Bacio: South Jersey’s Most Romantic Restaurant
If you live in the Philadelphia/Wilmington, Delaware or southern New Jersey area, perhaps you’ve already read the rave reviews about Cinnaminson, New Jersey’s hottest dining spot: Bacio, whose very name means ‘kiss’ in the Italian language. From the outside, you may have second thoughts in looking at the one-story building located on a corner lot on a busy commercial state road. Take the chance and make a reservation, or just walk in for a seating. Bacio has the kind of laid-back, casual elegance and sophistication that’s hard to beat. It’s not your traditional Mom and Pop pizza and spaghetti stop; it’s Italian delicacies, traditional and fusion, that make for a memorable and charming dining experience.
I first reviewed Bacio for a local daily newspaper when it first opened about four years ago. Prior to its grand opening, the owners held a by-invitation-only ‘sampling’ dinner for the press and Cinnaminson’s most notable citizens. I was accompanied by my two teenaged daughters, both of whom have quite sophisticated palates themselves. One would have thought that they had died and gone on to heaven! The small sampling portions of appetizers, ‘specials’, entrees and desserts were heavenly. We also dined in the company of the township’s current mayor, Anthony Minitti, who just happens to be the brother and son of Bacio’s owners, John and Robert Minitti.
Chef John Minitti has a lifelong love affair with food; he had served as the head of the Cinnaminson Township’s Culinary Arts Department, where he taught generations of high school students the art of becoming members of the food and hospitality industry, be it as a chef, caterer, wait person, sous chef, etc. John Minitti resigned after thirty years with the school district in order to start Bacio with his son, Chef Robert. Chef Robert himself brings with him a wealth of culinary experience, most notably as the executive chef of one of Atlantic City’s most renowned Italian restaurants. (Chef Robert had been employed to re-vamp the restaurant in question and did so handsomely, winning numerous local and state awards for his prize-winning menu and entrees.) According to father Chef John, starting a restaurant within the Minitti family had been years in the making. “We had considered locations in Manhatten and Palm Beach, Florida; we were actually offered two very good locations in which to take over established restaurants in Palm Beach. But we were all born, raised and educated here in Cinnaminson. This is where all of our family lives, where we’ve worked. We felt that a restaurant the likes of which we wanted to open would be a great asset to the town.”
Bacio, located at 2806 Route 130 North (the corner of Route 130 North and Chestnut Hill avenues), is open for dinner only; their current hours are from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Mondays (yes, a restaurant opened on a Monday evening!), closed on Tuesdays, open from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. Bacio is also open on Sundays from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. (Their telephone number is 856/303-9100.) It truly is a family affair, with the father-son team of Chef John and Chef Robert Minitti in the open kitchen (where guests may view their dinners being prepared), and mother Mrs. Minitti and a future Mrs. Minitti, Chef Robert’s fiancee, both taking dinner reservations, seating guests, and checking in periodically with dinners to ensure a pleasant dining experience. Appetizers range from $5.00 to $9.50; specialty salads range in price from $5.00 to $6.00. Superb side dishes (which include broccoli rabe with agio and Carciofi Fritti (fried artichokes served over pomodore) are priced in the $5.00 to $6.00 price bracket. Specialty pasta creations run from $12.00 to $26.00 (Zuppa di Pesce Fra Diavio, a spicy combination of shrimp, scallops, mussels and clams sauced with white wine and pomodoro with herbs, served over linguini). A small but extremely interesting seafood selection ranges in price from $22.00 to $29.00, while chicken and meat entrees are priced from $14.00 to $42.00. (The highest priced seafood selection is “Terra e Mare”, herb-grilled fresh medallions of filet mignon serve with broiled, cold water rock lobster, jumbo shrimp and sea scallions – yum! Trust me, it’s worth every penny!) Desserts are priced between $5.50 to $6.00. All major credit cards are accepted.
Interested in a quick run-down of what’s offered on Bacio’s regular menu? Some of the items available for leisurely ‘grazing’ include Fritto Misto, Polenta Bolognese, Calamari Fritto, Zuppa di Salsiccia e Cavolo (Tuscan sausage and cabbage soup), Strudel di Robiola e Mandoria (a version of Italian ‘brie’ cheese, baked and served over field greens with a raspberry vinagrette sauce), Asparagi al Burro e Limone, Fettucini all Pescatora, Pasta Primavera, Lasagna Bolognese, Risotti (with shrimp and jumbo lump crabmeat, to die for!), Braciole di Pesca Spada (swordfish stuffed with olives, capers and breadcrumbs), Osso Buco alla Milanese, Scallopini di Vitello a Placere, Terre e Mare, Creme Brulee, Torta di Ciocollata and authentic Italian gelato and sorbetto. Keep in mind that these are only a sampling of Bacio’s regular menu; special occasions, such as Valentine’s Day, call for some incredibly innovative and delicious specials! Call ahead to make your Valentine’s Day reservation, and ask what the evening’s specials will be. It would also be wise to request those specials in advance of Valentine’s Day (or any holiday) itself.
But great food is only one of the reasons to chose Bacio for a Valentine’s Day dinner, or actually any dinner of special note. The service is impeccable; wait staff are dressed in starched white shirts and black slacks, with bow ties and/or full black aprons lending a touch of subdued sophistication. Tables are nicely spaced apart in the low-ceilinged room; there’s even a separate dining alcove in the back of the main dining room which can be reserved for some serious discussion (and perhaps wooing!) Bacio also has a smartly tiled separate, smaller dining room which is extremely private and may be reserved for groups of 25 or less for a corporate function, birthday party, graduation celebration, even for a rehearsal dinner prior to one’s wedding. Decorated in a tasteful style of Tuscan tile, faux painted warmly-colored walls and lowered lighting, the room bears all the elegance of the main dining room with a distinct sense of privacy. As for the ambiance of Bacio’s main dining room, walls are papered in a soothing warm caramel color, with streaks of gold (yes, actual gold!) softly interwoven. There are no working lights in Bacio’s main dining room (except for the kitchen area). All lighting is by candlelight. Sconces with tea lights adorn the walls; each table has a charming, small and unobtrusive candle holder, containing several small tea lights as well, on them. This absence of harsh and overhead lighting casts a soft, warm glow throughout the restaurant; everyone, absolutely everyone, looks better by candlelight!
If, by chance, the restaurant is already booked for Valentine’s Day, or you have a different locale in mind, Bacio also offers “Bacio Catering to Go’, offering some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes available and precisely timed and cooked to order, for pick up or delivery.
In Valentine’s Days of past, ladies were presented with a red rose as they entered Bacio for dinner. It’s just that kind of touch of simplistic elegant and thoughtfullness that is present in every facet of dining at Bacio Restaurant. It really is the gift of Italy, a ‘kiss from the rose’….but you really must go find out for yourself!
