Restaurant Review: Redstone American Grill in South Marlton, NJ

Sitting at a cozy corner table by the fireplace at the Redstone American Grill in Marlton, I rocked the heel of my black leather boot as our waiter, Jeremiah, welcomes us to the eatery and explains the specials in detail - he knew his menu well. I am impressed when he respectfully addresses me as "My lady" and refers to my husband, Nick, as "Gentleman." Within minutes it feels like he's a personal friend and we want to invite him to dine with us. Ordering freshly squeezed lemonade, we browse the menu.

Appetizer choices are out of the realm of ordinary. If you are looking for mundane chicken wings you won't find them here. How about gourmet buffalo shrimp instead? Or homemade cornbread maybe?

I started salivating as our waiter placed the white oval plate of Jerk Chicken Fondue ($10) on the candlelit, wooden table, and told us to enjoy. My husband and I dug into the hearty appetizer of bite-size grilled chicken with just the right amount of jerk seasoning to taste flavorful, but not too much to scorch our tongues. Crunchy sourdough croutons and tart granny apple slices came with the chicken and all were meant for dipping in the cup of light warm gourmet cheese.

After gobbling up the last of the appetizer, we relaxed and enjoyed the atmosphere during, what Jeremiah referred to as, "Dining Intermission," a time between courses where we get to enjoy each others company.

Families from all generations sat at tables waiting for their meals, while business people, on their way home from work, sipped on trendy drinks. I liked the lively bar with a high arched ceiling, striking chandeliers, and televisions and speakers lining the walls. It was situated between two dining rooms, close enough to enjoy the activity, but separated enough to keep from spoiling our dinner and our conversation. Many of the bar dwellers were enjoying the great outdoors at the oversized outdoor bar. Diners were even out there enjoying the view of the manmade lake with a fountain. It's a shame the weather wasn't better the day we were there. The rain kept bar dwellers from hanging out at the outdoor lounge with tables and couch-like seats, surrounded by healthy evergreens and other rustic shrubs. It looks like a great place to hang out and something to consider on a sunny day.

Back inside, I admired the trendy interior decorating of the dining room, complete with dark colored paint, stone walls to match the exterior and halogen, recessed lights, slightly dimmed, above each table. They provided a warm, cozy feeling without making us feel like we were on display.

As my husband and I discussed our day, Jeremiah announced our dinner was "making an appearance" as he set down my wood-fired halibut from the "specials" menu which changes every other Thursday. The fish was lightly covered with lemon caper brown sugar sauce and served with fresh asparagus ($28). Being a seafood lover, I knew I'd be happy with the fish, but I was little concerned about the sauce. I thought it might be sickeningly sweet, however, it added just enough flavor to the tasty, light and flaky halibut, without being overpowering.

Nick's favorite fare is from under-the-sea as well, so it was no surprise when he ordered the Simple Grilled Fish ($24) consisting of thin rainbow trout that crumbled with a touch of Nick's fork, drilled with chipolte butter sauce and served with asparagus. He enjoyed it and I did too as I stole a little bit from his plate.

The portions of both of our meals were adequate, but not overly large, particularly since they didn't come with a starch. However, with the large appetizer and dessert to follow, we were more than full. Don't let that sway you from going though. There are plenty of extras on the menu to add on to your tasty meal.

Dessert was truly the icing on the cake - literally. Nick and shared dessert, of vanilla ice cream and a heaping portion of moist homemade chocolate cake ($8) with creamy chocolate icing, made by the restaurant itself. Both were rich and flavorful. Nick licked up the small bowl of ice cream and I polished off the chocolate, which was truly heaven.

Between you and me: Redstone American Grill is a great place to dine or enjoy a drink at the bar after work.

Redstone American Grill
Address: The Promenade at Sagemore
500 Route 73
South Marlton, NJ 08053
Phone: (856) 396-0332
Website: http://www.redstonegrill.com/

Hours: Mon. - Thurs. 11am - 1am
Fri.-Sat. 11am - 2am
Sun. 10am - 12am