SoHo on George, New Brunswick

Oh, how we did eat on the night of Dad's birthday. Mom, Matt, Dad and I found ourselves at SoHo on George to celebrate the big guy's special day, and wooo baby are we glad we did. SoHo on George is a chic establishment in the middle of downtown New Brunswick. It's pretty inside... kind of modern looking, but classy at the same time... some splashes of color, some cool looking architecture, but nothing over the top. It's not stupid fancy, but I wouldn't wear jeans and sneaks here, catch my drift? Like... there's a guy who's job is solely to walk around folding people's napkins when they get up to go to the bathroom or for a smoke... but it's not snooty or anything. What it IS is good, and pretty reasonable price wise for the quality and area.

I started off my meal with a salad from the daily specials list... grilled octopus over salad greens, with fried onion straws on top. It was delightful. The octopus was not chewy (ew.. hate that!) and the grilling gave it a woody, smokey flavor. Since the octopus was still a bit warm it really contrasted nicely with the cold salad. The dressing was tart and a little sweet. The onions were totally crispy and added a nice texture contrast... loved it. All around it was a successful dish.

Matt went with the heirloom tomato and Mozzarella salad. The tomatoes were gorgeous (yellow and red... fancy!), and so fresh and tasty. The Mozzarella was creamy and delicious, too. The real star on the plate, (for me at least) was the delightful pesto that was drizzled on top of the whole thing... it was a little spicy, really clean tasting, and made the balsamic reduction taste even sweeter.

Mom got the mesculin salad, which had a kind of Mediterranian flare to it.... feta, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives.. that kind of thing. We all know these flavors work well together so it was no surprise that they did this time too. The caramalaized vidalia onion vinagrette that was on the salad was also nice...a little too sweet until you got a bite of feta or olive... then it evened out nicely.

The birthday boy picked the real winner in this round. He ordered the Tuscan tomato grilled vegetable soup and it was out of this world. Topped with a dollop of creamy goat cheese, the soup was so fresh tasting it was like drinking a garden... but in a good way (as if there's a bad way to drink a garden). The goat cheese kind of melted in a bit, lending its tart flavor to the thick, rich soup. It really was outstanding... you could taste some woodiness from the grilled vegetables, the sweetness from the tomato, and the cheese just rounded it all out. Yum.

Our next dish was shared around the table... Dad saw it on the specials menu and when nobody ordered it for dinner he figured we NEEDED to try it. It was pasta with Kobe beef meatballs, and it sounded too good to pass up. It wasn't... we definitely could have lived without it. Kobe beef is so delicious and tender (which makes it worth so much money!) that grounding it to make meatballs denies it of its natural beauty. While the sauce was delicious the meatballs were really a bummer. They were dry and flavorless, really not up to par with the rest of the dishes we had already enjoyed. I guess I don't know what we were expecting... we know what the merits of Kobe beef are and we know what meatballs are, so why we decided this would work is beyond me. At least the sauce was tasty.

For dinner I had one of the specials, crab three ways. It was a sauteed soft shell crab, a crab cake, and a Blue crab stuffed with crab stuffing. All were done well but the crab cake was certainly the best component. It was mostly crab meat and very little filling (dontcha hate when crab cakes are all bread crumb? ick) The stuffed crab was kind of eh... the stuffing had a LOT of bell peppers in it, and they kind of took over. I loved the soft shell crab... when they're in season there is nothing better... crunchy, salty, succulent... LOVE 'EM. It was all topped with shaved veggies, which were good, but nothing special. The roasted red pepper sauce on the plate was good and lent a nice flavor to most of the crab... except the stuffed crab, which was peppery enough as it was.

Matt had the Filet Mignon and it was lovely... a nice cut of meat that was cooked exactly how he asked for it. Not over seasoned, not bland, just right. It sat on top of a warm salad of corn, bacon, asparagus and pepper. It was alright but not great... it was a little too wet for me, and again, very heavy handed with the bell pepper. The bacon and the corn worked well together, though, and the sweetness of the vegetable and the saltiness and smoke of the meat really paired well. There was also a potato gratin that was awesome... not too cheesy, nicely browned, a litte salty a little creamy. YUM

Mom got the halibut dish, which was pan sauteed and nice and crispy on top. Still flaky and moist in the middle it was cooked by the books.. not dry at all. There was a pile of fried onion strings on top, which were completely unnecessary for the dish (but tasty to pick at... hey, fried onion strings always have a place at my table). Had the same red pepper sauce that my dish had, but it didn't work as well with her fish... I guess the halibut is a lot more mild in flavor than crab, and the sweet coulis really needed some salt to even it out. The side on her plate, though, was stupid good. Like realllly good. A wild mushroom and brie strudel... uh hello? SIGN ME UP! The outside was flakey and crunchy and the inside was creamy and decadent... if possible I would just order a couple of these bad boys and call it a night. Once again Dad'd dish won the round. The stuffed pork chop was so good it actually worried me a bit. I didn't think it was possible to stuff that much flavor into one piece of meat, but SoHo on George found a way. The two giant chops were each stuffed with chorizo, spinach, and cheese (WARNING: this dish was totally NOT for people watching their caloric intake... but hey... birthday calories don't count so he was in the clear!) The filling gets so creamy and melty it seeps sensuously out of the top of the chop, making the whole damn dish a joyous thing of beauty. The roasted peach chipotle salsa that accompanies it just makes the flavors ten times stronger, really accentuating the spice of the sausage, the salt of the cheese, the sweetness of the peach, the meatiness of the pork..... pause. Must wipe drool from keyboard. Ok back. Of course this is ridiculously rich, so he only ate one chop (and I tricked him into giving me the leftover one for lunch the next day.... score one for me!) This is one of their signature dishes, and it's clear to see why. The flavor and texture pairings are out of this world, and every mouthful is a mini adventure... new flavors working with familiar ones. Le sigh.... yum.

We did get dessert but by that time I was too full to opperate a camera (SORRY GUYS!), but they were easy to imagine. Since nothing says birthday like a cupcake, and luckily for us they have a daily cupcake sampler. Three delicious cupcakes came out (with candles... duh) and they were gorgeous (oh why did I eat the Kobe beef meatballs!? I could have saved a touch of energy for picture taking!) One vanilla, one chocolate and one red velvet they were perfect, with sweet rich icing and light fluffy cake. Perfect ending to dinner.

The price was very reasonable compared to other places in New Brunswick (even some with food only half as good!), the staff could not be nicer (thanks again, napkin foldy guy!), the place is beautiful, and there is a full bar (and a very respectable wine list). I should also mention that you can eat at the bar (they have a seperate bar menu with fabulous selections, like a goat cheese and red pepper pizza or beef and chicken satay). I totally reccomend giving this place a shot! Let me know what you think (especially if you get the pork chop... call me we'll talk about it... seriously... I can talk about it all day)

SoHo on George
http://www.sohoongeorgest.com/
335 George Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
732-296-0533