Dishes inspired by Sicilian Family Recipes                    

By Sally Deering

To Sal Albanese, the owner and chef of Prestoâ€s restaurant on Warren Street in Jersey City, food should be simply prepared and lightly seasoned to let the flavor of every ingredient shine through. Too many ingredients and seasonings can overwhelm instead of meld flavors.

Albanese serves his personal philosophy with every plate that comes out of Prestoâ€s kitchen where truly authentic Italian cuisine is the star of the show. Inspired by recipes handed down from family in Sicily – south of “the boot” – Albaneseâ€s dishes stand out because theyâ€re made with fresh, flavorful ingredients.

“A lot of my menu is from family recipes, friends, things you pick up along the way,” Albanese says. “My mother has given me so much info, and a lot of it has to do with how we prepare the sauce. We do it the way my mom made it at home.”

The cozy Warren Street eatery seats 30 and itâ€s open for dinner from 5-to-10 pm every day except Sunday. Regulars keep the place hopping and now that winter is here, deliveries are up, too. And although the menu hasnâ€t changed much since Prestoâ€s opened in 1991, there are specials and signature dishes that have regulars coming back for more.

“We sell a lot of Pasta Carbonara, Chicken Parmigiana, and Chicken Marsala,” Albanese says. “Weâ€ve started doing pizza deliveries, too.”

Prestoâ€s menu features appetizers like Shrimp Cocktail, Baked Clams, and Mussels Marinara ($8.95-$13.95); and salads like Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil; and Grilled Shrimp, Portobello and Mozzarella (each $9.95).

For pasta lovers thereâ€s Manicotti, Stuffed Shells, Baked Ziti, Spaghetti and Meatball, and Pasta Carbonara ($12.95-$16.05). Chicken entrees feature Chicken Francese, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Parmigiano and Chicken Piccata ($15.95-$16.95). Seafood dishes include Shrimp Scampi, Shrimp Parmigiana, Shrimp Marinara, Seafood Marinara and Linguine with Clams (red or white; $!8.95-$23.95). Eggplant is also on the menu served either Parmigiana-or-Rollatini style ($14.95-$16.05).

Prestoâ€s Pizza Menu is almost Zen-like: four types, plain and simple: The Small Pie (10-inch; $6.95); Large Pie (16-inch; $12.95); Grandma Pie ($13.95) and Margherita Pie ($15.95). You can get extra toppings, too, ($1 ea. for small pies; $2 ea. for large pies.) Toppings include pepperoni, sausage, meatball, mushrooms, peppers, onions, black olives and anchovies.

Albanese, a self-proclaimed pizza fan, takes pizza very seriously. Ingredients must be carefully chosen and the sauce must be flavorful.

“The sauce is important, the type of cheese you use is important, too,” Albanese says. “For a good pizza sauce you need it thicker and a little on the sweet side. You want to taste the flavors of everything – the bread, the cheese, the sauce.”

Born and raised in Jersey City, Albanese says he likes how the city has changed since he opened Prestoâ€s in the early 1990s. Residential buildings have been popping up all around his restaurant at a rapid rate; bringing more people into the quaint neighborhood not far from the Hudson waterfront.

“The residential buildings around us are going up so quickly now; 10-and-20-story buildings,” Albanese says. “Thatâ€s a lot of people moving into the area; a lot of cool people. The city is changing rapidly. Itâ€s terrific for Jersey City. Iâ€ve seen a lot of changes and this is the change you want.”

 If you go

Prestoâ€s restaurant

199 Warren St, JC

201-433-6639

Hours:  Mon-Sat, 5-10 pm

The post Presto’s Restaurant serves Authentic Italian Cuisine in Jersey City first appeared on River View Observer.

Rita & Joeâ€s New Chef adds Hip to the Menu

Seasonings are Key to Great Flavors

By Sally Deering

Nestled in Jersey Cityâ€s Marion Section, west of Journal Square, Rita & Joeâ€s Italian Restaurant has been serving customers since 1985 when owners Rita and Joe Pane turned a “beer and shots” bar into a popular neighborhood eatery

Fast forward to 2015. Rita & Joeâ€s celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year, but instead of relying on the old standbys, Isabel “Izzy” Pane (Ritaâ€s daughter-in-law) has made some changes to keep up with the changing times. She brought on Chef Stephen McCall, a 1999 graduate of the New York Restaurant School who, along with Izzy, has revamped Rita & Joeâ€s menu with a contemporary take on tradition. Ritaâ€s signature dishes like Eggplant and Chicken Parmigiana are still offered, but Chef Stephen has created some new dishes flavored with carefully chosen seasonings and using all fresh ingredients. You wonâ€t find store-bought pastas at this restaurant; everything is made fresh and to order.“Our big change is weâ€re focusing on fresh made pastas, fresh ingredients, and more up-to-date cooking techniques so we can cater to a wider variety of people,” Chef Stephen says. “Iâ€m focusing on seasonal food; itâ€s not the same menu all year long. As the ingredients are available; thatâ€s what weâ€ll use.”

The homemade pasta dishes include Salmon Cappelletti with melted leeks and peas, and a white wine cream; Radiatore Vongole with garlic, grape tomatoes, white wine and crispy leeks; Fettuccine Putanesca with Kalamata and green olives, caper berries, anchovies and marinara; Gnocchi Fresca with fresh tomato, spring onion, asparagus and white wine; Ricotta Strangliopretti with oven-dried tomatoes, roasted eggplant, fennel and shaved ricotta salata; Manicotti Fatto, home-made manicotti shells stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella cheese, shrimp and broccoli rabe in a pink vodka sauce; and Mezzaluna made with shrimp, leeks, tomato and saffron sauce. ($10.95-$16.95)

Antipasto dishes feature Stuffed Peppadew Peppers with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, artichoke hearts and cherry peppers; Fried Calamari; Grilled Octopus; Ritaâ€s Meatballs; Brasaola Carpaccio; and Truffle Gnocchi and Meatballs. ($7.95-$12.95) Insalata (salads) include the Orange and Fennel; Caesar; and Baby Spinach. ($6.95; add Shrimp or Chicken for $5.95) Pizzas are the Margarita; Prosciutto; Funghi; and Sausage and Peppers. ($8.95-$11.95)

The Entratas (entrees) offer a kaleidoscope of flavors like the Grilled Bronzino with charred lemon vinaigrette, broccoli rabe, crispy pancetta and red bliss potatoes; Roasted Salmon with oven-roasted tomato risotto, grilled fennel and a tomato fennel broth; Grilled Teres Major with Rosemary roasted potatoes, green beans, and red wine jus; Grilled Twin Pork Chops with asparagus, mushroom, potato hash and pomegranate balsamic drizzle; Chicken Montebianco, two chicken breasts layered with prosciutto, spinach and shrimp in a sherry cream sauce; Chicken Sorrentino with prosciutto, fried eggplant, mozzarella cheese combined with chicken breast and sherried marinara sauce; and Braised Short Ribs with parmesan mashed potatoes, baby carrots and barolo jus. ($15.95-$25.95)

“We have the classics, too,” Izzy says, “like our Chicken Cardinal with roasted peppers, prosciutto, sautéed shrimp and mozzarella; and our Eggplant Parmigiana, which is available all the time. So is the Chicken Parmigiana. These are Ritaâ€s recipes from when we first opened and they are always on the menu.”

Chef Stephen honors the traditional recipes that Rita & Joeâ€s has served to their customers over the years, but heâ€s added his own contemporary twist. And if a customer requests something thatâ€s not on the menu, just like another Rita & Joeâ€s tradition, Chef Stephen says he will always try to fulfill the request.

“As long as I have the ingredients, thereâ€s no reason for me to say no,” Chef Stephen says. “We will always try to accommodate everybody.”

Chef Stephen brings to Rita & Joeâ€s a passion for cooking that goes back to when he was a kid watching his parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts create dishes for the family meals.

“In my family, everyoneâ€s a good cook,” Chef Stephen says. “We would have these big family dinners at Grandmaâ€s house in Spotswood. Russian food was our big staple. Weâ€d have 30-40 people gathered around the table on holidays.”

At Rita & Joeâ€s there are daily specials; and they make their own desserts. The restaurant is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner; and thereâ€s a banquet room adjacent to the restaurant for Christenings, baby showers, graduation parties, wedding receptions and corporate functions.

And although Jersey Cityâ€s Marion section continues to undergo change – the new Mana Contemporary art museum and art storage facility is located just down the street – Rita & Joeâ€s continues to be a neighborhood staple and go-to destination for traditional Italian cuisine.

“Weâ€ve been here 30 years,” Izzy says. “Weâ€ve become one of Jersey Cityâ€s landmarks.”

If you go

Rita & Joeâ€s

142 Broadway, JC

(201) 451-3606

www.rita-joes.com

Kitchen opens: Mon-Thurs, 11:30 am – 9:45 pm

Fri, 11:30 am – 10:45 pm; Sat, 1 – 10:45 pm

Sun, 1 pm – 9 pm

 

The post Rita and Joe’s Traditional Italian Cuisine with Contemporary Flair 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.