Oliver - A Bistro - Bordentown, NJ

At this point, it is almost pointless to post something about Oliver, as we have yet to ever have a bad experience there, but I figure it is worth giving Matt and his crew some kudos for yet another great meal and great service. Today Zelda and I popped in for lunch, and as usual the lunch crowd was hoppin' by 1PM. As usual, Bruce gave us some great service, and the bus boy, who's name I can never remember is just the nicest kid. For lunch, Zelda opted for a bowl of the "Old Faithful," which is a nice potato souped topped with cheddar cheese. She went for the bacon-less version as she usually does, and as always, the soup was good. We really need to get this recipe! For lunch, she opted for a crock of the mac and cheese, and this is always a pleaser, and great comfort food. It comes in a nice large crock, and could easily make for 2 meals. The top had a nice crust on it from the boiler, and topped with nice bread crumbs. I went out of my norm today and went for the crab cake sandwich. If there is one thing I am very picky about, it is crab cakes, but this was very nice. It was served on a nice croissant with some nice slaw, and the croissant had a really nice buttery flavor it it. he crab cake itself was almost as good as mine, and had great flavors. From the first time I had Matt's crab cakes until now, I have to say that Matt has them almost perfected. Unlike most places, he doesn't add a bunch of crazy colored vegetables as filler, and he used just the right amount of bread crumbs. Like my recipe, Matt wants you to taste the crab, and I think he is just a step away from the perfect crab cake. Unfortunately though, I can't quite pick out what will get him to 100%, but right now, he is at 99%! That said, keep up the great work Matt. After lunch we id a little shopping around Bordentown, as it such a cute little town before moving on and running some other errands. In short, yet another great meal at Oliver-A Bistro. Kudos to Matt and his crew, and to Bruce for the great service as always. Oliver is definitely worth the trip, and I highly recommend it for both lunch and dinner. Just don't forget that they are BYOB! Cheers!

Oliver - A Bistro Bordentown, NJ

A great night to take a trip into Bordentown City. Upon arriving at Oliver - A Bistro, Danielle greeted us to a packed house, so we headed down to the outside bar on the deck of Marcello's for a few glasses of sangria. As usual, the sangria was very tasty, and we enjoyed a glass for about a 1/2 hour before calling over to Oliver's to see if Danielle had a table for us. She did indeed!

The restaurant was still packed which is great to see! We love the fact that Matt and Danielle took Bordentown's best lunch spot and also turned it into the best dinner spot in town as well. As usual, Bruce was the man and server for us tonight, and it is always a joy!

We skipped out on appetizers tonight and went straight for the entrees. Zelda selected the Crispy Chicken once again, served over sweet pea risotto. This dish is an absolute winner, and the sauce that Matt created for the chicken is fabulous. The skin on the chicken has a nice crispiness to it, yet it is not charred or burned. It was cooked perfectly, and I think that Zelda said it best when she said that you could literally drink the sauce. I cannot explain it, and I would kill to be able to know how to make this sauce. It really compliments the chicken well, and it also pairs nicely with the risotto.

I took a different route tonight, and did something against my better judgement by ordering the crab cakes. As some know, I am very particular when it comes to crab cakes, the spices used, as well as the type of crab meat used. Most places use backfin, which is good, but they tend to put too much filler in. Thankfully, I was very happy with my decision, and the crab cakes were delicious! Were they as good as mine? No! Sorry Matt! But he does use some nice backfin, with clumps of lump meat as well. He used very little filler, so it gives you the choice to enjoy the crab. I also like the fact that he doesn't use red pepper, or pimento, or some other type of filler that really masks the taste of the crab. All in all, these were very good, and I would order them again sometime.

What can we say? Another great meal in a great town. Our dinnr paired very well with a bottl of Stefania's latest release, Haut Tubee.