By Paul Goldfinger
We went to Bonney Read at the end of Cookman Avenue’s restaurant row in Asbury Park. It was a Wednesday night–arriving early at 5 pm allowed for comfortable spacing, but it got quite busy by 7 pm. Outdoor eating was going on at about 6 places including Bonney.
Overall, it is a very enticing menu, and there is something for everyone. We were 4 adults and one small child. The bill came to $328.00 with tip, tax, and a 3% processing charge. It felt too high, but all the parts do add up.—
Most everything was delicious, but when we went in the remote past it seemed like a more economical place.
Here are some examples as to how our bill wound up over $300.00.
18 oysters $61.00
2 Tito’s martinis $27.00
Pint US beer: $8.00
Bowl of New England clam chowder $11.00 (share)
Caesar salad large $16.00 (share for 2)
Iced tea: $4.50
Diet coke $4.50
Fish and chips for 3: $69.00
Fried shrimp: $24.00
Kids shrimp $10.00
Slice of NY cheese cake $6.00
And some misc. items.–no wine.
The menu is small but very nice. They have categories such as small plates, handheld, grill, kettle, raw bar, fried and extras. There is even a Bonney Burger for $20.00, buttermilk fried chicken $18.00, a lobster roll for $30.00, and a wide selection of cocktails, beer, rum flights, wine and bubbles.
So we can recommend Bonney Read for a wonderful meal, but all the extras do add up quickly. The service is excellent, and baby, it’s cold inside.
And, one more thing: no hot coffee!
NORAH JONES: “Back to Manhattan” for an affordable dinner?
When you really think about the items individually there’s no reason to charge so much. Some of those items don’t even need prepping or cooking. I see it as gouging…….. because they can. The pandemic has offered acceptable excuses for high prices in some cases, like goods that can only be obtained on an emergency basis. But to jump on the pandemic bandwagon and use the big “P” as a dishonest and punitive excuse to raise prices is in American and unfair.
As Judge Judy would say “Ridiculous “