A young woman stands sentry in the dining room at Javier, a pitcher of water at the ready. Drain your glass, she instantly refills it, proffering slices of lemon and lime arranged in alternating petals of yellow and green on a white saucer. Bread gets the same careful treatment—two slices of plain, two slices of olive, a ramekin of butter per every two guests. And coffee? Intense organic South American, topped up by the same vigilant young woman, stealthy as a ninja.
So what’s wrong with this picture? Javier, a high-minded four-month-old Haddonfield BYO, sweats the details, but the most important ones fall by the wayside about half the time. The menu straddles different styles—classic French, Italian, American—without achieving a real identity or consistency in execution. Despite some rogue exotica—seaweed with ahi tuna, roasted yucca that gives the chicken breast its “nouveau” status—the menu is traditional, bordering on dated.
Not that there aren’t bright spots. Executive chef Robert Williams, a former corporate cook at Bally’s in Atlantic City, has a deft touch with proteins. His rack of lamb, steaks, fish, and scallops are impeccably cooked. Some of the accompaniments are quite satisfying—examples include the truffled white bean and crimini mushroom ragù with the rack of lamb; the peppered, porcini-dusted crust on the New York strip steak; and the coconut risotto on the moist fillet of grouper.
Agnolotti stuffed with tender shreds of duck confit are luxurious in a rich caramelized onion sauce. I love the Florida Keys-inspired Crab Stack, a napoleon of thin, griddled crab cakes, smoky corn salsa, and ethereal avocado mousse.
On the other hand, sweet diver scallops languished in a pool of a forgettable carrot-saffron emulsion. The undercooked skin on a Maple Leaf Farms duck breast was rubbery. Southwestern corn chowder had plenty of diced bell pepper and sweet corn, but the broth tasted more watery than creamy. Drizzles of honey mixed with balsamic vinegar turned crisp fried calamari cloying, while a yellowfin tuna steak tasted entirely unseasoned.
Salads suffered from ingredient clash and overload: the baffling Javier Cafe Salad pummeled organic mixed greens with roasted beets, grape tomatoes, cannellini beans, caramelized onions, and pistachio-crusted goat cheese; the pistachio-crusted goat cheese medallion buried the same assorted greens in Grand Marnier-soaked cherries, grape tomatoes, red onion, and cucumbers.
Another jarring combination was a fillet of salmon wrapped in prosciutto, pan-seared and accompanied by Thanksgiving-sweet pumpkin gnocchi as leaden as little Plymouth rocks.
The inconsistencies are curious, since owner Robert Sanabria is well regarded in South Jersey. He recently sold Food for Thought in Cherry Hill, but still owns Word of Mouth in Collingswood, a fine-dining restaurant that has won praise for its eclectic menu.
Javier is Sanabria’s middle name, and he does intend the new restaurant to be a more personal statement. His general manager, Nancy DeFrancesco, says the goal is “nouveau dining with global flavors and New York flair.”
To build Javier, Sanabria gutted the former Salsarita’s Cantina on Haddon Avenue, installing plush carpets, posh high-backed chairs, and chandeliers shaped like leafy tree branches. In subdued shades of beige and mauve, the spacious 90-seat dining room exudes a somnolent elegance that seems to agree with the gray-templed clientele.
The menus are surprisingly makeshift, printed on plain paper and erratically stapled. Some are creased and stained. My table received a copy scrawled with a treasure map of X’s, O’s, and meandering trails of ballpoint pen. Sanabria says more presentable menus are on the way.
Huge square plates that barely fit on the table are stylish but impractical. They’re heavy enough to give the servers carpal tunnel syndrome, but the wait staff soldier on in excellent spirits.
Desserts are almost as large as the plates. The flourless, toffee-flecked chocolate tower and the praline basket of blueberries and mascarpone mousse are reliable choices. Dinner at Javier opens and closes with precision and grace. It’s the stuff in between that needs more TLC.