Cold Spring Grange, Cape May, NJ: A Restaurant Review
735 Seashore Road
Cape May NJ
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Cold Spring Grange: Restaurant Highlights
Fare: Traditional Early American
Price: Moderate
Food Quality: Serves a well-executed menu using local Farm-to-table products.
Service: Friendly and attentive
Ambiance/Decor: 1850's, historic, rustic atmosphere.
Overall Rating: 2 1/2 Stars
Note: Four-star Rating System from 1/2 star = poor to Four stars = Best in Class
Noise Level: Moderate
Recommended For: Diners who enjoy well prepared traditional American food at a reasonable price.
Not Recommended For: Diners who prefer a contemporary, chic restaurant with bar service and an eclectic menu.
Recommended dishes: When available, The CHATEAUBRIAND with braised cipollini onions, baby portobello, merlot reduction, parmesan truffle fingerling; The SEARED HALIBUT with pea puree, braised fennel, tomato & asparagus salad; and The LOBSTER ROLL with whole Maine lobster salad with cucumber dill aioli on a buttery grilled potato roll.
Liquor: BYOB.
The Cold Spring Grange Restaurant, located in Cold Spring Village next to the Cold Spring Brewery, is a popular BYOB spot for diners looking for well-executed traditional American dishes without incurring the high meal prices in nearby Cape May.
The Cold Spring Grange Restaurant is owned and operated by EJ & Amanda Ruhl.
Chef EJ Ruhl received his formal culinary training at the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia. He later honed his culinary skills at some well-regarded restaurants beginning in Florida at the world-renowned Berns Steakhouse in Tampa, before returning to New Jersey. Before opening Cold Spring Grange restaurant, EJ and Amanda owned and operated the successful Shore Side Catering in Wildwood Crest.
Chef Ruhl serves a well-executed menu of creatively prepared dishes using locally sourced, fresh farm-to-table produce, mostly from produce grown on Cold Spring farms.
While their lunch, brunch, and Early American menus are fixed, the dinner menu changes almost weekly, based on the availability of fresh local ingredients, and serves dishes that showcase the culinary talent of Chef EJ.
The front of the house is run by Amanda Ruhl.
The atmosphere is 1850's rustic elegance. The building listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places is the only building in Historic Cold Spring Village that stands on its original site.
The interior dining area features dark woods, and eggshell walls decorated with period art and natural finishes. During the warmer months, there is dining on the wrap-around porch that overlooks the Village. The porch is dog-friendly.
The wait staff is friendly and attentive.
The Cold Spring Grange Restaurant is open seasonally during the warmer months.
Free on-site parking is available.
(Updated: October 2023)
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