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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.