First course we decided to go with the 'choose 9 items' from the Cold Antipasti menu. We had all four Salumi and all four cheese options, and threw in the shrimp in garlic and olive oil for good measure. All of the meats were superb... the spicy just spicy enough, the sweet not too fatty and not too slimy, all just right. The cheeses were fantastic as well, with the real star being the house made fresh mozzarella. It was lightly dabbed with a drop of basil infused oil... yum. So fresh it was almost creamy, but still had that 'mozzarella chew' to it. The shrimp were meh. I could have lived without them, but Dad seemed to be a big fan.
The salad course came next (Mom and Dad partook as part of their prix fix menu, but Matt and I declined... too full of cheese and meat for extra courses!) Their arugula salad was lovely... huge and topped with a generous portion of parmigiano-regianno. Mom asked for 'lightly dressed' and Dad wanted the full effect, but the salads were indistinguishable, yet still delicious. The dressing was citrus-y and bright, not too heavy and not too oily. The salads were so large that neither were able to finish them, especially since at this point we were anxiously awaiting our main courses.
What a fall from grace! We should have stopped after the salad course (and could have, with such large portions!) I ordered one of the signature dishes, a stuffed calamari with red sauce. The calamari was a bit chewy... I know it's tricky to cook, especially when dealing with the full bodies, but come on now... chewy is not ok with this gal. The sauce was delish but it could not compensate for the texture of the squid or the over salting of the olive tapenade/garlic crumb/ cheese filling. It was just too salty, too chewy and too heavy for me.
Matt had the chicken Scarpariello, a mixture of chicken, sausage, peppers, and lemon, using the white meat chicken only (no mixing of white and dark allowed...boo!) He actually did enjoy his. The presentation was lovely and he found the flavors to work nicely together... perhaps a bit heavy handed on the lemon (which I didn't mind.. go, citrus, go!). The veggies still had a bit of tooth to them, which was a pleasant discovery. Chicken was a tad overcooked but hey, rather over than under, especially with our feathered friends! Unfortunately, though, the sauce was plentiful, which is a huge turnoff to me... I don't like to see my food bathing in sauce... it eeks me out.
Since Mom and Dad went the prix fix route, they each had a pasta dish. Dad enjoyed the Papparadelle with Bolognese sauce and Mom took a chance with the long Fusilli in a walnut basil pesto (available with or without cream). Dad's was good... nothing too exciting. The meat sauce was tasty, but not memorable. The pasta was overcooked and almost mushy at points, not at all what we expected. Mom's pasta itself was reminiscent of boxed pasta (in fact she suspects that may just be the case) and her sauce was lacking in 'wow'. Granted it may be because she opted for the 'sans cream' option, but my opinion is that we wouldn't have been impressed even with the cream. What I did enjoy, though, is that Catherine Lombardi is nice enough provide the option... thanks, guys!!
The desserts were devine. In addition to the Zabaglione with fruit (Creamy! Sweet! Light! YUM!) and Tiramisu (not served in a traditional way... this was a martini glass filled to the brim with chocolate lady fingers and a whipped cream-esque custard.. oh boy!) that came with Mom and Dad's meal, the server had overheard that we were celebrating an anniversary. He brought out a plate of cookies on the house and they were FAB! The Pignoli nut cookies were so good we thought that they must have been created by angels themselves. A VERY happy ending to the meal.
All in all I would highly recommend Catherine Lombardi if you're looking for a quick snack before a night on the town, or a light dinner of salads and Anipasti. The place is gorgeous, the staff attentive, and the food has the potential to be great. Alas, for us, it just wasn't. As much as we enjoyed the appetizers and desserts we were all disappointed with our main courses, which does not make any of us anxious for a Catherine Lombardi sequel. The price was reasonable for four diners (just breaking over $100 before liquor) but that was largely due to Mom and Dad taking advantage of the prix fix ($20 a person for 3 courses? TRY to stop them!). Give it a shot... tell me your thoughts!
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
http://www.catherinelombardi.com/
3 Livingston Ave
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 296-9463
No comments:
Post a Comment