Anthony's out to lunch: The Spot

Sometimes less is more. I know, I know. I'm usually the first guy to order way too much food and eat 'til it hurts, but recently I learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes too much can actually be a bad thing. I had heard a ton of buzz about The Spot over in Northfield.

At least four people recommended the new restaurant to me with rave reviews, so I had to try it for myself.

On a chilly November night, we finally made our way to the little restaurant near the new Tilton IMAX movie theater. We sat ourselves and grabbed a menu off a clipboard at the end of the table. As I was reading it over, a nice waitress handed us a Specials Menu. I took one glance and saw it listed 8 soups,

16 different lemonade-type drinks, and 31 different entrees!! That was on top of the two-sided regular menu.

Wow. I love choices, but it took us almost 20 minutes to make a decision on what to eat. We shared The Big Dipper ($5.75) which was a nice mound of dip consisting of charred eggplant, black beans, and ground sesame seeds, all blended with extra virgin olive oil. It was pretty tasty scooping up the spread with a warm pita and I almost felt a little bit healthier eating something so good for me.

I also tried the Asparagus Crab Soup for $3.50. The pea green colored soup was a little bland and I couldn't taste any of the crab because of the powerful asparagus flavor. I should have cut my losses after the first healthy dish!

With all that vegetable talk, I decided I better grease it up a bit with the Mad Max ($14). The toasted sub roll was filled with ground Angus beef, Korean pork, and fried onions,  topped with homemade French fries, and slathered with a Cooper cheese sauce and spicy sriracha chili sauce. I took a big bite and just let all the magic happen. It was crispy, cheesy, spicy, and beefy all together. I thought it was a fun sandwich, but pretty pricey at fourteen bucks. The homemade potato chips were a nice touch.

We also tried the Shrimp & Steak Sliders ($13). I could see the disappointment in the face of my dining partner while I was chowin' down, so I begrudgingly offered up half my sandwich to ease the tension. The Sliders used the delicious mini Hawaiian rolls, but were topped with just half a bite of steak or just one shrimp.

There wasn't a sauce or cheese or much seasoning or anything. It was just bread and plain meat. We ordered a side of the cheese sauce and that seemed to bring the dish together a little bit more. Again, we thought $13 for three medium sized shrimp and three steak tips was expensive.

We finished the meal with an excellent White Chocolate Chip Cookie wedge for only $1.50 that was right on the money. As we looked around, we saw the place was packed and everyone seemed to be enjoying their meals. I started to think about all the glowing reviews that I had received and realized that this was just a classic case of us ordering a few wrong items off the big menu.

All the ingredients at The Spot are fresh and some of the dishes are very creative. The large menu just made it too difficult to find all the best dishes. We promised each other we would come back and try it again. And next time, I know I won't be disappointed.

Tony's tip: The Spot also serves breakfast. Who wouldn't want to try the Banana Fat Boy French Toast Sandwich with peanut butter, chocolate, and bananas? Breakfast of Champions!

331 Tilton Rd, Northfield. (609) 568-6571

Anthony Previti is a criminal defense attorney who appears frequently in Atlantic County Superior Court and he loves food. If you would like your restaurant featured, please send an email to: OutToLunch@boardwalkjournal.com.