We often meet our friends Sol and Carin halfway between Princeton and Ocean NJ. Freehold is our most convenient town which has provided us with a few excellent restaurants. Most notably we have enjoyed three meals at Lemon, an Egyptian/Mediterranean spot which is BYOB, That is always my preferred choice since I get to imbibe some chosen wines at reasonable prices. I have previously reviewed Lemon and given it most favorable accolades.
Six eighteen has a full liquor license and the bartender creates playful and tasty cocktails. We were impressed with the cocktails that we ordered.
Sol and I enjoyed the view of our lively wives.These are the sweet ladies that we’ve been hanging with for quite some time. Lucky us!I ordered this cocktail called ‘The Weekend’. It’s made with Rye, Amaro, Angostura and ChocolateBitters. Sol ordered a Golden Hour, made with Bourbon, Lavendar Honey, Vanilla and Lemon.Carin’s Summer Cooler was delivered in an actual cooler. It was an interesting concoction of Vodka, Strawberry. Elderflower, Lime Rose and Cucumber.
Barb enjoyed a simple glass of Prosecco.
The bread service was very fresh, house made and served with sweet butter.The girls enjoyed the house 618 salad which they shared.Sol and I shared the Burrata salad which came with lots of goodies. Sol is not a fan of Mortadella, so they kindly twisted it up and served it on the side for me to enjoy.I ordered the Cabernet Braised Short Rib. It was very meaty, nicely sauced and well-presented. It tasted good, but reminded me that Short Ribs always seem too drybecause they are stewed and never rare. My problem, not the restaurants.Carin ordered the Grilled Faroe Island Salmon, a little rare. It was perfectly prepared, juicy and delicious. She flipped out on the purple cauliflower that came with it. Barb poached some and also loved it.Sol ordered the Skirt Steak, medium rare. It was obviously an outside cut, always the most tender and best marbled part of the skirt. It was wonderful. The mashed potatoes that accompanied it were smooth and buttery. The guacamole was a nice side. The chimichurri was a perfect enhancement.Barb ordered the Grilled Butterflied Branzino. It was very tasty and she made all gone. She switched out her mashed potatoes for the cauliflower and roasted veggies. Delightful.My dessert of Warm, Sticky Toffee cake was simply orgasmic! We added some Vanilla ice cream to enhance the decadence of the dish. We shared it four ways and it was a perfect finale to the meal.This is Xander. He was a superb host to us. He guided us through the menu, recommended excellent dishes, checked on us regularly without being intrusive. He’s a fine man. We were lucky to have drawn him as our server.
All in all, we enjoyed our evening at Six Eighteen. The crowd is much younger that than us and more energetic. As such, we found it a bit noisy, but commensurate with the age of the clientele. The food was great, the service was perfect and the overall vibe was very pleasant. They even had free valet parking.
I recommend this place for an upscale meal and fun get together. For older folks, I suggest an earlier reservation to avoid the noise consistent with the younger, more bodacious crowd.
JoshEatsandDrinks 