La Reggia Bistro

[ghostrider]

I’ve been on a ten-year quest for a pasta amatriciana that might approximate the sublime spaghetti amatriciana I had at a Venice trattoria. I’ve tried at least a dozen renditions of this dish in New York City and New Jersey, none has even come close. Most have been variations on bacon in red sauce. There was a place on 24th or 25th Street in Chelsea, just west of Broadway, the critics raved about their version of the dish because it was made with hog jowls. I tried it, to me it was a lot of hog jowls overpowering a fairly mundane red sauce; not a bad way to eat hog jowls if that’s your thing, but it had little to do with what I think an amatriciana dish is supposed to be.

Last night my quest was rewarded, thanks to Chef Enzo at La Reggia Bistro. I’d been anxious to try this newly-opened place since I’d spotted rigatoni amatriciana on their posted menu while strolling by last week & noted that they use pancetta, not bacon, in the sauce.

It’s a big, deep room, rustic ambience, plenty of well spaced tables. There was a good Saturday night crowd there when we arrived around 9:00. “Tony of the Romans” was playing an acoustic guitar to electronic accompaniment & singing a variety of hits from the last 40 years. I asked the hostess for a table towards the back, just to be a little further from Tony’s PA so that Sheila & I could converse. She pointed out that the table I’d chosen was just one row from the smoking area, at the very back of the room. I was impressed by her thoughtfulness, but I couldn’t detect a hint of smoke and said it was fine; which it proved to be, their ventilation system is excellent.

A young server immediately came over with a bread basket and choice of olive oils for dipping – a simple rosemary-infused oil, or rosemary with hot peppers. I received a generous dollop of the plain oil on the dipping plate. The bread was fresh with a crunchy, richly flavored crust.

We ordered. I explained my low-salt diet to the waiter, who was very warm and welcoming, and said he’d be sure to tell the kitchen. I knew that I was in for a dose of salt anyway from the pancetta, I just didn’t want any more.

The noise level got on my nerves at first, but ir proved to be just below the threshold after which you can’t really converse, so it didn’t bother me for long. Then the evening almost tanked while we were waiting for our salad. Mr. Fishface and his French trollop walked in and were seated two tables away from us. Well maybe she was his wife, I could judge only by the reek. What is it with some people who have to send an olfactory broadcast to everyone within a 10-yard radius that says, “I’m here, I’m tasteless, get used to it!” I just don’t get it. Is it deliberate arrogance, is it sheer stupidity? (Note: this is an equal-opportunity rant, I’ve encountered plenty of men who are just as bad with the cologne as this woman was with her perfume. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a judicious use of fragrance, sometimes I downright enjoy it, it’s the overkill approach that raises my hackles.) I began hoping that some clouds of smoke would waft over from the smoking area, they would have smelled better, but they never did.

Our insalata organica arrived and we shared it. Field greens, chopped red onion, tomato both sliced and chopped., light balsamic vinaigrette. This was one well dressed salad. I don’t mean swimming, I mean dressed. Several cuts above your usual mesclun salad; it boded well.

We finished the salad, the table was cleared and de-crumbed. We chatted for a bit. Then we were appalled to see that the Fishfaces were being served their entrees, although they’d arrived well after we did, and each had had a salad as well. I was beginning to make mental notes about newly-opened places and growing pains and all that. Happily, our dishes arrived less than a minute later. Not a problem.

I looked at the rigatoni amatriciana and couldn’t believe my eyes. It was made with fresh chopped plum tomatoes. The first time in 10 years that I’ve found the dish made with fresh tomatoes; that’s key in taking this dish to the next level. I now had a strong feeling that the chef really knew his stuff. The sauce had a healthy portion of a good-quality pancetta, a nice dose of onion (to my personal taste, it could have used a bit more onion, but that’s a minor quibble, I like more onion in my food than many folks do), and a subtle heat at the bottom of it all from some diced peperoncino. The oil that had been rendered from the pancetta blended nicely with the ollive oil and the tomato and onion juices, making the sauce rich and properly oily but not greasy. The rigatoni was cooked to a perfect al dente. A beautiful rendition of this classic preparation.

Sheila had the cannelloni stuffed with ground veal, spinach and cheese. I had a couple of bites, it was well made and perfectly cooked. There was a hearty portion of veal in the stuffing, and the spinach was still bright green, crunchy and flavorful.

The waiter stopped by to ask how everything was, and specifically whether my pasta was too salty, which it wasn’t. I always appreciate that extra thoughtfulness.

Toward the end of the meal, Chef Enzo came out and strolled around the room, introducing himself, chatting with the customers and inquiring about the food. I told him that this was the best preparation of amatriciana I’d had outside Italy and that I had tried it in a dozen different places. He smiled and replied that he could tell from that comment that I have a good sense of taste and know how food should be made. OK so we had a bit of a mutual admiration society going for a moment. Ultimately it stems from the quality of the food.

We didn’t have room for dessert. But we’ll be back. Chicken scarpariello, another favorite of mine, is next on the list. This is a place that I would drive some miles to dine at, I feel exceedingly fortunate that it’s right in my town, less than a mile away.

Oh yes, La Reggia Bistro already has an established branch ad the Meadowlands Plaza Hotel in Secaucus. It’s not clear to me whether Chef Enzo runs both kitchens.

Salads $5 - $6. Lots of appetizers. Pastas $10 - $12. Entrees $14-$26 (I think that’s about right, I didn’t really focus on those prices). They also have a selection of foccacia plates at $7. And it’s Rutherford so you know it’s BYO.

La Reggia Bistro, 15 Park Ave., first block up from the station traffic circle. Tel 201-672-0060. Fax 201-672-0665.

Edited July 17, 2004 by ghostrider (log)

[Curlz]

Having read ghostrider's post, I decided to give La Reggia Bistro a try tonight when my friend said he needed to carbo load before a big run tomorrow. Since I'm always complaining that Lyndhurst has no great restaurants, we went all the way over to Rutherford to check out this spot. And what a lovely spot it is! Full room at 8pm tonight, too. And it's as casual as you'd like it to be; when I made the reservation, I asked if shorts were acceptable--they definitely are, but there were a few folks who were more dressed as well.

Great ambiance, but the first thing that you really notice is how ridiculously loud the entertainment is. WHY? WHY, WHY, WHY? There's just no need. It's not that he's bad, just that he's too loud. We're in our late 30s, and when asked where we wanted to sit, we said in unison "Further back, so we can talk." If the hostess doesn't hear what customers are saying, that's a problem.

We received bread and oil very quickly, along with our menus. The waitress had to have been about 19; this was further confirmed when, having been told by her that we needed to tell her exactly what the dish was called on the menu b/c the computer system is all in Italian, we commented that her Italian must be getting better every day. Her response was "No, my Italian sucks!!" She wasn't rude--but it surprised us nonetheless. Overall, the wait staff was very friendly and accommodating. When our waitress wasn't around, we flagged down a waiter who brought more water. The same waiter picked up our check after we had signed off on the credit card slip.

The menu is very difficult--only because you'll want to order everything!! Seriously--we were laughing about how hard it was to decide what to order, and about how many times we changed our minds, because it all sounds so good and the prices are very reasonable. I was really tempted to order the dishes that ghostrider mentioned, but decided we had to know about the rest of the menu as well.

We finally settled on the hot antipasto (clams oreganata, 2 ENORMOUS shrimp, mussels, fried muzz, stuffed mushrooms, zucchini and eggplant rollatini) for two ($15). The stuffed mushrooms were by far the best item on the plate, but everything else was just acceptable. Fresh, definitely, but lacking in some punch, i.e. pepper, salt or garlic. Actually, the mushrooms were a WOW. Not 100% sure, but I think there was sausage in the stuffing--definitely some meat. I don't eat clams, but Jim thoroughly enjoyed them.

For dinner, Jim had pasta with shrimp, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes. Again, the shrimp were HUGE. I tasted the dish, which was really good. I had the penne with sausage, broccoli rabe, (too few) cannellini beans and olive oil. Good stuff, and I have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

We were full and a bit chilly (the A.C. was cranking--a good thing in general), so we decided to skip dessert. Instead, we headed over to the Lyndhurst Bake Shop for their homemade Italian ices.

All in all, a good experience, and certainly a reasonably priced one--the bill came to $43 before tip! I'll definitely go back and try a few other things. Ghostrider, thanks for the tip!!! I don't think you mentioned when this place opened...do you know?

Oh, and I did notice a sign outside--lunch buffet for $7.95pp Mon-Fri. I'm curious to know what's on the buffet, as that's a serious bargain for decent food.

[phaelon56]

Is this a couple doors down from Cafe Eros? if so it's likely in the space where Medina, the Moroccan restaurant, was. Nice room but I was way underhelmed with the food at Medina and never returned after one meal there. I think they closed in March.

It must be good if you journeyed all the way from Lyndhurst to eat there

[ghostrider]

I think that they've been open for approximately 2 weeks - I overheard one of the waiters telling one of the customers that, it fits with my observations.

Yes "Tony of the Romans" needs to cut the PA a notch or two. Tho I gotta admit I got a little choked up when he did Jersey Girl. He's there Fri & Sat only.

Yes this is the former Medina space. That was a brave attempt but I think doomed at that location. I liked the dishes we had at Medina but due to the price tag only got there twice.

La Reggia Bistro is reasonable indeed, our bill came to $30 before tip! Tho we didn't have the appetite for appetizers.

P.S. Curlz, so you're in Lyndhurst? Have you ever tried Foschino's Brick Oven Pizza on Ridge Rd? Was wondering how they stack up, particularly since my local pizza joint is on vacation for the month & I may need a replacement.

Edited July 18, 2004 by ghostrider (log)

[Cook456]

Ghostrider, What's for favorite Pizza place? Don't keep it a secret!

As mentioned on another thread, mine is Jo jo's in Lyndhurst for Regular pizza. It's not Brick Oven, but it's really good.

[phaelon56]

I've only had slices at Foschino's but I prefer Cafe New York in Rutherford on Park Ave - about a block up from Medina. The other pizza places in Rutherford proper that I tried were mediocre. The Park Tavern, just across the track on the edge of East Rutherford, makes a pretty decent pie. Their meatball pizza is the recommended choice.

[Curlz]

Yes "Tony of the Romans" needs to cut the PA a notch or two. Tho I gotta admit I got a little choked up when he did Jersey Girl.

Then you'll enjoy the fact that WE were hysterical over his rendition of "The River"-played in an uptempo double-time!! I said "Hey, everyone! It's summer! Let's go down to the river!" Killed us.

Re: pizza, I must admit that I don't eat it too often, but when I do, I like Bella Vita's veggie pie. I make a few alterations, but usually end up with eggplant, onions, mushrooms and either broccoli or spinach. Fwiw, they have a full-serve dining room as well as takeout. They're on the corner of Ridge Rd and Kingsland Ave--about another 1/4 mile or so after Mazur's as you're heading to Kearny. Haven't had Foschino's b/c I hit BV when the pizza craving hits me!

Cook, where's JoJo's? I don't remember even seeing that one!

[Cook456]

It's a small store on the left side of Ridge Road, going towards Kearny, severla blocks past Mazur's.

[ghostrider]

Yes "Tony of the Romans" needs to cut the PA a notch or two.  Tho I gotta admit I got a little choked up when he did Jersey Girl.

Then you'll enjoy the fact that WE were hysterical over his rendition of "The River"-played in an uptempo double-time!! I said "Hey, everyone! It's summer! Let's go down to the river!" Killed us.

Haha, that IS a hoot! I'd have been hysterical right along with you guys.

Pizza - agree with phaelon, Cafe New York. They're the ones who are closed for July. I raved about them a few pages back on the Pizza thread - the fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced onions that get cooked thru, nicely charred crust....

Edited July 18, 2004 by ghostrider (log)

[phaelon56]

Supposedly Cafe New York brings their dough over from Brooklyn (seems plausible as North Jersey water is too funky to make good dough). They don't have a store in Brooklyn but I think they do have a second location down south - perhaps in Florida.

[markk]

Chef Enzo gets everything right

Well, I really wouldn't go that far!

I went here right after reading this post, and found the Amatriciana (which I've eaten countless times while summering in Italy) quite good. Mine was sauce-like, and bright red with no visible chunk of tomato whatsoever, and its very unlikely that it was made with fresh tomato - nor do I think it's supposed to be. Great quality canned tomato would be perfectly acceptable in this dish, as the tomato gets cooked anyway. Still, it was extrememly good, for sure. It was a little sweet, and I suspected the addition of sugar, but the rigatoni were cooked to a state of al-dente rarely found in the US, and it was most enjoyable.

Of course, the ultimate pasta all'Amatriciana (as well as the ultimate just-about-anything Italian) is found at Lupa, in New York City! If the author of the first post has not sampled it here during his ten-year quest, I urge him to.

As for the rest of La Reggia's food, the oil in which things had been fried was really on the old side and gave those dishes an unpleasant, burned flavor, and most of the dishes that were in a sauce or gravy paid a too-close nod to diner food. Still, the prices are reasonable, the people are nice, and the Amatriciana was as described, quite good.

Edited August 14, 2004 by markk (log)

[cibo susci]

It is a roman dish amatriciana, plus it is guanciale not bacon

[Rosie]

Welcome to eGullet foiegrasboy.

[ghostrider]

Chef Enzo gets everything right

Well, I really wouldn't go that far!

I went here right after reading this post, and found the Amatriciana (which I've eaten countless times while summering in Italy) quite good. Mine was sauce-like, and bright red with no visible chunk of tomato whatsoever, and its very unlikely that it was made with fresh tomato - nor do I think it's supposed to be. Great quality canned tomato would be perfectly acceptable in this dish, as the tomato gets cooked anyway. Still, it was extrememly good, for sure. It was a little sweet, and I suspected the addition of sugar, but the rigatoni were cooked to a state of al-dente rarely found in the US, and it was most enjoyable.

Of course, the ultimate pasta all'Amatriciana (as well as the ultimate just-about-anything Italian) is found at Lupa, in New York City! If the author of the first post has not sampled it here during his ten-year quest, I urge him to.

As for the rest of La Reggia's food, the oil in which things had been fried was really on the old side and gave those dishes an unpleasant, burned flavor, and most of the dishes that were in a sauce or gravy paid a too-close nod to diner food. Still, the prices are reasonable, the people are nice, and the Amatriciana was as described, quite good.

I was clearly a bit carried away! I do need to dine there several more times to get a better feel for the place, no question. Having had a recent experience at a Montclair Indian place with some of that old oil, I can almost taste what you describe.

One of the things that made that Venetian rendition of the dish so memorable was the fact that it was made with diced fresh tomato, perfectly cooked. (I have a recipe somewhere that calls for same.) It may not be the traditional way to make the dish but it certainly works well.

Thanks for the tip re Lupa. I sense a destination for my next birthday dinner.

Edited August 17, 2004 by ghostrider (log)

[markk]

The other night we went to La Reggia Bistro in Rutherford, having been there once before. On our first visit the food was just okay, with the fried dishes (stuffed zucchini blossoms) having an off taste of old frying oil; but the Rigatoni all’Amatriciana were pretty good, and we had a definite craving for this dish. So, it being fairly close and convenient, we decided to give the place another chance.

We started with a special appetizer, which was thoroughly mediocre – mostly very unripe figs and a not very good prosciutto, with a cheese billed as “Taleggio” which was hard and tasted like a supermarket variety. Still, considering the kind of neighborhood place this is and the gentle prices, we were okay with this.

The Amatriciana however, was nothing like it had been the previous time. It had no flavor of pancetta at all, and tasted like pasta tossed with canned plum tomatoes, not very interesting at all, and certainly nothing that would satisfy the craving for Amatriciana. So we called over our waiter and mentioned this. He insisted that the dish is not made with pancetta. We just stared at him, so he angrily went for a menu to prove us wrong, and to his amazement, pancetta was listed in the description of the dish, at which point he threw up his hands and said “Hey guys, I just work here. We need the manager for this.” Then he stood over us with his arms folded for several minutes until he could catch the eye of the manager, who was walking around the restaurant singing Italian songs along with the band.

When the manager did come and we explained the problem, he said “so, you wanted extra pancetta?” And we explained that as far as we both could taste, the dish had none – that it tasted of only tomato, with no pancetta flavor, no visible pancetta. We explained nicely that we had come to the restaurant because we had liked the balance of flavors in the dish last time and hoped to enjoy it again. He refused to hear this, and replied once more, “so, you wanted extra pancetta?” Again we could only stare at him, at which point he took the dish away nastily and said that they would remake it.

At that point I moved onto the main course, Chicken and Shrimp Francese, a dish that in the right hands can actually have some charm, although this is usually more the case when it is made with veal instead of chicken. Reggia’s rendition is a standard small piece of chicken breast in a plate of thick, lemony gravy. Atop the chicken were three shrimp that were breaded and which tasted like they had been deep fried again in the oldest, most rancid frying oil.

Eventually the remade pasta came out, and the plate was hotter than could possibly be imagined. Simultaneously, when we could cool a little of it, we both spit out our first mouthfuls. It was rancid. Of course I wasn’t in the kitchen to see what they had done with it, but it tasted like they took some pancetta, deep fried it in the vile oil, and then added it to the original pasta and reheated the whole thing until the tomatoes turned bitter as well. Well, perhaps they did even worse for spite. It was horribly inedible.

We paid the bill and as we were leaving, I mentioned to the manager that the completely uneaten dish was horrible. His reply was “There’s something wrong with your mouth! You don’t know what you’re eating! That pasta comes from Italy !!! We made that twice for you, and I tasted it, and it was delicious. You don’t know what you’re eating.”

(I had to chuckle, because ironically, when it comes to food, I do very much know what I'm eating.)

And I thought to myself, “my, how gracious a restaurant manager can you be!” That we had a lousy meal would have been okay with us considering that this is a neighborhood place with gentle prices and little pretension – it was our own fault for giving it a second try, and the lesson learned would have been not to return again.

But this was an astounding turn. I don’t know which left the more vile and disgusting taste in our mouths – the mediocre food, or the restaurant’s attitude.

[ghostrider]

Wow. That is an appalling tale. Also cautionary. Thanks for sharing it.

That place has 2 branches, I wonder if Chef Enzo, who was very visible in the dining room the night we were there (we had a pleasant conversation about pancetta - he certainly knows how to make the dish), divides his time between the two & everything goes to hell when he's not present.

I may well focus my patronage on Trattoria Corrado (never a hint of rancidity there) & continue my efforts to perfect my approach to pasta amatriciana at home. Got off a decent one the other week. Though it seems hard to find fresh pancetta in these parts. (Maybe that's why Corrado uses standard American bacon.) Ah well that's what knives are for.

Edited September 18, 2004 by ghostrider (log)

[adegiulio]

Wow, two astoundingly bad meals in one week. Sound like you've got a streak of bad luck...

[markk]

I wonder if Chef Enzo, who was very visible in the dining room the night we were there (we had a pleasant conversation about pancetta - he certainly knows how to make the dish), divides his time between the two & everything goes to hell when he's not present.

He was there, and very visible indeed.

[markk]

Wow, two astoundingly bad meals in one week. Sound like you've got a streak of bad luck...

←

If you're referring to me, that's not quite true, because interspersed in this streak were one truly outstanding meal at Epernay, and one truly outstanding meal at Fascino.

[ghostrider]

He was there, and very visible indeed.

←

Then the whole incident becomes puzzling. There should never have been an argument over whether there was pancetta in the dish, all you have to do is look. It's like, either there's a hamburger inside the bun, or there isn't. Doesn't bode well for their future.

I initially resented the place when they were under construction, since it looked like they might be out to step on Corrado's turf, and Corrado is a place that's served this town well. Only justification I could see for Reggia would be a different menu and/or doing some dishes better, so that they'd carve out their own niche. Initially I thought they were on their way to doing that, now.....

I'll probably still have to see for myself at some point. Doesn't sound like I need to rush though.