New Jersey knows how to do Italian. This is one thing I have learned time and time again. You just can't find a chicken parmesan in D.C. like the chicken parm you get in New Jersey! This past weekend, I was lucky enough to be invited to my boyfriend's sister's (Michele's) 30th surprise party. When we saw that we would be going to Il Michelangelo, an Italian place that Michele had talked about in length the last time she visited, we knew not only would there be great company, there would be great food.
Now I would just like to caveat that this dining experience was a little bit different than the restaurants I typically review as we were part of a private party in a special room upstairs. For this reason, I can't comment on the overall dining or date night experience, which leads me to talk at length about the food. I also can't promise that all of these dishes are normally on the menu. Just don't want there to be any Petit Food Lover backlash, so forgive the disclaimers!
Hands down, I would say that Il Michelangelo fed us the best stuffed mushrooms I have ever had and Italian style pork.
The meal started with your favorite Italian restaurant hors d'oeuvres - fried calamari, mini risotto balls (Michele's favorite) and the stuffed mushrooms. I should have really paced myself considering what was to come, but I definitely pigged out during the appetizer course because it was so good.
Next came the penne a la vodka. Now typically I would not have this dish because my stomach tends to revolt when I eat tomato, but I could not pass it up and it was delicious. I truly appreciated the peas and prosciutto mixed into the sauce.
After the penne, we had caesar salad, which was delicious, but I must admit I could only have a couple of bites. The last course was a choice between chicken parmesan (Chris chose this obviously), an eggplant rotini and a pork dish with a demi glaze. Since I had maxed out on the tomato front with the penne, I chose the pork and it was AMAZING. It reminded me of a chicken marsala sauce, but slightly thicker. The pork was stuffed with apricots, breadcrumbs and raisins. I could eat that pork and those mushrooms forever.
I have to give a special shout out to Michele's hubby, Drew for planning a wonderful meal. I would go back to Il Michelangelo every single time I am in New Jersey.
Il Michelangelo you get 4.5 dumplings out of 5. Saving .5 for the next time when I experience the typical dining experience!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Bibiana - Washington, D.C.
I won't bore all of you with another introduction about how I think the Italian food in Washington, D.C. is poor! I will say that when a colleague of mine sent me a link from Esquire Magazine with a review of Bibiana, I knew I had to try it for restaurant week.
So on the last night of restaurant week, a very cold, Sunday, Chris and I ventured out for a comforting Italian meal. We each started the evening with delicious choices - I chose a fried risotto ball with mozzarella cheese and Chris chose a polpette (or large meat ball) over polenta. I would venture to say that for me the appetizer dish was my favorite of the evening with a close second going to the dessert. The risotto ball was delicious and perfectly fried. The risotto oozed out and hit the spot on a cold night. While I tend to avoid tomato at all costs, I did eat up the dusting of marina on the bottom of the plate since it was so well prepared. Chris' meat ball also blew me away. High points for the appetizer course all around!
On to the entree. Many of you may not know that I have a weakness for sage, butter and veal. I know a lot of people do not like veal, which is completely understandable, but it just happens to be a meat I have grown up eating and very much enjoy. So when I saw there were veal-filled ravioli served with a butter and sage sauce on the menu, I nearly jumped out of my chair. To clarify, I made this discovery at my office five days before going to the restaurant, so I went into Bibiana full well knowing what I was going to get. The dish was delicious and I would only rank it third of the three dishes I had that evening because I was so pleasantly surprised by the appetizer and dessert. I will say that during this course, I felt a little rushed and did not appreciate when the waitress watched me eat my last bite before taking away my plate. Chris also enjoyed his beef cheeks served over... wait for it...polenta. In retrospect, he probably should not have gotten two polenta dishes, but he did really like it.
Finally, for dessert, I ordered chocolate sorbet and Chris ordered panna cotta. I had never had panna cotta before, but as soon as I tasted Chris' dessert, I knew I would need to trade dishes with him because it was to die for! It turned out to work out very nicely because Chris happens to love chocolate sorbet. The panna cotta was served with crumbled amaretto cookie on top, which sealed the meal for me.
Overall, Chris and I had a great time at Bibiana, but I think we would have both liked to spend more time there. We were finished eating in about an hour, which can happen for restaurant week, but still.... I also wish that Bibiana were a touch more affordable since we all know D.C. could certainly use an affordable Italian joint. Bibiana you get 4.25 dumplings out of 5.
www.bibianadc.com
So on the last night of restaurant week, a very cold, Sunday, Chris and I ventured out for a comforting Italian meal. We each started the evening with delicious choices - I chose a fried risotto ball with mozzarella cheese and Chris chose a polpette (or large meat ball) over polenta. I would venture to say that for me the appetizer dish was my favorite of the evening with a close second going to the dessert. The risotto ball was delicious and perfectly fried. The risotto oozed out and hit the spot on a cold night. While I tend to avoid tomato at all costs, I did eat up the dusting of marina on the bottom of the plate since it was so well prepared. Chris' meat ball also blew me away. High points for the appetizer course all around!
On to the entree. Many of you may not know that I have a weakness for sage, butter and veal. I know a lot of people do not like veal, which is completely understandable, but it just happens to be a meat I have grown up eating and very much enjoy. So when I saw there were veal-filled ravioli served with a butter and sage sauce on the menu, I nearly jumped out of my chair. To clarify, I made this discovery at my office five days before going to the restaurant, so I went into Bibiana full well knowing what I was going to get. The dish was delicious and I would only rank it third of the three dishes I had that evening because I was so pleasantly surprised by the appetizer and dessert. I will say that during this course, I felt a little rushed and did not appreciate when the waitress watched me eat my last bite before taking away my plate. Chris also enjoyed his beef cheeks served over... wait for it...polenta. In retrospect, he probably should not have gotten two polenta dishes, but he did really like it.
Finally, for dessert, I ordered chocolate sorbet and Chris ordered panna cotta. I had never had panna cotta before, but as soon as I tasted Chris' dessert, I knew I would need to trade dishes with him because it was to die for! It turned out to work out very nicely because Chris happens to love chocolate sorbet. The panna cotta was served with crumbled amaretto cookie on top, which sealed the meal for me.
Overall, Chris and I had a great time at Bibiana, but I think we would have both liked to spend more time there. We were finished eating in about an hour, which can happen for restaurant week, but still.... I also wish that Bibiana were a touch more affordable since we all know D.C. could certainly use an affordable Italian joint. Bibiana you get 4.25 dumplings out of 5.
www.bibianadc.com
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Cafe Michelina - Hoboken, N.J.
Now Hoboken knows how to do Italian! When I first went to Hoboken I was blown away by all of the Italian restaurant options. Repeatedly, I was drawn to Tutta Pasta because I loved the name and the menu had a wide variety of non tomato options. While the restaurant lived up to the name and my expectations, each time we went there, Chris would reflect on his favorite Italian restaurant in Hoboken - Cafe Michelina - the best chicken parmesan he ever had!! He finally persuaded me to try this Italian establishment over the holiday vacation.
The minute you walk into the restaurant, you can tell it is a gem and run by a lovely Italian family. The staff is very nice and bent over backwards to make sure five of us could get a table on a night where it was already packed with reservations (including a table with what must have been more than 20 people). The menu is full of Italian favorites such as baked ziti, chicken francese, penne vodka and more.
On this particular night, I was feeling overloaded by all of the food we had consumed over the vacation, so I opted for a "lighter" dish and chose the shrimp scampi. Oddly, I liked and disliked the dish for the same reason. What I liked about Cafe Michelina's version of shrimp scampi was that it was very light and not overloaded with garlic. Instead, it was prepared in a lemon wine sauce and served over spaghetti and I didn't leave feeling too full, which often happens with Italian. That said, I did think the dish slightly lacked an element of flavor, which might prevent me from ordering it in the future unless I am again craving something light.
But what truly knocked my socks off was Chris' chicken parmesan. He was right! I could only try a little bit because of the tomato, but it was beyond delicious. I would highly recommend it so much so that I am eager to get back to Hoboken soon so I can try the establishment's chicken francese. (I saw this come out of the kitchen and it looked amazing.)
Most of all, I would choose Cafe Michelina if you are catching up with good friends. We had a great time and the fact that the restaurant is your BYOB added to the charm.
Cafe Michelina you get 4.5 dumplings out of 5. Good pick, Chris!
http://www.cafemichelina.com/
The minute you walk into the restaurant, you can tell it is a gem and run by a lovely Italian family. The staff is very nice and bent over backwards to make sure five of us could get a table on a night where it was already packed with reservations (including a table with what must have been more than 20 people). The menu is full of Italian favorites such as baked ziti, chicken francese, penne vodka and more.
On this particular night, I was feeling overloaded by all of the food we had consumed over the vacation, so I opted for a "lighter" dish and chose the shrimp scampi. Oddly, I liked and disliked the dish for the same reason. What I liked about Cafe Michelina's version of shrimp scampi was that it was very light and not overloaded with garlic. Instead, it was prepared in a lemon wine sauce and served over spaghetti and I didn't leave feeling too full, which often happens with Italian. That said, I did think the dish slightly lacked an element of flavor, which might prevent me from ordering it in the future unless I am again craving something light.
But what truly knocked my socks off was Chris' chicken parmesan. He was right! I could only try a little bit because of the tomato, but it was beyond delicious. I would highly recommend it so much so that I am eager to get back to Hoboken soon so I can try the establishment's chicken francese. (I saw this come out of the kitchen and it looked amazing.)
Most of all, I would choose Cafe Michelina if you are catching up with good friends. We had a great time and the fact that the restaurant is your BYOB added to the charm.
Cafe Michelina you get 4.5 dumplings out of 5. Good pick, Chris!
http://www.cafemichelina.com/
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