Ye Olde Centerton Inn - Pittsgrove, NJ

Posted by La Critique

June 27, 2008

Ye Old Centerton Inn - Pittsgrove, NJ
1136 Almond Road
856-358-3201
Meal: Dinner
Menu: Ye Old Centerton Inn Website
Price: $53.96 (For Two - Excludes Tip)

When it comes to intimate dining combined with a rich history, it would be hard to find a place in Salem County that could compare to Ye Old Centerton Inn. The Inn has a long and interesting history which is printed in the menus. The charm and ambiance are exceptional, especially in the winter, when the gas burning fireplaces are creating a warm romantic atmosphere.

One of my favorite places is the two seater by the fireplace. If you want to impress a date, this is the way to do it. Relaxing by the fire with a sumptuous meal and candlelight on the table would send most women into ecstasy. For many years this has been my favorite restaurant. I especially enjoyed it when the Terrigno family owned the establishment. The owners of the past few years are lovely people and the food is very good, but they have replaced some of my favorite entrees with new creations. I must confess, my mouth still waters for some of my old favorites.

It was Tuesday evening and I was needing to go out somewhere. My girlfriend and I decided that it would be nice to eat at the Inn because on a Tuesday evening it might not be as busy and we could take our time and truly relax. It was a nice country drive for us and we went early, again to avoid a crowd. Our thinking was correct. We were immediately seated and our server went over the dinner specials. All the specials sounded wonderful, but I had already made up my mind before I arrived it would be one of three entrees. It would be Flounder Vittorio, Chicken Alfredo, or Lobster Newburg. After much vacillation, I chose the Flounder Vittorio. The flounder is stuffed with crabmeat and asparagus then wrapped into two rolls covered with a Bernaise Sauce. It is served with a salad and a pototo choice. I chose a baked potato with butter and sour cream. I am so bad. The salad is always excellent and as an old friend of mine would say, he loved that the spoon was chilled. For some reason this excited him. Now, I find myself looking forward to the touch of the chilled fork. But, that is another subject.

My girlfriend chose Filet Mignon. She ordered the Centerton Potato which is baked potato scooped out and seasoned with secret ingredients and put in a small casserole dish and baked. I think over the years I have figured out the seasonings, but you try to decide for yourself when you dine at the Inn. My friend said that her Filet Mignon was tender and prepared just right.

We finished our meal with coffee and the complimentary selection of petite desserts delivered on a tray to our table. Overall , the experience was excellent as usual. I do have one comment about the service. While our server was very good and she has been there a very long time, she neglected to mention the soup of the day and my friend and I only knew about it when we heard another server tell another customer. As issues with servers go, this is a tiny one. Still, we would have ordered the soup had we known it was available.

I hope this review, as with all the restaurants I have been writing about ,has sparked a desire in you to take some time to venture into Salem and Cumberland Counties to see first hand our old fashioned atmosphere and experience our history, scenery, and fabulous food.

Taking into consideration all aspects of this dining experience. La Critique gives Ye Old Centerton Inn a 4.3 out of 5.

La Critique’s Score: 4.3 Chews