100 Steps Supper Club + Raw Bar
“We ordered Mussels in a pot, Octopus Tostada, Fried Oysters, and Reginetti (Pasta with Lamb Ragu).”
“We tried this cool little tapas/BYOB on a whim and were completely happy with our experience.”
“We're regulars at A Toute Heure so we were very excited to try 100 Steps as it's from the same owners as ATH and also shares ATH's Executive Chef.”
100 Steps Supper Club + Raw Bar
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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We're regulars at A Toute Heure so we were very excited to try 100 Steps as it's from the same owners as ATH and also shares ATH's Executive Chef. The concept is different from ATH as the focus is on shared plates and there isn't an emphasis on local food. The restaurant also has a raw bar which accepts walk-ins.
My husband and I ordered 5 dishes which the kitchen sent out in perfect succession. First was the crab remoulade, followed by the olives and grilled octopus. The crab was delicious, though I think we both decided we're not huge fans of remoulade. That's just a personal preference, though. The olives were great, but the real star was the octopus. It was cooked perfectly and we completely cleaned that plate. It was so, so good.
For our main dishes we went with the tortelloni in brodo and beef stew. The tortelloni were very flavorful and I especially loved the broth. The beef stew was our favorite out of the two, though. The beef was incredibly tender and even the beans were incredible. My only quibble with the entrees was that the dishes they gave us made it hard to share. I really wanted to slurp up all of the brother but the flat plates they gave us didn't really make that possible. But that's something that's easily remedied.
There are three dessert options. We went with the salted caramel budino which was topped with fresh whipped cream. It was dynamite, the perfect ending to a wonderful meal.
Ate here about a year ago, memory is not super crisp due to time but also because my brother and our ladies polished off a fair share of wine (BYOB!!!).
I'm not quite sure the total population of 'good' restaurants in Cranford, but suspect this is in the upper echelon and worth it. If we're talking NYC not sure this is in the top tier, but for the area it's great and would recommend.
100 Steps is the sister restaurant to A Toute Heure (ATH) located conveniently across the street or 100 steps away to be exact. 100 Steps is a raw bar concept and the bar area and views into the kitchen give the restaurant more of an urban ambiance versus the cozy and homey style of ATH.
I visited 100 Steps in October of 2015 with a party of 4. I had tried and loved ATH and wanted to try 100 Steps. There were a few weekend reservation openings for 100 Steps but booking in advance is still recommended.
To start we ordered from the raw bar. The raw bar menu is separate from the regular menu. You can order single oysters or clams at market price. The variety of mollusks included oysters from New Jersey to Washington state.
The main menu is small plates style. They were ok with us choosing a few items to begin and ordering more as we feasted! We started with the fall salad which has roasted squash, blue cheese, and serrano ham over a bed of arugula with smoked almonds. The fall salad was enough to split across two people. Next we enjoyed the seared scallop and crispy calamari which came with a sweet pear pure that went nicely with the toping of arugula and balsamic vinegar. Then came the OHS meatballs. These savory meatballs were made of beef and chorizo and were enough to split across 4 people and were a stand out of the meal. The couple we were with ordered the lobster crostini. Even though I just got a taste, this small plate was a highlight too. The large lumps of lobster meat were on a small piece with a delicious broth.
After we enjoyed the small plates we decided we were still hungry and could go for a larger appetizer for each couple to split. My girlfriend and I ordered the spaccatelli which came with a tender shredded duck ragu. One of my favorite things about ATH and 100 Steps is that when I visit I know I could order an "adventurous" dish and really enjoy it. Another thing to point out is the broths in all of the dishes at 100 Steps and ATH. From the mussel pots to the pasta dishes the broth will have you licking your bowl clean!
I came here with my friend last night for dinner and we had a great time. We shared half a dozen $2 special oysters to start. We had this shrimp appetizer that had a nice creamy sauce with a kick to dip our fresh dinner buns in. We both had the taco special for our entree, one tilapia and the other chorizo. The chorizo one was super spicy from the jalapenos, but in a good way. For dessert, we split the angel food cake with lemon sorbet. The lemon sorbet was so refreshing and had just the right amount of sweetness. I think they have live music every Tuesdays which added to the wonderful dining experience. I've been to their sister restaurant, A Toute Heure several times and this place is just as good. The service, ambiance, and food were delightful. I'll definitely be back, maybe for their oyster happy hour.
I really wish Yelp would add half stars. I rounded up but feel like this place was more 3 1/2 stars for me. To be fair I am not into oysters and I know this is what they are known for. I joined friends who are into oysters. They did enjoy what they had but did say they thought oysters were overpriced. They have tapas so we ordered a few things to share. Everything was good but portions were small and pricey. This like their sister restaurant across the street is very popular so make reservations well in advance. It is very loud inside too. Worth a visit but I probably won't be back.
This place strives to be something it is not. It thinks it is trendy, but is in what is basically a strip mall on a Cranford street. It thinks it is imaginative. It thinks it merits the prices it charges for decent but not terrific food. I was disappointed.
Three of us shared meatballs, a house salad, sautéed shrimp, salmon ceviche, a pasta special and grilled octopus. The meatballs were good, as was the sauce. Same for the shrimp. The octopus was really dry and flavorless. The salad was bland. The ceviche, while fresh, lacked any sort of punch. The pasta tasted cheesy but lacked any other real depth of flavor.
The Parker house rolls that came with al of this were really good, properly salty and buttery. Service was friendly. Prices are high considering the middling quality of the food.
One visit was enough.
This place has been on my "to do" list for awhile now and we finally made it a couple nights ago. We walked in late on a Thursday without a reservation and were lucky to find a table had just opened. From start to finish, the service here was so pleasant. The hostess, our server, the bus boy, everyone was so accommodating and polite. We decided to order a bunch of small plates, although you can also do individual entrees. We went with a half dozen oysters, fried oyster sandwich, muscles pot (sans the sausage), and each had a clam soup. Everything was so good! The muscles were tiny, but I prefer that. The gave us some house rolls that were amazing! Super soft inside, well done and salted on the outside. They also brought more bread for dipping in the muscles pot, which was also very good. We didn't go for dessert because we were so full, so they brought over a plate of bite sized "chipless" chocolate chip cookies.
Although it was busy, we felt we had our servers full attention the whole time. I wish I knew his name because he deserves a shout out (he was very tall with short brown hair)!
We are definitely coming back during the week for the oyster happy hour!
Cranford has no shortage of restaurants, that's for sure. And sadly, not all of them should still be open. But 100 Steps is a place that I hope stays open for a long time! An oyster bar? Yes please!
We tried this cool little tapas/BYOB on a whim and were completely happy with our experience. It's a small place but they can pack the house without it feeling overcrowded.
Our oyster knowledge has always been limited to wedding cocktail hours so when we asked questions, the staff was very knowledgeable. We ordered the mixed dozen of oysters because we wanted to try them all. They were very fresh and so tasty. The shigoku oyster was our favorite. We paired the oysters with one of their cheese boards. It was just so good. In addition to that, we also ordered the fried baby artichokes as well as the cockles, smoked bacon in bonito broth with salt cod croquettes (it was a little salty but still good). For dessert we tried the chocolate truffles and the salted caramel budino. Both tasty, but nothing overwhelming. I usually find myself more interested in the food than the desserts anyway. Overall, everything was incredibly delicious.
You will end up paying a bit more than your typical night out but this place is worth the indulgence.
One little thing that was a little bothersome was that our waitress brought us our check before we asked for it. It's a pet peeve of mine no matter where we go, especially when customers are still finishing their dessert, wine, etc. It's not like it brought down our experience but just stood out to me.
We will certainly be back, 100 Steps!