Coltello - Crosswicks, NJ

After a quick visit to the Trenton City Museum for two openings tonight, Zelda and I headed over to Coltello in Crosswicks, NJ to visit Chef Dominic’s new venture. Coltello is located in the heart of Crosswicks on Main Street, in the location that used to be home to Café Giangella. The restaurant is set up the same way as the prior establishment, but it has a much warmer feel. You walk in the door and see the glass sign adorning the name Coltello, and are greeted by a small table, nicely dressed with tulips, candles, and a great picture of Chef Dominic and some family. The walls have been painted a nice dark green evergreen color, with gorgeous white trim and dark green curtains. The tables are topped with nice tablecloths, and finished off with place settings, a vase of tulips, and a candle. They did a great job decorating, and the place looks truly elegant. Shortly upon entering, we were greeted and asked if we had a reservation. Of course we didn’t but thankfully they squeezed us in. Needless to say we took the last 2 top, but there were still a few open tables, that had all been reserved. We pulled out the Riedel’s and a bottle of 2001 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro, and it was immediately opened by the gracious host Richard Sr. Upon looking over the menu, the first thing that I notice is the pricing. For the area, I have to say that this is the most reasonably priced, value priced menu for an Italian restaurant in the area. I won’t name other establishments, but I thought the pricing was better than most. Our bus boy came over shortly after, offering us tap or bottled water, and he was very friendly. The appetizers ranged anywhere from soups and salads, to stuffed breads, and many others. Unfortunately, they do not have the menu online yet, but I am sure it will be in just a matter of time. Our server came over shortly after, and she was very friendly. We ordered the Spedini to start, which is a stuffed bread appetizer, and continued to look over the menu. They also had a few nice specials tonight, ranging from an appetizer to entrees. Out came a nice basket of bread, as well as a gorgeous plate of olive oil infused with garlic, and topped with several whole cloves of garlic. This tasted as though the garlic had been soaking in there for years. It was awesome. Shortly after a bowl filled with sautéed onion, mushroom, some sort of Italian herb, and parmesan cheese came out, and this was to die for. I am not a big mushroom fan, but the way that these were cooked made it impossible not to shovel these onto my bread. It had a great crispness to it, and was just so flavorful. Zelda mentioned that it almost tasted as though this was baked. Absolute deliciousness! Our server came back and took our order. Zelda opted for the Tortolini with grilled chicken, and I went out of my norm and ordered Lobster Francaise. Shortly after ordering, our Spedini came out, and this was a gorgeous, large serving of skewered bread, stuffed with a ton of mozzarella cheese, then dipped in batter and friend to a golden brown. It was then topped with a nice marinara sauce, and garnished with just a few anchovies. The crispiness of the batter was very nice, and the red sauce was homemade and delicious! The anchovy added just the right amount of salt and flavor to the dish, and I think that this was a winner. Out came our salads after this, and we had both opted for the Caesar. This was a nice, light dressing, with very subtle flavors over a bed of fancy greens with cucumber and tomato. Perfect size portion as to not ruin our dinner after a heavy appetizer. By this time, the entire restaurant was filled with a few two tops, many 4 tops, and quite a few larger round tables. It was great to see the place packed, and great to see many familiar faces from The Little Flower, where Chef Dominic worked a few years ago on Farnsworth Avenue in Bordentown. It was like seeing the old gang hanging out, and it just screamed family. Out came our entrees, and they were both nicely sized. Zelda’s pasta came out in a giant bowl, and tasted as fresh as can be. I don’t know if they are making their pasta on premise, but it sure tasted like it. The flavors in the pasta were very nice, along with a great sauce, and very nicely cooked chicken. They chicken had a great grilled flavor, and a nice browned crisp to it. It was delicious, and I would definitely order this for myself sometime. My lobster came out with 2 nicely sized medallions, breaded and fried, served with a nice, rich sauce. The lobster was very tender, and cooked perfectly. There was no toughness to it in the least, and I couldn’t have cooked this any better. It was garnished with nice, fresh green beans, and a citrus sauce. Unfortunately, we were both stuffed, so we skipped coffee and desserts. By this time, we also saw some customers waiting, so we finished our glasses of wine, corked the ½ bottle we had remaining, paid our tab, and headed for home. On our way out, we popped our heads in the kitchen to congratulate Chef Dominic. Let me say that the kitchen was hoppin’, and absolutely immaculate. The grill in the back had all kind of things fired, and the stove had all the burners full with entrees cooking away. To the right side of the kitchen was a large salad station, where the servers were working away getting soups and salads ready to go out. It was great to see them working hard, and working as a team. All in all, this is a great place, and an up and coming new Italian restaurant that is going to thrive. Coltello has great ambiance, first class service with a smile, a great family feel, and most importantly, incredible Italian food with a personal flair. Crosswicks might be off the beaten path for some, but it is just a 7 minute drive off of Route 130, and absolutely worth the trip. This is definitely the best Italian BYO in the area, and it is just a matter of time before their name is on the map. Kudos to Richard Sr., Richard Jr., and Chef Dominic for putting family back in their food. This is just what the area needs, and I look forward to hearing experiences from others who frequent this great new restaurant. Chef Dominic has always been one of the most talented young chefs in the area, and I look forward to trying many more of his creations! Hopefully he’ll put his Chicken Oscar back on his new menu, or as one of his specials. This has always been one of my favorite dishes that he creates. Keep up the great work! Coltello 460 Main Street Crosswicks, NJ 08515 Phone: (609)298-6128 http://www.coltellorestaurant.com/

Fiddleheads - Jamesburg, NJ

Full review to come! Lobster salad sandwich with capers and light dill mayo on a warm croissant The best burger in Jamesburg: 1/3rd pound black angus. I opted to add bacon, as well as a caramelized horshradish onion as well. 27 East Railroad Avenue (Rte. 522) Jamesburg, NJ 08831 Phone: 732.521.0878 http://www.fiddleheadsjamesburg.com/

Tsukasa Japanese Restaurant

What can we say other than another great dinner at Tsukasa tonight. Formal notes to come: Appetizer: shrimp tempura Rolls: Spicy Tuna Roll, Philly Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll, California Roll, and Shrimp Tempura Roll... 1 1/2 Crosswicks Street Bordentown, NJ 08505 Phone: (609)298-3838 12:00pm - 9:00pm Tuesday - Saturday 3:00pm - 8:00pm Sunday (609) 298-3838 http://tsukasarestaurant.blogspot.com/

Hot Wok Cafe - Cranbury, NJ

If you are in the mood for some no frills, casual Asian Cuisine, then Hot Wok in Cranbury is the place for you. We first discovered this restaurant a few years ago while driving into Cranbury to take a look at the town. Since then, we have been back a 1/2 dozen times, and each time the food has been good, and the service has been outstanding. If only we had an Asian restaurant like this in town. Hot Wok, come to our town!!!!!

If you are looking for fancy, fine dining, then this is not the place for you. This restaurant has a very casual atmosphere, in almost an old Jersey diner sort of way, from the tables, to the glittery chairs, to the counter in the back of the restaurant. There is always something on the radio, and it is usually some top 40 music, but that is not a bad thing in this casual atmosphere. We love to come here as it is a mere 15-20 minute drive, and it's casual, and it's BYO...tonight we bought a 2006 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County on the way, as we didn't think about grabbing a bottle from the cellar on the way to see "Stan Stan the Tax Man." See the review below about this wine in the previous posting!

We arrived tonight and were greeted as usual by JC (I think). She is a sweetheart, and is there every time we come to visit. I think that she is the hardest working girl in Cranbury. ;-) JC always offers us tea, and brings over a small bowl of sweet and sour sauce, along with some hot mustard, and fried chips in the style of egg roll wrappers. This is always a nice touch, and something to keep us occupied while we wait for our food.

As usual, we started off with the spring rolls, and they came out piping hot! It couldn't have been more than 3 minutes after we had ordered, and BAM, there they were! Right out of the fryer, with steam coming off of them, and hot as hot can be. We gave them a minute to cool down, only to discover some nice fresh vegetables, to be found inside the crisp wrapper. This are always a treat here, and we really enjoy them. For entrees tonight, we went the comfort food route, and started out with some chicken fried rice. This came out nice and hot, with large, flattened pieces of chicken, with nice pieces of onion, peas, and bean sprouts. This is always good here, and they wok fry it to perfection. It is never to greasy, never to salty, and never too crispy. This is perfect fried rice, and who needs a side of white rice when you can have fried rice like this. As usual, it was great, and we seem to order it every time we visit. What can I say, as like I said, it was a comfort food sort of night.

Along with the fried rice, we had the cashew chicken, just like we did a few weeks ago. This too came out nice and hot, a mere 30 seconds after our fried rice came out. It too was cooked just as I would make it at home, and came out with a nice side of broccoli. This too is another comfort food for us, and is always nice and tasty. With the chicken were nice, whole cashews, that gave this dish some added crunch, to go along with it's good texture.

All in all, another great meal at the Hot Wok, with awesome service. We love this place, and love to pop in. They were pretty slow tonight, with just one table when we came in, but two more tables came in while we were there, so hopefully the economy is not negatively affecting them right now. I have noticed in the past that their carry out and delivery business does very well, so that is always a good thing.

So all in all, if you are looking for some laid back, comforting, Asian cuisine, take a ride out to the Hot Wok in Cranbury and give them a whirl. Their food might now get them a Michelin Star or rosette, but you will leave there with a full belly, and it won't break the bank! Where else can you get food like this for around $20? Love it! Cheers! 57 North Main Street Cranbury, NJ 08512 Phone: (609)395-8983

La Mezzaluna - Princeton, NJ

Tonight we were invited to dinner with Mike, Gabi, and Charnel at La Mezzaluna in Princeton. This is yet another restaurant that we have walked past countless times, but have never taken the time to dine at. What a true pleasure it was tonight, and it will not be our last time there!

Mike had called and made reservations with the owner, who is a friend of his, so we met them there. Upon walking in, and even walking by in the past, I had always thought this was a small little hole in the wall. With only 3 tables in the front room, you would never guess that the back room opens up to a nice large dining room, with vibrant colors, sexy lighting, and stainless steel topped tables. We were seated at a nice booth in the back of the restaurant that seated 6 people comfortably. Within 20 minutes, there was not an open table in the restaurant, and Princeton was out on the town at 8:30 on a Friday night.

As the owner, who's name I cannot remember escorted us to our table, he already had the wine glasses out, and had taken our wine. The first thing I notice is the nice Schott glasses. These are by far the nicest stems I have seen at a restaurant in a long time, and adds a very nice touch. I wish more restaurants would use this philosophy, although we usually bring our own stems when were are dining by ourselves at a BYO.

We started off with appetizers, and being a Friday in Lent, we had to stay away from the meats. That being said, Zelda and I decided to split the gnocchi appetizer, served with nice vodka sauce, accompanied by cherry tomato, sun dried tomato, and fresh leaf of spinach. This had great flavors, and I would definitely order this again. Other appetizers at the table included a shrimp ravioli that looked incredible, as well as a nice risotto that Mike and Gabi shared. In short, the appetizers came out fast, looked gorgeous, and were nice sized portions!

So onto dinner, Zelda ordered the risotto special, that was filled with rock shrimp, zucchini, eggplant, and touch of pesto. The shrimp on this dish could very well be the most perfectly cooked shrimp I have ever, which is a very bold statement considering how much shrimp I eat. The flavor in the risotto itself was absolutely incredible, and she stated, it reminded her of the risotto we ate on our honeymoon in Italy. This was as authentic as it gets, and right here in Princeton! Life is good!

As much as I wanted to order one of the fish dishes on the menu, I opted for the Capellini, filled with shrimp, clams, mussels, sun-dried tomatoes, and baby spinach in a white wine garlic sauce. There is nothing complex about this dish in my opinion, but they did it absolutely correctly. The seafood was all cooked perfectly, and the pasta was perfect. The flavors melded together very nicely, and this too was a pleasure. This is a dish that I could eat over and over, and I could never have too much garlic! I love pasta served in a white wine garlic sauce, and this was no exception. Delish!

Other dishes at the table included the Dorado. This was absolutely gorgeous, and filleted table side. The fish came out with a gorgeous crispy skin, and our server did a great job filleting it. She has definitely had some practice with this, and had it down to a science. This dish smelled gorgeous, and I look forward to going back and trying it for myself in the future.

Char wanted to eat lite and ordered the warm braised duck salad, with crisp goat cheese, butter lettuce, toasted almonds and agro dolce vinaigrette. This looked very nice as well, and was a good sized. Unfortunately, I forgot what the second Mike ordered.

We were told that we could not pass on dessert, and that the hazelnut gelato was to die for. I took that advice, and went for a scoop of the hazelnut, as well as a scoop of the vanilla. This was absolutely incredible, and made right there in house. What a treat! Mike and Gabi ordered the flambe, and topped with hazelnut gelato. The owner came out and cooked this table side, and it consisted of fresh strawberry, raspberries, and blueberry, and looked and smelled delicious! This will definitely be ordered the next time we return.

We capped the night off with the owner's homemade limoncello, which he delivered himself, and this was a nice treat. This was a very smooth limoncello, compared to the "knock your socks off" limoncello that I make every year. I really enjoyed this as it was super smooth, and very easy to sip, and I especially enjoyed the conversation we had with the owner/chef. He is a class act.

All in all, a fabulous meal, with great service, in a cozy atmosphere. La Mezzaluna is the real deal, and we look forward to making this a place that we frequent. As an added bonus, La Mezzaluna is BYOB, so grab a bottle of your favorite Super Tuscan wine, and enjoy a great evening out! Cheers!

La Mezzaluna

25 Witherspoon Street

Princeton, NJ

Phone: 609-688-8515

Fax: 609-688-8518

Email: lamezzaluna@verizon.net

http://www.lamezzaluna.com/

Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures tonight, and all the pictures that I found online were out of date, so I did not find it fair to post these pictures here as it would not give a feel for the restaurant as it is seen today.