It is reassuring to see that not only are a good number of new restaurants opening in the Two River area but also that the incredible piece of property once home to Fort Monmouth is being repurposed in inventive ways.
One such recent addition hits the mark on both counts.
Suneagles was originally a private country club for Fort Monmouth’s officers. The original clubhouse, Gibbs Hall, has been renovated extensively and houses the Tillinghouse banquet facility and the Ember & Eagle restaurant, open to members and nonmembers of the golf club. Ember & Eagle is currently a “pop-up” restaurant; a specifically designed dining facility in the complex is in the works to open later this year. This “short-term” eatery is pretty impressive, so one can only imagine what the final iteration will be like.
Currently, there are two levels: a large bar area with tables downstairs and an even larger, high-ceilinged dining room upstairs. That room is quite generous in terms of its size and layout. The highly regarded Chef Ryan DePersio is in charge of the kitchen and Corey Checket, a certified sommelier, oversees the wine and spirits.
The menu is extensive and offers a wide variety of options. All of this makes for a unique dining experience.
For openers, we started with Japanese Hamachi ($21) which was plated with jalapeno, grapefruit, lime and tapioca chips. The three large pieces of high-quality yellowtail were refreshing and tangy; the tapioca chips nice and crunchy. A good balance between sauce and seasoning allowed the fish to shine.
Eggplant and Zucchini Scapece ($18) with shaved caciocavallo cheese and Trapanese pesto, was an interesting vegetable dish. Marinated discs of eggplant and zucchini were seasoned with the shaved cheese, and the Trapanese pesto, which is a Sicilian spin on the usual Ligurian pesto. This one is based on almonds and tomatoes. It made for a very tasty and different take on the vegetables; a great dish to share!
A favorite of the table was the Grilled Octopus ($25), which shared the plate with peperonata (a sauce of stewed red bell peppers), chickpea panisse (french fries) and red olive powder. Many times octopus can be rubbery or chewy, but this was not the case here; it was tender and juicy. Not a piece was left on the plate.
We were intrigued by the description of the Salt Baked Beets ($18), which turned out to be purple, orange and yellow beets served with goat cheese panna cotta, plums and rye crumbs. The novel preparation elevated simple beets to a whole new level.
Four pasta dishes were offered and the Squid Ink Cavatelli ($39) called to us, a mix of octopus, shrimp, crab brodo and garlic crumbs dressed the black pasta. Although the seafood and mildly spicy saucing were very tasty, the pasta was a bit overcooked, which made it chewy. In spite of that, the dish shows much promise.
The Entrée part of the menu had a nice selection of seafoods and meats. One of my guests chose the Faroe Island Salmon ($37). Two generously sized filets arrived seared on the outside and nicely rare as requested and were served with mussel chowder and spinach. The innovative preparation added much enjoyment to the dish.
A special of the night, Branzino ($48), was indeed worthy of the designation. A very large filet covered much of the plate, and was surrounded by small florets of cauliflower and broccoli. The skin was extra crispy and the fish moist and meaty.
The meat lover at our table was very happy she opted for the 14-ounce Pork Chop ($42); roasted in a cast iron skillet, it was offered with a choice of different sauces, which included caper salsa verde, béarnaise and black truffle emulsion, among others, and a variety of sides, ranging from Parmigiano french fries to fennel-honey glazed smoked carrots, to name just two. A number of other proteins are also available with the large selection of sauces and sides.
What to drink with this sumptuous assortment of food? The wine list had a sizable collection of bubbly, reds and whites, both by the glass and the bottle, as well as an interesting variety of draft and canned beers, cocktails and mocktails as well. For our white wine, we drank a 2019 Sancerre Monts Damnes from Gerard Boulay; a lively, crisp French sauvignon blanc-based wine with nice acidity that paired well with the seafood dishes, and a 2014 Ch. Beaucastel, a rich French red blend of grenache, mourvedre and syrah from the southern Rhone region of France.
Even though were quite happy and full, we could not resist our warm and knowledgeable server’s description of a nightly dessert special of Apricot Crostata ($17). Indeed, it was special! This rustic tart showed off the skills of the pastry chef and put smiles on our faces.
If this is just the initial iteration of the Ember & Eagle restaurant, we are truly looking forward to the ultimate setting for this ambitious dining spot, which should make it even more impressive.
Ember & Eagle
2000 Lowther Drive
Eatontown
732-443-3009
emberandeagle.com
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, writes about food, wine and restaurants in this column. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.
