Bloomfield Steak & Seafood

12/31/08

What a Surprise: Great Improvement!

by MarkR2

My friends and I used to go to the Bloomfield Steak House regularly years ago. But as time passed the quality of the food and service declined and we stopped going. A few weeks ago a bunch of us got together and ended up going there for old time's sake. All I can say is we were all very pleasantly surprised! The food was delicious and the service was excellent. The menu has been improved with ample choices. For appetizers we started off with the Spanish Shrimp, Crab and Spinach Dip and Steak Crostini. The shrimp was great, just as good (if not better) as what you get at the Spanish restaurants down neck (Newark's Ironbound Section) fresh, with a perfect amount of garlic and a subtle spicy kick. The Steak Crostini had beautiful presentation and unbelievable taste, very tender grilled filet with a hint of balsamic served with bread and a fantastic horseradish sauce on the side. For main courses we had the Pan Seared Filet Mignon (excellent! topped with blue cheese crumbles) Chipotle Ribeye (awesome glaze and crispy onions) Tuna Steak (pan seared with teriyaki sauce) Prime Rib (very, very good) and Grilled Lamb Chops. We were all very pleased with our selections. All meals came with a salad with choice of dressing; the greens were crisp and fresh with nice sized croutons. Also choice of potato or rice. The garlic mashed was extremely good. The service was outstanding. Our waitress was friendly and very helpful and the service was very prompt but not rushed. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed and the restaurant's historic charm and simplicity has been preserved. Overall it was a very enjoyable meal and experience. We found the prices very reasonable for the quality, presentation and service. We have already made plans to return.

• Pros: Quality food, excellent service, on-site parking, outdoor seating
• Cons: None I can think of

12/30/04

Real disappointment for the $.

by alauterb

If this restaurant is going to charge upscale prices, they should offer upscale food, atmosphere and service. They tout being housed in a 1670 building so I expected atmosphere. Cheap tablesettings, no music with an exposed radiator made me feel as though I was in a diner. One server wore jeans and Converse hightops. Actually, waitresses double as bus boys so it was hard getting their attention. It was crowded but so is Red Lobster.

The lobster bisque was like slurping a carton of heavy cream - too thick and no flavor. Clams oraganade could've come from a frozen food package! My partner enjoyed his rib-eye but mashed potatoes arrived cold. My horseradish-crusted salmon tasted delicious but arrived in a puddle of sauce which had a film on it. The accompanying scallops were not seared, just burnt brown which left an unpleasant after taste. A real disappointment for the $!

• Pros: Local, Good parking, Crowded
• Cons: , Food not the best, Lacks atmosphere