Giuseppe`s Ristorante

Laurel Hill Plaza Blackwood-Clementon Rd Clementon 627-6333

You could go to Giuseppe`s Ristorante and order a burger (there are four to choose from) and fries or onion rings. But why would you when confronted with a four-page menu of pasta, chicken, veal or seafood dishes that are all accompanied by the soup of the day and a tossed salad?

This cozy family eatery tucked into the Laurel Hill Plaza is nearing its 25th anni-versary, says Mario Lubrana, chef and brother of owner Giuseppe Lubrana. (The Lubranas were serving up Southern Italian dishes long before the fast-food restaurants that now dot Blackwood-Clementon Road were ever envisioned.)

Seafood is their specialty, with 22 tastes of the sea to choose from. It wasn`t easy, but I opted for Giuseppe`s Choice ($14.95), which I later learned is the restaurant`s most popular menu item. Large shrimp, sea scallops and lump crab meat sauteed in butter, garlic and white wine sauce are perched atop a heap of your choice of pasta. Stir in a chunky tomato sauce, chopped fresh basil and a splash of marinara sauce, and you know why it`s so popular.

My significant other selected the Chicken & Scallops ($13.95). Despite the fact that he`s a prime rib and potatoes man, he wasn`t disappointed. He was presented with a large chicken breast and about a half-dozen sea scallops also sauteed in garlic, oil, butter and white wine. Ladle on a tasty lemon sauce, add a side dish of pasta with marinara sauce, and hold the dessert Ñ we were both too full to partake. Tiramisu, cheesecake and cannoli are all made in-house by Mario, as is the light crusty bread and the soup. In fact, a different kind of soup is made fresh daily. Ours was a minestrone, chock-full of a medley of vege-tables. Also made fresh each day is the marinara sauce.

The pizza must be pretty good, too. We observed a nearly steady parade of folks retrieving their take-out orders (mostly pizza).

Hours: Monday - Thursday and Saturday: 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. Friday: 10 a.m. - Midnight Sunday: Noon - 10 p.m.

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Author: Laurel Keser