Cardinal Provisions — Restaurant in Asbury Park

3 1/2 stars

The Millennial Chum and I stopped here for lunch yesterday after going into way too many stores at the Jersey Shore Outlets (how do you say no to Uggs under $50?). The Millennial Chum is very much a regular in Asbury and was visibly surprised to find out from the hostess that this place had been around for almost a decade. Cardinal was busy but not overwhelming so, and we were able to secure indoor seating immediately despite this being prime meal time. Very pleasant interior; lots of sunlight and it reminded me of a lot of NYC brunch establishments in a good way, slightly less claustrophobic as well.

I ordered the Banana Skillet Cake, and the Millennial Chum got the weekend special SXSW. I liked the Skillet Cake but it was on the bland side, even with the inclusion of the caramel and salted honey butter. It reminded me of some of the more mediocre banana puddings I've had, where the powers that be are solely relying on the banana - it's just not enough flavor. The cake itself is pretty dense/filling but was moist. The best part was the side of sausage patties I ordered, which provided a very necessary savory aspect to the proceedings and were juicy without being greasy. In hindsight, especially given how large the dish ended up being, I probably would have gotten something else. My suggestion to them would be to either go more aggressive with the caramel (maybe bake some of it into the cake as well?) or serve this with something like a scoop or two of ice cream.

Your mileage may definitely vary on this issue, but I honestly thought Cardinal was a little disingenuous in how they presented their entree options. We were both decently hungry and opted for what we assumed WERE heavier dishes, but this was over the top. As you can see from my attached picture, the Cake is insanely large. It's like a legitimate cake that would serve multiple people. The SXSW was similar. I ate about half of the Cake (thankfully pre-gaming on the elliptical) but this is flat-out not a single serving or close to it. When we asked the waitress if she'd ever seen anyone finish my entree, she admitted it had only happened once.

Here's the thing - there's a very compelling argument that you're getting a fantastic bang for the buck. This was about $18, and the equivalent of two or three meals (most of it is in my fridge right now). But I'd much rather have gotten a normal-sized meal without having to lug home significant leftovers (again, really depends on your perspective). The bottom line to me is that if your entree is this large, there should be a disclaimer on the menu that it serves two people. But as the Millennial Chum noted with a smirk, "Then people would only buy one." This is undoubtedly a selling point for some customers, I'm sure, but just be aware that these are not "normal" portions and if you're already loaded down with items with the Under Armour clearance rack, it could be a long trip home.

The service was fantastic. We were warmly greeted outside by the entrance, and our food (which by definition included some legit prep) came out very quickly, probably in 10 minutes or so. And as mentioned, it's really hard to argue with this price point, especially when you consider we were in the heart of Asbury Park, where every business can easily upcharge on that basis alone. I've been to my share of Asbury restaurants, and I'm hard-pressed to think of a place with better prices.

The breakfast sandwiches seemed to be super popular so I'd probably opt for that if I returned. Ultimately Cardinal has a lot going for it, especially in the intangibles section, which I've always argued is incredibly important and can make up for a lot of deficiencies. But it's hard to give a full-throated endorsement when the best food you had...

I booked Cardinal for my wedding, which was canceled due to COVID-19, and I cannot overstate just how professional and compassionate the team at Cardinal was throughout the process of canceling and eventually re-envisioning my socially distant micro-wedding. I had sent my deposit to Cardinal for my 150-person wedding at a big reception hall on March 6. A week later, the world shut down, and it became very clear that the wedding I planned would not be happening. When I needed to cancel, Laura at Cardinal emailed me a photo of my deposit check ripped up, so that I had the peace of mind that they would not be cashing it (even though, according to the contract, they 100% could have). I cannot tell you what a relief it was to receive that picture, and I will be forever grateful for Cardinal for that. When my now husband and I found a way to shift our plans amidst the pandemic, we went back to Cardinal in the hopes that they could accommodate our smaller ceremony -- and they did, once again, going above and beyond what any vendor would do. We worked together on a custom menu that matched our coastal theme and specific tastes. They dropped off 3-course lunches for our guests at our public marina venue, accommodating every special request and dietary restriction we had. They labeled each individual bag with names so our guests could easily grab and go (something very important to us, as we were conscious of not having guests have to touch each other's food or get too close!). Our guests could not stop raving about the food--which included mouthwatering specialty sandwiches, shrimp cocktail, caprese salad, mouse cups, and their world-famous xuixos. Our intimate park wedding was instantly elevated, and it's thanks to Cardinal that my "small" wedding felt like (and was!) the real deal. It wasn't the wedding I envisioned, but it many, many ways it was better and Cardinal was a huge part of that. Outside of the catering experience, my husband and I have picked up lunch from them during the week and it's also very much worth noting that all of my interactions with their staff have been lovely. They have a wonderful and safe curbside pickup, and we've been given extra pastries and xuixos at the end of the work day. Everyone has a smile on, which seems like an extra feat these days, but they don't make you feel that way. Thank you Laura, Grace and the entire Cardinal team. We're supporting you and rooting for you--we cannot wait to dine-in with you in a...

My new favorite breakfast/brunch spot. There's enough variety to keep coming back and to keep my non-dairy and vegan friends happy (I'm talking entrees AND dessert). Very typical Asbury vibe these days: cool and hipster with vegan options. Staff is nice and helpful, they seem to know the menu pretty well. I also love how each table has different cute salt and pepper shakers.

The food can be fantastic, both in look and taste but not always both. My SXSW Benny was revolutionary: delicious eggs Benedict with tasty chili over cornbread. Every bite was fantastic and really a dish you can't go wrong with. The New Mexico bowl was very good, never thought I'd eat kale and actually enjoy it but they manage it somehow! The breakfast burrito was pretty good but I'm very particular with these and have had better elsewhere, this is an area they could improve in my eyes. Maybe some more customization would do them well: offering pancakes and tater tots would be a start. The chicken and waffles looked fantastic but was a bit impractical to eat which really bothers me. The yogurt and pickles and hot sauce mixed perfectly with the fried chicken and waffles, but the waffle is hidden underneath two giant pieces of fried chicken and is inaccessible until the chicken is almost gone. This really should be a bigger waffle and just one big piece of fried chicken, with all the same...