some many restaurants, so many choices

My husband says that you could probably eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at a different restaurant in Monmouth County for one year and not eat at the same place twice. With that said, I got my husband to recently expand his dining choices in Monmouth County by visiting Skratch Kitchen in Bradley Beach and Mabel at Bell Works in Holmdel.
 
We heard good things about Skratch. Skratch occupies the former space of Citrico’s. My husband and I used to frequent this restaurant when Michael was the owner. The cuisine featured “heavy” Italian dishes sprinkled in with some delicious seafood options.
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In 2022 Skratch Kitchen was opened by chef/owner JT Dunn in the kitchen along with Rob Kash and Joe Mosco who are partners in the hospitality group Great Restaurants. The dining room is lighter and brighter and accommodate 48 diners. My husband and I went on a stormy Wednesday night and were surprised to see the restaurant filling up while we were there. We were treated by a warm and friendly hostess and had a delightful and attentive server.
 
For starters, we began with the nightly special of Burrata that came on a plate adorned with port wine poached pears, mortadella, figs and pomegranate seeds over wild arugula with pistachio nuts and a spicy honey dressing. This was a fabulous starter. For one thing, the pears were perfectly done and were very flavorful from the port wine. The mortadella was draped over the bitter arugula whose flavor was cut with the delicious dressing, tart pomegranate seeds offset by the crunch of the nuts. The figs, were somehow not placed on the plate. I had selected this appetizer as it is fig season and I was dying to try some. More on this misstep later.
 
For my entree I order the Chicken Savoy. Both this restaurant and Judy and Harry’s in Asbury Park have taken to making their interpretation of Chicken Savoy from the old school Italian restaurant in Belleville called Belmont Tavern.  I did an internet search in 2021 and found a recipe from Saveur Magazine. Back in 2008, the magazine tried to secure the recipe from Belmont Tavern, but they weren’t about to give it up. They too came up with their version, which I made back in 2021. Skratch’s chicken savoy was scrumptious! It was made with Bell&Evans boneless chicken thighs that were moist and tender. The chicken had a parmesan and oregano crust served with both hot and sweet peppers with a balsamic glaze; it was both spicy and flavorsome. My husband selected the Tuscan cod that was pan roasted and sat atop Tuscan beans, fennel, lemon and accompanied with baby clams and toasted crumbs. My husband loved this dish.
 
For dessert, we tried the pistachio tiramisu. This generous portion easily feeds two. The savoiardi cookies were lightly moistened and the filling was creamy with just a hint of sweetness. A dollop of whipped cream alongside the tiramisu garnished the dish along with a sprinkle of additional pistachios; it was divine. Since I mentioned to our server that our appetizer was missing the figs, the restaurant graciously comped our two Americano coffees, a lovely gesture. We’ll be back.
 
For our second new restaurant, my husband and I drove to Holmdel and visited Mabel at Bell lunch. As you enter you come up to an expansive lawn with Transistor Water Tower in the forefront with the Bell Labs building, originally designed by Eero Saarinen, in the background. Mr. Saarinen is probably more famously known for his tulip dining tables.
 
As we were walking into the restaurant we passed chef/owner Laura Brahn and s server as they just finished taking a picture of their nightly special, strip steak over lobster risotto with black truffle carpaccio. I commented that it was too bad it was on the dinner menu. However, started with Calamar Fritti. The tender calamari had a crispy, crunchy exterior that came with shishitos, lemons, caper berries all delicately fried with a side of marinara for dipping. For lunch we ordered the sandwich special which was flank steak melt with aged white cheddar, horseradish Dijon aioli, red onion, lettuce and tomato on brioche bread with fries. What a sandwich! The messy, but delicious, sandwich did not disappoint. The meat was cooked as ordered medium rare for my husband, rare as what the chef prefers for mine. The savory sandwich with tender and moist flank steak had a hint of char flavor, which added another layer of flavor. The cheese and aioli also contributed to the flavor of the steak with the tomato and lettuce offering texture. The overly generous (freshly sliced russet potatoes) fries were divine, enough for two people. Overall, a wonderful lunch. I forgot to mention, to accompany our tasty meal, I suggested to my husband that we have the Rotary Cocktail, delicious and a nice indulgence accompanying a late afternoon lunch.
 
 If that wasn’t filling enough, chef Laura graciously sent out to our table a sampling of the strip steak and lobster risotto. Who does that? Mabel did to encourage us to come back to try their dinner menu. The risotto was a silky mass of succulent rice infused with lobster flavor studded with pieces of lobster. The strip steak was perfectly grilled and tender to the bite. The black truffle carpaccio added another layer of flavor to the dish. After filling our bellies with more food, we couldn’t look at the dessert menu.
 
Also note, they have a spacious outdoor bar area, Tuesday is burger night ($18) along with $2 cold ones (select draft beer) and a girl dinner for $40 with a martini and sweet treat included; how can one resist. By the way, my son brought me here for a birthday dinner earlier this year. My husband said he’d come back for dinner in the future; I’ll hold him to it.