Mostly American, the menu highlights meats and fish with an unconventional take on sushi that is fresh, innovative and sometimes off-the-wall.
By: Antoinette Buckley
130 South enthusiastically joins the wave of hip, new restaurants that wear a numeric name. While this restaurant sets about the task of uniting a full sushi bar, upscale dining and a buzzing bar scene, the name does nothing to further its image. It is peculiarly utilitarian and raises some confusion since the address of the restaurant is officially 429 Route 156, Hamilton. In reality there are two entrances to the restaurant and one of them is, in fact, on Route 130. Logistics aside, the restaurant occupies the updated space of the old Giovi’s banquet hall. 130 South, with all its modern appeal, enjoys much success underneath a blanket of mixed signals as it tries almost too hard to please all.
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130 South |
The sprawling restaurant is sectioned into four parts that flow from one into the other. It consists of two dining rooms, a full sushi bar and a large bar area that handsomely sports Brazilian cherry floors. The contemporary décor throughout the restaurant is made warm with cherry tables and chairs, rust-colored accents and dim lighting.
130 South is the realized dream of husband-and-wife owners Kathy and Chuck Clemency. They have General Manager Mark Clemency (Chuck’s brother) at the helm and Executive Chef Robert Caracciola in charge of the kitchen. Both Mark and Robert left top positions at Caesars in Atlantic City to bring their expertise to Hamilton. Sushi chef Karlvein Cheng is master of the sushi bar. He is an inspired artist for sure and will make up a new sushi combination on the spot at a customer’s request. Supported by knowledgeable management and servers who are attentive and pleasant, 130 South’s hospitality is top-notch.
The menu is mostly American, highlighting meats and fish as well as an unconventional take on sushi. The sushi is fresh and the innovative ingredients used in maki rolls are quite appealing and occasionally off-the-wall. Dancing Shrimp ($12) does justice to its fanciful name. Delightful shrimp tempura and spicy mayonnaise are wrapped into a maki roll and coated lightly with steamed shrimp slices and cocktail sauce. Fancy Tuna ($12) comes with buttery tuna and avocado wrapped artistically around the rice on the outside of the roll. Buried inside the roll is spicy tuna and bits of tempura batter that crunch, a welcome and whimsical veer from the norm.
As the substantially portioned plate sits, however, these bits do get soft. Still, both the Dancing Shrimp and the Fancy Tuna are generous and pleasing while noted not only for the freshness in quality, but also in style. For sushi purists, the sushi and sashimi part of the menu are more traditionally constructed than the rolls.
Like the restaurant itself, the wine list is vast, offering plenty of options for wines-by-the-glass and half bottles. The selection of full bottles is large and impressive with most ranging from $40-$70. Wine glasses are oversized and when ordering a wine-by-the-glass, the amount is pre-measured in a mini decanter before it is poured into the glass, ensuring a controlled pour.
At 130 South, size matters. There are so many unspoken references to size, mostly big and the occasional small. Portions are usually generous, but depending on the order you can be quite surprised by the proportional differentials among dishes. For example, the 130 Trilogy appetizer ($16) is a sampler of the classics: Beef Wellington, Veal Oscar and crab cake. It is presented on a stylish rectangular plate with three small indentations and one of each mini-sized classic is set into its designated spot. All three renditions are prepared with excellence and a keen sense of style. The crab cake is particularly memorable as it is chock full of sweet, lump crabmeat, delicately fried to perfection and served with a light Pommery mustard sauce that creates a gratifying combination of texture and taste. Unprepared for such small portions, we resorted to dividing everything fair and square among our table of four (it was too good not to), and savored the remarkable flavors within each ration.
Entrees follow with more than enough in each plate. But one of them, the 130 South Black Angus chops ($42), is larger than life. One chop, weighing an amazing 26 oz., is served on an oversized plate and comes with gargantuan onion rings, a heaping portion of Lyonnaise potatoes and a hearty helping of asparagus. This is what Alice must have felt like in her Wonderland. Getting past the enormity of it, the meat holds its flavor and is cooked perfectly. The Lyonnaise potatoes come with big flavor too as they are roasted with onions and chicken broth, yielding a taste akin to onion soup. But $42? Ouch!
On Friday evenings, a singer performs mellow tunes like that of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. As the evening progresses, the singing stops and the disco begins. While there is a level of comfort that comes with some neighboring bar chatter and light music, the line is crossed when disco brazenly beats, resonating loud and clear in the dining room. Kool and the Gang might be just right for those in the bar area, but it is not the ideal "background" music for enjoying a meal that can easily cost $65 a person.
Pan seared Chilean sea bass ($24) is unexciting, but well executed. A very basic plate consists of thick sea bass served in a slightly sweet-rice-wine-vinegar-soy-reduction and accompanied by green beans and only green beans. To get a potato, you must pay up (about $5). Some dishes come with all their sides and some do not. All entrees do come with a chopped salad, however, that is sprinkled with cheese and liberally dressed for maximum flavor. Free-range chicken ($18) comes in the form of an oven-roasted breast served in a densely flavored mushroom demi-glace and mediocre mashed potatoes. The meat retains its juiciness, but the skin is a thick distraction. Seafood pasta ($28) is a popular penne dish loaded with all the big seafood players: clams, scallops, lobster, crabmeat and oxymoronic shrimp that are beyond plump. This is all tossed in a creamy rosa sauce that is tinted to a desirable pink. While this dish is creamy, cheesy, rich and flavorful, it becomes burdensome under its own weight.
Desserts offer no surprises. Decadence ($7), a chocolate molten cake served with vanilla ice cream, is dreamy. Banana’s Foster ($8), however, gets swallowed up in its presentation. It comes in a martini glass lovely, at first but then it all melts together, creating a cinnamon-and-rum-spiced soup with floating bananas that are difficult to pin down and cut.
130 South has a presence in this location and the potential of becoming a very popular spot in Hamilton. The restaurant actually offers some great food, but at prices like these, the expectation is more and I don’t mean quantity, there is plenty of that! In fact, I’d trade quantity for a bit more fine-tuning, like that which is found in the 130 Trilogy appetizer.

