Steak, Wine & Local Vegetables—Lots to Love

You could stand on a corner and look around until a restaurant sign draws you in. But we've got a better idea. Each week, Patch picks a great restaurant either in town or nearby that is worth checking out. Here's this week's choice:

Tbones Tuscan Steakhouse

Overview: Tbones Tuscan Steakhouse is located inside the Bridgewater Marriott, and is part of the Marriott company. The restaurant recently received the , and is mostly a steakhouse, but does offer other options, including chicken and fish. The restaurant offers options for catered parties and events, while also allowing for people to come in for a meal or even to just sit at the bar. The restaurant is expensive, so it's not necessarily an everyday place to go, but if you're looking for a treat, it's a nice option.

Décor: The restaurant is fairly dark inside, giving it that steakhouse feel [if there is such a thing], particularly in the evening hours. It's a lot of browns and reds throughout, and has both tables and booth, all comfortable.

The Drinks: Tbones is known for its wine selections, having a full complement and recently being named to  of best places for a glass of wine. I am in no way a connoisseur of wine [since I usually have no taste for it], but I know I need to say something. First of all, there is a full six-page menu of different kinds, both by the glass and by the bottle. When I went, my dining partner and I ordered a glass of Riesling and a glass of Chiraz. I admit again, I wasn't particularly fond of either because I don't usually like wine in the first place, and you would be hard-pressed to find one that I would drink more than one sip. But he enjoyed the Riesling, calling it sweet and fruity and not at all dry. So, I guess I recommend that one?

Entrees: We started the meal with my choice of the Organic Mixed Green Salad, with heirloom tomatoes, sharp jack cheese, granny smith apples, dried cherries and sherry walnut vinaigrette. It was delicious, and I especially loved the dried cherries [I'm a fan of dried fruit]. My dining partner tried a vegetable soup, which he called, "flavorful," but he otherwise couldn't describe it. As he said, "it tastes like the vegetables haven't been sitting in the soup for very long." That translated into delicious, and he enjoyed it.

From there, the chef brought us a special to try, their wild mushrooms and scallops, which we were told was just created by the chef, and was actually a combination of two dishes. I didn't taste it because I don't eat scallops, but my dining partner said it was very fresh and very good.

From there, I had ordered the Grilled Grouper Fillet, with roasted purple potatoes, charred spring asparagus and a fresh passion fruit butter sauce. I had never tried grouper before, but, after some prodding, opted to give it a shot—and I was pleasantly surprised. It was very good, the sauce was fruity and the potatoes were delicious and salty. I was pleased with the result.

Being we were in a steakhouse, my dining partner opted for a T-bone steak, which he enjoyed, although it was cooked medium rare, and he had ordered medium. Still, we were pleased with the meat and the side of asparagus he had ordered.

Kristin Nemeth, specialty restaurant chef at Tbones, said they offer special pastas and fish each week, but their most popular steak is the ribeye, followed by T-bone, filet mignon and porterhouse.

"The porterhouse is last because it's huge," she said.

As for the vegetables, Nemeth said, the restaurant has a garden in the parking lot where they grow fresh zucchini and other items.

"We use those to put in the specials," she said. "And lots of vegetables we get are local, especially in the summer. We buy local produce."

Aside from the meat, Nemeth said, the red snapper is a popular dish for those who are health-conscious, and the salmon is popular because it's different and is offered seasonally.

Desserts: We had to try the desserts because, well, it's dessert and you can't properly review a restaurant without it, right? Anyway, among the classic tiramisu, key lime pie and chocolate souffle, my dining partner and I opted for a dish of chocolate gelato [yummy] and fresh local strawberries. The latter dish has meyer lemon mousse, two pieces of warm banana bread and balsamic syrup drizzled over strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. It was absolutely delicious and erased any need for chocolate in my dessert. Plus, fruit, so it was healthy...

Service: The service was pretty good. The restaurant was not very crowded when we were there, although my waiter said some people were there because they had been evacuated from their houses after Hurricane Irene and were staying at the Marriott. In my opinion, we waited a little long for the check to arrive and the waiter to come take our order, but the food came in a reasonable amount of time and it gave us a chance to sit and relax.

Tbones Tuscan Steakhouse
Address: 700 Commons Way (inside the )
Cost: $$$$