Due Mari, New Brunswick NJ

Last weekend we tried a restaurant we've been talking about for a while now...Due Mari in New Brunswick, NJ. With Susan & Rich, we managed to eat through a pretty good selection of their Italian inspired, seafood heavy menu. And with $25 for the first bottle corkage policy, we were able to bring a bottle of champagne to kick the evening off with while selecting a red to go with the later courses.

They started us off by a different take on bread & butter; focaccia served with oil & hummus spread. Very nice. For the table we started with a small plate off their Szifi menu. The Duck Liver Rillette, Crostini, Caramelized Onion, Figs caught our attention. Unfortunately, they were a not constructed in the best manner. There was not enough duck liver and way too much onion. The fig was nice but being impossible to cut through, you were guaranteed to get one bite with fig and one without. Not the best start, but our hopes were still high.

Next we went into appetizers. Both Rich & I ordered the Butterhead Lettuce, Lump Crabmeat, Oven Dried Tomatoes and Tarragon-Mustard Dressing. Alan selected the lobster dish and Susan the Polipo of grilled octopus, olives, peppers, radicchio and Ceci beans. I loved the salad - it reminded me a little of the peeky-toe crab salad at Daniel but not as citrus infused. The dressing was quite nice with a plenty of crab to last through every bite. Alan's lobster dish was very good but I don't remember much of Susan's octopus other than it seemed to be grilled properly without being to chewy.

For a mid-course we asked for two different pasta dishes split four ways so everyone got to try both. The first was the Garganelli with Parma Prosciutto, Mushrooms and White Truffle Butter. Susan & Rich had tried this dish before and remembered it fondly.

I have to say - what a luscious pasta! Creamy, hint of saltiness and a wealth of favor. This was a winner! The second pasta dish was the Fusilli with octopus, bone marrow butter and Pomodorini. We expected this is to basically be the crispy octopus Fusilli with bone marrow from Marea (Michael White's other, more famous restaurant in the Altamarea group). Sadly, it wasn't. Not that it wasn't good - but if you've had the one from Marea and you have any level of expectation you will be disappointed. The octopus in this dish was not crispy and the bone marrow in butter form didn't have the same impact as the NYC version. Good, not great.

And on to entrees - Alan ordered the Red Snapper, Caramelized Cauliflower , Marcona Almonds, Green Beans with Roasted Red Pepper Espuma. Susan ordered the signature fish of the restaurant, the Grilled Mediterranean Branzino, Escarole, Oven Roasted Tomatoes, White Shrimp and Black Olive Vinaigrette. Rich selected the Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop, Cavatelli, Broccoli Rabe and Ham in Scallion Butter. I opted for the Pan Seared Sea Scallops, Roasted Winter Squash, Oyster Mushrooms, Brussels Sprouts and Lemon Beurre Monté.

Susan & Alan's fish were both cooked beautifully and my scallops were full of flavor, blending nicely with the brussel sprouts and mushrooms. And Rich's pork - oh, joy! What a nicely cooked piece of heaven. Moist, medium with a hint of pink in the middle and just as succulent as can be. Very nice indeed.

All in all - a fun, casual place with a cool ambiance and some good, hearty options on the menu. While not spectacular, it's probably the best restaurant I've been to in New Brunswick so far. There's a vibrant bar scene and it's easy enough to get reservations. Going back would definitely be an option.

Jenn's Rating: 83
Zagat's Rating: 26-24-25