The website I visited, which turned out later not to be the official site, characterized the pricing as upscale and trendy. The menu did contain a raw bar which ranged in price from $30-100, as well as caviar choices of American Sturgeon or Siberian Osetra in which a single ounce serving carried hefty ransoms of $40 and $100. Other options, where not nearly as pricey. When I called to make reservations, the host stated they were unnecessary and the attire was casual.
We entered the restaurant to a familiar ambiance where nothing stood out. Its long corridor led way to a larger room in the back which is often used to host larger parties. We were sat at the front of the restaurant, in a small two-top; my view earning the "window seat."
We decided to split appetizers. We each ate half of Lobster Bisque and Pan Seared Goat Cheese Salad. The bisque was a good interpretation of the dish, maintaining a creamy consistency throughout. Reasonable chunks of lobster could be found in the bowl. If there was one gripe, I think that people would probably wish to add salt if that is typical for you. Being the cheese lover that I am, this salad called my name. Many Italian restaurants have picked up on the goat cheese trend and offer their succulent variations. Ferraro's in Westfield and Emma's in Cranford both have wonderful versions. This was slightly different. It was one very large seared goat cheese ball, nestled above a fresh mix of baby greens. The warmth of the cheese wilted the greens just subtly. The vinaigrette was an appropriate amount, not overwhelming the dish or taking away from the bitterness of the greens. I enjoyed the inclusion of roasted beets, which brought color and depth of flavor to the dish. To further set itself apart from other goat cheese salads, the chef chose to depart from the walnut or pecan routine and go with pistachios. The risk was worth it, as it was enjoyable.
I ordered the Chilean Sea Bass which I have never had before. Keep in mind, at this point, we had not decided to write a blog, so trying something new was entirely altruistic from a culinary point of view. I enjoy chic and trendy plates with gigantic curved edges or darker colors, so that caught my attention first. The sea bass was a large portion, fresh and fleshy white. Surrounding it were more roasted beets, mango, roasted potato wedges and arugula. The fish was spectacular. It flaked perfectly and had a delicate buttery undertone that existed in each bite. I appreciated the grilling of the fish as opposed to roasting it, as I was able to really taste the smoke from the char marks. The mango was the best complement to the fish. It was clean and fresh and cleaned my taste buds between bites. The roasted veggies were average, but well seasoned. I was disappointed with the roasted potatoes. I could tell that they were not coated in enough oil prior to the roasting as it didn't have the crispness that makes such a presentation so appetizing. Perhaps some rosemary or grill seasoning would have done well to either bring out their own natural flavors or complement the fish.
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I suppose that I get to wear the "chowhound" hat for our foray to Limani. I'm not often picky about where we eat, but seafood was definitely what I was in the mood for. In my opinion the decor was typical of many of the trendy restaurants in Westfield, NJ. A nice addition was the on ice display of many of the "whole fish" options on the menu. From observation that evening, it appeared that the employee behind the display was not very knowledgeable about the fish in the display. He was preparing many of the cold appetizers. On the other hand, the waiter seemed extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer many questions that guests had in regards to the different offerings of fish. Though there were not many people when we arrived (which was indeed early on a Friday evening) the restaurant definitely got much busier throughout our meal.
The lobster bisque that we ordered as part of our appetizer was good. As stated above, I believed that it needed a bit more seasoning, but I suppose one can add salt and pepper to taste. The lobster in the dish was extremely soft and very buttery. There was a significant amount of lobster meat in the soup which is something that I've noticed lacking in some of the bisques I have tried (whether they be crab, lobster, etc).
Pan-seared goat cheese with mixed greens, pistachios, beets, and a balsamic vinaigrette. I have to admit that goat cheese is something that I am new to. My husband being a very big fan of cheese has brought this to my extremely virginal palate. The salad was all right. Not necessarily something I would order again due to the very bitter greens. That's not to say that I would not have a bite or two if Dave were to order it.
I ordered the crabmeat stuffed flounder with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables as my entree. The presentation was nice, served on a triangular plate with two significant pieces of flounder directly in front of me, sitting over the vegetables and the mashed potatoes at the top of the triangle. The meal was served with a red pepper aoli. I did taste the sauce, but as I am not a fan of peppers, the aoli was not for me. The fish was very tasty - flaky, buttery tasting flounder around a better than average crabmeat stuffing. The stuffing was not extremely bready as I've seen and it complemented the fish well. There was a bit of a crispy, buttery panko topping the fish, and when taking a bite with all three components, fish, stuffing, and panko, the combination was very tasty. It could be that I am not extremely knowledgeable about the preparation of fish, but it did seem that near the center of the larger piece of flounder, the flesh was not completely cooked through. It seemed to have a bit of a different color and consistency than the rest of the fillet. The vegetables were average as were the mashed potatoes. I am a big fan of garlic mashed potatoes, but upon trying these, I found them to not be very creamy or very garlic flavored at all. There also were a number of cracked peppercorns in the potatoes. Had I not known that they were meant to be garlic mashed potatoes, I probably would have called them peppercorn mashed potatoes. Dave and I also ordered a side of spinach which was described as being cooked with olive oil and garlic. In my opinion, the spinach was again, under-seasoned, and lacked a full garlic flavor.
All in all the meal was good. The fish was above average while the sides were definitely average. I would definitely go back for good fish/seafood and I would also definitely try some new sides next time in hope that I somehow picked the worst of the bunch in our first outing to Limani.
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