If Only All Libraries Had Steak...

The Library II

306 Route 73 South

Marlton, NJ 08053
www.librarytwo.com/ 

The Library II is one of the best restaurants in South Jersey and in my opinion is one of the best value for money restaurant in South Jersey as well. They offer the best steak for the best prices around, and I really have never been disappointed in this restaurant in the 23 years that I have been going there. My family and I happened to go on a Friday night, and as soon as we got inside, we saw my best friend’s parents sitting at the bar. We wound up eating with them for a meal full of laughs and fun.

The Library II not only has fantastically grilled steaks and fish, but they offer one of the best salad bars that I have ever been to in my life. The salad bar offers both Caesar salad, and ice berg lettuce. There are probably about 50 different condiments for the salads, ranging from ham to cucumbers, pasta salad, peas, carrots, cheese, and about 7 kinds of dressing. They also offer a section to cut your own cheese and bread to eat with your salad as well. I could eat the salad bar as an entire meal.

I got my usual salad and all my favorite fix-ins with a nice slice of bread and a large hunk of cheese. Of course I enjoyed every bite. You can make your perfect salad, however you like it, and enjoy that before you go to order your steak. At the Library II, you do not order your main course at your table. You walk up to a window where the butcher slices your steak directly off the loin after you tell him the amount that you would like. I ordered a 10 oz New York sirloin and a side of garlic mashed potatoes to split with the table.

The steaks at the Library II, and any great steak for that matter, are the type of steaks that do not need any kind of sauce or enhancements to eat them with. No steak sauce, no butter, no au poivre, no béarnaise, no nothing. This steak just cuts like butter and tastes magnificently of pure beef flavor. The garlic mashed potatoes that we had were incredibly delectable. They had so much garlic flavor, and an amazingly creamy texture. 

I was feeling some key lime pie for dessert so I ordered a piece, remembering that they had a pretty good one. It was a good slice of pie, not too big, and the tartness of the key lime was cleansing and refreshing to my palate after an amazing steak dinner.

The Library II is phenomenal in all aspects. The food is fantastic, the bar is great, and the service is friendly and knowledgeable. For my money, it is one of the top 10 best restaurants in South Jersey, so if you get the chance, check it out! Cheers!