Salad House

My husband and I love us some steak - we've been to all of the well known restaurants - Ruth's Chris, Mortons, Emerils Chop House, Keens, Smith and Wollenskys, Ben Bensons, Capital Grille, etc. - and we were looking forward to trying Steakhouse 85 in New Brunswick. We were there early in the week, not busy at all. We ended up having 4 different waitstaff through the night - not a good sign - but the busboy was more attentive then all of them put together. He brought us extra bread and oil w/garlic for dipping - it was the highlight of the meal! Seriously! Started with shrimp cocktails. The sauce was excellent (had a nice kick) but the texture of the shrimp was off - like they had been overcooked. We had the NY Strip and the Porterhouse for main course - very disappointing, especially for the price. Both steaks came with fried onions on top - FROM 1985! They were so stale - inedible. Plus, we ordered the hash browns for a side - so saturated with salt - ridiculous. Again, inedible. Sent the hash browns back and took good 'ole french fries instead - they were fine. Back to the steaks - they just were not nice pieces of meat. The porterhouse was overseasoned and both steaks seemed off in flavor.\r When the manager asked how the meal was, we described what was wrong with the food (didn't mention being seated next to the drafty window when there were plenty of booths free) , he listened, then ran away saying he had to tell the kitchen. We never saw him again.\r I would recommend driving 15 minutes more and going to Ruth's Chris in Princeton if you want a pricey steak that is worth every bite! more

visited recently for graduation, party of 3, all well travelled, stopped for an early supper and sat beside the street on awning covered outdoor table, very nice afternoon. The waiter was knowledgeable and prompt and friendly so I would rate service excellent though they weren't that busy prior to prime time. Wine list is very good and priced fairly as restaurant wine goes. Appetizer crab cake was very good and large enough for 2 to share. Ceasar salad was ok, iceberg wedge was better because of dressing. Special softshell crab was terrible, poorly done in the kitchen and bad choice for non specialty chefs, fillet was nice but not prime cut, more like a nice choice cut, same with the strip, choice but not prime. The strip and fillet were not seasoned much and did not have a good crust so they both needed a prime flavor which they did not have. At this price I would have expected a better cut of meat on both pieces. Still the overall experience was pleasant. Total tab with 6 glasses of wine and 3 meals, one app, no dessert was $250 with tip. High for this quality food. Pros: nice atmosphere, great service Cons: food quality more