LoBianco New American Cuisine

My husband and I had dinner here a few weeks ago. It’s a cute, modern and surprisingly small place. One person for both seating folks and waiting the tables. Made things a little slow, but it was tolerable. The whole reason we chose LoBianco on this evening was that the menu in the window offered a ribeye steak– just what my husband wanted. But they were out that day. So he went with the short ribs, which he enjoyed. I am vegetarian and there were only two entrée options for me– both were pasta. I don’t mind eating pasta at home, but I don’t want it to be my only option when I’m going out to eat (especially at a $ 17 price point). I want something exciting! But there was nothing else for me to choose so I had the pasta. I really didn’t care for it at all. I had the stuffed mushroom appetizer and that was good. I was hoping to make up for the lack of entrée enjoyment with a great dessert. I was anxious to get the menu and see what exciting options there were, but again I was underwhelmed at the selection. There was a chocolate cake, a lemon pound cake and vanilla ice cream. I was still hungry from not eating my entrée though so I went with the chocolate cake. My husband just ordered a coffee. My cake arrives, along with the check, and we are informed that the coffee will take a while to brew because their coffee maker is slow. We wished we had known that at the time it was requested because we waited quite some time after my cake came to the table and still no coffee. When we asked, we were informed that our waitress forgot about it. At this point we had been here for quite some time and were really ready to go so my husband quickly downed his coffee. As for the chocolate cake– it was nothing special. I ate part of it and requested a box to take the remainder home in. As I was packing it up, the waitress took it out of my hands and told me there was a better way to pack it. So overall, I would say our experience here was okay. My husband really enjoyed his food and I did enjoy my appetizer. Lack of anything special for vegetarian entrees and service were a disappointment. Will we go back? Not sure. It seems to me I read, or maybe heard, that their menu changes with the season. If this is the case, we may see what they have to offer in the spring.

Had dinner there last Saturday evening and excellent! They had a set menu 3 courses for $ 30 — $ 35 with dessert. I thought the portions would be smaller however they were perfect! I had the scallops and they were the best I hever had. My husband had a pasta dish and this was excellent as well.
Cozy, small BYOB that is awesome! Enjoy.

⁶⁄₂₀₁₁ UPDATE: Closed! Re-​located to Margate.
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4.3 stars…
Out of all the byobs in Collingswood/​Haddonfield my boyfriend who was a professional chef really likes this place. He would give it 4.5 stars if not, 5 but since this is my damn review I give it 4.3
I have been here 2 or 3 times in the winter time so the menu has probably changed since then. For the first course, I ordered a portabella mushroom which I love. The second course, I really cannot remember but a salad and the third was a Chicken Indorti. We spent $ 30 each.
FOOD: The portabella had a delicious sauce that I wanted to lather in because it was so tasty. It was well balanced and considering I was going to Lo Bianco for my boyfriend I was impressed that I could enjoy a mushroom that much. The chicken was cooked perfectly but the egg batter was a little too distinctive. Overall, I liked it and would recommend it to a fellow foodie.
SERVICE: The servers are AMAZING. There are two people working a busy room and they coordinate very well. One mainly servers and talks to customers, while the other cleans up. I couldn’t help but watch them because they just worked the room like I’ve never seen. Additionally, I came in without a reservation during a busy night and was given a seat with ease. They earn their tips and do it with a smile.
WARNING: This is not in the hands of the owners but I will say the parking stinks. Expect to walk a block.

This is my new star in Collingswood. Follow the star!
This restaurant is right next to my hair salon, and I had been wanting to try it out for awhile. Yesterday was my birthday and I finally had the chance. On a Tuesday it was pretty quiet, but thankfully not as dead as the other reviewer. It was probably about half full, which would equate to about 5 tables of diners. It was perfect for us, because we got our cozy corner to share a bottle of wine and toast another year.
I love the décor, it reminds me of how I would decorate my home, black accents, muted green walls, dried flowers and calming prints. The kitchen is partially open, and it was nice to see them working throughout the meal.
There was only one person working front of the house, I believe the owner? However that was more than sufficient for that night. We were never waiting long for anything.
They bring out water and warm rolls with butter along with your corked wine. The bread was just out of the oven and delicious, although not remarkable.
We had the Asian dumplings for an appetizer. We are big fans of dumplings, and they were delicious. I was hesitant getting them from a «New American» restaurant but I was not disappointed. The noodle appeared handmade, like the rest of their pasta. It was tender, and the dipping sauce was delicious with a strong peanut taste.
We also shared a spinach salad. It was delicious with granny smith apples, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and a balsamic vinaigrette. The goat cheese in particular was very creamy and I was savoring it the whole salad.
For my entrée I had the pasta with homemade fennel sausage. The sausage was the star, slightly sweet. There was also a ton of it throughout the pasta. The sauce was also very good, without being overpowering. My portion was so large, I don’t even think I ate half of it. Lunch tomorrow is going to be delicious.
My husband had the beef short rib. Wow. It was so tender, it was falling apart. The glaze was very sweet, maybe too sweet for some, but it was perfect for me. Every part of the meat was infused with the glaze, creating a very memorable meal. It was amazing.
I can’t wait to return, I don’t think it will be too long. If you are looking for a new place to try in Collingswood, I highly recommend LoBianco.

I went here last night with girlfriend.
The place was packed solid with people standing in wait outside. Their dining room is very small for new jersey.
We had appetizers of the stuffed portabella mushroom and the mussels. The mushroom was awesome. I definitely recommend it. The mussels, however, came in a broth which my vegetarian fish eating girlfriend had to push away due to a bacon-​like taste. I found out later that it is actually a smoked paprika, and not in fact bacon.
For entrees, I had the mushroom pasta and she had the bouillabaisse. We had just had a bouillabaisse the night before at Parc, so it was fun to compare. Parc’s bouillabaisse was made with a much higher quality than what they did at lo bianco. Although, you got much more with the lo bianco bouillabaisse. My mushroom pasta tasted very similar to beef stroganoff with out the beef.
For desert we had the waffle and ice cream. This was the best part of the night. It was a fresh waffle and a couple scoops of soft ice cream with fruits and powdered sugar.
It was ok, but I don’t think I’ll be back.

Two girlfriends from high school and I had a mini reunion last night at Lo Bianco. When I walked in, the restaurant was empty and I was instructed to choose any table, so I selected one by the window. The décor was very nice, although the ceilings reminded me of an office building. I probably would not have noticed this normally, but since I was the only person in the restaurant I had a chance to really take in my surroundings.
When my friends arrived, our server poured our wine and dropped off large glasses of water and warm rolls. She informed us that there were no specials, and I soon found out why. The restaurant remained empty, except for our table, through the entire night. While it was nice having the place to ourselves, I wondered if the freshness of our meal would be compromised, as there was not a constant flow of patrons through the evening.
For my first course, I had a grilled romaine salad, with pancetta, goat cheese and pesto vinaigrette. It was definitely different from any other salad I have had in the past. The smokiness of the grilled romaine reminded me of a steak dinner. While I enjoyed it, I’m not sure that it would be my first choice again in the future.
My entrée was a braised beef short rib with yakitori glaze and whipped potatoes. It was fantastic. The beef was so tender it did not even require a knife, and the flavor of the glaze was absorbed all the way through. The potatoes were buttery and sinful, as all good mashed potatoes are.
One friend ordered the bouillabaisse, which looked and tasted great (I tried a mussel). However, many if not all of the clams in the dish were not open – NEVER a good sign when it comes to shellfish.
For dessert, the three of us shared a chocolate cake that had the consistency of fudge and that was topped with whipped cream, as well as a lemon pound cake, also topped with whipped cream and berries. Both were very rich and neither were finished, but not for a lack of trying.
I would certainly return to this restaurant in the future, but most likely on a weekend night when the scene is livelier. I do hope they thrive because the food and service were wonderful (reluctant clams excluded), and it’s always nice having another option besides Italian pasta in the neighborhood.

Collingswood just got that much more fabulous with the addition of LoBianco to its up-​and-​coming restaurant circuit. LoBianco is easy to miss, located in an area that was, up until recently, a glorified parking lot behind a WaWa and train station. Posh condominiums and retail stores now inhabit that space, as well as restaurants hoping for staying power.
What will ensure LoBianco’s long stay in Collingswood goes beyond their excellent menu. The charming and delightfully quirky décor gives a feeling of home sweet home, which serves as a perfect complement to the various amazing dishes served by a happy, knowledgable staff.
Attention to detail and personal touches truly make this a special place to go, and return to again and again. For instance, each table has a personalized placecard waiting for them when they make a reservation. Mine was a creative concoction consisting of three wine corks tied with a piece of ribbon, with the name printed on a small card that fit inside.
Everything I had for dinner I would happily order again, though everything was so delicious that I’d be foolish not to try the entirety of the menu. I recommend the duck hash appetizer to anyone. Perfectly poached egg, incredible shredded meat, and diced potatoes in a portion size that was not overwhelming but not so small that it felt like an expensive waste of time, as it is usually with lots of other restaurants that have high-​end menu selections. My bouillabase entrée was also some of the best I’d ever had anywhere, and there was enough left over to have a generous bowl the next day.
While storefronts seem to change more often than the tides these days, I am certain that LoBianco should have a permanent spot for the enjoyment of South Jersey and Philadelphia-​area foodies, as well as anyone lucky enough to stumble upon it on a visit to the area. Remember to take it all in when you go — it’s the little things that mean the most of all, and that make the biggest impact.
Tip: This place is BYOB!