While visiting Princeton, New Jersey I wanted to try a new Italian restaurant, Bensi, in North Brunswick because a friend of my father’s recommended it; however, I was disappointed and definitely would not recommend Bensi if you’re looking for authentic Italian food.
Bensi is a modern restaurant chain that has interesting décor and the feel of a European hotel. Everything was decorated in black and red – very chic -and the wait-staff were young and attractive. The temperature of the restaurant was downright cold though; they had the air conditioning on full blast and it distracted from our experience because it’s hard to enjoy your food when you’re concentrating on keeping warm the entire time.
They have an extremely varied menu including pasta, pizza, salads, desserts, chicken, fish, steak, soup, appetizers, Calzones – which they call Zazones – and even a low fat menu and a children’s menu. The menu is spectacular with large font for everyone to read and the pages are laminated with bright colors. Bensi also has an extensive alcohol list with several different types of martinis – obviously their specialty.
A loaf of freshly baked ciabatta is provided for free on every table and I must say it was really nice. The bread was crispy on the outside, and warm and fluffy on the inside. I dipped my bread into olive oil and black pepper but this is not something the waitress puts on the table – you have to do it yourself. We finished our bread basket pretty quickly and had no problem receiving more free bread.; They even have an employee just to provide bread! We were given water with ice and lemon at no charge, and I was pleased that they had cranberry juice – something a lot of restaurants do not have.
I ordered the Fusilli Pasta with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and asparagus which came in a white wine sauce; it doesn’t state this on the menu, nor does it list any sauces on the menu – I guess you just have to ask how the dish is prepared which I thought was odd. My dish cost $14.95 which I think is quite pricey but you do get a large portion which can be shared or taken home for the next day. The chicken was overcooked, very dry and flavorless. The asparagus was sliced in half then cut into ¼ inch pieces, and there were hardly any sun-dried tomatoes. The white wine sauce was the wrong sauce if you ask me, and I think overall this dish lacked taste. It was plain and really needed some seasoning with at the very least: salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. I personally would have added either a light cream sauce or olive oil, and more sun-dried tomatoes.
My mother ordered the Eggplant Parmigiana which was $12.95. Her plate came out hot but the actual food was only tepid. This dish is considered be a Bensi specialty so you’d think it would be amazing but it turned out to be bland and needed garlic. My mother kept adding salt and black pepper, and thought the sauce was too sweet and needed herbs like oregano and basil. Her dish came with either a house salad or linguine and tomato sauce so she chose the house salad. She requested oil and vinegar as her dressing and was expecting the bottles of oil and vinegar to be placed on the table; however, the kitchen actually put the oil and vinegar on the salad which my mother was not pleased with because she wanted to be in control of how much she put on.
My father ordered the Spaghetti and Meatballs which cost $13.95, and a regular Caesar salad which was an additional $5.95. The meatballs were on the dry side but the sauce was plentiful, and he enjoyed the texture of the spaghetti. The sauce on the Caesar salad however was weak and lacked garlic; the lettuce was crisp and the croutons were average. It wasn’t the best Caesar salad and it seemed to fit with the running theme of bland food.
I think Bensi could do with a spice rack in their kitchen, and having been to Italy three times I can say there is nothing authentic about Bensi’s food. They started out in 1983 as a pizzeria and probably should have stayed that way. Each Bensi obviously has different chefs so I might have just gone to one where the chef likes to make bland food. The Bensi Restaurant I frequented is located at 787 Shoppes Boulevard, North Brunswick, NJ 08902. Their telephone number is:732-993-1300. http://www.bensirestaurants.com/index.html
