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.

 In the Marion Section of Jersey City on Broadway near the Pulaski Skyway entrance is where youâ€ll find Rita & Joeâ€s, an Italian eatery that as soon as you walk in the door it feels like home.

 Rita & Joe Pane bought the place in 1985 when it was called the Broadway Tavern, a neighborhood hangout where the bar took up most of the room. Rita would make Chicken and Shrimp Parmigiana sandwiches and dinners for the customers and take out dishes they could enjoy at home. Soon, the bar got smaller and the dining room got bigger as more and more customers came in for the food and became regulars. 

 

In 2007, Rita & Joeâ€s son Michael died suddenly from a heart aneurism and Joe passed away from a stroke a short time later, leaving Rita and her daughter-in-law Isabel (“Izzy”) to take over the business. 

 “Being here is what saved me and the kids,” Izzy says. “Being here kept me going.”

 Running the business together has bonded the two women, although Izzy says:  “We were always close.”

 At 81, Rita comes to work every day to make her special desserts and Izzy oversees staff and ensures guests are welcomed. Thereâ€s a whole lotta love in this restaurant and on a recent visit, as Rita sat talking with a guest in a booth by the door, customers on their way out came over to take her hand and kiss her cheek as if they were saying goodbye to a beloved grandmother.

 The dishes at Rita & Joeâ€s are as authentically Italian as youâ€ll ever get in New Jersey.

Known for their big portions, Rita & Joeâ€s doesnâ€t skimp on anything. The basket of warm crusty Italian bread served at your table as soon as you arrive is bottomless and thatâ€s just to get you warmed up and in the mood for a big dinner. The menu overflows with choices and hereâ€s just a sampling of Appetizers, Soups, Salads, Pizza, Pasta, and Entrees you might enjoy:

For Cold Appetizers you might like the Antipasto (Sm. $8.95; Lg. $15.95), Seafood Salad ($11.95), Clams on the Half Shell (1/2 Doz. $7.95), Shrimp Cocktail ($10.95) or Homemade Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Roasted Peppers ($10.95); Hot Appetizers include Calamari (fried or marinara $8.95), Spedini alla Romano ($8.95), Thinly-Sliced Hot Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions with Roasted Garlic and Mozzarella Cheese ($9.95) and Baked Clams ($8.95).

Soups include Pasta e Fagioli (cup $3.95; bowl $4.95) and Chicken Stracatelle (cup $2.95; bowl $3.95); and the Salad menu features Orange and Cheese Salad with Grilled Shrimp ($10.95), Sliced Grilled Steak Spinach Salad ($10.95) and Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad ($10.95). Pizza loverscan order a Personal Size Pizza (10 inch pie $7.95 and $1.50 for each additional topping).

Entrees are served with a choice of soup or salad and pasta or vegetable and feature a vast choice of Veal, Chicken and Pasta Dishes including : Veal Milanese, tender scallopine of veal egg dipped and breaded with seasoned breadcrumbs. ($17.95); and Veal Picata, thin slices of veal lightly sautéed in a white wine and lemon sauce with capers ($17.95). Chicken Dishes include Chicken Francese, egg dipped and sautéed boneless breast of chicken in a white wine, lemon and Parmesan cheese sauce. ($15.95); and Chicken Parmigiana, breaded chicken cutlet baked with marinara sauce and topped with homemade mozzarella cheese ($15.95).

The Pastas are homemade using only the finest ingredients. For example, you might want to try the Cheese Ravioli Marinara, traditional pasta pillows stuffed with Ricotta Cheese ($11.95); or Linguini Puttanesca, linguini in a zesty sauce of roasted garlic, plum tomatoes, capers and a hint of anchovy ($11.95).  Rita’s Signature Pasta Dishes are Ravioli Fatto in Casa, homemade Ravioli topped with sautéed Shrimp, Portobello mushrooms and Sundried Tomatoes in a Pink Vodka Sauce ($16.95) and Manicotti Fatto in Casa, homemade Manicotti shells stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella cheese, shrimp and sautéed Broccoli Rabe in a Pink Vodka Sauce ($15.95).

There are daily specials and the restaurant is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. Thereâ€s also a newly-renovated catering hall in the back that holds 25-100 people and is perfect for corporate functions, bridal and baby showers and all types of celebrations.

One regular whose grown children live in California says they prefer dining at Rita & Joeâ€s when theyâ€re visiting back east.

“People in Jersey City donâ€t say ‘Iâ€m going to Rita & Joeâ€s for dinner.â€â€ he says. “They say ‘Iâ€m going home.â€â€

If you go:

Rita & Joeâ€s

142 Broadway

Jersey City (201) 451-3606

Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11:30 am-9:45 pm; Fri: 11:30 am-10:45 pm; Sat: 1-10:45 pm

The post Rita and Joe’s Authentic Italian Cuisine-Popular Jersey City Restaurant serves Rita’s Special Recipes with a Whole Lotta Love first appeared on River View Observer.