Garlic Rose Bistro: Cranford, NJ

Life had gotten pretty crazy for awhile, so I apologize for my lack of posts!  However, I'm ready to get back into the swing of things.  Don't worry, I didn't stop going out for delicious food, I just stopped posting about it.

For Valentine's Day my boyfriend and I went to Garlic Rose Bistro in Cranford, NJ.  I'd been here a couple times before and it never disappoints.  All the menu items are made with garlic, which may seem a little scary to some, but as a garlic lover it just seems perfect to me.  I do have to say, they add the garlic very tastefully so that you're never too overwhelmed by it.

For an appetizer we got the "Garlic Angels on Horseback" which are shrimp stuffed with crab and wrapped in applewood smoked bacon.  They were absolutely delicious.  They were so rich and salty that it was perfection.  Of course, they had a garlic flavor, but it wasn't overpowering at all. I'd say the strongest flavor of the whole dish was the bacon.  There was a small salad in the center with arugula, red onions and diced tomatoes in a balsamic dressing.  It actually helped break up the flavor of the appetizer a bit.  Usually, I feel as though those salads are garnishes, but in this case it actually served as a bit of a palate cleanser.

Next we received house salads, which also served as a perfect palate cleanser to prepare for our entrees.  For my entree I got the salmon (as usual).  Unfortunately, I don't recall the name of the salmon and the online menu is a bit outdated on their site.  However, I can tell you that it came in a lemon, garlic cream sauce with capers.  It was unbelievably delicious.  The salmon was cooked perfectly so that it simply melted when I cut into it with a fork.  It was also covered in red peppers and onions which really added to the flavor.  The side of green beans and yellow rice didn't really add much to the dish, but they did help break up the flavor a bit.  My boyfriend got the lump crab cakes, which were seasoned with garlic and old bay.  They too were delicious and rich.  I think next time I'll try the crab cakes for myself!

For dessert we ordered the chocolate mousse cake.  I've heard that the garlic ice cream is fantastic, however, my boyfriend and I both aren't big fans of ice cream so we opted for the cake since it was Valentine's Day.  We agreed that next time we'd definitely go for the ice cream because we really can't miss out on something that's supposed to be as unique and delicious as garlic ice cream.  Our cake was great and really ended our meal nicely.   I apologize that the picture has a bite taken out of the cake.  I got impatient and started eating before I remembered to take a picture!

It should be noted that they advertise on their menu that dishes can be customized in terms of how much garlic is used.  They state that dishes can be prepared from no garlic to heavy garlic dependent on your taste.  I didn't specify how much garlic I'd like in my food and I thought it was the perfect amount, but if you're pickier than I am about garlic then it's a great option that they provide!