Fort Lee-area Italian

[scarlet knight]

We often go out to eat with my in-laws. Tonight we went to Prego in Cliffside Park. We didn't like the food, the service or the billowing cigarette smoke. Does anyone have any Italian restaurant recommendations in the Fort Lee area?

[Jason Perlow]

Amalfi, in Cliffside Park, but its very pricey.

If youre willing to drive 15 minutes, Jerry's Osteria in Tenafly. Best Italian in the entire area, without question.

Cafe Italiano in Englewood Cliffs, the official meeting place of the NJ Sopranos fan club -- in the former summer home of 1920's-30's era NYC mayor Jimmy Walker. Cheesy name, very mobster type of place, but great food.

Patsy's Restaurant in Fairview for archetypical italian-american stuff in a smoky bar type atmosphere. Doesn't fit your no-smokey requirement but I like their food.

[Jason Perlow]

Recieved this email from one of our users who wishes to be nameless for the time being. I'm posting this because I think every opinion needs to be heard, and lest anyone think the founder of this site shouldn't be open to criticism:

Jason,I so totally disagree with your post about Italian rest. in the Fort Lee area that I do not want to make my STRONG remarks public and I do believe that you do a dis-service to anyone reading that post.

I was completely dumbfounded to learn that you thought the food at Cafe Italiano was "great". No one that I know of ever thought that the food there was any more than  mediocre at best and it exists only because of its location and that they have a large outdoor dining area, parking and low prices. Have a salad, some

veal, chicken or pasta and you're okay. That does not qualify as an Italian rest. nor a great one.

The same can be said for Jerry's. Absolutely no innovations and the same dishes you will find in a thousand other rest. of its ilk. Being Italian and having his resources I thought that he and his wife would create a fine rest. with an unussual menu of Italian specialties that would set him apart from therest of the packbut to me all it is is just another cash cow for him.

Villa Amalfi is very expensive as you say but the food is in my opinion a shame. No wonder that ownership changes faster than the seasons. I am the first person in this area who would love to see a truly upscale rest. which would serve "great" food no matter French, Italian, etc. but why is it no one has ever tried.

If you believe that Cafe Italiano serves "great food", that's fine but to me Jason that only proves that you have no idea what-so-ever what really fine Italian cooking is all about. Go to the likes of L'Impero in New York and make a comparison and then comment about great food.

I would hope that I have not insulted you but I am so angry at your post that I feel compelled to answer you in the way I have. After all, we all have our opinions and I respect yours but I am convinced that you mis-lead other Guleteers who are searching for fine rest. with these comments.

I'll just say that all of my reccomendations are Italian-American restaurants, IN THE FORT LEE AREA, all of which I feel are good, but if you are looking for traditional and super-authentic Italian cuisine, a fine dining experience (emphasis on fine here) and anything other than an honest good, satisfying Italian-American meal, then get the hell out of Jersey and head towards the Bronx for Roberto's in Belmont near the Arthur Avenue area which is known for its fresh pasta dishes, or to any number of very good places in NYC -- Babbo, Lupa, Esca, Felidia, Il Mulino, Becco, etc.

Otherwise, short of coming up with better recommendations than these (and I think you'd be hard pressed to, because of the utter lack of notable Italian places in the area), I think the ones I recommended are fine.

[tommy]

jason, i thought i asked you not to mis-lead me.

[dknyc1]

I live in this area, right near Cafe Italiano & I dont think it is very good.

Here is where we go:

Cheap & great, especially w/ my 2 year old daughter = PIZZA KING

Little nicer & decent food - nicer but not as good as PIZZA KING = Armondos

Grisini - very good & very pricey

Amarone - in Teaneck - very good, not pricey & nice atmosphere - they will make you anything you want - on the menu or not - we eat there often

[Jason Perlow]

Armondos? The one on Main Street? Hasnt it been closed for several years and replaced with a Korean restaurant?

Pizza King is a Pizza restaurant, it wasnt even on my list of stuff to consider -- but yeah, they do decent red sauce stuff and their pies are okay. I used to live literally a block away. You might as well put Big Red Tomato on that list then. For Pizza though, I vastly prefer Fort Lee Pizza on Lemoine. There's another place, Francos, off 46 in that shopping center right off Fort Lee Road that is good for low-end stuff as well.

Edited March 24, 2003 by Jason Perlow (log)

[menton1]

Looks like Jerry's Osteria in Tenafly has closed, the place is empty and the sign says "closed for renovation", an indication that it will never open again--- guess Jerry will have to confine himself to the Italian Specialties and the Perfume/Cosmetics in Englewood.

[Rosie]

When you call Jerry's phone the answering machine says "Closed for Renovations." That can mean anything.

[menton1]

A call to Jerry's deli in Englewood about the closing gets the response "We don't know if it will ever open again". I don't know the exact stats, but it seems that 98% of the time when you see a sign "Closed for renovation" it usually indicates "Closed forever".

[shugga]

Franco's in Fort Lee, in the Pathmark Shopping Center off of Rt. 46, is renovating. I dropped in today to get a slice of pizza for my mother, and they have the place all torn apart. It looks like a major job.

Edited April 10, 2004 by shugga (log)

[scarlet knight]

We ate at La Famiglia in Bogota and I must say that I enjoyed it for what it is. It is a middle-of-the-road red sauce Italian restaurant. It's no Babbo, but the service was good, it's BYOB (which we prefer), the dishes were correctly prepared and the prices were very fair.

I had Eggplant Parm with linguine and a complimentary salad for $9.95. That can't be beat outside of a pizza joint. A comparable red sauce Italian in our town is charging $14.95 for meatballs and spaghetti!

Again, not haute cuisine, but casual, good and a value.