The Metuchen Inn that is…
I know that technically my “birthday week” did not start until today but as someone so nicely put, this was the kickoff to my birthday week and so I ran with that. I love putting a spin on things to make myself feel less guilty for splurging, don’t you?
One of my friends couldn’t make my winery visit next weekend (coming soon in a blog post), so she was a sweetheart to offer to drive 40 minutes to go out to a nice dinner. I wanted someplace local because the weather hasn’t been so great the past few days. However, I also wanted it to be something really different and nice. Ironically enough “different” for me is probably normal to others. I had been to the Metuchen Inn before for a rehearsal dinner a few years ago and it was alot of fun and the food was very good. So, this time, I wanted to go for the restaurant experience.
This was definitely a treat. I made reservations ahead of time because I had heard that the place can get packed, especially on a Saturday night. The outside of the restaurant is so charming. The building looks like a house. The trees are adorned with white lights and the signs are lit up by a spot light. It is very welcoming and the experience begins from the moment you walk up to it. To add to the charm, you have to use what you would call a side entrance. It can be deceiving and make you worry that you might walk right into the kitchen, but don’t worry, if you’re in the back of the building and walk up a ramp to a door, the door will open right to the hostess desk.
We were seated immediately next to a window. The tables were elegantly decorated with beautiful plates, silver ware, and wine glasses. Even the menu’s were something to take note of…
It was made out of cork which is pretty cool and different-or so I thought. They also give you a wine menu that has pages of fine wines. If you don’t feel like having wine, you can also order a special drink from their full bar. However, they do not have menus for this so come prepared with an idea of what you would like to drink if this is the route you are going to take.
I decided to take the path of creativity. That happened to lead me to a lychee martini. If you’ve never heard of lychee, it is a white fruit that is very sweet. They are very popular in Asian countries. It’s delicious! You should try one! Instead of eating your olive at the end of your martini, you eat the fruit. As soon as our drinks arrived, a basket of bread arrived at the table. I thought to myself, should I be good? Or, should I kickoff my birthday the right way, bread and all? Clearly, I would like this to be a good year so I went for the bread. Each roll was warm, crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. The perfect modes of transportation for either olives, oil, or butter.
I’ve talked about this friend before, Lee my foodie friend. We both have a loving for goat cheese. So, we split an appetizer salad because we can’t ever really pass up goat cheese.
This is the fresh baby arugula and goat cheese salad. The arugula was topped with sliced, candied almonds, strips of apple, carrots, a nice helping of goat cheese, and mango mustard dressing. I honestly would go back to this restaurant just for this salad. The light but peppery lettuce complimented the crunch and slide sweetness of the almond, apples, and mango dressing. The carrots added some texture and body to the salad. The best part was of course the goat cheese which is creamy, a little bit tangy, but perfectly smooth.
For the main course, I went with the healthy option! Yay! Finally! Healthy!
A nice piece of protein on top of a bed of healthy greens. The salmon was grilled perfectly, every bite flaky and fresh. On top was a sort of vinaigrette with radish, fennel, and onions. It made the dish seem even lighter and more refreshing. The spinach was sautéed, every bite leaving me satisfied.
I wanted to finish it all but I really couldn’t. It was a nice portion of food and I was full without feeling HUGE, which is always a plus.
But then, since it is the kickoff to my birthday week, we had to have dessert. Many of them sounded very intriguing but Lee and I decided to go with the creme brûlée. I honestly have never ordered this before in a restaurant so although it seemed normal, it is actually quite different for me.
The custard was really smooth and of course, the crunch of the sugar was divine. To make it even better, there was a raspberry and mango sauce on the plate for a little extra zing!
The experience was very lovely and the food put the icing on my kickoff birthday cake. The place was packed so if you’re thinking about hanging out with the inn crowd, you’ll definitely want to plan ahead.
For more information and to make your reservation visit: The Metuchen Inn
shut up and eat with me 