Gourmet comfort food for grownups, by the same people who brought you Blu.
556 Bloomfield Ave.
973.744.3600
Gourmet comfort food for grownups, by the same people who brought you Blu.
556 Bloomfield Ave.
973.744.3600
We love Blu but decided to try out Next Door last Thursday evening. The food far exceeded our expectations, wonderful salads, meatloaf and fish entre, too full to try dessert. Some recent effort had been made to improve the restaurant aesthetics, but food is a true value for the $$, service was good and it was also less noisy than it's sibling. It is a great place for an excellent meal when that is the goal, and not a true "dining" experience. For that I would still go to Table 8 or Bistro 18.
We decided to try Next Door, even though the last meal (next door) at Blu was SALTY. Interestingly enough, my entree was SALTY here too. But not all of it (fish) only half!? Seafood salad (ceviche style) was awful-rubbery!!!!!!!!! When I walked in, there was no one to be seen and I had to ask the guys in the kitchen if I could sit down or needed to wait to be seated. Service was horrible. I really expected more from this place.
Walking in to Next Door, I was surprised by how sparse the interior was. Although it might be a stylist decision, it seems almost unfinished. In terms of food, the Arugula, Pecans, Cranberries, Gorgonzola, Orange, Apple salad with chicken was good, but salty (yes, I know Gorgonzola can be salty) and contained a few too many pieces of dark meat chicken. The hamburger was good, but my boyfriend felt was too salty and comes with chips instead of fries. The prices were reasonable, the food decent, the portions fine, and the service was fair enough. I’d go (but not rush) back and give the meatloaf that everyone raves about a try, but it didn’t inspire me to try its more expensive sibling next door.