R BAR — Restaurant in Asbury Park

The New Orleans influence at this lively, hip, Main Street Asbury Park jazz bistro feels light and well-considered rather than brassy and heavy-handed. The menu is expertly curated. The beer is cold. The wine list is generous and interesting without being overwhelming (think: something for everyone). We ordered a bottle (or 2) of the La Petite Perriere Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (Fr) $12gl/$40btl. We also delved a bit into the craft cocktails. We enjoyed a couple of Battle of New Orleans: Asbury Park Bourbon, Lucid Absinthe, Peychaud & Orange Bitters ($14) The R Bar's take on the classic Hurricane tops the cocktail menu ($18). Here, you will find assertive nods to the Big Easy in the open jazz-bar setting that dances the parade line between rustic and cool chic. Fluer de lis and small Mardis Gras knickknacks adorn high shelves and occupy unobtrusive spots in corners--yet the space feels big, clean, and uncluttered with the bar and front portion of the restaurant facing the stage and plentiful additional seating around an open corner. We visited R Bar on a busy Friday night and the joint was jumping. The bar was packed, and every table spoken for with the constant ebb & flow of satisfied diners and hungry newcomers. Our foursome had reservations for 7:30 & were seated immediately. I'm not sure if they're necessarily required, but very likely recommended. The service here is outstanding! Our server was the wonderful Brittany. Friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient, Brittany constantly appeared at just the right moment. Perfect! Check out R Bar's eclectic menu online, but rest assured you won't likely be bored with what the kitchen is up to! We shared the Blue Crab Beignets appetizer ($18). The small, light round beignets seemed unassuming at presentation--but actually are generously stuffed with succulent, shredded crabmeat with no filler this diner could detect. Served with a homemade tangy rommulaud , the glorious, golden beignets were crispy & firm on the outside and then offered up all that crab! Oh, cher! The appetizer list is, itself busy with unusual delights like Cajun Wings, Cacio e Pepe Deviled Eggs, Steak Tartar, Broiled Oysters, and much more. This menu features a small but mighty caviar menu in which we did not partake, but I plan on returning to indulge in at a later date. For dinner, two of our party ordered the Blackened Salmon with shaved fennel & creamy cheese grits ($26). The salmon is a generous portion, delightfully unadorned (meaning the fish can stand on its own with the need for heavy sauces) cooked to tender perfection. The fennel is dressed with a light vinaigrette, and, according to both of my companions, the cheese grits are creamy and "amazing." Other entrees include: Garlic Shrimp ($24); Seaffod Gumbo (featuring spicy cajun sausage) ($26), Cauliflower Steak (GF/Vegan) ($19); Fish & Chips ($21) and more!) R Bar also offers an extremely tempting aged steak & chop menu! Check it out online or in person, but spolier alert: the R Bar Tomahawk Steak is 40 glorious ounces of dry-aged prime goodness ($125). Other cuts and chops are also featured. I and another member of our party went for a New Orleans classic: the one and only Fried Oyster Po'Boy, baby! Start with a firm, seeded-on-the-outside-and soft-slightly-chewy-on-the-inside Leidenheimer Pistoltte French Baguette and build from there; a fresh bed of "shredduce" tomatoes, Italian vinaigrette, large, perfectly fried tender oysters, topped with Louisiana Crystal Hot Sauce. ($20). The Po' Boy was fabulous in terms of taste and texture, but I did have one small critique: they could have blanced the rather large roll & mound of lettuce with a few more oysters? Maybe? Also making appearances on the sandwich board are the: Pork Roll Sandwich--a big nod to the Trenton area classic ($16) & The Port of Call Burger ($18) The professional jazz band was absolutely incredible and took the stage at about 8pm. Be aware that if the band is on, the music is loud & can make intimate dinner conversation difficult. We found it to be a...

Friday night - it's LOUD! Be prepared to have to shout at the person next to or across from you, and more or less be unable to have a conversation with anyone else.

The server was fantastic and took excellent care of our large group. She made it known very clearly that entrée orders would be held until the entire party had ordered, so we enjoyed drinks and appetizers while we waited and she was wonderfully patient.

The bar makes a fantastic Old Fashioned cocktail, though you will not have any idea of the cost beforehand. I'm assuming it was in the $14-$18 range like the others.

Blue Crab Beignets - $18 is steep for a starter but that was more or less the theme of the meal; it was almost substantial enough to be a meal on its own and was delicious.

Broiled Oysters - I did not order this but again, steeply priced at $18 for three. I had a taste and understood why the cost was so high.

Grouper Tartare - also an order of a companion @$17 that I got to taste; the crispy wonton chips were so good that they were eaten first!

Entrée: Garlic Shrimp; given the many appetizers, we figured one entrée (particularly at a $29 price point) would be enough pasta for two. It had enough sauce to accommodate more noodles, and it was fantastically delicious. It did not come with anything aside from shrimp, some noodles, and sauce. The noodles are reminiscent of the kind that come in the Maruchan instant cup noodles (cheese).

I'd recommend they throw in another handful of noodles. Albeit a small amount, the shrimp quantity was satisfactory. It just needed more noodles. If getting this entrée on its own, I would find myself still hungry. Even a breadstick to mop up the remaining sauce would make it more worthwhile. This is the main reason I took a star off. Considering the cost, it simply wasn't substantial enough. Photo was taken after one bite of noodles (because I had nearly forgotten.)

We were here at the invitation/recommendation of others. It's worth a shot once to try out if you've got the funds to burn.

Aside from that, you can also expect street parking, which is limited. Did not notice a...

Yummy food and cocktails! The inside is very nicely decorated and I love the style. They have a back patio you can sit in and also a rooftop area that is only open some days during the week when it’s warmer out. We sat in the back patio. They have heaters for when it’s a little too cold. Also very well decorated outside, fence covered in many different state’s license plates and also some plants.

We ordered the Abnormally Large Child, Permanent Vacation, Door #3, Bourbon Slushy, and Idle Pleasure. The Abnormally Large Child was the waitress’ favorite and definitely mine as well. Very sweet and the name fits- tastes like juice! Second favorite was Door #3. The chile vodka tastes like fresh picked bell peppers and was strangely refreshing and delicious. The Permanent Vacation was way too strong for me and I had to swap with my partner because I couldn’t enjoy it. The others we tried were great as well!!

For food, we got the Tuna Tartare as an appetizer and we thought it was good. Nothing over the top amazing but we enjoyed it. We spilt the Fried Shrimp Po’ Boy Sandwich with fries and the Seafood Gumbo. The sandwich was simple but yummy. The lettuce inside is dressed with Italian vinaigrette and I could just eat the sandwich with the lettuce it was so good. Other than that it’s topped with the fried shrimp and a drizzle of hot sauce. The secret sauce comes on the side and ties the toppings well together. The fries were suuuuper good, toasty and seasoned. The Seafood Gumbo was slightly spicy and I could bathe in it. The rice sits in the center of the broth therefore making it a bit mushy and I wish there was a little bit more seafood- but we were in love with it. Light but delicious!

Our waitress was super sweet as well and w loved having her as our server.

Would definitely recommend coming here, as we were too...