Zachary A.
Yelp
The Poached Pear is an American bistro on Arnold Ave in Point Pleasant, but it can rival some of the best NY eateries. The menu is sure to fit everyone's tastes with numerous meat selections such as beef, chicken, veal, lamb, duck, and a few fish offerings. Although moderately expensive, the quality and portion size is top notch. In addition, it is a BYOB which inherently makes the cost more effective. The Poached Pear is worth every dollar because of the diverse menu and superior quality they achieve.
Most would say this is a special occasion type of restaurant, but my family can't get enough of it. It is too good to wait around for birthdays or anniversaries. Poached Pear is now a regular spot for us, and by regular I mean 3 times in one week since discovering how delicious the food is!
Now what have we ordered that backs up this stellar review? The rack of lamb is one of the best I've ever had. Not just the potato crusted, goat cheese crust (not overpowering at all) but the meat itself is melt in your mouth. Extremely tender, cooked to perfection this is the best offering we have tried so far. Other entrees my party ordered included the halibut which was seared to add a wonderful texture to the exterior of the fish. Veal and red snapper special were also great options, but the lamb chops are King.
Yes of course we had appetizers but I just had to get to that lamb. The crab cake, gnocchi, mushroom special, and garlic shrimp are the ones we have tried so far. I'll give you a brief summary of each. The crab cake was tasty and had no filler. Gnocchi is glazed in a brown butter sauce with mushrooms, tomatoes, and other vegetables. Garlic shrimp came on toasted bread in a cream sauce. And lastly, the mushroom special included 4 varieties sautéed with 2 puff pastries on the plate. The pastry chef is excellent and these puff pastries (also included on veal entree and dessert) are light and crispy. You can't go wrong with any of these choices and I'm beginning to feel that is the case with everything on the menu.
If you are wondering if we had something sweet, you must not know my motto 'there is always room for dessert'. In our two trips to the Poached Pear we have tried the bananas foster, creme brulee, and lemon Napoleon. The highlight had to be the creme brulee and Napoleon, both are completely opposites of each other. The vanilla bean creme brulee is mild and easy on the palette compared to the lemon napoleon that is strong with tang and tartness. The Napoleon has two layers of pastry between the mousse which adds a crunch and is probably our favorite dessert. It is difficult to have these on the table at the same time, because the lemon overpowers the vanilla, but standalone each are wonderful choices.
It is obvious to tell when the owner/manager and chef (who are brothers) know what they are doing and that is apparent at The Poached Pear. Every detail of the meal is well done from the service to presentation. This is one of the best dining experiences I've had and look forward to being a customer and raver of The Poached Pear in Point Pleasant, NJ.