McLoone’s Boathouse in West Orange, NJ offers families simple fare — a fact which was obvious as we were handed a buzzer to let us know when our table was ready. This was not to be gourmet fare. The restaurant is one of musician Tim McLoone many locations, the first being Rum Runner in Sea Bright New Jersey, that opened in 1987.
The tomatoey Manhattan clam chowder ($7.95) was fine, although the server splashed it all over the rim when serving.
The salads were huge — prepared for quantity not quality. The Apple-Walnut salad ($12.95) contained baby greens, some Gorgonzola cheese a couple grapes, lots of thinly sliced fennel and a lackluster pear dressing. The “beet” salad ($12.95) would have been better named, arugula salad with beets. The salad had lots of greens over golden and red beet chunks with only hints of the listed hickory bacon, none of the almonds or apples, but was dressed with a nicely flavored (but way too much) dressing. Funnily, the house garden salad ($10.95) with blacked salmon ($7) came undressed! We had to ask for its dressing.
The cornmeal-crusted crisp-skinned mahi-mahi fish was moist and tender ($26.95) and served with a saffron rice with green peas and kidney beans. Sadly the Chilean seabass ($32.95) was 
coated with a salt-infused topping making it inedible. (Management did remove it from the bill.)
The evening’s winner — and McLoone’s signature item at all his restaurants — were the two 4-ounce Crab Cakes ($28.95) made of jumbo lump crab meat with almost no bread crumbs, served with a warm corn-tomatillo-pepper salsa and a spicy creole remoulade. It’s what I’d recommend.
As expected in a family place, the desserts were hearty, rich and gooey. We sampled the NY Cheese Cake ($8.95) and the ice cream-topped peanut butter chocolate brownie ($9).
If you’re in the area, stop by. Just don’t make a special trip to West Orange to dine at McLoone’s.
– bonnie
McLoone’s Boat House
9 Cherry Lane
West Orange, NJ 07052
Cross Street: North Plainfield Ave
(862) 252-7108
Leave A Comment