It doesn’t matter if you are having a light lunch or a nice dinner, what elevates the experience more than a great glass of wine? In the past week my wife and I enjoyed an early evening meal at Bistro di Marino in Collingswood. They recently closed their doors at their restaurant near us in Washington Township. It seemed to be doing very well until they added a liquor license and it was no longer a BYOB. We were disappointed when this happened and then they announced that on Tuesdays you could bring your own wine. Then a few weeks ago, they closed their doors for good. We were very sad to see this happen. Thankfully, their original site in Collingswood is still open, so this week we enjoyed a great dinner with our bottle of red and bottle of white (they remain a BYOB). All’s well that ends well!
The Food
Appetizers
- A citrus grilled shrimp served with roasted butternut squash with a Romanesco sauce
- Fried Calamari and cherry peppers with lemon pesto aioli and house tomato sauce
Both were wonderful.
Entrees
For my entree, I chose their Gnocchi Sausage (not my best photo ever, but very tasty)!
My wife selected their Orichetti con Broccoli Rabe (little ear pasta tossed with broccoli rabe, spicy sausage, and fresh Pecorino cheese in garlic and olive oil).
The Wine
I brought a bottle of Willow Creek Malvasia Bianca. which we enjoyed with our citrus grilled shrimp served with roasted butternut squash and Romanesco sauce. This is one of my favorite New Jersey white wines. Malvasia Bianca is a wine that has not received enough attention. Malvasia is a wonderful grape, that many people are unfamiliar with. The grapes here are estate grown and made into a delicious, unique full-bodied wine with luscious tropical fruit notes. This winery is one of only three in the country that grow this grape and produce this wine. It is delicious!
We enjoyed the bottle of Plagido’s 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon with our entrees. It is a superb full-bodied Cab with bold flavors of dark fruit and a hint of oak, with silky smooth tannins.
Lunch at Cape May Winery
My wife and I also enjoyed a great lunch this week at Cape May Winery. We ordered a plate of Chick Pea Hummus with Israeli salad, crisp chick peas, Za’taar spice, and toasted pita and two lobster sliders. Simple, yet elegant and delicious. We enjoyed their 2023 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay with this meal (pictured below). This Chardonnay is a nice medium-bodied, subtly oaked Chardonnay with notes of apple and pear. Cape May Winery has one of the best tapas menus around and some really good wines to make your meal something special.
What a nice relaxing, yummy lunch. We took the rest of our Chardonnay home and enjoyed it with our dinner (ham steak, sweet potatoes, and broccoli).
Coming Attractions
- Terra Nonno March 2025
- Highlights of Tastings and Recent Allotments
- Auburn Road March 2025
- Spring Fling at Bellview Winery
- Spring at Old York Cellars
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