"My wife and I loved dining at La Cipollina Ristorante in Freehold for the first time during a New Jersey Restaurant Week a few years ago. Since our first visit, we have made La Cipollina our go to restaurant for date nights every Restaurant week since. The food, ambiance and service are excellent. During Restaurant Week you can order a 3 course meal at some of the area’s finest restaurants below the usual price – just $40 per person in 2023 – which makes fine dining more affordable. So, during the 2023 New Jersey Restaurant week in November, we booked reservations for two at La Cipollina thorough Open Table for Friday at 4:30pm. La Cipollina is located at the corner of South Street and W Main Street in downtown Freehold. The restaurant building itself is not visible from Main Street as it is well hidden behind other store fronts. But you can easily find it by an awning with their name written across it over a narrow pathway between The Headmaster and The Wonderland Smoke Shop buildings on Main Street. A brick walkway through this alley leads you to the front entrance of the restaurant where there is an attractive patio with tables for outdoor dining. La Cipollina is a beautifully decorated Italian restaurant ideal for a quiet romantic dinner when it is not crowded. Its main dining room was empty when we first arrived at 4:30PM and only a few tables occupied by the time we left. The interior of the main dining room has red brick walls accented with simple artwork and white columns. Each table is decorated with a white tablecloth, large empty wine glasses and candles. To set the mood romantic music from the 50s is played in the background – a mixture of Sinatra tunes, easy listening, do wop and early rock and roll. To start our meal our waiter brought us a complementary basket of assorted sliced breads and 3 spreads (pesto, soft garlic cloves, and another I could not identify) in a condiment server along with a bottle of olive oil to flavor our bread. The bread was good, and we enjoyed sampling each spread. During restaurant week La Cipollina offers a choice of ordering from their standard menu or from a special Restaurant week 3 course menu. We ordered from the special menu. We both ordered the Lobster bisque soup as an appetizer. For the main course my wife ordered Tile Fish with clams, mussels and shrimp. Before I ordered, I asked the waiter which main dish is most popular Braised Ribs or Veal Osso Bucco. He overwhelmingly recommended the veal which is also the larger of the two dishes. I followed his recommendation and ordered the veal. For dessert I ordered the flourless chocolate torte cake. My wife ordered the almond cake. We were both very pleased with the atmosphere, food and service of the restaurant. The Lobster Bisque was not only delicious but meaty. It was served in a large bowl with extra large soup spoons and chunks of lobster inside the soup. Sherry was also added to the soup which was very noticeable as we ate. Our main courses also hit the spot. My waiter was correct about the veal. It was huge. It was a lot more than I usually eat for dinner. The veal was served bone in on a large serving plate sitting on a bed of risotto and spinach; and surrounded by a rich brown sauce. Inside the veal the chef placed a small spoon to pour the sauce over the meat prior to eating. The veal was so soft it fell off the bone as I pulled the meat away from the bone with my fork. The meat was so tender it shredded as a cut into it with my fork. It was perfectly cooked. There were some fatty portions, but it was easy to separate the large chunks of meat from the fat and the bone. Despite its size I was able to finish everything. My only complaint with the dish is that the brown sauce was a bit salty. My wife’s tile fish with shellfish was also a nice sized serving on a large plate. She enjoyed it and finished it all as well. The desserts also did not disappoint. My flourless chocolate torte cake was sweet and delicious served with a scoop of whipped cream. It was like eating a solid block of dark chocolate. My wife’s almond cake was also served with a side of whip cream. She very much enjoyed it. They served regular coffee in small espresso cups. Since our last time at La Cipollina a few changes have been made regarding paying the bill and parking. They now offer a no touch payment system where the waiter brings a device to the table where you can pay and leave a tip with your credit card. In addition, Parking in downtown Freehold is no longer free everywhere. Parking lots and spots south of Main Street in Downtown are now paid parking – which includes the MacGackin Triangle Parking Lot directly behind La Cipollina and the Market Yard Parking Lot across South Street from La Cipollina as well as the street parking along Main Street and South Street. You can pay for parking using either a kiosk with a credit card or the “Flowbird” parking app from your cell phone. I usually park at the Market Yard Parking lot and walk along Main Street to the front entrance of the restaurant. (While driving into town north on South Street I did see signs directing drivers to free parking spots in downtown Freehold which are located about a block north of Main Street – in the Broad Street, Lafayette Street and Court Street parking lots."
