Date nights seem to be fewer and farther between for Brian and me lately, but we did manage to get out two weeks ago on a Sunday evening. We decided we’d head down to Pitman to Carolina Blue. I’d been there once before for a Stoudts Brewery tasting dinner sponsored by Beer for Babes, and I knew it would be the kind of place Brian would like.

Sitting across the table from Brian, having an uninterrupted conversation, is such a treat that I forgot to take photos of the food. A good thing for date night, not so good for blogging. I’m thinking I was right to put date night first, though.

We had the option of sitting in the more formal dining room, the casual bar, or the outside deck with a live band. Since we wanted to talk, we ruled out the deck and chose to sit in the bar. It was a little loud, but not too loud that we couldn’t carry on our conversation.

I was impressed that Carolina Blue has local wine on their permanent menu. I’ve never seen that at any of our independent restaurants before. They offer three different varietals from Heritage Vineyards in Mullica Hill. I didn’t even check out the rest of the wines on the menu. If there’s a local choice, I’m going to order it. I chose Heritage’s Syrah, and I chose wisely.

We started with the crab fritters. When we realized there were only three small fritters to an order, we ended up choosing a second appetizer, the New Orleans Shrimp Dip. I would recommend the crab fritters (though perhaps two orders). They were flavorful and the crab stood out.

For dinner, I ordered the Bistro Filet sandwich from the carvery menu. We need to talk a little bit about Carolina’s Blue unique smokehouse. They smoke right on site, and they smoke using peach wood they get from Heritage Vineyards. It gives all their smoked meat a pleasant sweetness that’s unlike other smoked meat you’ve probably tasted. Very good.

Are you aware that one of the rules of thumb for pairing food and wine is to pair foods & wines from the same region?  They usually go well together. Now, imagine pairing beef that’s been smoked with wood that’s been grown on the same exact farm that grew the grapes for the red wine you’re drinking. It’s a seamless pairing. Absolutely wonderful.

The sandwich was topped with a blue cheese sauce and arugula. I’m a sucker for beef and blue cheese anything, but pair them with the right wine, and I’m likely to make a few inappropriate noises while eating.

Brian ordered a half rack of the smoked ribs (not as good as my ribs, he said, but still good), and a side of asparagus that he’d been jonesing for. Sadly, I do not like asparagus and I never prepare it at home (bad locavore, I know).

I unapologetically always order creme brulee if it’s on the menu for dessert, as long as it’s vanilla creme brulee. It’s one dessert that I believe should never be adulterated. I’m happy to say that Carolina Blue does creme brulee right. Not only was the flavor good, but they do it in a shallow, larger circumfrenced ramekin as opposed to the deeper, lesser circumfrenced ramekin. This increases the crispy brulee portion of the dessert and allows for the proper ratio of brulee to creme.

Our service was great. The waitress, Nicole, was attentive but not hovering. Our  courses didn’t all come out on top of each other, and we felt comfortable the entire evening.

Carolina Blue’s website says their “dishes are prepared with Jersey Fresh vegetables and ingredients whenever possible.” In addition to the wine from South Jersey on the menu, they also have several regional brews on the menu, including some from Cherry Hill’s Flying Fish. Add the local peach wood, and this restaurant is definitely on my list of local producer supporters.

Have you visited Carolina Blue? What was your favorite dish on their menu?

Although, I’d met the couple before, I’d never made it down to their bakery until this week. I’m glad I finally got there. We went for lunch. This past year, the bakery expanded to include a cafe that includes sandwiches and other light fare. The food was very good, and the boys wish that The Sweet Life Bakery was right around the corner from us so we could go there every day.

I thought I’d tell you the details of our visit in photos.

Steven told the boys the bakery is a "soda-free zone." They serve juices, coffee, tea, milk and a delicious blueberry lemonade.

Egg and cheese on foccacia with bacon on the side. My son ate half and took the rest home for another meal. He usually loves this combo on a bagel, but he said this was even better.

Foccacia with hummus, eggplant, red pepper and a sauce. So good. When Stephen was taking my order, he asked about the extras that came with it, like the pickle. I liked that, because I hate when I get a sandwich and I forget to tell the don't include the pickle. I hate wasting it. I can imagine the bakery saves a lot of waste (& money) if they ask everyone about the little things.

Jill working back in the kitchen. I was invited to come back into the kitchen, which used to be the whole of the bakery before the expansion. On one table, they were experimenting with different asparagus dishes since they had picked up the first of the local asparagus just the day before.

Don't these look delicious. I was able to resist, just barely, but I really wanted one of the carrot cupcakes. My boys got a donut and a shortbread cookie for dessert and loved them. The small bites I took of them were delicious.

One of the additions that came along with the expansion was a bread oven, and fresh bread is made daily. We brought home a loaf of orange date bread. Half of it is left, and I'm thinking it will make some good French toast this weekend.

This was a display cake - not a fresh one. When we were there, someone came in to pick up a cake that looked like an open book. It was beautiful. My older son remarked that the cakes in the photos around the bakery were more like art than cake. He's very artistic, and I love it when he's naturally introduced to a form that art can take that he never thought of before.

I had hoped that the day would have been nice enough so the we could have thrown our bikes in the minivan and ridden through Parvin State Park after our lunch, and then end up at Bellview Winery. It ended up being a gray, sort of rainy day, so we ended up at the movies instead. We’ll have to plan another trip down shortly after school ends so we can do that. By then, the Landis Marketplace should be open, too. The marketplace will be home to unique specialty foods with an Amish market and local merchants.

Between The Sweet Life Bakery, Landis Marketplace, and Bellview Winery, Vineland is a great place for a foodie field trip, don’t you think? Come to think of it, the spring 2011 edition Edible Jersey said pretty much the same thing. Unfortunately, the issue doesn’t seem to be up online yet.

If you’re going, The Sweet Life Bakery is located at 601 E. Landis Ave., Vineland, NJ 08360.

@sweetlifebakery

National Pie Day, celebrated this Friday and Saturday at The Sweet Bakery… ALL pie proceeds go to Haiti relief efforts!!! Spread the word!