Great Find: Mara's Continental Cuisine South Amboy

I've driven by here a few times and was curious to try it. The food was wonderful!!

As always, a test of a good restaurant to me is their bread. Mara's served excellent bread with herb butter. They even brought out the end pieces at my request!!

A special appetizer of cockles in a red wine broth was amazing, as were their fried artichokes- reminded me of Rome!!

One main was a crispy, (yes it was), half chicken which was accompanied by a mushroom risotto and veggies of the day. Chicken was perfect- soft and juicy inside with excellent crispy skin. The risotto was freshly made and perfect as were the vegetables. The other main was this gigantic pork chop cooked perfectly to medium, topped with sautéed mushrooms. Also on the plate were those vegetables, as well as two potato croquettes which were out of this world!!

The portions were huge, the food was delicious, and the service by Courtney was perfect. This restaurant needs to gain a following and I urge you to get there soon and try Chef Steinberg's cooking- It was a great surprise. Looking forward to coming back and trying more of the menu!!