We had dinner at the Moonshine Super Club last month and I found the food to be really great. We were six at the table and everyone really liked their dish and appetizer. I loved the golden beet salad. I would go back just for that. The short Ribs were excellent and everything else I tasted was as well. I am looking forward to going back again and I am planning a girls night out there in a few weeks. Yummy! Bravo to the Chef.
Review Source:We enjoyed the two specials, a delicious steak and shrimp combo, over a tasty bed of rice, and a wonderful salmon special. Yum! The service was attentive, the craft beers were great. We frequent the Paper MIll Playhouse so Moonshine is a perfect before or after show location for us. We'll be back for sure
Review Source:I've came here for drinks and also for dinner. I absolutely love their drink and beer selection. Its great to find unique craft and import beers on tap in the suburbs of New Jersey(or any suburb for that matter). If you get a chance try the saison, one of my favorite types of beer but pretty hard to find. Also I loved the mangerita, that was pretty awesome. For dinner I was not very impressed, and would probably not give it another go because with drinks our bill was a little over $100. Will definetely be back for drinks though.
Review Source:Moonshine is THE place to go out for drinks in Millburn/Springfield/Summit area.
There is an excellent selection of draft and bottled beers and wines by the bottle and glass (with knowledgeable servers to help you choose... in the lounge section, the server actually brought me draft samples to taste once when I was having trouble deciding!). I don't do mixed drinks often, but the one cocktail I've had there was creative and delicious.
We have yet to have a full meal at Moonshine, but the appetizers, salads and deserts we've had were all delicious. I highly recommend the fried calamari (incredibly tender and flavorful) and the chocolate mouse!
The atmosphere is nice and upscale, with attractive decor and not too loud (we've only sat in the lounge and downstairs dining room, so can't speak to the upstairs). The prices aren't cheap (and their happy hour specials are only available in the lounge), but if you're looking for good drinks and food for a special night out, this is the place to go. It gets pretty busy, so a reservation might be a good idea, although we've always managed to get a table without one.
Ugh, I didn't know what to think when we got our food. Â My wife and I went for dinner and drinks tonight along with a few friends. Â We started with our apps, the calamari was decent, my wife's salad was just ok at best. I ordered the NY Strip...terrible! I don't even think it was a strip! Â (I'm a big steak/meat BBQ/Smoke guy). It had to have been probably the worst piece of meat I've eaten in years. Â Each bite felt like there was a rubber band in my mouth (medium rare) 4 bites in, I called the manager over and told him that this was not a good cut of strip and that I'm not enjoying it at all, I even asked him to confirm it was a NY Strip cause it looked off. Â He said it was aged NY strip meat, and I told him that was not good quality aged meat. Personally I think aged should not be served in that type of restaurant unless you know how to char broil it correctly, stick with USDA prime. Anyway, they swapped it for the filet mignon that tasted like it was submerged in butter first, but was better than the strip, so I are it. Â Fries were good when they came on the first plate (strip) second plate (filet) fries were totally undercooked, almost white. Â I probably won't eat there again, drinks were good, standard bar drinks. Â Nice atmosphere. Â But get a new chef and menu options. Service was ok. Â Manager gave our table complimentary dessert, which WAS on our bill, so we had to take it off. Â Waitress seemed confused at times. Â Owners seems nice and try to make customers happy, but I think they need to make some changes to last around here.
Review Source:I've been twice. The food is rather good, the issue is with the service, which I was actually offended by on my final visit.
I had a voucher for a free glass of wine with my meal that the waitress (after asking the manager) said they would honor. As the appetizers arrived, the manager came back to tell me that he had made a mistake and that my voucher was only for lunch. Â I'd say he missed out on an opportunity to make a great impression here by offering to honor it anyway, but instead he told me I'd have to pay $7 for the wine if I still wanted it. Â Sure, it seems like a little thing but this place is clearly trying to boast a Manhattan-level-restaurant image, and no restaurant of that level would double back on a free glass of house wine like that, it struck me as a poor showing of restaurant service.
All of the entrees arrived at the same time except for one, which didn't come for 20 minutes (and the rest of the party had finished eating, after the one person waiting insisted we all start). Â No apology, no offering of a free glass of wine, nothing lifted off the bill. Â I don't know if the waitress forgot to put in the order, or if the cook dropped the ball, but this was another poor showing of restaurant service.
Went again.....why, I don't know.
If you get seated upstairs, be sure you bring a cushion from home as the seats are link stone.
......and so were the specialty overpriced meatballs this time.
Duck Confit appetizer....excellent
Evening special of Hungarian Goulash very tasty but overly rich meat and spaetzle over seasoned.
love the bar!
Funky atmosphere. Definately very trendy and fun. Excellent cocktails and a great selection of beers. Ordered a bunch of starters, but the truffle gnocchi and meatballs were the best. The lobster mac and cheese was also good. Entrees included the braised short rib. which was huge, but very tender and flavorful and the grilled lab chop with the rosemary aoli (a nice touch). Enjoyed a nice vinatge Brunello at a very reasonable price.
The only downside was that we could not get upstairs to dance to some great disco tunes being played (there was a party going on). Oh well, everyone has already seen my Travolta moves...
Went to high school in Millburn and I gotta say that this is definitely the most buzz worthy place to grab a drink in town. Â The cocktails are delicious, though pricey, and the staff is relatively friendly. Â The crowd is not exactly hale and vibrant, but you can't really expect much more from the surrounding area. Â
I had lunch here once with my mother and the food was absolutely horrendous. Â We got the lobster BLT (a whopping $15.00) and it looked as if it contained a healthy portion of lobster. Â This did not matter however, as we soon discovered that the quality of the lobster was so horrific, it may as well have been the rubber sole of a hiking boot. Â On top of that, the bread possessed the consistency of wet cardboard--stale wet cardboard.
In short, come here to hang with your friends, come here for drinks, but DO NOT come here for the phenomenally overpriced and poorly prepared food.
I come here often, and despite one or two minor incidents, I continue to return and love the food (almost) every time. The menu is creative, decadent & varied. My favorite items sometimes surprise me - the braised Savoy cabbage, for example, I love, love, love, despite the fact that I don't really consider myself a cabbage person. The highlight for me, however, is the Ginger Sidecar on their cocktail menu. I can't get enough if this drink and have one every time I am there in the evening! Â I also love their brunch though, so it isn't just an evening place. They have a $17 price fixe brunch, with a $10 unlimited brunch cocktail option, so it's the perfect place for a brunch with the girls. I'm a real fan!!! The only thing that is keeping them from 5 stars for me are the two issues I have had there: one old-tasting gazpacho that kind of tingled in my mouth (that they quickly replaced) and one time my friend found a piece of steel wool in her pasta - purportedly from vigorous scrubbing of the grill, which at least lets you know the clean the kitchen thoroughly. Both times, the food was quickly replaced, and the manager was apologetic - after the steel wool incident he sent over 3 free & delicious desserts. I attribute these incidents to the fact that the restaurant was still fairly new when they happened, and i was happy with their response so I can forgive them - after all, no one is perfect! Â Besides, I have had no problems for several months now and keep returning, so I hope these problems are behind them!! I certainly have seen no sign of any problems going forward!
Review Source:Yummers!! Â I loved everything about Moonshine Modern Supper Club and I can't wait to go back! Â I have already reco'd it to a gazillion friends and family members that live in the neighborhood...
Visited with a friend on a Saturday evening... showed up half an hour early for our dinner reservation, thinking we could just grab drinks at the bar but it was PACKED!! Â Luckily, they had a table available for us so we decided to sit and peruse the super-lengthy menu of cocktails, beers and wines by the glass. Â Umm...the menu is as big as a Bible! Â Great selection of wines from various regions, all available in 3 oz. or 6 oz pours so you can realistically do some great tastings there.
I was in a cocktail-y sort of mood so I decided to try one of the many cocktails which featured none other than their namesake "Moonshine." Â I had the Strawberry Moon Punch made with fresh muddled strawberries and my friend had the Floral Elegance which was like a spiked, girlier version of an Arnold Palmer - BOTH were delicious, refreshing and potent!!
We decided to share the Truffle Gnocchi with Meatballs in a Sherry cream sauce to start...available in half order of full. Â We split the half order and YES - it is as rich as it sounds, but more tasty than you can image! Â oh. my. gosh. Â Between the drinks and our app, they had me at "hello!" Â Ooh - and I almost forgot about the truly authentic hummus served with the bread...garlicky & delicious, but don't eat it if you're there on a date! Â
So onto meals...my friend had the Funghi & Fontina Pizza while I (with a heartier appetite that day) went for The (Hanger) Steak Frites with Bearnaise sauce. Â It was cooked as perfectly to medium as any steak should be and served sliced with awesomely crispy french fries. Â I would SO order this again... I thought it was great that even for the steak frites, you have a choice of 4 different cuts of meat, so it's up to you what your budget, tastes buds and appetite allow for. Â This is a key reason I was able to recommend this restaurant to so many...it's a great date spot with wonderful ambiance and low lighting yet, also good for people who dine out every night of the week and don't want to spend too much. Â You can spend $10 bucks on a pizza or 3 times as much on lobster thermidor and no matter what you order, everyone wins cause the Food, Drinks and Service are all outstanding!!!
Um yeah...there was no room for dessert ;)
Everything started off fine. They have 3oz glasses of wine which allows for tasting several different ones. We ate in the bar side and the food was ok. Hummus was served with pita but pita seemed old. They should warm up the pita a little. When we got our bill they charged us MORE than the menu price for several glasses of wine. When we brought this to their attention they only corrected one of the mistakes. I did not want to wait for them to correct the rest. Buyer beware! Â Food is just ok in this dwindling area of town.
Review Source:I feel that 2 stars is being generous, so hear I go...
My husband and I decided to walk to Moonshine for Brunch a couple weekends ago, I mean who can beat $10 free flowing cocktails? Right? Wrong...
We walked into the restaurant, nobody was around. We waited a couple minutes and were finally greeted by a hostess. As soon as we sat down our waiter arrived and we told him we would be indulging in the free-flowing cocktails for the additional $10, on top of a $17 2 course meal.. After waiting 5 minutes for each drink, and sending my burger back because it was raw we managed to suck down 3 glasses of sangria that weren't even worth the calories, very weak..
My husband ordered the biscuit and gravy for his first course. It was made with Italian sausage, not breakfast sausage and I think it had chives in it. Yuck. I ordered the Cesar salad, it was pretty tasty. For our "entrees" he had eggs Benedict and I had a burger with fries and their "house made ketchup". The eggs Benedict was OK but the potatoes that came on the side appeared to be frozen, you could taste the freezer burn in them. My burger that I ordered well done came out raw, I couldn't even eat it, so back it went.. 10 minutes later my new burger came out, it was cooked properly but had no flavor. I think my fries were the frozen type McDonald's uses, nasty. And the house-made ketchup came out with my first burger and fries, but good old Heinz came out with the second. When I asked the waiter about this particular ketchup that they advertise on the menu as being "house made" he said that all they do is add a little hot sauce and something else to it, it was disgusting.
Do yourself a favor and save $70 on an awful brunch experience.
took my wife, and another couple here for a birthday dinner. made reservations online, everything went smooth. read some reviews beforehand to see what got good/poor reviews. luckily we found a spot right in front of the door on a saturday at 8pm. we were seated immediately upon arrival. we ordered 4 of their signature cocktails. all came out pretty quick, and were very tasty. we consumed about 4-5 drinks each of the course of the meal, so we covered all their specialty cocktails, and then some. all were quite good, and consistent, which is hard to find these days. we had fondue, which was very good. not sure, but it might have been fontina cheese? we got it with steak, chicken, and fresh veggies. all were very good. we also had 20 oysters. they were chilled to a perfect eating temp, and came accompanied with a very nice "sharp" vinegar based dipping sauce, as well as the normal cocktail sauce. we were very pleased with the appetizers. as far as entrees, my friend got the short ribs with grits. they fell off the bone, and the sauce was very tasty. not too sweet, not too thick. the grits were cooked perfectly, yet slightly underseasoned. i had the steak and potatoes with asparagus. steak was cooked on point, a perfect medium rare. steak seasoned to perfection. my wife had the salmon i believe. it was a fish dish. she liked it. cooked well. i didnt try it, as im not a fish fan. on to the last entree. my friends wife had the lobster thermodor as suggested by our waitress as "mind blowing" - side note: the waitress didnt have a clue as to what was on the menu, she would have been better off at tgi fridays or something. there was nothing mind blowing about the lobster except the presentation. it was 90% bread crumbs and filler. even the lobster chunks in the mix were bland and overcooked. my guest was completely disappointed and actually ended up with half my steak. we all had a bite or two of the lobster, and all felt the same disappointment. lesson learned, dont take advice from a waitress who doesnt know the menu. we also finished up with a couple desserts to share. we had a gelato and some sort of fruit tart. both were very good. i only tried a spoon of each, as i was enjoying the delicious cokctails all too much. overall, i had a good experience. the ambience at the restaurant is very nice and intimate. comfortable chairs as well. i highly suggest exploring the specialty cocktails and trying something you wouldnt ordinarily try. stay away from the lobster thermador! great place for a first date, or an anniversary, or an "adult" birthday outing. also would be great for "girls night" as my wife says. we will be making a return trip shortly, perhaps just for late night cocktails and appetizers at the bar.
Review Source:Moonshine Modern Supper Club is amazing! The food is delish, the drinks are thirst quenching and the staff and service are incredible! The atmosphere is super chic in a good way! The staff was very attentive to all of our needs and special modifications. Â Their specialty drinks are so creative and they have a great craft beer menu and vast wine list. Â All in all this was an A+ experience and I can't wait to go back!
Review Source:If I could give it 4.5 stars, I would. Â This was my first time here and I really enjoyed it. Â I was there for a happy hour event so, I did not have a full dinner. Â They have a wonderful selection of 20+ craft beers on tap, a nice wine list, great happy hour specials and super-friendly staff and owners. Â The Margherita pizza and Caesar salad were delicious and fresh. Â The owner gives back to the community by supporting local non-profits like the group I was with--that is a huge plus for me. Â Drinks, even while 1/2 price during the happy hour, were generously poured! Â I will definitely be back. Â My only criticism--it was really warm in there. Â Everything else was great!
Review Source:This is a Saturday night drink review: Cute atmosphere with music. It's a small lounge/restaurant with a nice size bar. They have a decent size drink menu of cocktails, beer, wines. Dress is casual mainly with an age group of mostly 40s. It's a good spot to catch up with friends, have music and actually be able to hear them.
Review Source:My very first one-star. I shall savor this.
Let me start by saying I have lived in New Jersey for 24 years of my life, and I am of the opinion that this restaurant has no place in Millburn. It has been a very long time since I have left a venue so full of vitriolic disdain -- so miserably and wretchedly undersatisfied.
Where to begin.
How about the location and decor -- these are actually Moonshine's strongest traits. The restaurant is located just off main street, which serves to distinguish it from, say, J.P. Lee's and the local diner. At least this gives it the guise of tastefulness by dis-association. The storefront sign is provocatively lit with a beguiling glow, no doubt an homage to its Hippie-child name -- I only wish I could admire it before I read the 'Please use other door' sign taped to the window directing me to what looks like the entrance to a dentist's office. Oh, the other other door? Gotcha.
The interior is ambiently lit, but only on the lower storey bar area. The upper dining area is glaringly well-lit for an industrial-style loft -- ideal for admiring everyone's imperfections. Then there's the music selection. I mean, really, when 'Good Feeling' comes on, I can't help but wonder if the service is so slow because my retinue of vested, hipster waiters are in the back smoking a bowl between courses.
The food. As a nibbler, we have doughnut-holes with a white bean hummus in olive oil. Frankly, I have no idea how to make a good hummus, and apparently, neither does Moonshine. At one point, 'Could you pass the salt' became such a tired phrase at our table that my sister unapologetically sprinkled salt and pepper all over the sharing dish to save everyone the trouble. No one found that this was in poor taste, literally or figuratively.
I started with a beet salad that was utterly uninspired and unspectacular. As for the entree, when I order fish, I have the vague expectation it will be yielding to my teeth, let alone a knife. Plated unimpressively over a bed of tasteless potato puree and Brussels sprouts, the mahi mahi quickly became a can of shredded cat food under the pressure of my utensils. I desperately scraped my fork through the pitiful dried ring of red wine reduction or whatever it was that was drizzled around my plate in a vain attempt to capture some semblance of flavor.
To add to this unfortunate denouement, I almost fell ill by how well-heated the upper storey was, and that was in short sleeves. Thankfully, another patron raised complaint before I fainted.
Moonshine is so absurdly and painfully out of place in suburban New Jersey. Do you really think a name like 'Moonshine Modern Supper Club' and your ridiculous decor and pretentious menu are going to convince us we're in New York or Miami and not sleepy old Millburn? Does your insufferable hipster indifference really entitle you to even a modicum of metropolitan class? I adore that this place is listed as a diner on its Yelp page because that's about as classy as it actually is. Above all else, the food is unimpressive and overpriced to the point that it offends.
I will not be visiting this place again. Ever.
60%
Good burger and very reasonable value
***Short Review
Came here for a late lunch Mar'12
Burger here is good and definitely a reasonable value at $11.
To me it resembled a good traditional steakhouse burger.
I liked the fact that it had a more aggressive char and prominent smoky notes from the bacon used.
Cheddar is melted well and complements the burger overall.
Beef flavor was maybe a bit more muted than I'd like but far off.
Portion size is very reasonable and I left feeling satisfied despite my larger than average appetite.
Be sure to get a beer with it as their selection is pretty good and their staff appeared quite informative and helpful with the selection.
A lot of nicer beers are priced reasonably around the $6-7
I was happy with my Dale's Pale ale with my burger.
Ambiance is comfortable and service were good.
***Detailed Review
The Moonshine Burger
New York State Cheddar, Applewood Smoked Bacon, House-made Ketchup (approx $11)
(Dish Raing 60%)
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=2W1ZuQytUhEguNGnSQ8nVg&userid=OWtjsyPKWUu7La7uOyC6Rw">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
Pretty good burger overall. Â Definitely reminded me of a more traditional gourmet burger. Â Nothing really blew me away, but it was simple and very balanced. Â I enjoyed the more pronounced char notes and the smokiness from the bacon most of all.
The beef patty was solid. Â I requested the burger 'medium-rare' and was glad I did. Â What I noticed first from biting into the beef was the prominent char notes giving it a more aggressive bitter finish that compliment the beef well (likewise if you're not a fan of char, this might not be for you), and lending the outer edges some slight crunchiness. Â I am confident ordering this burger 'rare' should also work good without compromising too much char. Â Seasoning is good and balanced. Â
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=lgCYb4i15CFXy0nP9LsNMA&userid=OWtjsyPKWUu7La7uOyC6Rw">http://www.yelp.com/user…</a>
Maybe not unlike a more traditional burger, the flavor of the beef (if you don't count the char) was maybe a bit more muted than I would have liked, and perhaps my least favorite aspect of the burger. Â It took a slight backseat to the char and bacon. Â I can't say it wasn't delicious and it's completely unfair to say it's bland, but I would have liked more of a beefy presence to work with the char and smokiness. Â Apologies for not asking about the cuts of beef used. Nonetheless, the beef was cooked consistently medium rare with good pink interior. Â The meat inside is moist with moderate amount of juices and not too much grease.
Texture of the meat seemed a bit tough and chewier, not unlike a good traditional steakhouse burger. Â The meat was packed densely, making one of the heavier burgers despite it's seemingly more average size of around 8oz meat patty, give or take. Â The thicker size of the patty was welcome. Â This is definitely a heartier burger that should be quite filling.
Condiments used were simple but pretty effective. Â Applewood smoked bacon lent a more intense smokiness to the burger that blended well with the char of the meat. Â The bacon and char were the two most prominent elements of the burger, lending the burger a very masculine character overall. Â I liked how the bacon was quite thin, which made it not distracting at all to bite through. Â Bacon was probably a lean for my preference, but otherwise a good compliment to the beef.
Cheddar used was delicious if not a bit conservative. Â It was melted properly, covering the beef entirely and lending it flavor well, complimenting the beef and bacon. Â It's presence was more muted relative to the two other ingredients, and I wonder if it would have been even more effective if more cheese was used. Â Nonetheless, this was a welcome and what I felt to be essential element. Â
Bread used was toasted on the inside, giving a bit of crunch and a bit more char, which was certainly welcome. Â While I did enjoy the bread, I felt it was a bit heavy and doughy, with maybe a tad more starch than I'd like relative to the protein, but it's not off by far. Â The bread easily keeps the burger intact throughout.
Also included is a slice of lettuce and two tomatoes which are delicious, but not so much my thing in a burger. Â I enjoyed them separately.
Fries are also good. Â They're similar to a McDonald's cut, seasoned just right with only salt, relatively light, with a pleasant subtle crunchiness. Â There's nothing about them that gives it exceptional character, but they are executed capably and I had no qualms about finishing them.
Value of this burger is also very reasonable at $10-11ish with fries included. Â Preparation time does seem to take a bit longer, with my burger arrive around 20 mins after ordering. Â I have no issue with this at all, but for some it might be.
While I wouldn't drive out here from far away, it's definitely a burger worth checking out if you're around the area and looking for a burger and a few drinks.
Recommended
Stopped by one Saturday night. We sat for about 5 minutes at bar with out anyone even acknowledging us. Once the bartender finally made it around we ordered a couple of drinks off the Drink Menu. I had the Moonshine Manhattan and it was a great cocktail. My wife ordered a drink she absolutely loved too.
After enjoying the drinks the bartender told us they were on the house because we had to wait so long in the beginning.
We ordered a cheese/meat plate which was delicious. The best food we ate though was the house made potato chips. Covered in salt parmesan cheese and lemon they were out of this world.
Overall this was a great bar to stumble upon. A little on the expensive side (drinks are $11) but definitely a place we would like to return too.
Moonshine is the first place we've been to (since moving to the area six months ago) that we'd actually want to return to! Everything: from the food, to ambiance, to the service was phenomenal - and we're tough customers!
Luckily, we found on-street parking right in front of the restaurant. We were seated as soon as we arrived. We started with some fun cocktails from their very impressive and interesting drink menu and the cheese fondue. Neither disappointed! We loved the way the cheese completed the apple slices and the OMG was so delicious that I nearly drank it all in one gulp!
A Cesar salad followed the appetizer immediately. The salad was generous enough for two people to share. The dressing had a nice garlic and anchovy taste and the croutons were definitely not from a box. Â
The wait for our entrees was a bit longer than I expected but wasn't too bad. I had the short rib and hubby had the NY strip. Both were impeccable and cooked perfectly. Even the collard greens and grits that came with my meal were good (and I don't even like grits). Hubby wasn't so impressed with the pomme frites that came with his steak, but he ate them.
For dessert, we each had cappuccino and split the stuffed chocolate cake. It was pretty good, but I felt the cake could have been more chocolaty.
Bill for dinner was around $150 but worth every penny. The ambiance was very romantic and our server was extremely attentive.
Can't wait to go back again.
After moving close by and wanting to try this new spot which housed the old Restaurant MC we gave it a whirl on a rainy night.
If you are familiar with Millburn you know parking sucks. On this rainy night, I was able to park 4 spots away which is very important to a wife in heels and rain!
You walk in completely opposite of MC and the bar is now on your right. Much larger and a rather dark space but by choice. There are a plethora of tap beer I have never tried but on a friday out with the wifey, its martinis or wine.
We had a drink at the bar and Moonshines cocktail list is very innovative. The bartender was quite attractive and very friendly to boot. Her male sidekick was gruff and lacked any personality what so ever but the locals seemed to like and know him. Regarding the locals, it was quite the odd crowd. There were hipsters, a guy wearing no sleeves with dreads and a animal print shawl/scarf along with black nail polish...OK
There was a small fight among patrons where a guy looked like he was going to knock out his girlfriend b/c she spilled a drink but dont fear, staff did absolutely nothing about it.
Upon sitting, we skipped apps as it was late and went right to the main course. I had a tuna meal and my wifey had mahi mahi. My tuna was very good but not memorable. Surprisingly my wife was very unsatisfied with her $30 mahi. Again, it was just very blahhh.
Having a sweet tooth she ordered a sample of gelato. This again was nothing to write home about.
It is truly a shame as this restaurant is a great location and a very chic place but I must say I give it a year and it will be up for the next try to make it in Millburn.
Dinner for 2 with wine and a single dessert was $107
I had originally made a reservation for 8:30 on Valentine's Day, but after a visit to OpenTable earlier in the day I was able to change the reservation to 8:00. We arrived promptly at 8:00, but we were told, within sight of several available tables mind you, that our table was not yet ready. The restaurant was crowded, but manageable if you ask me, and yet we had to wait nearly half an hour for our table to be ready. As we were finally shown to our table, we had just about made it into our seats when we were asked if we would mind switching tables. It was stupid of them for having sat 2 people at a 4-person table, but that certainly wasn't my mistake. And why did I have to wait so long for a table just to have you move me to a different one?
I was sure to order appetizers during the first appearance of our waitress, since we had already waited nearly 45 minutes to reach our final dining destination. We ordered 6 east coast raw oysters (don't remember what kind) and one of the evening's specials, tuna carpaccio. Let me say first that they were both exceptional. The oysters were fresh and salty, and the mignonette had a nice touch of balsamic vinegar, though not quite as heavy on the shallots as I prefer, personally. The tuna was light and flavorful, although it was served as one big piece and it would have been nice if they had pre-sliced it. I wanted to highlight the quality first because the appetizers took over 30 minutes to arrive at our table, and it should be pointed out that neither dish required any cooking time.
For the main course I had the bone-in NY strip with chimichurri, while my girlfriend had the short ribs. I had asked for the steak medium rare, and while I would say that it appeared to be a little overcooked, it was absolutely delicious. The outside edges were nice and charred, yet juicy and tender on the inside. The short ribs were also very good. Fork-split tender and very flavorful, and served with tasty cheddar cheese grits and less tasty spinach.
If this establishment could be judged on food quality alone, it would be rated much higher. But the bottom line is this: we had a standard 2-course dinner that was supposed to start at 8:00, and we did not receive our entrees until 9:45. If we had a bigger party or more food that wouldn't seem so bad, but it felt like an eternity. By the time we were finished eating, and after we received our fourth commendation from the waitress about our level of patience, it seemed like the staff was far more interested in going home than in letting us leave. Even the hostess got to her car and left before we did. Several times during the meal we saw a gentleman (manager?) circulating around the dining room and chatting with folks. As he was passing by our table, I noticed that he leaned down to hear what my girlfriend was saying as she was making a comment about her food, but had no apparent interest in talking with us. It was very strange, and we couldn't help feeling that he was ignoring us in a room full of other more satisfied customers. A shame to say the least, because there are certainly many things I could have discussed with him.
a breath of fresh air for the area. great drinks, great decor and the food was delicious. the only thing to note was that the night we were there, we walked in and....crickets. there was no host/hostess to great you and there is no reception area, so you can either head to the bar or block the entry way. we had to ask the bartender if we could be seated for dinner. while the place has a few kinks to work out such as that, you can't beat the atmosphere and ambience when looking for a night out in millburn.
Review Source:Had lunch here the other day and truly enjoyed the meal. Â The space is great and it was pretty empty, but I supposed most places are around 2pm during the week. Â We both started off with the puree of cauliflower soup which was delicious. Very well done and it had a touch of cream and crumbled pistachios mixed in. Â My friend had the margherita pizza which was a nice thing crust, with tomato, fresh mozzarella, and some basil and he really thought it was delicious. Â I tried the quinoa burger which isn't really a burger at all, but rather a patty of quinoa mixed with edamame (I think), mushrooms and some herbs. Â Truly delicous and different. Â It came with a chick pea salad which was great, tzatziki sauce and pita. Â We were too full to take a look at the dessert menu, but given the delicious appetizers and entrees, I'm sure the desserts would have been great too.
Review Source:I visited Moonshine during the holidays (lunch) when it was virtually empty. Â Not sure if this is the norm but I had excellent service; our server was as nice as she was informative about the menu. Â I shared the pita with hummus as an app, which was really good, and for my main choice the Quinoa Burger, a hit. Â I did order a cocktail, the O.M.G., which a thought was excellent, it was just incredibly small, think the whole think could have fit in a dixie-cup (ok, a slight exaggeration), but the full service bar was nice. Â I would have stopped there but my friend wanted dessert and had the apple tart with a nutty type of ice-cream on the side, wonderful. Â I guess they thought I'd be lonely and wanted me to try the Profiterols, which I love, and, wow, they were great, and it was a nice touch to offer. Â I thought the prices were very good as well, particularly since other restaurants are a bit pricier in the general vicinity. Â I definitely plan on returning for either brunch or dinner.
Review Source:I called in my reservations the afternoon of New Years Eve and was pleasantly surprised that they still had reservations open. Â Overall, we enjoyed our food & drink...the decor was nice too. Â
Unfortunately, we got off to a rocky start as our server could not answer some simple questions we had about some of the mixed drinks on the menu. Â She explained that she had not yet tried the drinks on the menu, seriously. Â In any event, we had a Manhattan and a Mojito type drink that were OK. Â We ended up diving right into apps and started off with Oysters, a mix of east and west coast, which we enjoyed. Â Followed up with a cheese fondue which we could have skipped. Â For my entree, I had the bone in strip steak with creamed spinach. Â GF had the short ribs which were significantly better than mine.
The GM was very knowledgeable of the wines and helped us pick out a bottle of red that paired very nicely with our meat. Â She brought out a few different samples to help us find the wine the we both enjoyed.
We had some gelato for dessert, but it was only OK: we bounced for the ball drop.
I will be back to try it again, probably for brunch.
Great new place to go in Millburn and a much needed new hip scene. Prior to Moonshine opening your local choices were simply Martinis (good crowd, decent food, good bar) or Charlie Browns (blech!!!) if you wanted a cocktail. Moonshine's cocktail list is outstanding and reminds me of places in the city like Employees ONly and Macau. The food was just wonderful (you must try the side of cabbage). It's a bit on the loud side, but that's a given on a Saturday night at 9pm. The service was wonderful. We didn't have a reservation, so instead of waiting 30 minutes for a table in the dining room, we ate in a booth table by the bar. Would like to try the dining room next time. Definitely recommending this to all my friends and will be sure to go back.
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