Back in the day, Frank Fioreâ€s family emigrated from Southern Italy to the Bronx and after years of big family dinners made from Grandma Fioreâ€s recipes, Frank, his brother Raymond, his father, Ruggero and his mother Maria, extended their family table to Newark Avenue in Downtown Jersey City and opened Roman Nose–Authentic Italian Kitchen.

Located next to The Word Bookstore right off Grove Street, Roman Nose landed one of the best locations in town: the Pedestrian Mall that extends west from Grove, Roman Nose offers guests a  hearty taste of Southern Italy and a casual dining experience with white wainscoting on the walls and vintage-style tin ceilings.  It has two areas for seating and a small bar with a big wine and cocktails list.  Intimate and friendly with black & white family photos on the walls, Roman Noseâ€s atmosphere is like one big family reunion with guests drinking, dining and enjoying the themselves. 

“I moved to Jersey City 12 years ago,” Frank Fiore says, sitting at one of his larger tables during a busy dinner service. “I felt we needed a good Italian restaurant downtown. I spent every summer in Italy with my grandparents. For me the story wrote itself. We didnâ€t try to be Italian. We cook traditional Italian food as we always do and people appreciate it. We were artisanal.      I grew up curing sausages in our garage,” Fiore says. “We pickle, we jar. We made our own wine.”

Roman Nose – Authentic Italian Kitchen – is just that. The cooks were all trained to cook the recipes that Fioreâ€s grandmothers cooked back in Italy. And the menu is an homage to Fioreâ€s Italian roots. Antipasti dishes feature Olive Miste, Italian olives served in house marinade of lemon,  thyme, rosemary, garlic, and fennel seed; and Crostini di Casa homemade mozzarella, prosciutto, tomato, oregano melted on grilled filone bread.

Bruschette: (3 for $5; 6for $9) Pomodoro, Pesto, Ricotta, Miele, e Noci, Pomodori Secchi e Pecorino, Crema Di Carciofi, and Tapenade di Olive.

Formaggi e Salumi: ($15; choice of three) Served with Tuscan chestnut honey, roasted almonds, fresh bread; a selection of premium Italian cheeses including Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano Pepato and Fontina.

Insalate: ($8-$12) Insalata Caprese, homemade mozzarella, tomato, and fresh basil with extra virgin olive oil and aceto balsamico; Insalata di Finnocchio, Indivia, Radicchio e Arance Fennel, endive, radicchio, orange, toasted walnuts, and parmigiano shavings, with citrus vinaigrette; Insalata di Pollo, house salad with sliced grilled chicken breast, red onion, and parmigiano; and, Insalata di Tonno, house salad with Sicilian tuna in olive oil, red onion, and homemade mozzarella.

Polpette:  Family meatballs made with beef, pork, veal and amore, topped with Sunday Sauce and parmiagiano ($5-$10) include:  Meatball Sangweech, four meatballs stuffed into a fresh ciabatta; Meatball Bowl and Meatball Side.

Pizze:  Homemade mozzarella and pizza dough are made from scratch ($9-$30) and include Margherita, Saracena, Zucchine, Pesto, and Crudo with Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano shavings, arugula,  mozzarella and tomato sauce.

Zuppe:  Mama Mariaâ€s made-from-scratch soups ($6-$8) feature Lenticchie, classic lentil soup; Pastina and Minestrone.

Primi:  All pasta is made from scratch ($11-$18) and includes:  Spaghetti al Pomodoro; Fusilli al Pesto, and Tagliatelle con Gamberetti e Pomodorini, sautéed shrimp with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.

Secondi: Entrees include Parmigiana di Melanzane, classic parmigiana, pan-fried and breaded eggplant oven-baked with layers of homemade mozzarella; and Pollo al Marsala e Funghi, tender chicken filets cooked in Marsala wine sauce ($16-$18).

Roman Nose serves kid-friendly portions for children under 12 ($6-$7); side dishes ($5-$7) and guests can substitute gluten-free Quinoa-Corn Penne Pasta for their pasta dishes ($2 additional).

If you go

Roman Nose, Authentic Italian Kitchen

124 Newark Ave, JC

(201) 360-2176

www.romannosejc.com

Hours: Tues-Fri 12-10 pm

Sat-Sun 11-10 pm

Closed Mondays

The post Mom’s Family Recipes with a Dash of Heart- Roman Nose brings Flavors of Southern Italy to Downtown JC first appeared on River View Observer.

WHAT JERSEY CITY RESTAURANTS USED TO BE

By Sally Deering

 Few Jersey City restaurants look like they did back in the day; and very few were around in the 1960s like The Barge Inn restaurant a little jewel in Jersey Cityâ€s crown. The Barge Inn serves Italian cuisine made from recipes handed down through generations. Thatâ€s why the food is so delicious – itâ€s authentic.

Owners Linda and Peter “Bitsy” Paldino run the restaurant which Lindaâ€s dad John Marto opened in 1969. Linda remembers when Anne Polaro, sister to former Jersey City Mayor Anthony Cucci painted the murals depicting Italian scenes on the restaurantâ€s walls.

“Mayor Cucci was a friend of my dadâ€s,” Linda says. “I watched her do them; it took her two weeks.”

Marto, who is now 85 regularly comes around to lend a hand and make sure the restaurant runs smoothly; but Linda and Bitsy are in charge these days with Bitsy cooking alongside Chef Jose Marti in the kitchen; and Linda running the front of the restaurant. Their philosophy is simple, she says.

“We want everybody who comes here to feel warm and welcome and enjoy great food,” Linda says. “Everything we serve we make at home. We donâ€t skimp. We use good meat from Maloneyâ€s meat market on Newark Avenue; and everything we serve is cooked to order.”

Lunch specials are served 11:30 am-3 pm, Monday through Friday, and you can order dishes like Melanzane Parmagiana (eggplant with mozzarella and tomato sauce); Broiled Basa (fresh filet with butter and lemon); Homemade Meatballs; Thin Sliced NY Strip Steak on Garlic Bread with Italian Potatoes; Pork Chop Giambotta (potatoes, onions, cherry peppers, and mushrooms in brown sauce); Pollo a la Parmagiana; Ravioli; Grilled Chicken; and Trippa (tripe) in red sauce. Everything is served with soup or salad for $9.95. No kidding, $9.95!

And if you think thatâ€s a good deal, on Thursdays its “All You Can Eat Pasta Night” where for $8.95 you can have endless pasta and a glass of wine. No kidding, $8.95!

“Weâ€ve been doing ‘All You Can Eat Pasta Night†for 20 years,” Linda Paldino says. “It used to be $7.95; we raised it a dollar.”

The menu offers Italian Appetizers, Pasta, Entrees, Specialties of the House and Desserts. Appetizers include Fresh Clams on the Half Shell, Mussels Marinara, Shrimp Cocktail, Scungilli Salad, Clams Oreganata, Shrimp Scampi, Fried Calamari, Sauté Broccoli Rabé and Sauté Long Hot Peppers ($5-$15).

 Pastas feature Stuffed Rigatoni, Homemade Cheese Ravioli, Penne with Vodka Sauce, Linguini with Red or White Clam Sauce, Linguini with Garlic & Olive Oil, Linguini Marinara, and Meatball or Sausage Sides ($4-$18).

Entrees come with house salad and pasta and include seafood dishes like Basa Oreganato, Shrimp (Oreganata, Fra Diavalo, Scampi or Parmagiana), Shrimp Marinara, Fried Shrimp, Calamari Marinara over Pasta, and Broiled Lobster Tails ($20-$22; lobster tails are market price).

Specialties of the House include Pork Chops Bitsy (with potatoes, onions, sweet or hot peppers), Chicken a la Barge (with prosciutto, mozzarella, pimentos and mushrooms), Roasted Half Chicken, Chicken Breast, Chicken Milanese, Chicken Savoy and Grilled Chicken with Sauté Broccoli Rabé or Spinach and Hot Vinegar Peppers. There are several veal dishes, too, and a NY Strip Steak ($15-$24).

For dessert, Homemade Italian Cheesecake, Tartufo, and Cannoli ($5); and Espresso and Cappuccino ($2-$3).

“We are the last of the authentic Italian restaurants in Jersey City,” Linda says. “This is home-cooking to the people who live in the neighborhood, especially the young people who bring in their parents. Itâ€s a family place.”

The Barge Inn also offers a kitschy romantic setting for couples, especially with the electric fireplace. And for Valentineâ€s Day, the restaurant is offering a special $85 Surf & Turf dinner for two on Friday and Saturday nights, Feb. 13 & 14. Couples can dine on 8-oz. Filet Mignon (2) with potatoes and veggies; 8-oz. lobster tails (2) accompanied by ravioli in vodka sauce; and salad.

The Yelp.com reviews are pretty spectacular and this one from Garreth G. of Union City says it all pretty well: “Thursday nightâ€s all you can eat pasta of your choice with a glass of wine (red or white… I could just stop there and finish my review but this place deserves more….What really made the pasta delicious was the sauce. They do have a vegetarian option but I got the meat sauce which had great depth of flavor of tomato, herbs, and seasonings. I barely needed any salt and pepper. I personally had 3 plates of pasta and each time was a different type of pasta noodle…The Barge Inn has character that you rarely see any more especially with all the other restaurants popping up in DTJC.”

 Two regulars, Brian Oâ€Day and Betty Kennan stopped by on a recent Thursday night for their favorite dishes.

“I like the pork chop,” Oâ€Day says, “and Betty likes the Chicken Invotini which is Chicken Rollatini with prosciutto, mozzarella in a tomato Alfredo sauce.”

“The meatballs are great, too,” Keenan says. “They remind me of my motherâ€s.”

If you go:

The Barge Inn Restaurant

324 Third St

Jersey City

(201) 420-3268

The post Step Back in Time for Old World Italian Cuisine at the Barge Inn Restaurant in Jersey City first appeared on River View Observer.