Central Jersey Quick Bite - 18 West - New Jersey Monthly - Best of NJ (njmonthly.com)
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Restaurant Review
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18 West

Reviewed by Ashley V. Neglia   
Posted April 22, 2008

Hours: Mon–Sat, 5–10 pm;  Lunch: Fri, 11 am–3 pm

Price: $$$

Style: Intimate bistro tucked away from Raritan’s main drag.

Don’t Miss: Stuffed mushrooms with sausage, pecorino, romano, and mozzarella ($5.95). Fried calamari summer style with pepperoncini peppers, Bermuda onions, arugula, and Parmesan gains a pleasing heat from the pepper juices ($11.95). Tomato and fresh mozzarella topped with sweet balsamic glaze ($7.95). Pillowy gnocchi pomodoro simmered in a fresh basil and plum tomato sauce ($13.95). Crab-encrusted Chilean sea bass is lightly seared and finished in a delicious lemon-butter sauce, a customer favorite ($24.95). Served in a martini chiller, strawberry shortcake is made daily with sponge cake cut into ovals surrounding hand-whipped cream and fresh strawberries ($5.95).

Heads Up: The restaurant fills quickly, so come early or call ahead.

The Scoop: Dwayne Kugler, owner and chef, opened 18 West last February. You may remember him in a different role—owner of Uncle Vinnie’s Clam Bar. Kugler sold Vinnie’s, which is only a few blocks from 18 West, in 1999. “I just couldn’t take the bar scene anymore,” he says. So he traveled, visiting seventeen countries, perfected his Chilean sea bass recipe working in Lantana, Florida, and wrote a book in 2004, Uncle Vinnie’s Collection of International Photography: The Photography of Dwayne Kugler. Pastry chef Michelle Weeks used to be a regular at Vinnie’s and has been a friend of Kugler’s for twenty years. She comes in an hour each day to make her estimable eclairs, cheesecake, Key lime pie, and strawberry shortcake.