It's All About Food And Drink At Ovations

Millicent K. Brody
Courier-News
Friday, September 14, 2007

If you're a fan of sushi, or you enjoy an American burger served with a choice of house-cut fries, or you fashion yourself to be a pasta maven, then head to Ovations Restaurant and Sushi Bar in South Bound Brook.

The menu features sushi or sashimi (priced per piece), with guests opting for salmon roe (ikura), scallop (hotate), and flying fish roe (tobiko).

They're also requesting six pieces of hand or cut rolls, that include eel avocado, shrimp cucumber, and yellowtail scallion.

Special rolls feature the King Kong with banana tempura, topped with avocado and super white tuna, and a yin-yin roll with spicy tuna and lobster salad in white seaweed with spicy mayonnaise.

But if sushi, sashimi or cut rolls aren't your thing, then what?

Among the list of eight starters are: mini-slide cheeseburgers, a chicken quesadilla with sour cream, and a bowl of French onion soup au gratin. Salad selections feature chopped cucumber salad tossed with tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, kalamata olives and balsamic vinaigrette.

A refreshing beet salad arrives with goat cheese, greens, toasted almonds and oranges.

To keep things simple the diverse menu offers a selection of five pasta dishes, five seafood dishes, five meat dishes and four sandwiches.

Ovations Restaurant and Sushi Bar is owned the Qiku family, who also own Ciao Bello in Somerville and Carpaccio in Middlesex.

Izzy and Bekim Qiku frequently man the kitchen at Ovations, while their parents John and Peggy hold steadfast at Ciao Bello.

"After 13 years in the "red sauce" business, the family decided it was time to offer their clientele a new option," said Izzy Qiku. "I have to agree. As part of my homework, I continue to visit many new restaurants in Manhattan and Hoboken. I've discovered many quality restaurants not only offer sushi and sashimi. They also offer menus filled with salads, pasta, seafood, meat, sandwiches, and dessert."

"To prepare for the new restaurant, I frequented as many different quality dining places as possible. I wanted to plot a clear course that would enable my guests to not only order sushi and sashimi, but could easily follow their first course with a big bowl of linguine with clams, shrimp, and calamari in a red spicy sauce."

The menu offers many features. You can order sushi starters, then continue with an array of salads, pasta, seafood, meat or sandwiches. As part of the Qiku family tradition, they serve Italian cheesecake, creme brulee and chocolate souffle.

"our idea is to do all that we can for our clientele so that they don't have to travel over the bridge and through the tunnel for a city scene," Qiku says. "All they have to do is take Exit 12 off Route 287, and travel one mile to Ovations."

"Being at Ovations is almost like being at a party every night," says Bekim Qiku. "The crowd may be different, but they're always having fun."

Description: You'll like the sleek, modern look of Ovations. A front patio offers guests a chance to dine outdoors, while others may choose to dine in any one of two well-appointed rooms.

FYI: Major credit cards accepted. Parking on the premises. Smart casual dress. Small intimate dining room for special occasion or corporate affair. Party packages available for 10 to 60 people. Accepts reservations. Martini menu available with specially priced drinks.