Your Local Bites

Scarborough Fair in Sea Girt, Fair at Best

I should have read the tea leaves in the practically empty parking lot last Friday night when we pulled into Scarborough Fair in Sea Girt, but the building had always intrigued me and I thought, if a restaurant has been around for 25 years, they must be doing something right. Right?

The one thing they have done right is create a beautiful atmosphere. The building is truly unique for this area. As their website describes, “Scarborough Fair’s 1800’s building has been restored from its farmhouse origins to show the stunning beauty of its natural elements of brick, wood, and glass. Open and graced with an elegant high ceiling, brick steps lead you to the fireside dining or to the private alcoves where the Eclectic American cuisine awaits you.”

It’s just that pesky “cuisine” that trips them up. But, I’ll get on to that in a second.

I was excited to find such an interesting setting. I’m all about the ambiance. When I walked through the front door, I was instantly impressed with the architecture. Two brick staircases located on either side of the foyer take you to the bar and several dining areas on the second floor. Lining the stairway on both sides are intimate alcoves with tables that seat 4. Peter and I were seated at one of these tables after a drink at the cozy bar.

For the size of the building, I was surprised to see such a small bar. But, since we were the only ones seated there, it didn’t really matter. The bartender was very friendly and fixed me the best Cosmo I have ever had in my life, truly. I asked her what was unique about her Cosmo and she revealed that she uses Citrus infused vodka and fresh lime juice. So, I was encouraged. We were off to a good start.

Once seated, we began our meal with the Warm Spinach Salad with Beets, Goat Cheese, Pears, Bacon, Sherry Vinaigrette. Ever since the Shipwreck took their Golden Beet Salad off the menu, I’ve been searching for a replacement. Unfortunately, this salad did not come anywhere close. The “Warm” part of the salad was evidently forgotten and the beets were crunchy, very disappointing.

For dinner, I ordered the Pork Tenderloin wrapped in Bacon and served with a Rum-Fig Coulis, Asparagus, and Roasted Potatoes ($24). I unfortunately have nothing good to say about this meal. Ok, maybe one thing, the potatoes were pretty good. The pork was chewy and the coulis had no hint of fig that I could decipher.

My dining companion ordered the Duck Breast with Chestnut Risotto, Asparagus, Frizzled Carrots in a Maple Glaze. His rating was a big fat “OK.”

Sadly, a dining experience that had great potential for being really special fell flat on its face once the food was served. Oh, and I should remark that if Scarborough Fair wants to bill their establishment as a “fine dining” establishment, they need to teach their servers the art of fine dining. And I said “dining” not “diner.” I think you get my point.

You know what they say, “A customer who has a good experience will tell a friend, a customer who has a bad experience will tell everyone.” Well, it goes something like that. In talking about our dinner at Scarborough with friends, I heard one bad experience story after another.

I finally Googled the restaurant looking for reviews. (Yes, I realize I should have done this BEFORE going, but that would have been too predictable.) I sure would have saved myself a lot of money if I had. Here’s a link to one review entitled “Mediocrity and High Prices at Scarborough Fair in Sea Girt.”

I think that sums it up.

I really hope Scarborough Fair stops telling themselves they’re the “best kept secret of the Jersey shore” and starts tuning into the lousy reviews and the empty tables. They have a gem of a building and could be one of the hot spots at the Jersey Shore if they do.

Scarborough Fair
1414 Meeting House Rd.
Sea Girt, NJ
732.223.6658

Saturday, January 10th, 2009, by Deborah Smith, Executive Editor and is filed under "Restaurants ". You can leave a response here, or send a Trackback from your own site.