Cavé Bistro — Restaurant in Avon-by-the-Sea

We’ve been to this spot multiple times because of their chicken salad wrap that they offer. We travel the distance because it used to be so good but the past 2 times we have came, the wrap has consistently been overly salty. The first time we notified the waitress we just simply received a “sorry” and paid for our bill. We thought it was a fluke and it would be better next time. Today, we came and ordered the wrap and a turkey burger and both were overly salty that it was inedible. We notified the waitress and asked for the wrap to be taken off the bill but did not ask for the turkey burger because it was our first time trying it. The wrap is supposed to come with avocado too and it was not included which we mentioned and she tried to bring the menu over to read it to us which read “avocado and bacon included”. She offered us free dessert which we declined but she brought it over anyways with the bill that still had the wrap that was not eaten on it. It took her 10 minutes to come back and when we complained that the wrap was still on there she sent over the chef who said he has never ever heard the food being way too salted. When we came just a month ago telling the SAME waitress the same exact thing? He then proceeded to argue and tried to be condescending for us telling him that we have been there several times and loved the wraps prior and made it seem like avocado being missing from the wrap was HUGE problem in a sarcastic way- its not, its just the principle of the situation. He finally took it off the bill after going back and forth. It was really uncomfortable and it seemed as though they thought we were being complicated because we looked young and did not want to pay. We have no issues paying! This is simply just based off the principle. We have both worked in the industry for YEARS and understand there are complications and errors that can occur but we were really taken aback from the way the situation was handled, basically trying to gaslight us.

Response to the owner commenting back:

We fully support small businesses. Which is why we mentioned that we never minded taking the trip down to Avon to have a delicious wrap when we do not live in the area! There are plenty of places to get wraps from but we wanted to support this small business because it used to be worth it! This was an attempt to open your eyes that as a small business that you claim i am trying to ruin, you need to learn to treat rare situations like this one in a professional manner going forward rather than the way it was handled. I wish you nothing but success...

After an amazing day at the beach in Belmar, I was looking for a place to eat before making the trek northward on the Parkway, and after checking out the menu, I was very excited to check out Cavé Bistro. Before driving over (less than 5 minutes from the beach) I called to see what the wait time was, especially being Labor Day weekend. The hostess told me they were booked until 7:30pm (I called around 5:30pm) so my party agreed the wait was too long for us, so we started looking elsewhere. To our surprise, the hostess called us back in about 2 minutes saying she could have a table immediately ready for us if we were willing to sit outside. The temperature was very pleasant, so we actually loved the idea of eating outside, so we agreed to the outdoor table, and drove right over. Upon being seated, we were informed by our server all ingredients are "farm to table" and gluten free. After a quick perusing the menu, we decided on grilled octopus and two orders of crab cakes for appetizers and we all decided on different specials for our mains. I opted for the seafood special, which was a seared tuna, and my friend and her mother chose the steak special, which was a similar cut to a hanger steak. We all agreed, the highlight of all ordered food was the grilled octopus. The meat was so soft, and had just the perfect about of char on it. We actually wished we got two orders of the octopus versus the crab cakes. Crab cakes were bad, they were quite meaty, but when compared to that octopus, the winning dish was clear. My seared tuna was cooked and seasoned well...again having that nice char with being nice and raw in the center. The steaks were also well cooked at medium (my friend's mom did want her's cooked slightly more after receiving it) and they felt the meat was under seasoned (as in essentially plain). The steak was topped with a very potent garlic infused butter/spread which they personally were not a fan of. I actually ended up eating my friend's dish, I thought it was good, though I could understand her feeling of the steak lacking flavor. It was well cooked though. Overall I felt the food was good, I would come back to sample more of the menu. The staff was very friendly and accommodating to our party. Food was a bit on the pricey side, but you expect that for a farm to...

This used to be a place I would visit, despite travel time. Now, I'll likely not visit if I'm even in the neighborhood. The owner is a dictator and his vision is unclear.

Their menu is full of lifeless options that have replaced interesting and well made dishes. Their best and most unique entree has been moved to the lunch menu because it's cheaper, and they want to gouge their customers at dinner, even at the cost of their reputation.

They're not making their food. They're making food they think people might want. Tacking on Kimchi, an ingredient they clearly don't understand, to an otherwise elegant black cod dish that not only overpowers the entire dish, but does so with a kimchi that isn't fermented long enough or spiced appropriately.

Under seasoned pickles adorn an otherwise brilliant slider appetizer. The lack of preperation in the sourness doesn't give a punch of acid like the dish needs, but provides a wet cucumber burden which just erases the care in seasoning of the patty itself.

And their $25 special burger comes with mushy greens, and foie gras. As in soft, rich patty, a soft, rich foie, and a soft green. No texture. Just mushy. Which is a shame since the foie was cooked amazingly and burger seasoning loud, and promising.

I remember going to the restaurant enthused, and wondering how a chef who limits his own world in ingredients could have managed to sate every customer who walks in. I remember thinking "I paid $55 for a meal for two good enough to have me back here tomorrow."

Now I'm thinking I paid $130 for a meal that I'll hopefully forget by dessert.

Revert. Fix this place. Don't fall into the trap of trying to nickle and dime your customers with promises of false elegance. Live your life, cook your food, and show my why you opened this place.

Then again, who knows if I'll care enough to see if they manage to find answers to these obvious problems.

Edit: To the response below: If you stand by your Kimchi, I'm standing by other...