Blend on Main

Make sure you ask prices of specials rattled off by server. My husband was rather upset after ordering the steak special & then finding out when the bill came that we were charged $ 65.00! New York prices for a steak that was ok– nothing special. We find the place VERY noisy– it was difficult to hold a conversation with my husband.

LOVE this place! The atmosphere is warm and cozy, staff is professional, friendly and attentive and the food is excellent! I’ve been here 3 times (for dinner) and each time I walked out happy. It’s a BYOB which is a huge plus for me.

5 stars!!!
We have been here several times and each time we have left smiling.
You walk in and are immediately greeted by friendly staff, who make you feel right at home and welcome.
The dining environment is warm, and very inviting but still has a private feel to it.
The food comes out with perfect timing and is always fresh, perfectly cooked. If you are looking for our go to appetizer it is hands down the Calamari. My mouth is already watering thinking about it.
Pricing is reasonable and this will always be a go to restaurant when we want to go out somewhere a little more upscale.

reservations were made, and I confirmed later in the day. the person who answered even asked for my phone number, and stated looked forward t seeing us that evening. Party of five. When we arrived on time (5:15), the host said that he had no record of our reservations, and said he would see what he could do, with attitude like he was doing us a favor. the evening was not off to a good start. However the wait staff was very good. Food was so so at best. Can not recommend it to friends.

Can’t say enough good things about this restaurant. My fiancé and I had dinner here tonight and it was awesome. We started with the burrata, served over a slice of beefsteak tomato and roasted red peppers and drizzled with a balsamic reduction. It was everything a light, tasty appetizer should be. I had the everything encrusted tuna. Which was served over quinoa and with a spicy red curry glaze and roasted asparagus on the side. The tuna was melt in your mouth delicious and very filling! My fiancé had the pasta carbonara special which was served with 3 nice size lobster tails on top and loaded with pancetta. He said it was the best carbonara he’s ever had– and his father owns a pizzeria! We finished with the apple cake, a decadent yet reserved dessert. I couldn’t have asked for a better meal and our server was very friendly and knowledgable as well. I can’t wait to back.

Blend on Main is a wonderful place for lunch, dinner, or a private event– I can vouch for all 3! My baby shower was here and the food, service, and overall experience was top notch. The chef and his wife helped us plan a perfect event, and the professional staff made sure everything went smoothly that day. Our guests raved about the quality and creativity of the food, which was so important to us because we didn’t want standard banquet food. Since then we have returned for dinner and lunch and have enjoyed fantastic food and service each time!

Came here for brunch on Sunday with my wife earlier this year. I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars only for the fact that the waiters here are under staffed. The food is excellent prices are reasonable, and the décor is very modern. The cured bacon on the premises is a real treat and the breakfast items are superb. Great place, just needs more wait staff.

We brought relatives to our favorite restaurant this time. We were fortunate to once again have Lara as our server. She is very congenial and a great and attentive server. She even remembers our favorite appetizers! Two of us had the Bistro Steak. Mine was done perfectly and was nice and tender. My wife’s was a little tough, although not anything to complain about. Our relatives had the Chatham Cod and the Tuna. They said both were delicious! Of course we all shared the 1950’s Sundae and we tried the Ring Ding for desert.
The restaurant had a good crowd which was good to see, and it is still our favorite place.

We have been here before and the food was good. But over the last two visits it has gone down hill.

I eat out everywhere and this is my second time here. My advise to them is too make sure the kitchen doesn’t fall apart. Second visit was a far cry from the first. Not sure if I’ll be back until they fix there problems.

Always a great experience at blend on main. the food is cooked to perfection. Excellent Crab Cakes made with super jumbo lump crab meat and very little bread crumbs.

Service was great! Lunch outside was lovely. We’ve eaten there several times for lunch and dinner. The shrimp salad lunch was delicious and fresh. The club sandwich was excellent. Their salads are always good. They have a fig flatbread that’s delicious. It’s really a safe bet

Embarked on a evening at Blend for my wife’s birthday dinner with table of 6. Our family expected a lot more than we got. Our waiter started the evening with a «could care less attitude». After opening the wine he failed to ask if anyone wanted a drink beside what we came in with. Happened to have a minor at the table. When telling us the specials he would pause and keep looking away at other tables as if he was responsible for the whole dining room. Very distracted and made us all feel uncomfortable. He seemed to have trouble with the order of the courses when we ordered apps and soup. Once we ordered and sat for awhile we had to ask a passer buy if we were eligible for bread.
Apps were ok. Calamari is the same as firefly. Thank god it was as good. Dinner was mixed. The salmon was good. The wild Boar was terrible. No flavor. Needed a sauce unless they forgot to put it on. Not worth the money. Dessert was great. Flourless chocolate cake. Place has an identity crisis. Are they firefly or not. Similar items. I believe firefly opened up in point pleasant.
Anyway after $ 400 plus spent not worth a second chance. Waiter should be fired to ride off on the Harley it looks like he road in on. It wasn’t his $ 400 and memories was it. Some people just don’t get it.

Absolutely awesome. It’s not too often that I give five stars, but Blend on Main really earned it. I came here for Christmas Eve dinner, and now looking back think it was definitely the best option. First of all, I should say that this was a special Christmas Eve menu, so I’m not sure if they always have these entrée options.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is very nice, with a warming fireplace in the middle of the dining area and a large quote written on one wall — «People who love to eat are always the best people,» (Is this why everyone on Unilocal is so cool?). Large front windows look out to Main Street Manasquan.
I don’t normally even include this in my reviews, but the bread they brought out was great. It was something like a pretzel bread with a great sauce on the side. We started with the Californian flat bread, which had on it a fig purée, goat cheese, arugula, balsamic glacé, caramelized onion, and smoked sea salt. This was the best flatbread I’ve tasted in a long time, if not ever. Very unique taste, and the arugula and caramelized onion went together well. For my entrée, I ordered the Magret Duck, which came over bubble & squeak with a blood orange glacé. Absolutely the best duck I’ve ever had. I’m admittedly a very fast eater, and this was so good that it made me slow down.
I knew after my first bite that I had to try the other entrees at the table. I first tried the Capon Rollatini, which was stuffed with mascarpone and spinach with a pecan panko crust. Next, I tried the «Big Chop», which lived up to it’s name and was, in fact, a big porkchop. The porkchop was apple wood smoked with a honey crisp apple ring tempura, sweet potato purée, and chianti glacé. Both of these dishes were just as good as the duck. I’d have to say, in order, I may even have ranked the Big Chop above the magret duck, and the capon was not far behind. Also, on a completely unrelated note, this place is BYOB.
To hold myself back from rambling any further, I’ll just keep it simple and say this was definitely one of the best dinners I’ve had from anywhere in the area. I’ll be going back soon.

I wish I could give half stars cause this place is pretty much exactly between «A-​OK» and «Yay»!
We started with the Californian Flat Bread which was pretty decent. My knife was so dull that it was impossible to cut in pieces that would fit into my mouth but I wasn’t out to impress anyone so I just made a mess on my plate, spillig arugula and goat cheese allover the place.
As main course I went with the stuffed chicken breast which was really good, juicy and flavorful. The husband had the shrimp and grits which came highly recommended but was almost too spicy to really enjoy.
The dessert was a let-​down. We splurged on the giant $ 18 chocolate cake «ring-​thing», or whatever it was called, but honestly it was more about appearance than actual taste. The cake was kinda dry and the chocolate cream in between the layers way too sweet… the whole thing was just blah.
Service was mediocre at best. At a fancy place like this I’d expect attentive service which this was not. The waiters were just rushing about and didn’t really pay attention to any requests.
Bring wine! The place is BYOB which is awesome and in the end makes up for the overpriced dessert.

I cannot say enough about Blend on Main… my sisters baby shower was held here on sept 21. From the moment we started the process in July to literally two nights before the event Tara Smith was nothing but accommodating answering every question big or small promptly and pleasant.
On to the actual event the food as usual was excellent from presentation to taste top notch. Delicious bread which was served to each table, Caesar salad simple but well executed a classic, entrée selections penne vodka, salmon with risotto and chicken champagne with mashed potatoes… all to die for, excellent proportions, decent temperatures, elegant presentation on food… My sister has been a ice cream craver since she has become pregnant so Blend on Main was able to do hot fudge sundaes who doesn’t love that!
The staff was attentive without being overbearing I love that. The little details that you don’t think of like setting up a garbage bag on the tray stand never have seen that before but much appreciated…
If anyone is in the market for a simple yet elegant venue for a special occasion Blend on Main is an A++++ choice or if your just in the mood for a great night out with delicious food do not hesitate to go to Blend on Main.
I cannot express in words how special we all felt about the day and my sister was over the moon with her very special baby shower.

IWe decided to check out Blend on Main since it was connected to our hotel, and the menu sounded unbelievable. This seemed like it was going to be a foodie’s paradise just based on the menu!
When we made a reservation an hour ahead, the hostess acted as though there was very limited availability for the time we selected and gave us a weird attitude. We had asked her if we could have 8 or 8:30 and she said «oh, you must take 8». When we showed up at 8, half the restaurant was empty, and as 8:30 approached, the restaurant became less full due to tables finishing up. We were mesmerized by how the hostess had made it sound like the later time would have been so packed when we would have preferred to be sat later than 8.
The restaurant had a beautiful ambiance with a fireplace in the center of the restaurant and nicely spaced seating. Perfect setting for our date night, since the following night we were being joined by another couple for the weekend. It also happened to be BYOB which was a fabulous perk, since my boyfriend and I love to drink wine with our dinner!
The waitress immediately came over to our table to let us know about the specials and to open our wine. The bread basket came out for us to munch on before ordering, which I thought was an extremely nice touch, since most restaurants wait till you have ordered before bringing the bread out.
For our first appetizer, my favorite one, we ordered the Asian Calamari. The calamari was served with beautiful presentation in a Chinese take out container, which was definitely very creative! It was also accompanied with chopsticks, but unfortunately, only one set. We had to ask for another set from the kitchen, which was kind of a chore because we had to ask two or the waiters for them before actually getting a second set. The calamari was lightly fried and topped with Thai chili plum sauce, nori homi furikake, scallions, and wasabi aioli. It was a nice combination of sweet and spicy all at once. I happened to love this dish, but my boyfriend thought it was a little too sweet. I agree, I would have liked it to be a little spicier, but I did love it the way it was.
For our second appetizer, we ordered the lobster mac n’ cheese. From the description, you would never know it was going to be prepared in a crab cake-​like ball. Our waitress had told us about it before ordering, so we were prepared, and it actually made us more enticed to order it. The fried ball of macaroni, was supposed to be stuffed with pieces of lobster, black truffle, and truffle sauce. I saw shavings of black truffle on the plate, and also a few inside the ball, but did not really taste the truffle sadly. I wish they had sprinkled some truffle oil into the cheese to make it a little more flavorful, since there was definitely a lack of truffle and flavor. Also, there were microscopic size pieces of lobster in the mac n’cheese. My boyfriend and I probably each got two tiny bites of lobster, so it was a little disappointing. This dish was awesome in theory, but not awesome in creation.
For our third appetizer, we ordered the Ahi Tuna Tacos. These were absolutely delicious and we enjoyed them, but the description of the dish was a little misleading. Ahi Tuna is generally seared fresh tuna, where you can see the red center and charred edges. These tacos had ground up tuna in them that was then mixed with sriacha aoili. This type of preparation is generally called spicy tuna, and you never know if the tuna is as fresh or great quality when you get it in this preperation. Other than that, we loved the freshly fried won ton taco shell, and the perfectly seasoned and dressed tacos.
The main course was our favorite! We ordered the Shrimp & Grits, which was large shrimp deliciously spiced in cajun spices, atop creamy mascarpone grits, served with roasted carrots, asparagus, and bacon. The shrimp was cooked to perfection with the perfect level of spices and grilled to the perfect consistency. The carrots and asparagus had some charring on them, which gave the dish that grilled southern feel. The bacon was thick and cooked to perfection. It was a perfect pairing to the creamy grits that sat underneath this flavorful dish. There was not one bite of this dish that I did not enjoy.
For dessert we ordered the house special, the Drunken Doughnuts. I thought from the description that the doughnuts would taste as though there was alcohol mixed into the batter, but it was really only the sauce that had that flavor. They were fried and crispy and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and accompanied with rum berry sauce. They were very delicious and definitely would order them again!
We enjoyed our dinner at Blend, although my boyfriend and I felt that the menu was very foodie driven with key wording and ingredients on the menu that speak to foodies, but when the dishes were delivered they lacked the flavor that was promised. I would check this place out again if in need of a dinner spot next time I’m in Manasquan,

I was super impressed by Blend on Main so close to my home home! I’m teetering from 4 – 5 stars for Blend on Main. In the grand scheme of things = 4, for the area = 5.
From the beginning: I came home Saturday for a dress fitting when my mom informed me that she had made reservations for her and my dad, asking me if I’d like to come. Me, turn down food at a new restaurant I haven’t tried? Never. So she called and asked to add a third person. They told her we would have to sit outside. We decided to go for it since the weather was nice enough, noting to remember jackets as it’d be a little chilly after sundown.
Upon arrival, we were told that they were clearing a table for us. So we waited for a bit. Not too long, but it was unexpected to have to at all. What was another pleasant surprise was that we were seated inside. Yay! Our table was booth seating on one side and chairs on the other. The décor is to be desired. I really like all of the black and white art prints on the wall, but for some reason they chose all of the rest of the décor to be greyish beige. If it had been me, I would have thrown in some bright pops of color to make it less dull looking. Eh whatever. The restaurant is pretty big too! I wondered if they had some cancellations because some of the tables never filled so I couldn’t understand why we originally only had the option of sitting outside.
Our waiter came over and went over the specials and his favorite items on the menu. We were impressed by his knowledge and delivery. Then we popped open the prosecco we brought and our dining experience began.
Food: The bread was hard. At first I thought it was stale, but my mom said it was just hard. I had to tear into it so good thing I was with family.
Small Plates: We ordered the Asian Calamari and the Tuna Sashimi, but ended up getting the Crab Cakes as recommended by the waiter since they were out of tuna. The Crab Cakes were good, but the Asian Calamari (american squid, crispy fried, thai chili plum sauce, nori komi furikake, scallion, wasabi aioli) was so different and delicious. The presentation was spectacular, served within a Chinese Food container. It’s a dish you can’t get anywhere else.
Entrée: I had the Shrimp & Grits & loved it. I was confused about one aspect of it though: cajun crusted mayan shrimp, roasted organic carrot, mascarpone grits, house bacon… the house bacon. I was served a giant fatty block. Is this normal? Like some weird delicacy or something? I was so confused. It was the only part of the dish I didn’t eat. My mom got the Special: Thresher Shark. It definitely wowed me. I didn’t think I’d like it. My dad got the Three Little Piggies: cherry wood smoked berkshire pork chop, house made chorizo, campfire pinto beans crispy pork belly, roasted tri color «mini» potatoes, pork glacé. He liked it, but after having such light appetizers, the bbq was a little too heavy for him. It just didn’t go with the rest of the meal. I think my bf would love it though. I def. want to come back again.
For dessert, I got a cappuccino with a 1950’s sundae (two scoops, vanilla bean, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, cherry). It was satisfying although I wish there had been a little more chocolate sauce on it. Very weak pour! If I can recall correctly, my mom had the banana macadamia gelato, or maybe it was pistachio, I can’t remember.
I will 100% return. I would definitely like to try the lobster bisque, oysters, flourless chocolate cake, crème brûlée, and tuna dishes upon my return and probably a ton of other menu items.
Good job Blend! Thank you establishing yourself in Manasquan! We needed it!

Went to Blend this Memorial Day Weekend — and I will surely keep it on my list of restaurants to return to!
There was surprisingly no wait, and we were seated promptly. The waiter was extremely professional, knowledgeable about the food/​specials, and upbeat. Both him and the sleek décor really added to the overall experience. Restaurant filled up by later evening.
My friend and I were told that the Crab Cakes are one of Blend’s specialties, so we started off with that appetizer. We were served one Crab Cake with a side of fresh corn/​pepper salsa. It was amazing, best Crab Cake I’ve ever had — no mayo, just meat and spices! My friend then ordered the special soup — white bean and artichoke. I tried it and it was delicious and creamy, not too heavy.
For our main course, we ordered the Cowboy Steak and Seared Ahi Tuna and shared. The steak was perfectly seasoned and cooked and topped with two large fried onions. Delicious chimichurri sauce and potatoes underneath. The Ahi Tuna was also delicious and topped with sesame seeds. Served with an amazing and fresh red quinoa and asparagus.
We finished off with a perfectly whipped Banana Cream Pie — yum! My friend also got a coffee, which came on a neat tray with his own milk container and sugar set. Loved all of the presentation and whole experience! Perfect sized portions, a little on the pricey side, but worth it for a night out!

We finally got around to Blend on Main and so glad we did, with two other couples we opted for the pre-​fix dinners served between 5 and 6 PM for $ 24 per person. What a nice experience. Everything from bread service right through dessert was delicious. Some of the dishes: house salad, soup du jour, capon, smoked pork chop, salmon, ice cream sunday, flourless chocolate cake and drunken donuts — all excellent.
Service was outstanding and the chef made a point of visiting our table to ensure we were pleased with his efforts. After only one visit I have no qualms about rating them five stars, and as far as value for the pre-​fix, they can’t be beat. Blend is a great addition to our local Jersey shore area restaurants and we will be returning here again real soon…