Reviewed May 25.
Swallow1030 N. American St., 215-238-1399
Husband-and-wife chefs Jason and Cindy Caminos transplanted from Washington D.C.to open a BYO with a French flair (and bare-bones purple decor) in Northern Liberties. After a shaky start, they've reconcepted the restaurant into an all "mac & cheese" bistro.
It would be a bold move - if the macaroni was worth driving for. A recent meal, though, did not offer much promise, as the kitchen put forth bowls of inexpensive precooked noodles blended with mix-and-match toppings that were ordinary at best. Reviewed June 22; revisited in December.
Javier
208 Kings Highway, Haddonfield, 856-428-4220; www.javiercontinental.com
The former owner of Word of Mouth has opened a chic BYOB in Haddonfield wrapped in chocolate browns, wrought-iron accents, and very cushy chairs. Unfortunately, the wide-ranging menu and amateur service did not come even close to the quality expected at such upscale prices.
A recent return meal showed little, if any, progress, with carelessly prepared expensive plates (like a "medium-rare" tuna steak that was essentially still raw), and completely clueless service, and bad lounge music. There were a couple of tasty new morsels from the owner's native Bolivia, but they were still too much of a menu footnote beside the so-called "Continental" cuisine. Reviewed April 13; revisited in December.