Another burger franchise...maybe. Welcome, Nova Burger (45 Liberty Road, Little Ferry, New Jersey, 201-641-6100, www.novaburger.com), to the Garden State casual dining scene. Open 10 AM - 10 PM, Monday - Sunday, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served here, sandwiches enjoyed on Nova Burger homemade bread. Yes, homemade. Ask the owners about it. (*Note: The 20% off Grand Opening offer posted in the menu photo below has expired.) Pictured below is the chili 'n cheese dog, which is generously doused with housemade chili, chipotle peppers, and pepper jack cheese ($4.25). And yes, that is a long, homemade roll of which ownership is very proud. I went to Heaven within the 8 table, 32 seat eatery. If styrofoam could somehow remain clean as this is devoured, I'd like to know how. Have a fork with you; scooping up what falls off or out of the roll furthers the experience. My daughter Stefanie's selection almost mirrored mine except for the meat. She chose the chili 'n cheese burger with housemade chili, sautéed onions, melted cheddar cheese, and lettuce and tomato ($9.50). Check out her plate in the right photo. See what I mean?
I enjoy when I meet folks who have opened a new restaurant, listen to them speak with excitement about their product. That happened here. Also, service was extremely friendly, the location clean and spotless. The before mentioned all are keys to successful food business endeavor. The Nova Burger folks tell me that Mexican cuisine selections may soon be offered. I love that - and will return. Steve
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The Ringwood Avenue area in Haskell and Ringwood, New Jersey is dotted with a few pizzeria restaurants. For someone unfamiliar with the area, choosing one to dine at might be challenging. Therefore my question to a parishoner of nearby Saint Francis of Assisi Parish as we exited a recent Saturday afternoon Mass. "Can you tell me of a good pizzeria restaurant around here -- one that you can recommend?" "There are a few," he said, and then turned and pointed across the street. "There's Roma over there. They have a separate dining room, and they're pretty good." Always ask a local; they often know best. In this case, the prior sentence proved true. Roma Pizzeria (897 Ringwood Avenue, Haskell, 973-835-3355) has been owned by the Amicaterra family for 34 years, and was quite an affordable, tasty stop. John Amicaterra mans the grill and pizza oven, and his wife Josephine courteously takes orders and serves the fresh food -- in addition to peppering conversation with tales of her and husband's homeland of Salerno, Italy. We began our evening of dining with a fried cheese ravioli appetizer ($5.25). It was the perfect start for three famished churchgoers. It should be noted that John's sauce was perfect for ravioli dipping. From there, a slight challenge: what to order from a menu listed with many traditional favorites? My wife Lucille and I decided to share a 16", well done, light-on-the-sauce cheese pizza ($12.50), while daughter Stefanie stepped outside the comfort zone and ordered a fried chicken sandwich with generous cuts of lettuce , tomato, and coated nicely with mayo and honey mustard atop the chicken cutlet, all waiting to be freed from the confines of a fresh roll ($6.95). One word: Wow! I have had visions of the fried chicken sandwich dancing in my head since I tried a bite or two (or three or more - I forget) that evening. Good stuff.
Yes, the food was excellent, but so was the conversation. This is, after all, a "hospitality" blog, and while imperative it is to describe cuisine, it's more so to talk about friendliness. And John and Josephine Amicaterra are friendly folks. Steve A warm welcome and thank you to guest blogger, Stefanie Sears, who today provides delicious details regarding a recent dining trek! Steve
Penne Vodka and Sausage and Broccoli Rabe are usually two of my go tos, in addition to "old faithful" Ravioli. Kim's friend gave me some advice. She told me to get the dish I wouldn't want to watch someone else eat so I wouldn't have to suffer from, as she put it, "food envy." Thank you, Melissa. ;) By the time Kim and her guests were ready and Harowne prepared to take our orders, I opted to (of course) go last, as usual. I was leaning toward the Shrimp a la Vodka because, like I said, I often get broccoli rabe and sausage and wanted to do something different. Plus, I was in the mood for a dish with a possible "rock shrimp" vibe. A concern I had though was that the Shrimp a la Vodka would be too lite for me. Another one of Kim's friends then ordered the Paisano and Melissa's statement about food envy echoed in my brain. When it finally became my turn, feeling the pressure I asked Harowne what he recommended. He suggested the Shrimp a la Vodka because it is a popular dish. However, I then decided to finally order the Paisano. I was pretty hungry and figured that it was the heartier of the two. With a name like Paisano, I had a feeling it would not disappoint. When the meals arrived and I took a look at my plate, I knew I made the right decision. Kim's boyfriend Andrew actually ordered the Shrimp a la Vodka, so I made it a point to take a photo of that one as well. The only meal I can comment on taste wise, however, is the Paisano.
This dish had a nice, equal amount of everything. They didn't skimp on pieces of sausage, for example. Also, normally I would consider gnocchi a heavy meal, but this dish was incredibly lite and still left me satisfied. Imagine that. A bit about the ambiance. Que Pasta is small, intimate, and quaint, what you would and should expect from a restaurant like this. The bar and dining room are literally right next to each other, with no barrier to separate them, but there is no interruption from either side. Throughout the restaurant there are party rooms for events. Its cleanliness is also to be noted. My father has recently been raving about American Bistro in Nutley, where we dined for my late uncle's repass a few weeks ago. One thing he liked about that restaurant, other than the food of course, is the Italian and Frank Sinatra background music. Que Pasta provides this same atmosphere, so I immediately thought that my parents would like this restaurant as well. :) There's something about listening to "Ole Blue Eyes" crooning in the background while eating authentic Italian cuisine to make the experience complete. Thank you to Harowne and the rest of the staff at Que Pasta for their great hospitality and such a nice, comfortable experience. :) Stef Occasionally, I locate a sleeper eatery, and The Golden Pub (335 Market Street, Saddle Brook, New Jersey, 201-843-9210, www.thegoldenpub.com) is just that. Josef, who so finely served Lucille and I during out Sunday afternoon visit, has been doing the same for other diners for 14 of the establishment's 33 years. It should be immediately noted that The Gold Pub offers Family Dinner Specials at varied prices Monday - Saturday and Early Dinner Specials ($13.95) 7 days a week. We chose not the latter, but instead went the sandwich route with two excellent Philly cheesesteaks side-by-side with French fries. Both arrived open-faced, mine with American cheese and fried onions ($6.50), Lucille's "decorated" with red peppers, mushrooms, and American cheese ($6.95).
I'm thinking a second will happen sooner than later. Josef, thanks for your kindness, and thanks to The Golden Pub for a really nice experience.
Steve |
AuthorAppetizers, hospitality, small plates - the best in dining! Archives
January 2023
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