Vidalia, Lawrenceville

So Matt and I have officially been together for 2 years (yay!) and for our second anniversary we wanted to find something cozy and intimate in our new home town. Mission accomplished. Vidalia is small on the inside (about 16 tables or so) with an additional outdoor dining area. The lights are somewhat dim, the music is soft, there are paintings by local artists on the wall... very adorable. It was the exact atmosphere we were hoping for.

After settling in our (very) bubbly waitress opened our wine and let us get to the menu. The dishes are very much Italian influenced, but with some new takes on old favorites. We decided to start our meal off with the Asparaci Valentino and the Funghi Ripieni. ohmigod. SO delicious. The Asparaci Valentini is described on the menu as Italian ham, mozzarella and asparagus baked in puff pastry with a sun dried tomato sauce. This is deceptive. What it should say is 'plate of delicious warm ooey gooey cheesy ham and veggies with world's tastiest sauce'... or something like that. The sauce was a little salty, crazy tasty, rich and creamy, thick and delicious. Sundried tomato has the ability to overpower a dish, but this was incorporated so well, and accented the asparagus, ham, and cheese perfectly. The chef knew what he was doing, because the sauce was placed atop the puff pastry bundles of goodness late in the plating stage, so there was no sogginess. It wasn't the prettiest dish but it was a fabulous start to our anniversary meal.

The other appetizer, the Funghi Ripieni, was equally fab. A giant Portabella mushroom filled with spinach, sausage, and, to quote the menu, 'finished in it's natural broth'. Uh... can we say YUM!? Oh! BTW...They aren't mentioned in the description but it is my duty to let you know that the bed of roasted red peppers that this humongous mushroom rests upon are superb! You grab a sliver of cold red pepper and smack it on a forkfull of spinach-y, sausage-y goodness? FANTASTIC! Matt and I were both convinced that there was some cheese in this dish as well, but if there was it was so mild and well blended that we can't be 100% sure. It's just a texture thing that we both got while eating it. The filling was so rich and decadent that it's hard to believe that the spinach and sausage alone could do the job. Again, not a beautiful looking dish, but that doesn't change the fact that it rocked.

After our appetizers we finally got around to tasting the home made garlic bread. It was VERY garlicky... almost spicy. Probably could have roasted it just a touch longer. Never fear, though, because our entrees were out moments later. I ordered a pasta in Gorgonzola sauce with grilled shrimp. The portion was big but the taste was juuust a bit off. I didn't get that strong, tart Gorgonzola taste that I was really looking forward to. The shrimp were cooked well, though, as was the pasta. The fresh herbs on top (I do believe it was flat leaf parsley) gave it a nice brightness. It was delicious as a cream or cheese sauce... just didn't pack the punch I was hoping for when I saw the word Gorgonzola.

Matt ordered the homemade Canelloni and boy, were we glad he did. It was so tasty! The tomato sauce was fresh and bright... SO good. There was a hint of heat in it and after several bites and a bit of inspection we noticed a few flakes of red pepper. That'll do it! It had such a nice tomato flavor... every component of the sauce really worked to bring out the natural taste of the fruit, which can so easily be burried by heat or cheese or herbs. The stuffing was spinach and sausage and ricotta and it was all wrapped up in a perfectly cooked pasta sheet. A little salty, a little garlicky, a little fresh, a little spicy... it all worked. Matt's only regret was that the stuffing was pretty similar to the mushroom appetizer we had, and while both were delicious, he could have used a touch more variety.


We are very much lookign forward to going back to Vidalia. The atmosphere is super friendly, the food was delicious, and the staff helpful. It's not terribly pricey, but it won't be an every week place for us. I am REALLY looking forward to trying their other dishes... take a look at the menu and you'll see why!

Vidalia
www.eatatvidalia.com
21 Phillips Ave
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-1072
(609) 896-4444