Tusk

I liked the cereal chicken somewhat. I looked at it and it said: «Looks fancy and delicious!» (by the way i’m a foodie) So I took a bite of it and it tasted so so, but it was undercooked! ALMOST RAW!!! I never ate there again and I was glad it closed. At least it tasted so so. If you want cooked chicken, you don’t go to tusk.

I was really surprised to see how not crowded this place was on a Saturday night. My family and I went around 8ish on a Saturday night and this place wasn’t crowded at all. It’s a really nice looking place. The décor was impressive. I was happy with the food. We ordered a few appetizers and I got the pad thai for my entrée which was really good. I would go back to Tusk.

My family and I went to Tusk after taking my cousin to see Princeton University. We wanted to go somewhere that was nice and Tusk seemed like the place. The menu contained some great items and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. My crab cake entrée was really subpar and very dry. I was not to impressed with the entrée but the appetizers were good.

Have been there several times for lunch. My impressions:
Atmosphere: (4) excellent, beautiful and comfortable. Not too loud, so you can actually have a business conversation.
Food: Good (5) REally like the menu. Hints of Asian influence. interesting and well done.
Service: Slow (1) This is their problem. You need an hour and a half for lunch.
If they can get the service under control, I would rate as a 4 or 5.

Oh dear. I rarely give one star reviews but feel compelled to on this occasion. We came to Tusk when they opened and I had a cold chicken. We put this down to teething issues and so while a a lose end this week we went to Tusk for dinner. If you are going to open a new restaurant in Somerset County (the 9^th wealthiest in the US) and charge $ 20 per plate then just do one thing… make sure the food is nice! And at Tusk the food is not nice.
Arrived Monday evening and the place was empty. I mean utterly devoid of customers. Which should have been a sign of things to come. But we were hungry so sat down anyway. The place is very well decorated and feels expensive. Maybe they should have focused their efforts more in the kitchen. First off the bread was stale. How do you even do that? The butter was too hard. I ordered Jambalaya. It was completely bland… no taste or spice at all. It was supposed to come with sausage… but there were just two, tiny pieces of sausage about the size of my thumb nail. Thoroughly disappointed. I could have knocked this together at home in about 5 minutes. My wife ordered the crab cakes. They were supposed to come with potatoes. But they didn’t. When my wife asked the waitress said they were ‘in the crab cake’. Huh??? Did we look that dumb? So then she brought 3 pieces of gross potatoes wedges. The crab cakes were OK, but not worth the $ 20 or so.
So we made a quick exit. All in all we paid about $ 60 for pretty poor food. No wonder the place is empty. I predict this place will be closed In a years time. What a shame. This could have really filled a gap in the local market and all they had to do was cook good food.

Good dining out means one thing: good food. Tusk isn’t quite there. Pasta was well cooked, duck was too. But ribs and steaks were disappointing. All foods were over salted and greasy. Service was slow. Waiter forgot my drink and my fries (even after a friendly reminder). Might come back but chances are small.

Upon entering this place, it showed a lot of promise; beautiful interior, striking bar, interesting menu. However, it started going downhill very fast. 9 of us went there for a work celebration lunch. No ice tea. Took 15 minutes for 4 of us to get water. Took another 10 minutes for the rest of us to get water. Took 45 minutes for sodas to be delivered. We placed our order; some of the group requested an appetizer such as french onion soup or a salad.
Lunch FINALLY arrived an hour after we placed the order! Of course the appetizers were brought out at the same time. When a co-​worker asked the waiter why he didn’t bring her salad out before the lunch entrée, he got angry, snapped at my co-​worker & was down right rude. The salad appetizer came with bacon! I mean, bacon is not normal on a ceaser salad. The waiter should have mentioned this when he took the order.
I have to say, the food was good but because the service really sucked, myself & the other 8 co-​workers will not step foot in this place again!

I like this place a lot, but the location is not great. I mean, it’s convenient for me because I work nearby, so we’ve done a couple happy hours & company dinners here. The location seems to be a challenge though, as it’s never really packed. To be fair though, I’ve only been on weekdays, so maybe the dining room is fuller on Friday/​Saturday?
Food is pretty good. Wide menu, good options, and cooked well. Good portion size too, means relatively valuable meal.
Service is decent. The management/​ownership is great — very friendly & very good. The staff is OK, but not up to my usual NYC standards.
Great spot for a happy hour!

Went here last night with a friend of mine for happy hour. This place is REALLY REALLY NICE. I guess after living in New Brunswick for four years, I have pretty low standards but the décor is really nice (and the outdoor area seems nice too! but after heavy rain, we opted NOT to sit outside). The bar was pretty quiet (maybe 4 other people besides us) but it could be just a pre-​memorial day weekend lull. The major MAJOR downside was how long it took for them to give us our happy hour menus and take our drink order… not really a fan especially when there’s so few people around. We ordered some nachos which were alright… not bad to munch on. My friend’s vodka cran was NOT fantastic so drinks wise, I’d probably stick to a premium drink (their martinis looked interesting) or a beer.
Bottomline: this place is not bad for a good deal (they have a wednesday $ 5 martini night which is worth checking out) but snappier service would take it up a huge notch. Going to come back for a second experience.

I went here for brunch on Mother’s Day, but I want to fairly state that I don’t believe that had any impact on the experience because the restaurant was no more than half full, and this restaurant supposedly serves brunch every Sunday.
First and foremost, it is TOO loud in this place. The dining room is just one big open seating area with no walls or structures separating the tables. Imagine a hotel ballroom or a cafeteria, but with nicer décor. The décor was, in all honesty, very pleasant and welcoming. It was unfortunately hard to enjoy because of the noise not only from the guests, but also from the curiously loud music that was being played in the dining room.
You can always tell the places that aren’t accustomed to serving coffee, because there were no cups on the tables, and the waiters have to fetch the carafe from the kitchen. In other words, our drinks took a bit too long to arrive. There were cocktails available for brunch, but they were not listed on the menu we were given. My mother ordered a mimosa, which was served with an orange wedge.
I had a crock of french onion soup to start, which was well done. There wasn’t anything spectacular about it, but it satisfied my soup zone in the way I wanted. For some reason, I ordered the cheese steak sandwich for lunch. There was basically no way it was going to be as good as I’d want it to be, although the steak part of it was good. The peppers and onions could have used a little more time on the grill, and while I’m all for soft bread, this bread felt like the sandwich was going to drop right through it. French fries were good, although cut thinner than I prefer. They sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on them, which was notable. I wanted to order a beer when my sandwich came, he said they only had Bud Light on tap (ouch). I went for it anyway, though it failed to arrive before I had finished my sandwich.
All in all, the food was just decent at best, and WAY overpriced. My girlfriend’s caesar salad with chicken was $ 20, and both the cheese steak sandwich and french toast tipped the scales at $ 12 each. This place appears to be of the sort that is best visited during the night hours, and that is reflected in the prices and quality of the food and service. I might consider going back for drinks, but not for the food.

We have been to Tusk 3 times before and always had a nice dinner. Tonight, we had the worst meal I can remember and felt overcharged on the bill. What happened ?
Roast duck was all fat and my wife’s petite filet mignon was actually a cheap sirloin.
Both entrees came out cold and had to be re heated. We left there still hungry and very disappointed. We won’t be back. Dining room was empty on a Friday night, so that should tell you something.

Let’s break down the burger I am currently having. Oil everywhere. That might be because of the 10oz meat placed on top of what seems like a mini bun for dwarfs. I’d be nice to be able to pick up my burger without the bread just breaking. I had to end up eating it with a fork and a knife.
Get bigger bread for your burger.
I accessorized my burger with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, lettuce and tomato. The lettuce and tomato were NOT fresh at all. The lettuce was a dark green … Kind of like it was bought last week and was wilting in the fridge since then. I thought tomatoes were suppose to be red. Not what I got. My tomato also looked like it was wilting in the fridge for a long while. It looked like an old, sad tomato that had all the life sucked out of it.
The fries that came with it can be compared to mcdonalds fries. But be warned… «seasoned» fries actually mean regular fries that are sprinkled with parm cheese… I am not a fan of parm cheese at all… And it just killed it for me. When has «seasoned fries» ever meant it was seasoned with parm cheese!!! I was expecting Cajun seasoning or garlic powder or something of that nature. Awful.
Only giving 2 stars because of ambiance. Otherwise it would be 1.

I was very underwhelmed by this restaurant. Thankfully I only had drinks and a few appetizers at the bar. Though there weren’t many patrons at the bar, the bartender seemingly never heard the concept of an attentive server. Not only did he not come by to check on drinks and place orders, I actually waved several times, alternating with my date who was trying to make eye contact to flag him over. The wine list was very lacking, with only a Riesling for a light sweet taste, which was more on the brut side than sweet. The bartender was very curt in explaining that the mixed drinks were all extremely strong.
The Peanut Thai Popsicle lacked enough sauce and was rather dry. The Ivory Pot Stickers however were very tasteful, the shrimp was cooked to perfection. I shall however, not be returning to Tusk.

First of all, I have never been carded in a restaurant OR liquor store in over 4 years (well maybe one or two liquor stores). I’m 26 years old and I had left my wallet to rush to the car (I wasn’t driving). Had a tiny debate with the waiter then the GM then the Owner, who was asian like my family. Either way, it was pathetic that they are more worried and concerned about being «FINED» for serving someone UNDERAGE despite the fact that I was eating WITH MY FREAKING PARENTS. I would certainly be more concerned with the fucking food.
The menu: On initial «skim» it looked very fusion/​new american but all over the place. Lot of raw tuna type things, thai /​asian influenced dishes, mediterranean dishes…
appetizers:
Tusk wings: These guys were BLAND. SEVERELY underseasoned chunks of crap. Gave us a few pieces of carrots and celery off to the side… wtf?
Philly Roll: These were actually pretty tasty. Fusioned up a bit but portion size was surprisingly small compared to everything else…
Potstickers: Well seasoned and edible. Nothing memorable though
Tuna Carpaccio: The fish actually tasted very nice and the salad was dressed well! BUT THERE WAS AN OXIDIZED CHUNK OF PLAY-​DO (WASABI) that was GRAY/​GREEN. What the FUCK were they THINKING? Is the chef a retard!!! This was the most disappointing thing I’ve ever seen.
Soups:
Ordered the Soup Du Jour which was a cream of mushroom. Seems like they were too poor to afford a good vita mixer or something… strands of mushroom fiber were in the creamy soup. Flavor was good because of all the truffle oil they sprinkled around it. I finished it, but wished it was done better.
French Onion soup: Tasted pretty good. Nice crispy fried red onions. Melty swiss. Not bad.
Entrees:
Beer Braised Short Ribs: Very tasty and HUGE portion. Tasty bleu cheese and a VERY well seasoned polenta underneath. Very impressed but very heavy dish.
French Cut Pork Chop: Stuffed with spinach/​fortina cheese/​spinach. Had a nice bunch of roasted red potatoes seasoned heavily with pepper and thyme which were good. Also some grilled broccoli rabe. Also good. Huge portion. Cheap price.
Bouillabaisse. The broth was lacking in aromatic flavor. Bouillabaisse needs more onion/​fennel/​celery/​saffron/​tomato loving than what they gave. Seemed like a mussel/​clam juice/​white wine broth with a bit of saffron flavor. Overcooked half a tail of lobster and didn’t even have mussels in the dish… just some littlenecks. It was edible, however, just could have been much better. Shrimp were overcooked and rubbery too.
Seared Yellowfin Tuna — Cooked well and seasoned well. I mean, it’s tuna. Have a good piece of fish and anyone can cook it. The fennel/​arugula salad it cl. aimed to have lacked shaved fennel. But it tasted nice. Dressed well with balsamic and strawberries… overall a decent dish.
FORGOT TO ADD. I had a side of «SWEET POTATO FRITES». Fucking pathetic. They forgot the order as entrees got put onto our table (and it wasn’t even busy that night, only two other tables!) then 3 minutes later, the waiter waltzes over with a fucking small pile of CHARRED/​OVERLY DEEP FRIED and then SOGGY shittily cut sweet potatoes. Pathetic. Sent it back, it was inedible.
Desserts:
I think we had a parfait and a cheesecake. Both were done pretty well. Definitely made us forget about the shitty appetizers.
After writing this review, I realize that this wasn’t THAT terrible. however, my memory of this place will always be negative. Probably not coming back despite the fact I live 6 minutes away from it.
Also their cooks don’t know how to season out of a deep fryer and don’t know how to fry or prepare starchy items for the fryer. Christ.

A bar/​lounge in the ‘burbs? Really? or Finally?
Seems like everything has improved a lot.
I had the Po Boy for lunch and it was jammed with sauteed shrimp and a few oysters on a fresh roll. Nicely done fries. Bartender Jacki talked me into trying his housemade iced tea — very smooth and not too sweet.
I will be back for happy hour since all the drink mixes are from scratch.

The quality of the food is excellent.
The service is attentive and timely.
The atmosphere is lively and elegant.
The space is large and airy, with beautiful patio areas… something that is sorely missing in the Princeton/​Montgomery area.
Tusk is a much-​needed addition to the restaurant scene here, and it is a fun and enjoyable experience.

This was a really bad experience. Forced valet parking does not make this place classy. No dress code to speak of, shorts and jeans everywhere. EXTREMELY noisy as there is no carpeting and the ceilings are at least 20 feet. They are still very disorganized in their reservations/​seating.
Now for the food. Appetizers/​salads were soso. (lobster spring rolls and caesar salad). I ordered the Cashew Shrimp. The shrimp were fishy and the sauce was orange overkill. My husband had the Pomodoro Parmesan Chicken which came out dry and way overcooked. Just sent it back, as we had waited quite a long time for it to show up in the first place.
Do yourself a favor and skip this place.

We went in with low expectations as they’ve only been open a few weeks, but sadly, there’s little to like here.
It’s really LOUDDDD inside. There’s not a spec of cloth or soft materials to buffer the noise. Large central bar has minimal seating. It’s the anti lounge it could be. How bout some soft seating to take up the space?
Wide open dining room has wood floors, wood tables, wood chairs, wood wainscoting, wood blinds, and bare walls. Has the ambiance of eating in a gym or cafeteria. Impossible to have a conversation at a table for 4. These guys should have spent less on their tacky multicolored light strip in the ceiling and more on an interior designer, an acoustical engineer and a quality chef + ingredients in the kitchen.
Food this past Friday night, was poor. Low quality ingredients, uninspired cooking, 3 of 4 entrees were left on plates. Meatloaf dried out and nearly inedible. Ribeye tough as nails and tasteless.
Valet parking is an absolute joke. We won’t hurry back and cringed as we drove by today thinking about the money we wasted last night.
This place is soon to join the ghosts of the County Line, Caseys, Dakota’s, and many more that preceded it.

New restaurant, so maybe speed of food coming out will change over time when things are more settled…
Giant, very beautiful inside and outdoor patio seating. The layout of the place is amazing, and it is really an exciting atmosphere both inside in the master zen-​like dining area and outside on the relaxed, sunny patio.
Drinks were tasty… nice and strong. I recommend drinks on the patio, definitely.
Appetizers: Philly Roll was AWESOME. It had beef and wild mushrooms, with this yummy tangy sauce in a crisp wonton. lots of umami flavor… I really really enjoyed these.
The calamari were interesting… though very different from the calamari you might get anywhere else. They had an orange glaze like how sweet and sour chicken might have, and were served with banana peppers and raisins. Though they were nothing like the calamari I’m used to ordering, they were interesting and it was nice to try calamari in a new way… but I doubt I’d order them again.
Servers were all very friendly and attentive.
I definitely recommend Tusk for drinks and apps, not sure what entrees are like but will update soon.

Pretty terrible– from start to finish. We (party of 5) showed up around 8 to find that it is mandatory valet parking. Mandatory? Really? I don’t need to shell out a couple bucks to the degenerate in the front of the building to park my car 15 yards away in the lot… I can do that myself, thanks. It was a pretty evident ploy to add false «class» to the place. Keep in mind this is 8:00 pm. We show up to the front desk and ask for a table. They tell us there is a 35 minute wait. Not TOO bad, but after glancing into the dining room, over 60% of the tables were empty! We asked why the wait, given so many empty tables… and they explained that the kitchen was backed up. Really? You’re a restaurant. Talk about being unprepared… I would also like to note that they were WAY too overstaffed with waiters just standing around. Throw those kids some aprons and stick em in the kitchen!
So we sat at the bar and had a couple drinks while we waited. (Bar was not a bad atmosphere) After 3 trips to the front desk, they FINALLY seated us at 10:30. 10:30! Two and a half hours after we arrived! Unbelievable to say the least…
Our waiter was a nice guy, but the food was sub-​par at best. They were out of a lot of stuff on the menu. I had a salad that was less than or equal to the quality of a salad from Panera. My friend had the gnocci which was basically undercooked dough the size of ping-​pong balls (way too big if you’ve ever had even half-​way decent gnocci), that tasted like PURE salt. I can not emphasize enough that all you tasted was salt, and not much, if anything, else…
The ambiance was okay, however, the main dining room made me feel like I was eating in a high school cafeteria. The music was WAY too loud (which our waiter admitted to), and the acoustics were terrible. EVERYTHING ECHOED! The changing neon lights along the ceiling were pretty tacky as well.
All in all a pretty bad dining-​out experience. I will give it 6 months before it closes its doors for good, like all of the restaurants at that location before it, did. (County Line Inn, Casey’s, Dakota’s, Piper’s, etc…)
On a lighter note, the calamari was decent… but I won’t miss it when it’s gone…