Daniel's Bistro — Restaurant in Point Pleasant Beach

I really wish i wasn't this disappointed. Ive heard great things so we wanted to try. I rather have laid back service than a restaurant attempt high end service and fail. (I work in a 3 Michelin star restaurant so i might or might not know a thing or two about food and service). It's cute that they start with an amuse bouche but the server just dropped them at the table and left. Didn't bother explaining what it was ( some type of tomato bisque with a crostini and bruschetta topped with a sad piece of oily parmesan). Next we had a bottle of sparkling water, when the glasses were low on water we were refilled with regular tap on top. Not that big of a deal, but still a careless mistake. Appetizers came out i had "crab cakes" that were two teeny tiny crab cakes that were mushed up crab meat and on the plate two halves of a red and yellow cherry tomato. Mind you the menu states "COLOSSAL crabmeat with GRILLED HEIRLOOM tomatoes" the tomatoes definitely were nowhere near grilled nor seasoned and two halves of a cherry tomato is just sad. The tuna tar tar is another disappointment the red bell pepper and crazy salty soy sauce overwhelmed the tuna completely. The only good app we tried were the duck meatballs. When our app plates were being cleared ( i am assuming they follow the rule that they clear everyone's empty plates at once) our friend was not finished eating. Instead of clearing the other plates quietly and coming back after the last bite the girl apologized a few times and stood there for a moment making it a little awkward and very obvious she had just made a mistake although no one would have noticed if she had just walked away. Being set up with dinner cutlery my fork and knife were on the wrong sides (again no big deal but everyone else's were correct another carless mistake) and then everyone liked there dinner (only reason this post is getting two stars instead of one) except (of course) me. (We made a quick joke that the restaurant gods were out to get me that night and moved on). I ordered the halibut, which is just such a wonderful dish and i wanted to cry (sad sad tears ) when i tasted my dish. The fish was so overcooked it was a sin. Drenched in some sort of overwhelmingly lemony marsala wine sauce. The risotto tasted like biting into a parmesan cheese wheel and the mushrooms on top were so inedible that even when my bf had a taste he cringed because they were so sour from the lemon juice. My bf enjoyed his steak (i ate half) and our friends enjoyed the tender lobster tails and the duck. When we were being cleared i had my plate sitting at the edge of the table for the better part of dinner, the waitress asked if i wanted my fish wrapped without noticing that i barely ate any of it at all and didn't ask if i hadn't liked my dish ( i clearly could not have been full from two quarter sized "crab cakes") . Dessert was nothing to talk about so so cheesecake and bananas foster made table side was good. My cappuccino was so terrible it was topped with an extremely dense foam that i was not able to stomach opting for plain coffee and my friend received just warm coffee herself. Needless to say we wont be...

Tried Daniel's Bistro on a whim and absolutely lucked out! Someone canceled their reservation just as we walked in and we could not have been more pleased. The ambiance and service we excellent. The staff works well together to make sure everyone is well cared for. Our food was delicious. Started with the tomato/ Buffalo burratta tower and a Caesar salad. Both were delicious and served appropriately on chilled plates. Then to our delightful surprise, we were served a small sampling of the chef's soup de jour with a bruschetta crostini. Fabulous! What a nice touch. Our entrees took some time, which I actually appreciated; it has been some time since I was not made to feel rushed through my meal! I enjoyed the time with my spouse and was kept happy with some crusty bread and butter. My stuffed pork chop was quite possibly the best pork chop I ever had and was husband was just as happy with his duck breast entree. We finished with the bananas foster, cuz why not?! Yummy! Just when I thought the meal could not get any better they surprised us again with a sampling of the chef's choice dessert- fudge walnut brownies that were to die for! This restaurant is my new favorite. I cannot remember the last time I was made to feel as appreciated as a restaurant customer. Those small samples and the very attentive staff went above and beyond. The owners of this restaurant are spot-on with understanding how to appeal in ways that I have not experienced anywhere in a very long time. To top it off... it is a BYOB! We will be back again soon...

We were at Daniel's Bistro last night and the food was outstanding! The chef's starter was a "simple" tomato soup in an espresso cup and Bruschetta, but both were so fresh and flavorful that you wanted a whole meal of just these two items. Our appetizers were the Ahi Tuna Tower and Crab Cake. Beautiful presentations that tasted even better than they looked. Again, so fresh and flavorful. The Tuna came with distinct portions of Soy Sauce, Wasabi, Horseradish and Ginger to add to your personnel taste. Entrees were the Grilled Veal Chop and the Arctic Char. The Arctic Char was accompanied by the most amazing Gnocchi. The Gnocchi was so good I plan to have it as my appetizer next time we come here. The Veal Chop was the best I have ever had and it came with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes that were somehow both light and airy while being buttery smooth with a hint of garlic. Somehow, we had room for dessert for which we shared Vanilla Gelato and the Flourless Belgian Bittersweet Chocolate Cake that came with Mint Gelato - both of which we devoured in record time as we could not stop ourselves - the desserts were that good. We highly recommend Daniel's Bistro - the food is amazing, the staff is great, and the Chef is super friendly and obviously cares a great deal about providing a complete dining experience you will...