Brigantine Seafood
“We really liked how well seasoned the food was and how balanced the flavors were although the lobster bisque was a tad salty.”
“BYOB,,,stay a while….come casual and expect fish that I have yet to see a NYC plate rival (and I do city A LOT!)…..”
“Recommend seafood salad, wild salmon, stuffed fillet of sole And the desserts are all made in house.”
Brigantine Seafood
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
7 reviews
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It is a good bet that a seasoned fishmonger and self taught chef like Alfred Ianniello (Chef Al) — with seafood in his veins since childhood — knows how to prepare the stuff.
Taking cues from a foodie Italian heritage and his 20 year career servicing and running some famous seafood kitchens, Al's style mimics that of his favorite cookbook author — Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin fame. Like Ripert he relies on screamingly fresh ingredients, simple preparations and lots of hospitality.
Recently relocated to a more upscale and spacious location on a main drag in Hawthorne (still waiting on exterior signage and interior decorations), Brigantine is every bit a suburban five star dining experience without the attitude and pretentiousness of pricier joints in North Jersey.
It is BYO and they know how to serve your libations. No fewer than 4 wait staff tended to our 90 minute meal — leaving nothing to chance — even though the restaurant was full on this particular Friday night. Service was pleasant and all smiles — we felt pampered without being rushed.
The food: We ordered the brook trout stuffed with scallops, blackened swordfish, crab cakes, smoked trout, lobstah bisque and clams oreganata.
Brook trout with scallops was exquisite in its simplicity. Gently cooked whole, skinned, stuffed and served head on — but perfectly boneless — each mouthful was a marriage of juicy yet firm trout flesh — plus a textural pop of scallops — all flavored by a dollop of creamy buerre blanc and a lemon wedge. It takes skill and technique to debone a trout (pin bones and all) — then stuff it full with scallops so you can eat it head to tail without any waste. Outstanding in every way — with family style sides of a decent saffron rice and simply steamed zucchini julienne! One of the best combo fish/shellfish dishes I have ever eaten.
Lobster bisque was off the charts! Huge chunks of lobster in the creamy base (yelp.com/biz_photos/brig…) was a meal all its own. Perfect balance of sherry, brine and cream — we abandoned our complementary olive oil bread dip for the bisque during the meal — leaving not a drop to waste — with the help of two baskets of crisped, warm Italian bread.
Good sized crab cakes (we took them out and ate them the following day for lunch) were the real deal. Sweet lump crab meat — carefully formed and simply fried in butter without loads of filler — were Maryland quality. If you like lump crab meat — order these — they are not mushy — and are loaded with plenty of large chunks of meat in every bite — served on this occasion with a tangy chipotle sauce.
The house smoked trout was properly cured and textured — if a bit salty and smoky for my tastes — drowning out the delicate fish flavor — but classically presented with cornichons, capers, horseradish sauce, toast points (overly toasted) and a lemon wedge.
The baked clams were large, briny and deliciously plump — cooked to a melt in your mouth consistency — but the oregenata topping though well seasoned was not served broiler crisp.
My only real quibble was with the swordfish main. Ordered blackened — it lacked the surface char of the spice mixture that is classic with this preparation – hence none of the textural contrast I was looking for. The spice was right but floated in a grease slick atop the fish — itself perfectly cooked. I would have preferred a thicker but smaller piece of sword that would have allowed the chef to crisp both sides without fear of overcooking the middle.
We finished with a wedge of real-deal key lime pie that had a citrusy creamy punch, drizzled with sweet raspberry coulis that evened out the flavors behind a shmear of fresh whipped cream. Pleasant — with decent espresso.
Service: 5.0 — perfectly attentive to all needs and knowledgeable.
Food: 4.0 — a few flaws but this is unpretentious suburban dining.
Ambiance: 4.5 — 2 rooms — strange bathroom location — diner bar is the more casual choice than the "Oak Room."
Value: 4.5 — better than local chains or fancier rooms; superior seafood.
Overall: 5.0 — as good as it gets locally.
Top Tip: This is a seafood market and they do a brisk take out business too — said to be sourced daily from the Fulton Fish Market.
I was so excited to try this BYOB seafood restaurant. Has small parking space in the behind of the restaurant and some street parking as well. It's not big restaurant, approximately 10-15 tables and few seats on bar area. Very clean and simple, not much decoration. Owner and staffs welcomed us with smile. Enjoyed few conversation with them
We ordered lobster bisque, smoked salmon, stuffed sole fish and Arctic char. They were all fresh and delicious. Dishes were bit pricey side but all of them were simply delicious and enough portion. Owner makes everything in the dish even simple sauce or whip cream. Dishes doesn't have delicate decorations or details, but fresh seafoods and skilled chef makes delicious statement.
We tried homemade chocolate pecan pie, pie crust was bit tough but it was delicious!!
We really appreciated warm hospitality and perfectly prepared nice dinner, plan to go back often.
Now this is an excellent seafood place!! If you're a fan of fish, don't hesitate. Small restaurant with outstanding food and service. The chef is obviously highly skilled and puts a lot of love into his craft.
A group of us recently had selections of salmon, herb-encrused bronzino, zuppa de pesce and fisherman's platter. We were all so happy – I'm not even sure who won best dish of the night. The dishes were all cooked to perfection and delicious, simply served without adornments. Family-style yellow rice and steamed julianned veggies were also gobbled up happily. We also had a stuffed mushroom appetizer that was decent, and an apple pie dessert that was yummy.
I'd compare Brigantine to Seafood Gourmet, but it's not nearly as cramped and rushed here. Come here for more of a relaxed dining experience.
If it's a popular dining night, I'd recommend reservations. Parking in the back! BYOB and save room for dessert. We're looking forward to our return.
Update: a dayboat scallop-stuffed trout on the next visit completely blew my mind. OMG. Best seafood dish I've ever had, hands down.
I am so glad I can practically walk to this place! The seafood is fresh and the chefs are always extremely friendly and proud of their dishes. Last time I called in for a pickup and the chef went in depth about the beautiful fish they got in. The seafood salad was plentiful and my sister and I were happy to be hooked up with seriously gigantic pieces of tiramisu. Their pricing for smoked salmon is better than any supermarket I've come across in the area, so I will definitely be back to buy some of that, as well as their salmon fillets and other fish I drool over in that glass case of theirs. Big fan!
My family and I love seafood and I am very familiar with the town of Hawthorne, but I had never heard of this restaurant.
My parents and I went out on a limb one night and went to try. The food was delicious and the service was great and personable. The food was so amazing because it was caught fresh that morning. I had the scallops (which is my fav) and this meal was def added to my fav place for scallops.
You would never know how amazing this place truly is from the outside. It is a must try and I cannot wait to go back!
Expensive…..ratings not justified….people are nice, won't go out of way to go back
My family and I came here for lunch. The fish and chips were fresh & flaky, and crab cakes were really full of flavor. We were all pleased. Friendly staff and clean restaurant. We'll definitely return!