TESTIMONIALS ABOUT FREDRIC BYARM

"When you've spent most of your professional life searching for, and then writing about great dining experiences, it isn't easy to quit cold. Which is why, even though I retired earlier this year (after 35 years as a restaurant critic for tile Philadelphia Inquirer), I'm once again singing about my supper. Marino Russo was simply too good a find to keep a secret... Though no notes were taken, it was easy to remember many of the moments of that meal and another equally enjoyable one that took place a month later… Byarm is 32. His food is young and contemporary but respectful of tradition -- in short, just what one might expect of a Restaurant School grad who interned in tile kitchens of Philadelphia's fabulous Four Seasons Hotel and who mastered Pacific Rim 101 at a famous West Coast Restaurant... Don't go without a reservation. Last year would be diners were waiting as long as three weeks for one."

-- Elaine Tait • Retired Food Critic Philadelphia Inquirer
Freelance Food Writer for Bon Appetit Magazine & Food Arts

"It's impossible to walk into the domain of (Marina Russo's) chef-manager Freddric Byarm without
experiencing a rush of anticipation. What this Atlantic County native does from his minuscule kitchen carved into the 40-seat restaurant is what artists in general do -- he fuses his knowledge, creativity and physical abilities to create plates of food that appear to have the benefit of divine intervention. Yet there's no doubt Byarm's culinary artistry is blessedly down-to-earth... I kept thinking as I tasted a series of elegant dishes here that this restaurant might be the most perfect merger of cuisine, ambience and scene I've experienced at the Jersey Shore... While Byarm's food clearly reveals his big-city training, there's nothing intimidating about it. Like the restaurant itself, it’s inviting and surprising; like the bay, it’s soothing and invigorating... So go until you can't go anymore, then savor a dinner that's out of this world."

-- Andrea Clurfeld • Food Editor Asbury Park Press
Excerpts From a 1998 Dining Review

"What turned out to be my favorite restaurant of the year, Marina Russo's in Stafford, serves up nothing but inventive, stimulating and ultimately captivating dishes. The raves have resounded since my review last spring."

-- Andrea Clurfeld • Food Editor Asbury Park Press
Excerpt from: "Embark on a true dining adventure"
December 27, 1998 Food and Dining Section

"Chef Fredric Byarm makes sure your dining experience is one you'll remember which is what keeps you coming back for more -- again and again. The food is always exquisite. The linens are perfect. The service is impeccable. And a tableside visit from Fredric himself completes the evening. Byram oversees all the points of fine dining and does it so well."

-- Carla Miner • Freelance Food Writer

"It was nice meeting you last Saturday at your incredible restaurant. Your cooking is absolutely wonderful and very original -- like Miles Davis. I'm sending you some CD's including some Miles that You may not have. I'll be back the next trip to LBI. "

-- Bruce Lundvall • President, Jazz and Classics, Capitol Records

"Overall, the creations of Chef Frederic Byarm were fantastic. His style is sophisticated and creative without being overpowering. In addition, I think everyone got up from the meal feeling satisfied but not that we'd overeaten. They say that a chef often makes an inn, and in this case, this is definitely true. I challenge anyone to find better dining in the Killington area and yes, I have dined at some of the other top restaurants here."

-- Timothy Palmer-Benson, April 23rd, 2005