Willie's Taverne

285 Us Hwy 202
Bedminster, NJ 07921
http://www.williestaverne.com

I was meeting with a friend for dinner and drinks, and we chose Willie's as a halfway point.  She'd been there before and liked it, and I'd heard of it and was curious to try it.  I got there awhile before she did, so hung out in a little bar area on the side of the actual restaurant (it's called Legends Sports Bar).  In that bar area, there were lots of tvs, and everyone seemed to know each other; I felt really weird and self conscious, but that's probably just me.

Anyway, my friend arrived and we sat down in the actual restaurant and I discovered there is ANOTHER bar area.  Our food was very good, and our server was excellent; we were there to chat and he was very respectful of that and I never felt pressured to clear the table.

It's been awhile, so I don't recall specifically what we ate, but the prices are reasonable.  You'll pay about the same you would if you went to your favorite American chain restaurant.

Check out Willie's!

Kiku Hibachi

2085 Burnt Mills Rd
Bedminster, NJ 07921
http://www.kikuhibachi.com/

For my father in law's 60th birthday, we decided we wanted to go someplace he would enjoy but that we could also keep our boys (3 and under 1) entertained enough for us to socialize.  My husband believed hibachi would be a great way to go, so we set out looking for a place that was different, highly rated, and between our two locations.  By checking out urbanspoon, I stumbled upon Kiku, which happens to be around the corner from where my husband works.  When he started telling people there where we were going, they started raving about how wonderful it is.

We got there early, for our kids' sake, and this worked out because the reviews suggested it was very important to get there early--this proved to be the case as we left, and the lobby was very crowded! 

First, we all got a salad, which was outstanding (many times, I don't like the ginger dressing, but this was awesome) and Miso soup (which I was not really crazy about, but my husband liked very much).  The hibachi "show" was pretty typical, but the food was delicious.  I couldn't tell you what was different from other hibachi restaurants, but the meat were fantastic.  My husband felt the noodles weren't cooked perfectly, but I thought they were very good. 

We felt the prices were a little bit higher than other hibachi restaurants, but for a special treat, this was a delicious restaurant!