We landed at Lorenzo's in Garwood, NJ. As it turns out, I had actually been there years before with my mother, but had completely forgotten about it. That wasn't a good sign. Either way, we were sat against the wall in a small four-top in the dining room.
Service was somewhat slow. It took the waitress several minutes to come to our table and take our drink orders. By the time she arrived, enough time had accumulated for us to select our appetizers. This was bothersome because the restaurant was not busy and there was no way we could have crashed the kitchen.
Side Salad
Our appetizers were garlic bread with cheese ($3) and a side salad I received with my entree. Like wontons with duck sauce at a Chinese restaurant, I'm starting to realize that menu items such as garlic bread are going to be pretty much the same anywhere. And unless you completely screw it up, you won't be dazzled from place tp place. That being said, we were satisfied with the garlic bread.
For our meal, my wife ordered two appetizers (caesar salad and the mozzarella & carozza), I ordered veal francese, and my stepdaughter ordered mozzarella sticks.
Mozarella and Carozza
I really, really liked that they used fresh mozzarella for the Carozza. Not only was it excellent but it made it memorable. That's often the barometer for a return visit; that and it not being horrendous. When it arrived I was unimpressed with the presentation. Traditionally, this dish is basically like a fried grilled cheese; the mozarella is between bread, battered and fried. This was a single slice of bread topped with the cheese battered and fried. What results is a different interpretation of a common dish. As we were eating it, we realized there was a distinct difference in the mozarella cheese in the garlic bread versus the one in the carozza. I thought it might be that it uses fresh mozarella. I was correct and it really makes a noticeable difference in texture and flavor.
My wife felt that the caesar salad was very tasty, however, it was completely overdressed. The tang from the dressing was certainly a highlight, but it should have been less. I found that the Romaine lettuce was fresh and crisp, but overpowered by their dressing.
Veal Scaloppine Francese
Much like lamb, veal has only recently begun to grow on me. I ordered the veal scaloppine francese ($16.25). I wanted veal, but since their menu was limited to simple and classical recipes, I ordered something I've never had before but understood the probable flavor profile. The meat was delicate and evenly cooked. The batter was light and adhered well. I found that there was a good balance between the tartness and richness of the lemon sauce. I was satisfied but not overly impressed. The dish was served with potatoes and spinach. The potatoes were crispy and the spinach was good, however both were greasy with too much oil. The starch from the potatoes would have been a better complement to the dish had they been slightly drained.
Mozzarella Sticks
It is hard to avoid redundancy here, but the mozzarella sticks were garden variety. Cheesey and crunchy, they performed their task as a means of satiation. The marinara sauce, while untouched, was a good flavor contrast.
One of the things I did not like about the restaurant was its layout. For some reason, sound really carries in this relatively small restaurant and I could eavesdrop more than I would want to. There is also an unnecessary door that you have to walk through to get to the dining room which is completely open.
I can't figure out if this meal was boring because the dishes were safe and what everybody gets or if the restaurant as a whole was wholly commonplace and routine. It does have some highlights with the carozza, but those are disproportionate to the overall experience.
The bill was $45 before tip.
Rating: Satisfactory Recommendation - nothing to write home about
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