LoBianco

If LoBianco has a weakness, it is the consistent penchant for too much sweetness in savory dishes. It was a bit cloying on the yakitori-glazed short rib, which otherwise was sublimely tender. It was also a bit more obvious than I'd like in the fennel sausage pasta, though the earthy flicker of chile heat kept it in check. Likewise, a kiss of vermouth was an unexpected accent to the fennel backbone of the saffron bouillabaisse broth. But with so much carefully poached seafood crammed inside the big brothy crock - little clams, shrimp, scallops, and snapper - it was impossible not to enjoy.

Still, I might have preferred it in the drier style of LoBianco's mussels, in which the full-flavored saffron and fennel fish stock is given a flavor boost with smoked paprika compound butter.

Oddly, when it comes time for the traditional sweets, at dessert, LoBianco loses its steam. The Belgian waffles were pale and flabby. The store-bought ice cream was chewy. The dark chocolate torte was acceptably chocolatey, with fudgy ganache layered between rich cake, but it was also a little dense and too predictable.

So there's still plenty of room for LoBianco to improve (even without changing its name). But what makes this newcomer one of the brightest recent additions to Collingswood's dining scene is that it's anything but predictable.