Paradise, Lawrenceville

By now you know just how much Indian food I have access to on a regular basis (and I am sure you're jealous... at least you should be). Sadly (for the other places) we have pretty much spent all of our recent time at one particular restaurant... Paradise. Boy is that an apt name... the place has an extensive menu, really efficient service, and awesome food. The decor is nice, not impressive by any means, but the place is clean and the food is a delight, so, really, who's looking around?

As I am sure you also know by now, I absolutely adore paper masala dosai... the thin, crispy lentil crepe stuffed with an oh so delicious mixture of potato and spices. Paradise serves this up in a slightly unique way... while it's still absurdly over sized, instead of having the potato schmeared throughout (think burrito) it has it all gathered up into a ball in the middle, leaving the majority of the crepe to be torn off and dunked into the happy ball of filling. This makes me thrilled, as it means more crunchy bits of crepe and less soft bits. Their potato mixture is far more spicy than others I have had, and it leaves my mouth all a-tingle. Delish. So yum.

Matt's new favorite dish is called the malai cheese kabob, even though it is completely dairy free... weird how it's called that. What it is is chicken chunks over a veggie slaw... mostly cabbage and onion, but some bell pepper, too. The chicken is so tender... our assumption is that it's marinated in yogurt, along with spices. The cabbage and onion get sweet and soft, adding an awesome contrast of flavors. This all comes out on a steaming hot plate... I don't remember what it's called, but think fajita platter (metal... has a handle... waiter always says 'don't touch it it's crazy hot'). Anyway, it keeps the chicken warm, and continues to cook down the onions. Delightful! Drizzle it with the spicy green sauce that comes on the side (I think it's corriander) and the whole thing brightens up and gets a serious kick.

The vindaloo at Paradise also happens to be spectacular. While I typically steer clear of dishes that have heavy sauces and potatoes in them (because they get so starchy and are often done ickily), I made an exception here after seeing how well they do everything else. Good move on my part (genius... I know). The sauce is thick and flavorful, lending a decent amount of heat and a ton of spice to the chicken. The potato is cooked to perfection, not at all mushy or fall aparty, but fork tender and completely saturated with saucy goodness. Suggestion... eat all of the big bits out of the dish and then use the extra sauce left at the bottom of the bowl to mix with white rice. It's like an Indian risotto. You can send all thank you notes to me via comment. While not pictured in this blog, perhaps what Paradise is BEST known for is their biryani, a rice dish that has meats and some veggies and some SERIOUS heat. Paradise has won several awards for this dish of theirs, and I can see why. We ordered a chicken biryani and out came a giant bowl, holding an almost obscene amount of rice, two chicken legs, a hard boiled egg, half of an onion and some lime wedges. The sauce that the rice and chicken are cooked in is HOT (we never order 'hot' in Indian restaurants... their 'medium' practically made me weep, so from now on, on this dish at least, its mild or bust! The flavor is outrageous.. a little citrusy, a little earthy, so much spice, it's like a food dance. This is really special.

Paradise seems to have several locations, although it is by no means 'chainy'. I do not know how the menu's vary from location to location, but I bet that they can't be too far off from one another. Check out the website for one closest to you... let me know what you think!

Paradise

www.njbiryani.com

3800 Quakerbridge Rd

Lawrenceville-08648

609 586 9119

Enzo's La Piccola Cucina, Lawrenceville

Everyone knows of a cute little Italian joint where the food is too good to be believed, the space is romantic and the service is killer. From what we had heard around town (and on Yelp, of course) Enzo's La Piccola Cucina promised to be just that.... quaint and charming and just plain good. We must have gone on an off night. I have to say, the place in teeeeny. Almost awkwardly so... I totally bumped elbows with the person sitting at the table next to me when we both went to take a bite of food at the same time. It was decorated in a homey, grandma-ish way (kind of cute), but so teeny I would seriously suggest reservations if you're planning on going on a busy night. The servers were a bit harried and distracted and the food was eh, despite the promises of outstading cuisine.

Every review we read and every person we knew who had been to Enzo's mentioned the 'button bread'. Where the wacky name comes from, I do not know, but it gets a lot of buzz. Described on the menu as a little round loaf of bread topped with butter, garlic, leeks, tarragon, and parmesan cheese, it sounds too good to be true, right? It kind of is... while it was delicious at first, steamy hot and jam packed with flavor, as soon as it cooled down a bit I began to notice just how saturated the bread was. It was downright oily...seriously sitting in a pool of grease. When I took a bite and heard the 'squish' of the oil flooding in to my mouth, I knew it would be my last bite. If we were splitting the whole loaf with a table of 4-6 people it may make sense, but for two it got too cold and too slimy too fast. Ugh. Thinking back on it now it makes me feel heavy.

Matt ordered the home made papparadelle in Bolognese. It was not so good. The sauce was actually pretty well done, but there was not nearly enough of it to compensate for the watery noodles. While I love to see home made pastas on a menu, it really only works if they're done right... these were not. Completely overcooked, the pasta was mushy and clumped together. It also held wayyy too much cooking liquid, which diluted the otherwise tasty sauce. It was a bummer, but the bites he got at the very begining (before the whole plate got watery) were yummy, at least.

I ordered the veal Nicolo, which was listed as veal in a vermouth cream sauce, topped with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. The first few bites tasted pretty good, despite the fact that it was so heavily sauced... but there was something a bit off that I couldn't put my finger on. When I offered a bite to Matt he immediately declared 'that tastes like fish!' He was totally right... there was a clamminess in the sauce that was very odd. The sauce also got a bit 'congealy' as cream sauces can (if they're not done correctly) which made the whole thing even less appetizing.

Look, the thing is this place gets rave reviews. On Yelp they have 4.5 stars, which is absurd! We must have been there on a really off night, or when they were trying out a new chef, or... I dont know what. Long story short, the experience was off putting enough that it will be a while before we give the place a second chance, as deserving as they may be. Let me know if you've been there.... tell me if I'm crazy, people!

Enzo's La Piccola Cucina

http://www.enzoscucina.com/

1906 Princeton Avenue

Lawrenceville- 08648

609 396 9868

Hon Sushi, Lawrenceville

Sushi makes me happy. It's colorful, refreshing, delicious, and pretty darn good for you. Authentic Japenese and Korean dishes also make me happy... they are full of flavor and ingredients that I seldom use at home... enter Hon Sushi in Lawrenceville. It's crowded into a strip mall with a bunch of chain joints, so it's kind of easy to miss. The decor at this place is gorgeous.... really elegant and modern with semi private tables for larger parties or smaller, dark wood tables set up for twosomes. They have only been open for about 8 months, but it is quickly becoming a favorite of ours (and we've already brought tons of people there!)

Ever since my first visit I have been starting my meal with their sunomono, a mixed seafood salad served with cucumber in a ponzu sauce. They happen to make this dish amazingly well.... their dressing is the right amount of tangy and citrusy without overpowering the fish. Octopus, giant red clam, crab, and shrimp were present on this particular visit, but the ingredients are always changing slightly, to whatever is fresh and plentiful at the time. I have had squid and salmon make appearances in this dish as well. Crunch from cucumber plus tart from the dressing plus sweet delicious seafood = one hell of an appetizer.

Matt orders the Ishi Yaki Bibimbop, which is a veggie, rice, and meat all assembled together kind of dish. While he has ordered it before at different places, this is by far the most impressive, most delicious and most beautiful version I have ever seen (or tasted). Look at that picture! It's a (burning) hot stone bowl filled up with a whole cooked egg, mushrooms, sprouts, carrots, pork, rice, cucumbers, herbs and spices topped with a delicious spicy sauce and mixed table side. PLUS it comes with about 5 small plates of assorted accoutrements.... on this occasion I recognized kimchi, sesame tofu and some sort of marinated green beans, plus two bonus dishes that I was not familiar with but were also absurdly tasty (not to mention perfectly paired with the Bibimbop). This is the kind of dish that makes me almost forget what I am there for.... ALMOST. And then I remember the rolls.

There is one roll that people fall in love with the moment they try it. To date, JS is the biggest fan (he has admitted to wasting entire days thinking about the next time he will be able to get to Hon Sushi for this roll), but no one has ever been dissapointed. This is the volcano roll. I know, the place that you go to probably has something by the same name, but I assure you they are NOT the same. Not even close. This is a california roll topped with jumbo lump crab meat and avocado then drizzled with spicy sauce and layered with octopus. It is then wrapped in foil and lit on fire for 2-4 minutes (at your table). It warms through the entire roll (which is surprisingly nice) but it gives a very unique and smokey feel too the octopus and makes the crab simply dance in your mouth. The avocado gets soft and creamy, the spicy sauce thins out a bit... it's amazing. Really special. I reccomend this to anyone... hell, even Matt tried a bite! The scent of gently cooked meat takes over the table... literally makes the mouth water.

All of the rolls at Hon Suhsi are impressive. Colorful and tastefully arranged, I have had several of the specialty house rolls. If I had to complain about anything, I would say it seems that spicy sauce makes an appearance in the majority of their offerings, which is silly. The fish is very fresh and can stand on its own (or paired with other fish or veggies that will compliment it). Sauce drowns flavor. Other than that, though, this place is all aces for me.

All in all, if you are craving some serious sushi or would like to try a traditional Korean or Japanese dish, you should check out Hon Sushi. It's a pleasurable experience from the decor to the service, and of course, the food is wonderful

Hon Sushi

3349 Brunswick Pike
Lawrenceville- 08648

609 269 5795

KC Prime, Lawrenceville

I love steak (I mean... who doesn't?) but I was finding it really difficult to find a decent steak house in New Jersey. Then I found KC Prime in Lawrenceville. Hell-oooooo lovely. The place is really nice inside. Lots of dark woods, over sized booths, spacious but elegant. We were eager to get seated and order.

Matt started off his meal with a standard house salad... nothing too fancy, just cold and crunchy and good. I ordered the wedge salad, my favorite of the steakhouse staples. A half of a head of icebeg lettuce, tomato, bacon, and bleu cheese? YUM. It's my favorite flavor and texture combinations. Crunchy, icy, cold, salty, tart, tangy, zesty, creamy.... yeah. Don't mind if I do. I would have liked a little more bacon but, hey... who wouldn't?

For dinner Matt ordered the filet mignon and it came with a side of sweet potato bourbon mash. KC Prime is kind enough to offer both an 8oz and 12oz cut, and he opted for the smaller of the two. He ordered it medium rare and thats just how it came out. It was seasoned perfectly and was everything a nice cut of meat should be... soft and tender and melt in your mouth delicious. The bourbon mash was a bit heavy on the bourbon (at least in my opionion) but Matt really liked it. The plate wasn't particularly attractive... it actually looked really sad and empty, but who cares because everything was so tasty.

I had come in planning on a big ol' piece of meat, but when I saw the description for the filet mignon sandwich my mouth immediately started watering and I knew it just had to be mine. 6 ounces of filet mignon piled on top of a ciabatta roll, covered in caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms, with melted brie cheese and drizzled with a shallot and tomato sauce. Go back and read that again. Drooling? I was too. It came with their version of fries (which are really more like giant potato chips) and these were lovely. Thin and crunchy and salty. I really liked them. The real treat was the sandwich, though. So many flavor combinations (my favorite part of any dish, of course). The meat was supple and moist, the cheese creamy and soft, the mushrooms earthy and thick, the bread crusty, with a bit of bite. There were sweet onions and the tangy sauce, and it was just... well, it was damned good.. I miss it now. I'm sad it's not here with me, while I write to all of you.
To end our meal we ordered what has since become known only as 'THE dessert'. It's described as a warm dark chocolate brownie served with dulce de leche ice cream and home made whipped cream. That description doesn't come close to describing this brownie. This was SO good in fact, that I wrote down what we said while eating it, which can do a better job of explaining it's tastiness than I ever could again. "This must be what the angels eat in heaven." "Shh. No talking while we're in it's presence." "We don't deserve to eat anything this delicious.... no one does." "If God had dessert he'd be jealous of this." I don't care what you eat if you ever visit KC Prime.... if you leave without ordering 'THE dessert' you have done yourself....nay, your country, a great disservice.

Go there. Seriously. There is no reason not to. They have sandwiches and salads if you'd like a lighter (and let's face it, cheaper) meal, and steaks and seafood if you're in the mood for classic steakhouse fare. The place is decorated well, and really inviting, the service was a downright treat, and they offer a prix fixe menu that is very impressive. Also, they have THE dessert. Isn't that reason enough? Go forth and order!

KC Prime

4160 Quakerbridge Rd

Lawrenceville- 08648

(609) 799- 6023

Harini, Lawrenceville

While we know by now that there is no shortage of Indian food in our area, Harini is by far the closest place to our apartment. For us it is the perfect place to go when we get one of those random Tuesday night cravings for curry (you know those cravings... don't act like you don't). It's a small place, stuffed between two huge chain restaurants (they rhyme with Shmolive Harden and Wheeburger-Wheeburger... any guesses?), so it is often over looked in favor for the well known... which is fine with us, cuz that means faster service and no waiting for a table! Ha! We win!

This particular visit we started off our meal with the chicken 65. The bright red, boneless chunks came out to us and we were immediately drawn in by the smell. These were perfect... crispy on the outside, but crazy tender within. Little flecks of toasted garlic were sprinkled on top, adding a little crunch and some nutty flavor. This was not as spicy as chicken 65 that we have had elsewhere, which didn't really bother us, since it was an appetizer.

For dinner we ordered a lamb curry that was really good. Not like any curry I have ever had before. The texture was odd.... somehow thicker... the consistancy was a bit like that of butternut squash soup; a little thick, a little mealy, but certainly not unpleasant. The meat was super tender, no knife needed. The sauce tasted of tomato and onion and a ton of spices. It warmed up my tummy but didn't set my mouth ablaze, and for that I was thankful. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE spicy food, and even crave it at times, but I really enjoyed being able to taste every element of this dish without overwhelming heat, especially since it was my first time trying it.

Our other dish was an onion and chilli dosai, which is basically a super crispy, super thin crepe stuffed with potato, onion and chille along with a ton of other spices. While we knew that these are usually very large (we have had them many times before) this one was HUGE. Look at the butter knife in the picture below for a point of reference.... INSANE. The crepe itself was super crispy and soooo delicious. The filling was glorious for the most part.... mashed up potato mixed with onion always has a spot on my plate. The problem was the chilles. We knew to expect some heat, but the hot green chilles were ROUGHLY chopped, so every once in a while we would get a bite that literally stopped us in our tracks. A thumbail size chunk of spicy Indian chilli is enough to give you the head sweats right on the spot. This was delicious, but next time we may go for a chilli free dosai and just ask for the spice tray to add our own heat!

The place isn't at all fancy, colorful, or distinguished, but the food is damned good. The service is always friendly, the food fresh, and the flavors new and interesting. The menu is pretty extensive, with a nice mixture of North and South Indian dishes, and I think that there is something for everyone to enjoy. Just beware the chilli dosai!

Harini

http://www.harinirestaurant.com/

3349 Brunswick Pike #66

Lawrenceville- 08648

609 750 0488

Elements Asia, Lawrenceville

iEatDC and her husband J came to visit us recently (Life long foodie friends... could I BE any luckier?) As happens when old friends come to visit, we immediately got schnockered on copious amounts of delicious wine. While there is no issue with this (we are all consenting adults!) it did limit our options of where to dine (can't be driving after drinking... that's a no-no!) Luckily Matt and I live within walking distance of a great place that was worthy of our foodie friends. Elements Asia is another local gem hidden away in some random strip mall... Easy to pass by, but hard to forget once you've gone. The menu features Chinese, Japanese AND Thai cuisine... something for everyone!

After being seated (and promptly opening some more wine) we came up with a game plan. We'd do two appetizers, two sushi rolls, a Thai dish, a Chinese dish and one side dish and just all go to town (sharing is caring people... I can't stress it enough! You get to taste a little of everything!)

For our appetizers we chose one from the sushi bar and one off the main menu. Our sushi bar appetizer was called Wasabi salsa and it was awesome. Cucumber matchsticks wrapped with either tuna, salmon or yellowtail and then topped with tomato, mango, and onion in a vinegar sauce. J and I particularly liked this... we both commented on how much we appreciated the contrasting textures and flavors. Soft, buttery fish over cold, crunchy cucumber. Spicy onion and sweet mango and tart vinegar. Rich flavors and light flavors working together to create one perfect mouthful. It sounds like an odd combination but it worked... it tasted clean and fresh.

Our second appetizer (which I forgot to take a picture of.... too eager to eat it! D'oh!) was an order of the Peking Duck wraps. They looked like pre rolled fajitas, and were stuffed with all of the fixins that usually come with Peking Duck.... Hoisin sauce, cucumber, and scallions. Rolled up in thin rice crepes they were each big enough to split in half... an order of two full wraps was perfect for the four of us. These were DELICIOUS. The duck had a bit of crunchy skin, making it nice and salty, which blended really will with the cool greens. The Hoisin sauce was deep and rich, a little sweet and a little spicy. I especially appreciate that they didn't slather it on too thick, as Hoisin has SUCH a strong (yet incredible) flavor. These could not have disapeared into our mouths any sooner.

After those delicious appetizers (and some more wine...we walked, remember?) we were excited to get to the rest of our meal. My pick for the night was the Autumn of Alaska roll. It had succulent Alaskan king crab and Tempura crunch on the inside, and was topped with salmon, then covered by thinly sliced avocado. All of this was served over a honey and black pepper sauce. It was AMAZING. The crab was none of that artificial crab leg nonsense... it was shreddy, salty, fresh, rich crab meat. The crunchies were nice, but not absolutely necessary. The salmon was crazy fresh and the avocado atop it was creamy. The real winner, though, was the sauce. Thick and sweet with a spicy kick from the black pepper, it was a fantastic substitute (or addition!) to soy sauce. We loved this. Tooooo good.

J picked our next dish... ginger chicken. This was delicious. One of their Chinese specialties, this dish had what we were all craving... flavor, crunch, texture. I know for a fact that I was pushing hard to get something with green beans in it (because I saw the lady at the table next to us eating them and they looked SO good), so this dish shut me up nicely. We all agreed that the ginger was not too over powering (so key in any dish with 'ginger' in the title), the chicken was cooked nicely, and the green beans were (as I suspected) perfect. Plus there was a lot of it... like a whole lot (which can be a bad thing sometimes, I guess, but not when its this tasty).

iEatDC picked the next dish, and it may have been my favorite of the night (we knew she was a true foodie, didn't we?) Her roll was called the Ivory Tower (my picture does not do it justice at all). It was ridiculous... unlike any roll I have ever had before. It was filled with spicy tuna, ginseng carrot, and arugula and then topped with potato crisps with a mini martini glass of ginger sauce for dipping.. sounds absurd, right? It was! The texture was unbelievable.. crunchy from the carrot and arugula, smooth from the spicy tuna... I have never had a roll like that. The ginseng carrot alone would have been special... it was sweet and almost tasted pickled in a way, but still so bright and colorful with a nice snap to it. The potato crisps were strange.. like having sushi and chips... it wasn't bad, just confusing to the mouth (in a fun, exciting way) Loved this dish. LOVED it. And it was so pretty.. I really must work on my photography skills...

Matt's pick was the Thai dish, beef Pad See Ew. This was also a hit at our table. The flat, fat noodles were perfectly cooked ... not gummy at all (HATE when that happens!) The beef was at a perfect temperature and there was a (welcome) surprise ingredient that we weren't expecting... tofu! It was lovely, and provided a nice change up from the beef. The flavors were spot on, the sauce wasn't too sweet and not too salty.. Matt was nuts for this. The only complaint would be that I was missing some of the heat that is typically associated with Thai food... was easily fixed though, as the waiter brought us over some suuuuper spicy hot sauce.

The fried rice was tasty... and plentiful. Nothing special. Just good, delicious fried rice. Oh! In addition to standard peas and onions there were baby corn in it... so ya know... that's kind of special! It was a perfect side.

Between the good friends, good wine, and good food it's pretty obvious that we had one hell of a night. Elements Asia is a real find, and their innovative dishes make every trip there a mini adventure (they make a spicy tuna pizza... yeah.. with mozerella and everything.. cool right? Oh and you should see what's in some of their more creative rolls... we played it SAFE!) It's so worth a visit, and there's something for everyone. People who like standard fare will be pleased with the list of traditional dishes while adventure seekers will want to try all of the wacky combinations there have to offer. Grab your fave foodie besties (it worked for us!), take the ride, and tell me what you think!

Elements Asia

www.elementsasia.com

Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

(609) 275 4988

Palace of Asia, Lawrenceville

Mom and Dad came to visit our new place for the first time, and we decided to go exploring in the neighborhood. After a little research we decided on Palace of Asia, an Indian restaurant that was pretty close by, and, to Dad's delight, had a full bar. (We have always wondered why more ethnic restaurants don't have them.... spicy food calls for full bodied red wines!)

The place is not only HUGE but also gorgeous.... I'm not talking like 'hey what a nice looking place' but more like I immediately regretted not having my bat mitzvah there. Yeah... that pretty. Warm, inviting colors, large statues, and big hanging light fixtures made me feel like I was walking into an Indian palace. I could not WAIT to sit down and order!

After ordering our beverages-glass of house red for me, two different Indian beers (Taj Mahal and Kingfisher) for Matt and Dad, and a vodka cocktail for Mom- we took a look at the menu. Strangest thing, folks... this Indian restaurant has BEEF on the menu!!! Yeah, I know... Weeeeeiiiirdd.... it would be like walking into a kosher deli and getting a ham sandwich. We didn't order any beef dishes, but we all thought it was worth mentioning. But I digress... we picked the Tandoori mixed grill for an appetizer, and everything on it was delicious. It had Tandoori Chicken, lamb Boti Kabob, Chicken Tika, Tandoori shrimp, and Seekk Kabob, so there was plenty to go around (actually it was enough for a party twice our size). All of the chicken was so tender that none of us used knives to cut it, and the flavors on each of the meats were perfect... not too spicy, not too mild. It was very well balanced, especially after we threw a splash of lemon over the meats... YUM! Gotta love that acidity!

For dinner we ordered a few dishes and all shared (the best way to enjoy as many options as possible, in my opinion). We got the chicken Achari, Daal Makhni, and lamb Saagwala as well some bread (a traditional Naan and a garlic Naan). The chicken was good. It was described as chicken cooked with onions, tomatoes, garlic and chili peppers, flavored with pickled spices. It sounds like a lot going on but all of the elements worked well together... if anything I wish they would have used more pickled spices and chilis! The chicken was tender, and the sauce was perfect for scooping up with the hot delicious bread... the dish worked, and I am glad we got it.

The Daal Makhni was decent but after having this none will ever be able to compare. It was still delicious, and we all enjoyed it... I have just been spoiled when it comes to Daal Makhni...the bar has been set extraordinarily high. The lamb Saagwala was also good... creamy and rich, the spinach lent a great freshness to it. Visually it was less than appealing... a very weird brownish green, and it's texture was a little too 'squishy' for Matt, but again it was a tasty dish. I happen to love spinach, no matter the application, so this was actually my favorite part of the meal. The lamb was super tender and fell apart with just a bit of pressure from my fork... no knife needed.

All in all the food was very good, but a bit pricey considering all of the options in the area. The convenience of the bar is a plus, but it does pad the bill quite a bit. The service was super friendly, and the place is GORGEOUS, so it's definetley worth at least one visit. Not sure it will become a staple in our rotation, but it was a lovely night out!

Palace of Asia
http://www.palace-of-asia.com/
540 Lawrence Square Blvd South
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
(609) 689 1500

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