Moonstruck — Restaurant in Asbury Park

TLDR: The food was overpriced and bland, our waiter left much to be desired and when learning that we weren't pleased with our meal offered us a fruit plate to make up for a meal we didn't eat and nothing else.

When I initially started to write this review I was still in the restaurant and planning to give it 3 stars. But now that the experience has ended, 1 star is all that was warranted. The one good thing I experienced was that Moonstruck is a beautiful location, tastefully decorated and has a nice atmosphere but that was where the enjoyment ended.

Our waiter acted as if it was a chore to serve us and our entire meal was pretty but utterly disappointing and overpriced. For starters we ordered bruschetta that had a very odd, bland flavor and then both my friend and I ordered pasta dishes. My pasta was undercooked and had absolutely no flavor, while my friend's was way overcooked and likewise bland.

We asked for our food to be wrapped to go, just planning to write it off as a place that wasn't for us, but then our waiter proceeded to dig and pry to get us to say that we didn't enjoy the food. I had a feeling that nothing was going to be done about it so I had planned on not saying a thing.

After ten minutes our waiter came back to offer us a COMPLIMENTARY FRUIT PLATE or a limoncello. He didn't ask us if we wanted to try something else off of the menu or to have our food remade, just if we wanted some complimentary fruit or limoncello. The manager didn't come to speak with us about our experience, we were just given a full bill where they couldn't even comp our bottle of water.

I don't know if they thought we couldn't afford the meal or we weren't dressed well enough, but this is not a place I will ever try again and I will tell everyone else I know...

My review focuses on the food allergies and lack of training of the waitstaff at Moonstruck last night —although they were kind enough to give me a separate non-nut version (smaller portion of beet salad) without the Dukkah crumbs which had nuts after a disagreement with (female) waitstaff where she told me “it’s not their policy to ask customers about allergies,” I felt an uneasiness and was shocked by her insensitive statement. She should have gotten the hint when I initially requested ingredients to be separated and I also told her I was allergic to some vegetables. She also had an insensitive demeanor when I told her I carry an epipen. Her comment set off a very uncomfortable dining experience with my dining companions which led to a debate whether or not we as customers are solely responsible for informing restaurants of food allergies which I disagree; it is the responsibility of the restaurant staff as well. Most customers don’t want to ruffle feathers and want a nice dining experience. For a higher end restaurant (based on your prices in NJ), the protocol should have been to have the chef come out and speak to me directly to ensure which ingredients are safe to eat. I’ve eaten at many mid to higher end restaurants and have not had the experience I had at Moonstruck as most establishments simply have a heighten awareness for food allergies.

On a positive note, the manager seated us at our preferred table after being told by the hostess who seated us originally at the busy aisle (that we wanted a different table) and stated “no, that table is reserved by another party” even though they don’t accept reservations.” Perhaps last night was very busy with the “Halloween” theme. Overall, the food was of high...

Excellent American seafood restaurant with Mediterranean influences. Great service, broad wine selection, and charming decor in a three-story Victorian style venue. Nice views of the water. Great service.

Fresh, ice cold oysters from Delaware with a nice cocktail sauce. Recommend requesting fresh horseradish sauce.

The shrimp cocktail pieces were large and fresh with a nice cocktail sauce with a spoonful of horseradish.

The tuna was spectacular. Slices of seared, rare tuna with wasabi sauce was served over a bed of delicious cold soba noodles. Nicely balanced dish for taste and texture, and not overly filling.

The seared shrimp and scallop risotto was rich and creamy. The seafood was tender and juicy, with flavors that complemented the mushroom risotto well. The seafood portion sizes were generous and didn’t allow the risotto to take over the dish (e.g., you could eat some seafood with each bite of risotto).

The seafood medley, vegetables, and Thai red curry over jasmine rice was a nice dish. The curry spices were mild-moderate and did not overwhelm the taste of the fresh shrimp, clams, mussels, squid, and other ingredients.

The lemon-blueberry cheesecake over a chocolate crumble crust was excellent. Not too heavy and quite bright with flavor.

Special thanks to Kimberly for sharing her food recommendations and for the attentive, professional service! She was quite impressive with opening the wine bottles and keeping a steady flow of drinks / food...