Medford's Hidden Gem

Izzie’s Eatery

679 Stokes Road

Medford, NJ 08055

Izzie’s is one of my family’s favorite eating out destinations because it is really only one of 3 or 4 viable restaurants in Medford. There are a few others, but Izzie’s is by far the best cuisine in our town. They feature a menu that changes almost daily. Many items stay on the menu everyday, but a significant part of the menu changes day to day or week to week depending on what the chef can get his hands on at the time.

Izzie’s is famous for their rivalry with Bobby Chez because both of them are famous for their crab cakes. I heard that the man that opened up Izzie’s is related to the man that runs Bobby Chez and that they got into a disagreement. Supposedly, as a result of the argument Izzie’s was opened. I have no idea if that is true or not, but it seems like the typical story of two places that have similar signature items. Both offer the best crab cakes in the area, but this particular Friday night experience at Izzie’s had nothing to do with crab cakes.

My aunt, uncle and I went to Izzie’s after my uncle and I got home from work even though we were worried that it would be crowded and we would have to wait a long time for a table. Luckily we were seated right away and the line built up as we ate.

Izzie’s menu is pretty interesting because they name their sandwiches and pizzas after streets and places in Medford. Hometown references are always a cool addition to a hidden gem in your own neighborhood. As we browsed over the menu for the day, I noticed a few things that I had not seen on there before and I decided to give one of them a try before the menu changed again. I wound up ordering pork loin stuffed with provolone and spinach, topped in an au jus, served with broccolini, and a side of onion rings.

While we waited they brought out fresh made rolls that were scorching hot! I love when bread is fresh baked before they bring it out to the table. It was quite delicious. They serve their rolls with an option of butter or olive oil with balsamic vinegar. The olive oil and balsamic is a wonderful combination and they made me wish we had another basket of rolls to eat.

.Izzie’s stuffed pork loin was up there with the best pork I have tasted from any restaurant. The pork was served in two small loins, both browned perfectly on the outside, stuffed to capacity with provolone cheese and spinach, with a pork au jus drizzled over top of it. I am assuming that the au jus was made from the drippings of the pork, and boy was it flavorful. The pork was nice and seared on the outside, and it was still perfectly cooked in the center. The provolone cheese and spinach were a nice combination. The spinach did not add too much to the dish in my opinion, but it did not really take away from it either, so I guess it was successful. The cheese was great because it wasn’t super melted and it did not run all over the place when I cut into the pork like other cheeses tend to do. The broccolini was probably the best broccolini I have ever had. It was salty, garlicy, tender, and it paired so well with the pork. I kind of wish the pork loin was stuffed with that instead (don’t steal that idea, I am going to make it famous one day. Haha). They also served the meal with a crisp of cheese. It was a salty cheese, either romano or parmigiana. Absolutely fantastic.

The side of onion rings was really amazing too. My uncle said he didn’t like them because they are too big, which is funny because he always says bigger is better, but I had no problem with the size of the rings. They were large rings of onion, covered in bread crumbs and fried to perfection. Izzie’s must either make their own ketchup or season it because I kept getting a slight hint of spice while I dipped my onion rings into it. 

Overall the dish was a great success. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys pork, but I am not sure how long it will be on the menu for. If it isn’t on the menu you when you get there, you can safely order anything else and it will be good; Izzie’s is a very well run restaurant. Not many people go to Medford to eat a meal because of the limited selection, but Izzie’s is the definition of a hidden gem and you would do well to try it!