Coltello's = Awesome:)

So I just came home from one amazing dinner.  How amazing?  Try 2 1/2 hours worth of amazing;) hahahhahahaa...I LOVEEE a relaxed dinner with NO RUSH, it's just the best:)  And we had this lovely dinner at Coltello's in Crosswicks, NJ....

OK, OK...so I might be a little biased since this is my cousin's restaurant...BUT that doesn't change the fact that this is one CLASS A dining experience.  Dominic, the executive chef, is outstanding! :)

How beautiful is the dining room alone?? 

My best friend & I were there for our annual "Christmas date" with our Mom's, which meant: more people = more food to try:) hahahhahahahaha....

After we placed our order, the bread showed up at the table.  And was this traditional bread?  Nope.... 

Try grilled bread with red pepper, olives, artichokes & grated cheese.  Is this a way to start a meal or what???

For our appetizers, we decided to split 2 for the table.  First was one of the night's specials:  A heirloom tomato, basil and manchego cheese flatbread.   Fantastic....

However, the gold star appetizer of the night was the pork medallions & figs in a hazelnut brown sugar glaze...

Can you say insane????  These things were just TO. DIE. FOR!  The pork was fork tender, mixed with the chewy figs all coated in the sweet & slightly salty glaze.  A-MA-ZING! :)

Next up was one of my favorites:  The Beet Salad!  Tender lettuce, salty & creamy Gorgonzola, crunchy pistachios & sweet apples and of course, beets:)  This salad hits ALL the right flavor notes! :) 

And for my main course (I know, we already were a little stuffed:), I had the pork chop with Rosemary Aujus with zucchini & roasted potatoes.... 

This thing was MASSIVE, yet still cooked to perfection.  Super moist, surrounded by the amazing rosemary aujus.  It just melted in your mouth.  Delicious:)

And yes...we were STUFFED to the gills...but there was no way we were passing up dessert:)  My friend & her Mom decided to try the tiramisu, while my Mom & I chose the Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake.... 

OK, OK....everyone sampled a little bite of everything:)  Because everything was just SOOO GOOD!  No one could get over how LIGHT both of these NORMALLY heavy desserts tasted.  The tiramisu was like a cloud and the supremely pumpkin cheesecake was just like air.  Needless to say, there wasn't much left of either of these guys! :)  hahahhahahahaha....

If you want a great meal, Coltello's is the way to go!  Great food, great service and 3 handsome fellows runnin the show:)  Love those guys and love this restaurant.  RUN there for your next special night out.  You will not regret it!

PS-And in other blog news, I've now added links to Twitter & Facebook for my page!  Please follow me, if you use either of those social networks:)