Bibi'z, Westwood, NJ

Restaurant Link:

Bibi'z Restaurant & Lounge

Lisa's Review:

For the second time this month, Fred and I visited Bibi'z in Westwood NJ. We tried it out the first time because of their focus on using local and organic foods. We went back the second time, because the food is delicious!

One of the things I like about Bibi'z is that it feels special. We decided against the outdoor seating at the front of the restaurant, since it's getting a little cool, and the parking lot at the front doesn't make for the best view. Our table was in the main dining room. Set with white table cloths, tea candles and some interesting artwork, the setting is definitely "date-night" worthy.

My meal was outstanding. I started with the Balsamic Pear Salad - one of the best salads I have ever eaten. The pear was ripe but still firm and flavored with cinnamon and nicely balanced by the organic mesclun, arugula, blue cheese, onion, cranberries, toasted almonds and honey balsamic dressing. The salad wasn't drowning in dressing either - it was perfect! My main course of Organic Linguine with Grilled Shrimp was also very tasty. I had ordered a Lamb Shank on the previous visit, but this time I wanted something a little less filling, and the pasta fit the bill. Not a huge amount of linguine or shrimp, but enough to feel satisfied. Flavors were all very well balanced too. My meal was accompanied by an Organic Wine Flight - a fun way to try different varieties of wine, and rare to find organic wines! Fred and I "shared" the Mini Dessert Nibbles platter for dessert. Each item was delicious, though my favorite was the mini tiramisu. Fortunately, Fred was very full after eating the Lamb Shank, so I got more than my fair share of the platter!

Balsamic Pear Salad

Organic Linguine with Grilled Shrimp

Organic Wine Flight - 2oz per glass

Mini Desert Nibbles

Fred's Review:

I agree with Lisa, the restaurant has a special atmosphere - somewhat zen-like. However, I did find myself repeatedly wondering who this androgynous dude is...

The Fork-n-Knife Caesar Salad was great. Although I ordered the smaller (regular) size, it was more than ample, even for me. And very tasty since it was covered with shaved parmesan cheese and croutons. One of the best Caesar salads I've had lately. And I guess appropriately named since I did actually use my fork and knife to eat it. Lisa had the Braised Lamb Shank the first time we were here, and I found the few bites that she would share with me unexpectedly good. So I ordered it on our second visit, and it didn't disappoint. Very moist, tender, fall-off-the-bone delicious, and quite a large portion. Fortunately, I didn't have to share much of it with Lisa since she was saving room for dessert, which was really satisfying too. Except I could have done without the chocolate chip cookies, which I have at home, and I still don't know what sabayon is.

Fork-N-Knife Caesar

Braised Lamb Shank