Bistro 1051: Japanese and Italian food...but no fusion!

Recently, I went to Bistro 1051, an Italian seafood bistro and sushi bar located near Clark, NJ. Ok, let's say it again: an Italian seafood bistro and sushi bar. When you read it, you think that it would be some kind of fusion food and that you would end up with a tortellini roll! In fact, it is not the case. Italian and Japanese are two different menus. 

They claim that their decor is an award winning. Let me tell you: if Gordon Ramsey were to come for Kitchen Nightmare, the first thing he would do it to change the decor! I do not know if it was the because of the dimmed light, but it looked old and cheap. The noise level is also bad, so do not go for a romantic dinner! However, the service was very good and attentive and the food quite decent! I went all Italian, sorry Mr Sushi! The menu looked delicious with plenty of mouth watering dishes: brick oven flatbread, pasta, chicken and veal, seafood, etc...

As an appetizer, I tried the Spicy Maryland Crab style soup: it was very creamy and tasty, with a nice kick. I suspect they microwaved it and let it sit few minutes because of the film of cream on top of the soup when they brought it to the table. They also had a nice Pear endive salad, that was very refreshing and well dressed. For the entree, the penne vodka was the perfect choice: creamy, a bit spicy, with well cooked pasta.

Of course, we finished with a Tiramisu, that was perfect: light and not too sweet, a perfect balance. It was a very good dessert.

This restaurant is definitely a little hole in the wall. I am not sure if I would go for the sushi, but certainly for the Italian cuisine, to try some other dishes they have on the menu!

Enjoy (I did)!