MEAL
“My husband had the cowboy steak with the chimchurri sauce, which was also extremely flavor and again, cooked to perfection.”
“The short ribs were perfectly cooked and it complemented the cilantro lime creme and pickled onion.”
“For sides we shared the whipped potatoes (with a hint of truffle) and onion rings.”
MEAL
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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I visited Meal last night with two of my girlfriends for some happy hour action and a light dinner. I was not disappointed. We chose to sit at the bar where the service was prompt and friendly and not intrusive. They offer a good happy hour deal for bevs, where it includes reduced prices on beer, half price wines by the glass and $5 well drinks. Tito's is their house vodka, so you're not getting some nasty rubbing alcohol type nonsense. Also, certain appetizers are also $5. I'd recommend the mussels as they hit the spot and you get a decent amount for your buck!
We got the ahi tuna special appetizer that was served over guacamole which was also very good. The tuna was seared to perfection and the diced onions were a nice compliment to it. For our dinner, my one friend and I split the skirt steak and got it medium rare. Perfect. The chimmichuri sauce that we got was also full of flavor. My other friend got the filet medallions and got it well done (she's preggy so she had to) and we split an order of brussel sprouts which were pretty good but not the best I've had to be honest.
The overall experience was very enjoyable. Will definitely be back soon! Oh and they have dollar oysters on weds for all my raw bar loving friends. 🙂
This place is a hidden restaurant with great steak, sides, and sauce options for your steak of choice. You can pick your size too which is nice for people who will eat more or less.
They have a small outside seating area. Inside is a bar with 2 additional rooms for seating.
I love the roasted garlic that comes with every steak! The French fries were also really good. Ceasar salad not so good. Better options for sure. I wasn't disappointed except for the salad. Will be going back!
To be honest, it's been hard to find a restaurant where I feel like I want to be a repeat customer. I recently moved to the area and have been underwhelmed a majority of the time. MEAL is the first place I can say I will be returning to and can see myself enjoying a nice dinner at the bar (my favorite place to eat).
Only complaint was the very large, obnoxiously loud dinner party next to us. I do wish that management had asked them to try and keep the noise levels respectable. That said, I will be back.
We come to dine at MEAL when we are in the mood for a splurge. The food is pricey but consistently delicious therefore worth the cost.
We were presented with three menus when we were seated. Dinner, wine/cocktails/beer, plus a special wine list. I ordered my usual Grey Goose Bloody Mary which was as yummy as ever. The bread basket is also lovely. A few small crunchy/chewy rolls presented with a trio of accompientments: a delicious mushroom balsamic puree, butter and oil with pesto. The mushroom puree was delicious as well as being the most unusual.. Very nice touch.
For starters Hubby got the steamers with garlic, herbs, white wine and butter that he gave a ten. I ordered the Foie Gras which is one of my most favorite things in the world. MEAL serves theirs chilled with salted beets, dill and candied nuts, the perfect blend of sweet and savory which is how Foie Gras should be served. Outstanding.
For our mains hubby got the skirt steak with garlic and chimichurri and he said it was cooked to perfection. I got the "Forever Braised" short ribs served with baby carrots on a bed of mashed potatoes . The short ribs were fork tender, they fell apart at the touch of my utensil. So tender and so full of flavor. This has been fantastic every time I have ordered it.
The restaurant is lovely. Beautifully decorated and very comfortable
Here comes the down side. I really hate posting anything negative, especially when we enjoy a restaurant as much as we enjoy MEAL. The service had always been top notch, attentive and prompt. Which is why we were so disappointed in what happened next. Like I said before: we were handed three menus when we were seated and we ordered from there. So imagine our surprise when our server approached the table next to ours and started to read them the daily specials. Huh? To be honest we loved the dishes we ordered and may not have ordered any of the specials but we definitely would liked the option. We did ask the server why he didn't tell us the specials and to his credit he did apologize profusely. But this has happened to us before (and reading some past Yelp reviews has happened here before) and it really makes me crazy. Normally I would award five stars but I think this is big lapse in service therefore my rating of 4 stars. We do love the restaurant as well as the food and considering everything else was so good we will be back and try again.
Just wanted to add that we ordered the Apple Tart for dessert and it came with the pbottom burnt so badly it was inedible. Our server quickly removed it and brought us a Creme Brulee. It was hands down one of the best Creme Brulee I have ever had. Delicious surgery crust and dense room temperature underneath. And to make it all the better they comped our dessert. Classy move and very much appreciate MEAL. Thank you! Upgrading my review to 5 stars!
3.5 stars – I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of food here at Meal. I didn't expect much coming in but my husband and I enjoyed our dinner here. For starters, there is a wide selection of appetizers. My husband and I shared the signature Truffled MEAL chips, a mountain of thinly sliced crispy potatoes sitting on top of a blue cheese sauce with bacon and scallions. I wasn't so sure about the blue cheese sauce but it was delicious with the potato and bacon. I couldn't stop eating it. We also had the tuna tartare which had a touch of sweet from the pineapple and ginger sauce -also very good. I had a bowl of French onion soup which was alright but not outstanding. I think it was the Spanish sherry in the soup that threw me off.
As for entrees, I thought I was going to order a steak since it's their specialty but chose the braised short rib which comes with small side of baby carrots and whipped potatoes. The meat was very tender and yummy but the "natural" sauce it came with was a bit bland and I could have used some bbq sauce or something. My husband went with the T-bone special. He thought it was a decent steak, but preferred the filet minon side of the steak which was a lot more tender then the strip side. The side of peppercorn sauce was a good choice.
For dessert, we shared the Smores "Meal Style". The waiter said it was the best dessert he's had so we had to get it. It was a warm brownie, graham cracker gelato and a toasted marshmallow. Unfortunately it didn't live up to the hype but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I liked the warm brownie but the marshmallow was not hot and gooey and I wanted more graham cracker. There were only tiny bits in the gelato. Honestly would have preferred a classic s'more.
The service here was great. Our waiter was very attentive and friendly. He provided very detailed descriptions of the menu items we had questions about. The only thing I have an issue with is their lack of high chairs. Obviously they are sending a message that they don't want young children ruining the ambiance but for a restaurant in the middle of the suburbs filled with families, it's a turn off.
Even though we won't be able to come here with the kids, my husband and I said we would come back since it's so close to home and the best meal in town.
The staff was very attentive but couldn't do much about my salty and overlooked swordfish and given my husband's filet was also salty I wasn't going to chance ordering another entree from their kitchen. Chopped salad was ok. Don't think they use filtered water to rinse their veggies as I could taste the chlorine-esque taste in the salad. Won't be returning here. Nice staff though too bad it's a Salty Meal.
What a great find! The same old story, I passed by so many times and never stopped in until recently. And we are happy we did!
On a Thursday night it was relatively empty but they set us up in a private area in the back which was great. We had a table of nearly 10 and out waiter did not skip a beat. He was on point with our drink orders, apps coming out in a timely manner, food being served at the same time and just being available when we needed him.
They offer a decent wine list (by the glass or bottle) and had a few beers on tap. A couple of crafts but otherwise you run of the mill brews.
We then proceeded to order a few apps for the table.
Truffled Meal Chips – which is their staple, lacked in presentation and way too over salted. They were also skimpy on the toppings.
Chopped salad – we were able to take one large one and split it amongst 3 people. The ingredients were fresh.
Asparagus Tempura – It was good but a tad less oil would have been preferred.
Main meal: Pork Chop cooked perfectly with cheesy grits, brussel sprouts, cherry pepper/candied ginger bacon jam. The entire dish was like a symphony of perfection as all the flavors mixed well. Very good choice!
I did sample other dishes as I was perfectly pleased with mine.
We finished off the meal with the adult banana split…and I can vouch and say it was one the most delicious desserts I had in a while. The caramelized pineapple's were so damn good! Oh and the candied hazelnuts were such a hit. Crunchy and delicious. Their whip cream tasted fresh and home made. Such an amazing way to finish the our fabulous meal.
Prices – for being touted as a steakhouse, their prices were fair and their portions were generous.
Overall a very good meal and experience. Let's hope they are around for a long time.
ENJOY!
4.25 to be exact.
What a meal… at MEAL! I have been here a couple times and enjoyed my time here every single time! This is very convenient for me since I live in Nutley, and it brings the feel of eating a fancy place in NYC, to my hometown! You can really tell that MEAL spends much of their effort on the presentation and ambiance, and this is a major plus! This also is complemented by a nice wine list and cocktail selection.
As for the food, my favorite appetizer here is the Truffled "Meal" Chips. These are addictive chips that are topped with bleu cheese, bacon, and scallions. My friends and I sometimes get another helping of these chips since they are very good.
It is now time for the main event, the steaks! One time I shared the 40oz Tomahawk steak, and this was a massive piece of meat. If only I was a caveman with very strong razor sharp teeth where I could hold on to the bone and take bites of it. Anyways, dreaming aside, this steak tasted great. It has a char-taste to it and was cooked just how I asked since it is also slightly precut so you are able to see how the inside of the steak looks. One other time I was here (actually on my birthday!) I had a special of the day… a 32-day aged 24-oz T-bone steak. Yes this was very, VERY good! It was a pricey piece of meat (at over $50), but it was well worth trying this steak at least once. My friends who have went here too have enjoyed many of the other main course dishes they got.
For desserts, we got the cheesecake lollipops. They come in a form of a "tree" with the lollipops placed on different levels of the dish with multiple dipping sauces. I feel while a little pricey, they were good and had a nice presentation to them.
With the great intimate setting this place offers, along with a delicious steak, you will definitely see me come back here again!