Anjelica's Restaurant — Restaurant in Sea Bright

Anjelica's IS THE HYPE. When someone says to me "This is the best........... I've ever had", if you're not talking about a meal from Anjelica's, I can't take your opinion seriously. From the moment you're greeted at the front door, until you decide to depart, the staff is friendly, eager, & happy to not only be working, they're working here. The education about what they are serving is second to the pride of which they serve it with. They are HAPPY to be working HERE.

Our appetizers were 3 different pastas. All of which are made IN HOUSE. That's right, IN HOUSE. A three cheese capellini with crispy prosciutto, stuffed rigatoni with a lemon butter cream sauce and ravioli with traditional marinara. Sometimes, simplicity can lead to complexity. These three dishes are a prime example. The capellini is soft, light. The slight toast on top of the noodles with the crispy prosciutto is only complimentary to the rich, decadent, cheese sauce. The ricotta inside the ravioli and the rigatoni was smooth, light, almost refreshing. Eating the lemon brown butter sauce in between the cheese and tomato sauce is sheer genius. The fresh baked bread, is offered with a dipping oil, if an you're an amateur. It's there for you to sop up the left over sauces with gusto. Being from a small Italian town in Waterbury CT, this is standard operating procedure.

THE pork chop. The menu said 45 minute wait time for this item to be cooked. Some would say that's absurd. To that, I say you are absurd, do not speak about that you know nothing of. Once you've had this item, you'll understand the wait time. This chop is massive, worth the wait, perfectly cooked, & will transport you to a childhood memory of a family dinner. Seared hard, bites of crispy rendered fat, juicy tender meat in the middle. Complimented with crispy roasted potatoes, peppers, charred onions, this is the definition of roasted pork. The brown gravy is a moisture element that is not missing, rather perfectly PAIRS the flavors of the vegetation with the meat. It is not masking, it is supposed to be there. Without, it is not the same meal. The spice from the peppers is perfectly balanced. Not hot where your taste buds are shot, not too mild to feel like "oh cool peppers", more like "nnniiiccccceeeeeeeee, peppers". When someone asks me about meat & potatoes, this will be my example moving forward. YOU WILL NOT FIND BETTER THAN THIS. PERIOD.

Oh, and there's desert too?!?! We passed around 4 different desserts. A tiramisu, carrot cake, chocolate cake, pistachio cake. The standout to me was the pistachio cake. Moist airy cake, pistachio cream in between each layer is not crowded with pistachios or other nuts. This too, homemade in house. The tiramisu was not soaked in coffee liquor, or masked with too much mascarpone cheese. Not so wet where it's a pile of mush, it held firm after a fork swipe. Delicious. The carrot cake, was good. Not over complicated with giant pieces of raisins or walnuts, heavy thick cream cheese icing or that silly fondant carrot bakeries seem so fond of. These deserts were very good, and you can tell they are prepared fresh, with care & time being the main ingredients.

I will be talking to friends and family about this restaurant for quite some time. This meal was perfect. The atmosphere is perfect. I don't care if I have to wait 3 months for another reservation to have a chance to eat here again. I will wait. I will mark the date on my calendar, hire a babysitter, starve myself for the day and eat everything on my plate again with a smile. They are the hype. The...

Reservations seems to be quite important for this place, although we snagged a table without reservations for an early dinner at 6 p.m on Saturday. Place is a bit fancy, they seem to judge you on how you look. They have a cute little setting outside, but watch out for mosquitoes! I think their plate is magical or something because the food never gets cold, and it comes out extremely hot and fresh! They also have tons of specials for the day.

Grilled Octopus ($14)- 4/5 They give you two decent sized tentacles, that were crispy and juicy. The beans were decent, nothing special.

Fritto Misto ($18)- 4/5 This was a combination of fried calamari, scallops, shrimp, clams and zucchini and marinara sauce with another white tartar like sauce. The portion overall was ranging to somewhat small to decent. This dish was great, but i think there was like 1 piece of shrimp and i'm not too sure where the clams where. They did give a decent amount of scallops though. The sauce was great for dipping.

Lobster Sauce Special ($52)- 4/5 I thought this was the same as the one below but it was just A LOT pricier. They show half the lobster and just made it pricier and the pasta is different. This one is also not as spicy so I was a bit bummed out. I couldn't really justify spending this much on pasta but it was good.

Lobster Sauce ($32)-4.5/5 I was a little worried that they would give like two small pieces of lobster like most restaurants. BUT no, this was filled with lobsters. They were definitely not cheap with that. And when they say spicy they mean SPICY. It's more of an "angry" spicy. As a person who loves spicy things this was considered quite spicy for me. This plate is super delicious for anybody who loves spicy & lobster.

Veal scaloppine ($26)- My boyfriend said this was pretty good piccata styled. I only tried the mashed potatoes and capers which were really good. Caper berries were yummy and so was the sauce.

Parmasean Truffle Fries ($8)- 4/5 These were great like your typical parmasean...

There are times when the reason for being in a restaurant is simple enjoyment, and then there are other occasions, like very important business meetings, 60th birthday dinners, first dates, engagements / proposals, anniversaries, job interviews, times where major requests or announcements are made, etc.

For me, in my multiple experiences over the years, Anjelica's sets and maintains the standard for excellence, Anjelica's operates with an understanding that what looks like two or a few people sitting down for lunch or dinner could in fact have life changing implications for the participants, if not the country, and they come through on that level every time.

They come through with the food, which there are no words for. Incredible? Unbelievable? Fantastic? Wonderful? All of these words don't do enough to describe how excellent it is. They come through with the friendliness and professionalism, always able to set the mood for the group, in the best possible way, as all the participants arrive and gather, - with how nicely all are greeted and seated.

They come through with the service, and always with the right recommendations about what to order, never once having steered me or any of my guests wrong. They come through with the timing, never having the next course, or the waitperson, arrive too quick, or too slow, or timed incorrectly where one is left waiting for their meal and the other has already been served.

Anjelica's gets my highest compliment and recommendation, which is that they understand and provide the difference between restaurateurs, and entrepreneurs. This is a labor of love at every level, much more than a business, it is a passion, - from the busboys on up, from the owner's on down.

Anjelica's operates the way the best food establishment in NJ should, and to me that is exactly what they are, - reliably and...