Vidalia Restaurant by Salvatore Scarlata — Restaurant in Lawrence Township

I've visited Vidalia many times and with the exception of this most recent trip, Vidalia has been a pleasure. The service is without exception, 5-stars. The servers, hosts and expedite staff all understand good food and good service. They truly appreciate the value of quality dining. The chef, who is the owner, is talented too. A few visits ago, he actually came table to table, asking each party how they found their experience. As simple a gesture as that is, it goes a long way toward standing out among an ocean of forgettable BYOBs.

This particular experience however - only a few days before this review - was partially disappointing. The hospitality remained top-flight. But of the four course my dinner guest and I ordered, 50% were great and the other just meh-to-poor.

The Meh-to-Poor Vidalia was featuring a mushroom appetizer that evening. Seemed rather pedestrian in description and the flavors held true to its innocuous characterization. A hollowed-out mushroom head with a spinach and melted (I think Parmesan) cheese topping, left it rather ordinary in flavor. We wanted a grilled octopus app they've done wonderfully in the past, but it wasn't offered on this visit. Ask for the octopus each time you go, even if it's not on the menu. This chef is remarkably eager to please his customers. The only reason we chose the mushroom offering at face value is that I once had their mushroom soup once and it was world-class by anyone's standard. So, I figured this appetizer was a safe bet. It ended up being uninteresting and uninspired in my and my companion's opinion.

That was the meh.

The poor was the Chilean sea bass.

Despite an ambiguous description on the menu, we took a chance after our server and an expediter, both lovely people, recommended it when we could not get our first choice and this chef's tour de force: the duck. The sea bass was overcooked, soggy, possessed a bland flavor profile and its presentation was - I hate saying - like something out of The Olive Garden. Thrown on a place next to equally gooey zucchini slices and a risotto that presented and tactilely was exactly like breakfast Oatmeal, this dish was a colossal disappointment.

The Great After the mushrooms, came an arugula and beet salad. Dressed with a lightly drizzled, but pronounced translucent oil and vinegar-based sheen, this salad was exemplary. The beets had that terra, earthiness you hope for out of beets, were ruby-red in color, chilled to perfection and the dressing made the flavors the perfect balance of sweet, sour and salty. The arugula was more of a garnish that the hero, and paired beautifully with apple and orange wedges on the side. My companion and I were so happy with the salad that we forgot entirely about the mushrooms and began wearing the faces a chef wants his or her patrons wearing. Get the beet salad. It's heavenly.

Then came a pasta dish. Penne with capers, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes in a mascarpone cheese-cream sauce, this pasta selection was not nearly as heavy as it was billed. On paper, sure this one sounds big, rich and heavy. But it's presentation was surprisingly balanced and light as compared with its description. And once in my mouth, I cannot say it was big at all. The creamy cheese sauce was more of a glaze, than a puddle of sauce coagulating in the bowl. And because of the gentle hand seasoning this dish, the capers, tomatoes and salted meat broke right through the sauce, allowing you to taste everything equally. As a matter of fact, as we kept biting into it, we commented more and more about how this modest offering crept up on us until we finally - and literally - looked at one another said, this thing's great! Ironically, sight-unseen, we had counted this one out.

In all Vidalia is a wonderful BYOB. The patio, music and staff combine to make this a treasure amid a neighborhood not especially bustling with culinary delights. The sea bass remains a disappointment and I'm sure they care to know it. But even that letdown aside, I will be back because Vidalia loves food, values good dining...

Vidalia Restaurant in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, is a pleasant Italian bistro with a fine selection of seafood, chicken, veal, soups and salads. Like its namesake, many of the dishes feature Vidalia onions, such as the caramelized onion stuffed with fennel sausage and roasted red peppers, topped with melted mozzarella cheese (although very tempted, I decided to save that dish for another day, perhaps).

Our party arrived for a late, 8 p.m. dinner. The dining room was completely filled, which makes reservations a must. Although the place was filled, the acoustics were such that we didn’t have to shout over each other to be heard. Unbeknownst to me, the place is a BYOB establishment. Fortunately our friends were prepared with a bottle of red and a bottle of white, as Billy Joel so famously sang.

I ordered the cipolla vidalia for a starter. The naturally sweet Vidalia onion soup included crostini bread croutons and melted cheese blend. There wasn’t much bread in the soup (which was fine with me), but there was plenty of onions and cheese. TThe soup was fantastic, the temperature perfect, which allowed me to savor every spoonful without burning my tongue and mouth.

Another starter, the Insalata di Caesar was also good, with crisp romaine lettuce mixed with foccacia crostini and shavings of parmesan tossed with homemade caesar dressing. The salad was light and perfect for whetting the appetite.

The Vitello Saltimbocca was exquisite, topped with prosciutto and sage, and smothered in mozzarella, with fresh sage and a creamy white wine sauce, along with a side of sautéed spinach. The sweetness of the wine didn’t quite balance the saltiness of the prosciutto, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying my meal, and left me satisfied.

The Pasta Genovese, served with penne pasta prepared with peas, oyster mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and asparagus in a garlic mascarpone cream sauce, was fine. The pasta was served al dente, but the sauce was a bit bland, despite the garlic.

Overall, it was a nice dinner with friendly service. The restaurant was clean and inviting. One will not leave hungry, as we decided to forego dessert. This is a perfect venue...

Great food, attentive service. BYOB - Wine glasses and ice buckets are provided. Reservations are encouraged.

Vidalia has two dinning rooms.One inside and one outside in a heated area surrounded by thick plastic with clear plastic on top. The restaurant is small with maybe room for 25 inside and depending on the configuration maybe a bit more outside. The restaurant is an older building, built out to create a larger dinning area inside. So the room has nooks and moulding with recovered wood and decor that gives off a small family resturant vibe.

The food is high quality and made to order. So be prepared to wait. Pricing of the food is moderate to high. Quality matches the pricing.

The staff is very knowledgeable on how the food is prepared and can answer any questions. As of this writing the prices are not stable due to inflation and supply chain costs. The staff will explain that there may be a price difference in what the menu states and the final cost. So when in doubt ask.

Check out the Creme Brulee. This is not your ordinary Creme Brulee. The consistency is thicker, almost cheesecake like. The crust is Graham cracker so it is like a pie. A unique culinary take on a classic. Highly recommended fusion dessert.

The portions are large enough to take home a box. Apitizers are large enough for two. A nice dinning experience with free parking in the lot next door.

One last interesting point. The check is a printed QR code. You pay using your phone by opening the QR app on your phone. (if you don't have a QR scan app. You can download one for free from the App store) Just scan the code and the program for your bill will open. You then have options to use your credit card, Apple Pay...