Location: 3333 Rt. 9, Freehold, NJ, 07728
Phone: (732) 462-2233
Site: http://www.cafecolorenj.com/
Business Hours:
Mon-Tue: Closed
Wed-Thu: 12:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.
Fri: 12:00 P.M. - 10:00 P.M.
Sat: 12:00 P.M. - 11:00 P.M.
Sun: 2:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.
Menu: You can select from many different options of Appetizers, Soups, Specialty Salads, Pasta, Classics, Seafood, Meat and Poultry, Side Dishes, Desserts and Hot or Cold Beverages.
Service: service was provided mainly by a young lady, very knowledgeable on the menu, that was always refilling our glasses with fresh water.
Review: We went to this restaurant on a Sunday night, October 16th, 2011. I made reservations for a party of four (me, my wife and two daughters), for 6:00P.M, as we had a restaurant.com coupon of US$ 25.00 for which we had paid US$ 4.00 (an excellent deal). I decided to make reservation because I had visited previously this restaurant in July of 2000 and at that time if you did not have reservations, you simply would not sit and reservations needed to be made two weeks in advance. It used to be a very crowded place serving delicious dishes.
Surprisingly there was no waiting time to be seated. As a matter of fact, the restaurant was almost empty, with plenty of available tables. After being directed to a comfortable table at the left side of the restaurant, we start studying the selections available in the menu. It took us about five minutes to decide. While we were selecting, the waitress brought to our table fresh water.
We ordered Fried Calamari (Drizzled with aged balsamic and served with a side of marinara sauce) and Mozzarella en Carozza (Hand breaded fresh mozzarella with prosciutto di parma and basil served in white wine caper sauce) as appetizer. I ordered Lasagna Juliet (fresh pasta sheets perfect layered with creamy ricotta and house bolognese, all topped with melted mozzarella cheese. My wife did not find anything appealing to her in the menu and she ended up ordering Insalata de Coloré (fresh hand-picked baby lettuce with tomatoes, onions, olives and cucumber, tossed in house honey balsamic vinaigrette). My older daughter ordered Penne Puttanesca and my younger daugther ordered Sautéed Chicken Scallopini (Scallopini chicken sautéed with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, prosciutto, layered with mozzarella, over roasted potatoes, and finished with tomato and red wine rosemary sauce). I ask for Sprite, my young daughter ordered diet Coke, my wife and older daughter stayed with regular water.
Three minutes later the waitress came back to get a confirmation on the order, as she had registered only three dishes. She had missed my wife's salad on the order. Another three minutes and she returned to say they were out of Lasagna Juliet, so I had to change to Plan B, Gnocchi Sorrentino (house made potato and spinach gnocchi sautéed with artichoke hearts, wild mushrooms and spinach in a white wine tomato sauce topped with a dollop of fresh mascarpone (100% vegetarian)).
The appetizers came in the next five minutes, together with the soft drinks. My daughters loved the appetizers. The fried calamari with balsamic vinegar was very good. My Sprite was tasting like medicine. Clearly the machine was not mixing properly the syrup with the water... I told the waitress to provide me just with fresh water in place of the Sprite.
In about fifteen minutes the selected dishes were served in large plates, mildly hot. My wife's salad looked very good and she enjoyed it. According to my younger daughter, her chicken was "honest", but nothing more than that. She eat only 50% of her dish. My older daughter's penne was visually dry, with the very small quantity of sauce dried in the pasta. she was able to eat only 25% of her dish. My gnocchi was far away from being the best gnocchi I ever ate. The pasta was too "heavy", compared to the gnocchi my wife prepares at home, that is light and I can eat two dishes without even thinking about that.
Although the environment was similar to eleven years ago, our remembrance of the quality of the food was completely different and we clearly understood why now the restaurant was completely empty. What a shame!
We did not order desert or coffee.
Overall, this was a dinner that did not meet our great expectations, although the environment was enjoyable, good service and not so good food at medium price. The cost for this meal, including tax and tip was US$ 23.52 per person. They honored the restaurant.com coupon we had, minimizing the final cost.
If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment!
Surprisingly there was no waiting time to be seated. As a matter of fact, the restaurant was almost empty, with plenty of available tables. After being directed to a comfortable table at the left side of the restaurant, we start studying the selections available in the menu. It took us about five minutes to decide. While we were selecting, the waitress brought to our table fresh water.
We ordered Fried Calamari (Drizzled with aged balsamic and served with a side of marinara sauce) and Mozzarella en Carozza (Hand breaded fresh mozzarella with prosciutto di parma and basil served in white wine caper sauce) as appetizer. I ordered Lasagna Juliet (fresh pasta sheets perfect layered with creamy ricotta and house bolognese, all topped with melted mozzarella cheese. My wife did not find anything appealing to her in the menu and she ended up ordering Insalata de Coloré (fresh hand-picked baby lettuce with tomatoes, onions, olives and cucumber, tossed in house honey balsamic vinaigrette). My older daughter ordered Penne Puttanesca and my younger daugther ordered Sautéed Chicken Scallopini (Scallopini chicken sautéed with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, prosciutto, layered with mozzarella, over roasted potatoes, and finished with tomato and red wine rosemary sauce). I ask for Sprite, my young daughter ordered diet Coke, my wife and older daughter stayed with regular water.
Three minutes later the waitress came back to get a confirmation on the order, as she had registered only three dishes. She had missed my wife's salad on the order. Another three minutes and she returned to say they were out of Lasagna Juliet, so I had to change to Plan B, Gnocchi Sorrentino (house made potato and spinach gnocchi sautéed with artichoke hearts, wild mushrooms and spinach in a white wine tomato sauce topped with a dollop of fresh mascarpone (100% vegetarian)).
The appetizers came in the next five minutes, together with the soft drinks. My daughters loved the appetizers. The fried calamari with balsamic vinegar was very good. My Sprite was tasting like medicine. Clearly the machine was not mixing properly the syrup with the water... I told the waitress to provide me just with fresh water in place of the Sprite.
In about fifteen minutes the selected dishes were served in large plates, mildly hot. My wife's salad looked very good and she enjoyed it. According to my younger daughter, her chicken was "honest", but nothing more than that. She eat only 50% of her dish. My older daughter's penne was visually dry, with the very small quantity of sauce dried in the pasta. she was able to eat only 25% of her dish. My gnocchi was far away from being the best gnocchi I ever ate. The pasta was too "heavy", compared to the gnocchi my wife prepares at home, that is light and I can eat two dishes without even thinking about that.
Although the environment was similar to eleven years ago, our remembrance of the quality of the food was completely different and we clearly understood why now the restaurant was completely empty. What a shame!
We did not order desert or coffee.
Overall, this was a dinner that did not meet our great expectations, although the environment was enjoyable, good service and not so good food at medium price. The cost for this meal, including tax and tip was US$ 23.52 per person. They honored the restaurant.com coupon we had, minimizing the final cost.
