cured” anything, or liquid this or that. What there is at Dish is undeniably good food. That should be enough, shouldn’t it?

Could the space, which is tight, use some designerly updating? Some may say yes. A bit more soundproofing? Probably. An updated restroom? A good idea. But Dish isn’t the pretty girl you’re afraid to talk to. Dish is your Grandma, and that’s why her dining room is full.

The service hustled, and I did note one serving glitch. But overall the staff was eager to please and very competent. Specials were recited without reading, orders taken without writing, and water refilled in a timely fashion.

For appetizers, we began with a special salad that perched burrata – mozzarella’s slightly sour, yet more luscious cousin – on a large crostini over a bed of baby arugula. The creamy curds revealed themselves when I pierced the sheath of mozzarella, however, it was a bit too chilly (the plate as well) to allow for a real unfurling of the creamy texture.

Our second appetizer, PEI mussels with chorizo, tomato, slices of garlic, and spinach, priced reasonably at $10 were plentiful (not a closed shell in the bowl) and the slightly smoky broth called out for dipping with complimentary house focaccia. But, since we had a pasta course coming, we used the spoon to finish the broth.

And about that pasta: the kitchen was kind enough to serve an appetizer size of the evening’s pasta special, a house made cavatelli with two large shrimp, arugula, bacon and touch of tomato. The pasta had a nice textural bite, clean to the tooth and not at all pasty, while the bacon didn’t overpower the flavor of the shrimp. Clean dishes don’t lie, it was delicious and that plate went back empty.

Chef Anthony Ferrando has a particular knack for infusing proteins with aromatic flavor. The whole branzino ($36) was not crispy on the exterior, yet the skin still proved tender and flavorful. The flesh, cut on an angle, was lined with slivers of lemon, while the cavity was stuffed with fresh herbs, lending a delicate flavor and aromatic nuance throughout the clean, white meat.

The free range roast chicken ($21), with moist meat and golden skin, was remarkably infused with a beautiful bouquet of lemon and rosemary. But what made the chicken even better, was everything else: the rosemary jus, a creamy root vegetable mash, a smattering of seasonal vegetables, and, the impossible to ignore stack of fizzled red onions. On a cold winter’s night, that’s pretty hard to beat!

Finally, coffee and two homemade cannoli. The perfectly bubbled shell, filled with a ricotta blend that wasn’t cloyingly sweet or obscene with almond extract, it was, again, very good.

Chef Ferrando, I wish I was a local.

13 White St, Red Bank, 732-345-7070.

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