It had been nearly 10 years since I had been to the Tomasello Winery on the White Horse Pike in Hammonton. On my last visit I was a newly engaged and attending the bridal expo. At the time I didn’t know much about wine or wineries. My view of wine and the Tomasello Winery have both changed a lot in the last decade.
For starters the banquet room at the winery has been redone and is unrecognizable from the place I had visited 10 years ago. The winery now also has recently obtained a full liquor license. Expanding what they can offer not only for big events but for smaller weekly events, like Bistro 33.
Bistro 33 is Tomasello Winery’s new pop-up restaurant. The restaurant pops-up in the wineries smaller banquet room every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night at 5 pm. A classic “bistro style” menu will be featured each night along with daily specials like taco Tuesday, ladies night Wednesdays and burger bar Thursdays. Additionally on June 1st Bistro 33 will present Wine Down Wednesday Pasta with an all-inclusive buffet for $18.95.
On my visit to Bistro 33 we were able to sample Tomasello wines, specialty cocktails and the Bistro 33 menu. We were greeted with a champagne margarita which was a combination that I wasn’t sure of but I was pleasantly surprised by how the champagne, tequila and lime came together in a refreshing combination. While delicious they pack a bit of a kick.
Hazelberry Martini, Carrot Ginger Soup, Appetizers including Jumbo Scallops, Fried Mozzarella, Sriracha Chicken.
The shrimp cocktail and the fried bocconcini mozzarella with marinara were favorites of everyone sitting at my table. The mozzarella was perfectly fried crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. The carrot ginger soup was delicious and the sort of thing that I could easily make a meal out of. We tried 3 of the entrees on the menu, my favorite was the lobster mac and cheese.
For me the wine was the highlight of the evening. It had been a long time since I had sampled Tomasello wines and I was pleasantly surprised by how good they were. These were not the wines I remembered from 10 years ago, the flavors have improved and they were wines that I would be proud to say came from New Jersey. While I’m not a Chardonnay person the Palmaris 2013 OCP Chardonnay Reserve was very good and paired well with shrimp cocktail and carrot ginger soup. The Palmaris 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was my favorite wine of the night and for me a second glass of this great wine could be dessert. The Tomasello 2012 OCP Syrah was bold, dark and paired perfectly with the fried mozzarella. Local wine lovers should definitely keep their eyes out for these wines.
While close to the shore, Hammonton’s food offerings seem to stick to mexican and Italian both of which it does excellently. I was pleasantly surprised to see seafood on the menu and I liked the option to have a full meal or simply have tapas or burgers. Bistro 33, with excellent wine and good food is bringing a new experience to the Hammonton dining scene.
I was invited to attend the Media Preview for Bistro 33, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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