The kitchen overcooked our local grass-fed steak, which, at $27, was the most expensive entree. But that was more than compensated for by the outstandingly moist, fresh crab cakes with mango salsa. And, of course, they serve freshly made desserts worthy of a cafe noted for its baking: rich chocolate tart in graham cracker crust, bread pudding baked from moist sticky buns, and lightly stewed peaches topped with a cobbler biscuit baked to order.
The cobbler alone is worth another visit.
The menu is still huge for such a tiny place. But dishes like those blackened scallops in ginger glaze and cashew-crusted grouper in banana-rum sauce had to stay. These were some of the eclectic hits that helped make the 55-year-old Elsohn one of the godfathers of Jersey fusion cuisine - before a bout with pancreatic cancer temporarily knocked him out. Now recovered after three years recuperating off the kitchen line, he says the old energy is back.
And I could taste it, too. Granted, some dishes now feel dated in an overdressed, '90s kind of way, with a blitz of colors and a different nut crust for every oyster, cheese or fish. But there's no denying the convergence of good organic ingredients with a passion for cooking here. Our meal at cozy-but-comfortable Gertrude's, nicely rehabbed with pale brick walls and evocative photography, was one of our most satisfying this season at the Shore.
A zestily seasoned bowl of gazpacho coarsely milled from tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers came dolloped with sweet lumps of fresh crab. Thai-spiced cocktail sauce was the perfect dip for huge poached shrimp. A superbly tender loin of grilled lamb anchored a Mediterranean plate with roasted peppers and goat-cheese mashed potatoes; it would have been perfect had the tasty pesto-demiglace not been gloppy. Most memorable, though, was the gorgeously roasted half chicken. Almost completely boned beneath its crispy lemon-garlic crust, it was a picture of elevated comfort over Madeira-braised greens, mashed potatoes and mushrooms.
And comfort is the operative word in Elsohn's comeback place, which benefits from pleasantly experienced servers and the sense of calm that comes from a more manageable space. Next up for downsizing?
"The menu," he conceded, "is a little too big. . . . "
