Market Yard Grille
A Freehold, NJ Restaurant Rating and Review

Market Yard Grille
18 E Main St
American Hotel
Freehold, NJ 07728
(732) 431-3220

Restaurant Review

The Market Yard Grille is located in the restored historic American Hotel in Freehold. The American Hotel with a storied history since the 19th century, is the centerpiece of downtown Freehold, and now has become a popular spot for meeting friends for drinks and dinner in downtown Freehold

The executive chef is Eric Martin who comes with impressive credentials. The son of a French chef, he is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America who honed his skills under a number of famed chefs including Joel Robuchon’s Restaurant “Jamin” in Paris, where he interned for one year, and later under chef Christian Delouvrier at Les Celebrites in New York City. He came to New Jersey and served as the executive chef at Stage Left in New Brunswick, and prior to coming to the Market Yard Grille, was the executive chef at Rat's in Hamilton Township.

Unfortunately, with the excellent credentials of Chef Eric Martin, you would expect the food to be top draw, or at least on a par with the restaurants he formerly worked at. Though there are some dishes that are above average, overall the quality of the ingredients and the preparation are just average for a fine dining restaurant.

The dinner starters are not impressive, and the Fried Calamari prepared in a graham cracker crust with a spicy garlic aioli is very oily and over fried. A better choice would be the Lobster Wontons with sesame soy vinaigrette and an Asian sprout salad; or the Duck Egg Rolls with tender duck, asian sprout salad, and spicy mango salsa.

When available, the recommended dinner entrees are: The 21 Day Dry Aged Strip; The Tenderloin (filet mignon cut); and The Grilled Cajun Rubbed Swordfish vegetable couscous, with red pepper coulis and sweet potato shoestring fries.

A nice feature is that all dinner entrees are served with a choice of two sides from a selection of eight tasty choices.

The interior is attractively done up with dark wood wall coatings and trim, soft lighting, with two dinning areas separated by a low walled partition that adds a feeling of coziness to the two dining areas.

The bar is also attractively done up with wood trim and display TV's and has become, along with the Metropolitan Cafe, the places to be in downtown Freehold for happy hour. The bar scene is energetic and professional, with a large part of the bar crowd coming from the many law firms scattered through this Monmouth County Seat.

The bar scene is vibrant on Friday evenings from 6-8pm.

While the restaurant has good acoustics, if you are coming for a romantic, cozy dinner and quiet conversation, ask for a table away from the partially open, see through wall adjacent to the bar.

The wait staff at the Market Yard Grille is knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive.

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