SamVera in Marlboro

[rozrapp]

When it first opened more than 2 years ago, SamVera was what we and our friends called “that mystery place.” We thought it was probably a new restaurant, but we weren’t quite certain. The freestanding building it’s in had previously housed a restaurant called Nardino, which we tried twice, then gave up on because the food was less than mediocre. It didn’t last long – no surprise there – and the building stood idle for a very long time. One day, a construction crew showed up, and work went on for many months. Then, a sign went up: “SamVera.” That’s all it said. And that was all the information we had. As I said, we all figured it was a new restaurant, but nobody had a clue what kind it was. And there was not, nor has there ever been, any advertising in the local rag, aka The News Transcript, which is where all new restaurants announce their arrival. Also, nothing in the various “shoppers” that clutter our mailboxes or in the envelopes stuffed with coupons that also arrive regularly.

When I eventually learned that it was an Italian restaurant, my reaction was, “Just what we need -- another Italian!” They are ubiquitous in our area, but, as far as I'm concerned, there isn’t a truly decent one in the bunch. (Note to Menton1: A glut of mediocre Italian restaurants is not limited to northern NJ.) So, since we didn’t know anyone who had been to SamVera, we put off trying it, not wanting to face another disappointing Italian meal. Then, I came across this post here on eGullet:

albie Posted: Jun 13 2003, 02:31 PM

With the closure of Assaggia in Wood Ridge, I would be hard-pressed to pick another New Jersey Italian that enthuses me; maybe Samvera in Monmouth County would get my nod currently.

I was intrigued. Time to give it a try. We have now been there a number of times for dinner during the week, always at an early hour when reservations have not been necessary.

SamVera is on Route 520, less than a quarter mile off Route 79, which, at first blush, would seem to be quite a good location in terms of traffic. But it’s actually off the proverbial beaten track, making it a place one needs to know is there. While there is a front entrance, there’s also an entrance from the large parking lot in the rear. (One reaches either entrance up a long flight of stairs.) Entering from the back, one makes one’s way around some passageways, past the kitchen, and, finally, into the formal entry area. There’s a separate bar on one side, and the dining room on the other. A flight of stairs leads up to what are probably other dining spaces – at least that was the situation when the place was Nardino.

The dining room is of medium size, and the new owners kept Nardino’s furnishings. The walls are a soft pastel yellow, decorated with paintings of Italian scenes. The lighting is fine: high enough to read the menus, but low enough for ambiance. Tables are capacious, draped with white linen, and well spaced. Floral-covered chairs add a big splash of pizazz to the room. Overall, an attractive and comfortable space.

The breadbasket, which arrives immediately after diners are seated, holds very good crusty Italian bread and some fabulous rectangular flatbread. There is also lots of ultra-tasty bread sticks. Sometimes they are tall and come in a glass; other times, shorter and placed in the basket. Regardless, they are totally addictive! All these items are made in-house. Butter is provided, and there’s olive oil in attractive cruets on the table.

The menu contains many of the usual suspects. There are daily specials; however, they are recited at the table without prices! We are not shy about asking for prices, and here’s an example of why one should do so when they are not stated. At our first dinner, my husband and I decided that we would share an appetizer and were considering one of the specials: imported buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes. It turned out to be $12.50. The mozzarella with roasted peppers on the regular menu was $6.95. We didn’t feel like spending almost double just to get the imported cheese. So we went with the dish on the regular menu. The large platter that arrived held very generous portions of tasty cheese, excellent ripe tomato slices, and glistening roasted peppers, with pieces of fresh basil strewn around, and a good balsamic vinaigrette. An attractively presented and delicious first course. And we saved ourselves $5+.

When I go to an Italian restaurant for the first time and Veal Piccata is on the menu, I usually choose it because I find it a good indication of the kitchen’s skill. I am pleased to report that SamVera’s version ($16.95) is one of the best I’ve ever had. The veal was very tender and perfectly sautéed. The picatta sauce was an excellent blending of lemon and wine: neither overpowered the other and, as Goldilocks might say, not too thick, not too watery, but just right. I’ve had it again on a subsequent visit, and it was as good as the first time. Consistency… I love consistency!

My husband ordered the Pappardelle Bolognese ($12.95). I tasted it and agreed with him that it was delicious. I believe the pappardelle are made in house. They were cooked just to the right point, and the sauce was rich and meaty.

We started another meal by sharing the Cold Antipasto ($9.95). The platter held a variety of cold cuts and cheeses, as well as roasted peppers, black and green olive, and some mixed greens. The plate was perfectly dressed -- just enough oil and vinegar without being overpowering. Each and every item was delicious, and the portion size was generous. This is one of the best antipasto platters we have ever had.

When the weather got colder, we ordered the Pasta e Fagioles soup that had been added to the menu. Delectible!

At one meal, we both chose the Veal Milanese Capriciosa ($24.95), a veal chop, pounded thin and topped with a salad of arugula and tomatoes. It’s not a dish that is easy to get right, but SamVera’s kitchen did an admirable job. The chop was pounded to extreme thinness, coated with the breading, then perfectly deep-fried – golden brown and crispy. It arrived piping hot and covered the entire plate. Most of the salad toppings I have encountered have been composed of leaves torn into fairly large pieces and the tomatoes cut into small chunks. However, in SamVera’s version, all the greens were chopped very small and the tomatoes were finely minced. A balsamic dressing gave the mix good flavor. A well-excecuted, tasty classic.

At another meal, we ordered whole branzino, roasted and de-boned tableside. A very light lemon sauce added just the right type of additional flavor to the mild filets.

Another time, I asked if the kitchen would prepare something that is not on the menu – shrimp francese. (For some reason, sole or flounder is listed prepared that way, but not shrimp.) No problem! The kitchen is happy to prepare dishes that are not on the menu. The chef turned out very succulent shrimp, with a lovely egg-y “crust” in a light wine sauce.

One of the things I detest about most of our local Italian restaurants is that all main courses are accompanied by pasta covered with awful red sauce. Thankfully, this is not done at SamVera. Instead, accompaniments are terrific roasted potatoes and perfectly cooked vegetables.

We’ve shared only a couple of the desserts, all of which are homemade. The tiramisu is exemplary; there’s a wonderful tortoni (something we hadn’t had in I don’t know how long); and, while, the ricotta cheesecake has good flavor, I thought it just a shade too dry.

Service has always been excellent. But I don’t have any idea how it is on a busy Saturday night. Also, I can’t tell you about the noise level when the room is full. But each time we’ve been there, they were playing recorded music: opera, Sinatra – anything Italian.

As we were leaving at the end of our first dinner, one of the owners thanked us for our patronage. I took the opportunity to ask him why there had been absolutely no advertising. He said that when they first opened, they felt that if they advertised, they would be inundated with customers, and they had preferred to build up their clientele more slowly. It would appear that things have gone well for them because, as I mentioned earlier, there still hasn’t been any advertising. I also asked him about the name. It’s a combination of the names of two of the owners’ children.

Despite a few negatives -- the butter comes in foil wrappers; I’m not crazy about music when I dine out; and the aforementioned recitation of specials sans prices, one of my major restaurant pet peeves -- we will continue to patronize SamVera regularly because there is seriously delicious food coming out of its kitchen.

SamVera

476 Route 520

Marlboro

732-834-9667

Dress Code: Casual

Smoking: Only in the bar

Closed Monday

[Rosie]

Thanks for taking the time to give us this thorough report.

[Phil Ward]

And, my question is:

How's the wine program at SamVera?

Phil

[rozrapp]

How's the wine program at SamVera?

Since I don't drink wine, I can't tell you much about the list. My husband has always ordered by the glass there, usually a chianti.

[albie]

Thanks for the excellent review Rozrapp; I've not been back to Samvera's, but your commentary squares quite well with my recollection. if it weren't for the fact that my job-- food and wine-related-- takes me frequently to NYC, I certainly would have returned to this place. One caveat for diners is that it struck me as NYC-pricey, which would put it in the ```special occasion" category for most folks.

It certainly erased my memory of Nardino's, its predecessor at that location. One of the few regrets in my entire history of eating out was not having immediately walked out once I looked around; the place was shoddy, unkempt and the food, predictably, was sodden and beneath contempt.

By the way, I understand from neighbors who've been there that around the corner, in a strip mall on Route 79 is a place with food that compares favorably with Samvera... I believe it's called Meditteraneo. My reports say it's staffed by refugees from the NYC restaurant scene, BYOB and, again, NYC-pricey, i.e. $32 for a veal chop.

[rozrapp]

Albie, Since it was your comment that finally got me to try SamVera, I owe you a great big "Thank you!" While you are probably correct that prices are "New York-y-ish," it has never bothered us because we eat in NYC a lot and are used to those kinds of prices; we have tended to share apps and desserts, so the bills have not been outrageous; and, most important, the food is so delicious that we are willing to pay the freight.

Ristorante Mediterraneo is located in the Acme Supermarket strip, at the intersection of Route 79 and Ryan Road. Some poeple I know have had dinner there and said it was good. But, frankly, I generally tend to take what they say with a grain of salt because I have found that my idea of what "good" means doesn't always agree with theirs, i.e., many restaurants that they like, I don't. However, it is on my "go to" list.

I have also heard good things about Trabelli's (yes, another Italian ) on Route 9, in Old Bridge. My husband and I attempted to try it last week. However, it being the holiday season, they had a couple of large tables of extremely noisy celebrants, so we decided to leave and try it at a quieter time.

[albie]

Roz, I travel the Route 9 corridor almost daily and I have wondered often about Trabelli's and it too is on my list to try. At the risk of hijacking this thread, I was intrigued by what you said about how you and your husband split appetizers and deserts. Sicce I find it impossible to pass up pasta when I'm in an Italian place, ny wife and I often order appetizers, split a pasta and then split an entree (usually a roasted fish)... that is, if they don't balk; and pass on dessert.

[Rebecca263]

BUMP! I am thrilled with this restaurant! My sister, who is much more financially gilded than I, takes me here a bit, and it is my FAVORITE Italian restaurant in NJ. BTW, I can't say about the wine prices, but the wine list is decent...and the bar is thorough as well! Plus, where in NYC are you all eating? This place is a lot less expensive to me, than most places we frequent in the city. Unless you order the Sea Bass, at around a hundred bucks, of course. I mean, most entrees are less than 20 bucks, and salads are around 7, that seems light to me, for the quality. The Bolognese is addictive (14.95 March, 2006), as is the salmon, and they will prepare anything as you wish, which I adore! The broccoli rabe is FANTASTIC, as well. One night, I was just not up to a meal, and I had the minestrone. It was really divine! I'm usually a happy girl, but I rarely enthuse, so believe that I mean this: SamVera is wonderful!