Fortunato Ristorante

[Rosie]

Had a lovely dinner at Fortunato Ristorante, 775 Riverside Avenue, Lyndhurst, a 3 month old restaurant owned by Jeffrey Fortunato with Executive Chef Anthony Lo Pinto manning the stoves. We started off with a special of tempura battered soft shell crab over a salad; and a refreshingly light marinated seafood salad. We were in the mood for pasta and bypassed some of the delicious looking entrees that whisked by our table such as Orvieto braised veal osso buco with a cardoons and potato gratin; grilled herb crusted pork chop with caramelized escarole; and orata with baby artichokes, potato, and zucchini with a lemon brodo. The homemade pasta was great. Lowell had an outstanding special of lasagna with a bolognese sauce and I had pasta handkerchiefs with jumbo lump crab meat, wild mushrooms, and lemon.

Dessert was a dark chocolate tart with vanilla bean ice cream, strawberries and Sambuca anglaise and a Mascarpone cheesecake topped with mango and strawberries. If we didn't have pasta as our entree I would have tried the pistachio Arborio rice pudding with roasted and bitter chocolate bark. Coffee was very good. The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday; dinner Monday through Thursday 5 to 9:30 PM; Friday and Saturday 5 to 10 PM; and Sunday for parties. For reservations call 201-804-6244.

[scarlet knight]

anthony lo pinto is a very talented chef. we ate at sweet basil's when he was the chef there. unfortunately, we don't live near lyndhurst.

[Susan]

Supposed to meet friends here for dinner. Was wondering if anyone has been here? How was the food? Anything in particular that I should or shouldn't order? Thanks for your input.

[Susan]

Had an excellent dinner at Fortunato. My husband and I started off sharing a pasta special as an appetizer. It was rigatoni with mushrooms in a truffle sauce - Excellent! Then I had the halibut wrapped in proscuitto over corn, potatoes and mushrooms in a light cream sauce. My husband had the semolina crusted (I think it was semolina) skate fish. I can't remember right now what it was served with. Both entrees were delicious. We were too full for dessert, so we just went up to the bar for an after dinner drink. I love this bar. Although it's small - there is no smoking!!!!!! They had a nice flat screen TV though for my husband to catch the Giant game. The staff is very friendly. Both the owner and the chef came over to table to speak with us. We will definitely be returning again very soon. I forgot to mention that the owner mentioned that they serve lunch as well.

[Curlz]

This place is close enough that I could walk there; haven't been yet, but I'm thrilled to hear about the non-smoking bar! What were the prices like?

[Susan]

I don't remember exactly, but we paid a little over $100 for a bottle of wine, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and a tip.

[Susan]

Went back to Fortunato's on Saturday night with a group of 9. My husband and I shared a truffle risotto for an appetizer which was absolutely delicious. For dinner my husband had short ribs which were a special. Since I liked my husband's skate so much the last time we were there, I had that for dinner. Both were exellent. Several people had the osso bocco, which they said was also delicious. A couple of the others had different pasta dishes, which I can't remember exactly what they were, but everyone loved their dinner. We will definitely be back again.

[Curlz]

Just had a long chat with Chef Anthony LoPinto, as I wanted details about the restaurant's upcoming wine dinner, which is advertised on the sign out in front of the place. He's going to forward the full menu to me, and I'll send it to Rachel for posting on the Events Calendar, but a heads-up: it's on October 12th, which is the night that Yom Kippur begins. That knocks me out, and Chef acknowledged that they were unable to reschedule it, because that is the only night the winemaker was available.

He read the menu to me and I was drooling--certainly sounds like a restaurant worth investigating!

[Rosie]

Congratulations to Chef Anthony LoPinto and Owner Jeff Fortunato of Fortunato Ristorante for receiving 3 stars from Cody Kendall in the Star Ledger on October 2, 2005.

[jwjojo]

Had dinner at Fortunato last night on the egullet recommendations. When we arrived we were greated by valet parking. The parking lot is very small, and I think that is an unnecessary expense. We were greated warmly by all that we encountered. The dining room is lovely, although there are no windows and the white drop ceiling could use some color. The staff was friendly and playful. We had the grilled salmon and the sauteed bass with olive and fennel. They both were delicious. The chef Anthony came out to meet and greet. Very nice. We told him egullet/Rosie sent us

We only had one soda with dinner. The bill came out to 60 dollars with tip. For Lyndhurst, I feel the price was a little high. The food was worthy, but the area may not sustain this. Lose the valet, lower the prices?

[Rosie]

jwjojo--You are going to have to go back to Fortunato again to get a better look at the room as there is an entire wall of windows!

[jwjojo]

Yikes!! And I swear I wasn't drinking!!

[Curlz]

FINALLY made it to Fortunato. Now I know what the fuss is about, and I have to start by saying that it's a very welcome addition to the neighborhood! Many of you may recall that I'm not exactly fond of the abundance of red-sauce Italian places in the Lyndhurst area; Fortunato is the exception. Chef Anthony LoPinto is cooking some wonderful food with great care, love, knowledge and passion--all of the crucial elements I like in a chef!

Being the adventurous souls and good guests that we are (some might say ), we put ourselves in the chef's hands, and we weren't disappointed. First came mussels and clams in a stunning broth, with one slice of toast on top. Two slices of bread were brought over without our having to ask so we could mop up the broth (crucial); my only complaint would be that the bread was very ordinary, but since it was merely a vehicle for the broth, I didn't care.

Next was the eggplant 'tower,' which was a gorgeous creation to look at, and even better when we cut in to it; a wonderful mix of textures and unexpected spices. The slices were fried, but not at all greasy, and had a great crunchy bite but you could still taste the eggplant (what a concept...). In between the slices (and on top of the tower) was what I can only describe as an eggplant mousse. Just LOVELY.

Pumpkin ravioli. Two words that make me happy on their own, but put 'em together, and I'm thrilled! These were just fantastic. As I told the chef, he does a great job of staying away from sugar where many others feel the need to be heavy-handed. This became even more evident with the next course...a sea scallop with vanilla mashed sweet potatoes and a maple vinegar sauce. Fantastic sear on that scallop. And while the sweet sauce really could have taken over the dish, the balance of the unsweetened sweet potatoes, chock full of vanilla, along with a terrific side of spinach made all three of the items complement one another beautifully. And the scallop was about a foot in diameter. Seriously. HUGE.

After the ravioli, I made the comment that although I certainly didn't mean it , I could have been done and been very happy. But no...there's MORE. Papardelle with braised short ribs and sausage. Exactly the kind of warm and cozy dish that you want to eat when it's crispy fall/winter weather (if we ever get that)! The papardelle were gorgeous, not at all gummy (as has been the complaint about them at other restaurants), and I was sadly too full to finish my portion. I will trek through a big snowstorm for this one!

Then came dessert. Desserts. A very light individual cheesecake topped with mango, a roasted (mandoline-thin sliced and stacked) apple, with muscat-bloomed currants, cherries and dried apricot on top, and a hot apple cobbler with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream. I loved the spices in this cobbler--just wish I had room for more at that point in the evening!

Finally, Anthony brought out a plate of chocolates, which he hand-makes and sells locally and of course, at the restaurant. I am not a chocoholic, but I swooned over the peanut butter-filled one and the rocher, which looked like a nest of almond slivers covered in stunning dark chocolate. Along with a glass of port, it was a lovely was to end a delicious meal.

We drank wine throughout the meal, but I don't have the names in front of me. Know this--there is a large and very reasonably priced wine list. We did a loose count of 40 under $40 and 50 under $50. The bottle of sangiovese (?) that we drank was $39, iirc. And the stemware was stunning.

Go. A lot of thought and love have gone in to this restaurant, the menu and the wine list. The place is small but cozy, the service personable, the staff knowledgeable and helpful, and both the chef and owner are very happy to have 'good eaters' in their midst. You'll definitely need a reservation for the weekends, but the weeknights are a great time to give it a try too. And although I neglected to get the details, the sign out front says that they are now offering a prix fixe for $23.95.

[tommy]

forutnato has a really super mostly-italian well-chosen well-priced wine list. as curlz suggests. and stemware second to none. so much so that i've reevaluated my own and need to make a move to replace my old crappy stuff, which up until recently i thought was pretty good stuff. live and learn. being shown-up every now and again doesn't hurt, either.

Edited November 10, 2005 by tommy (log)

[pete ganz]

forutnato has a really super mostly-italian well-chosen well-priced wine list.  as curlz suggests.  and stemware second to none.  so much so that i've reevaluated my own and need to make a move to replace my old crappy stuff, which up until recently i thought was pretty good stuff.  live and learn.  being shown-up every now and again doesn't hurt, either.

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What did you think of the food?

[tommy]

forutnato has a really super mostly-italian well-chosen well-priced wine list.  as curlz suggests.  and stemware second to none.  so much so that i've reevaluated my own and need to make a move to replace my old crappy stuff, which up until recently i thought was pretty good stuff.  live and learn.  being shown-up every now and again doesn't hurt, either.

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What did you think of the food?

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very good to excellent. the wine list is icing on the cake.

[Curlz]

Was back at Fortunato this week . Two words: OSSO. BUCCO. Of course, I also had to have those stunning pumpkin ravioli again...been thinking about them since I left after my last meal there!

I don't think it has been mentioned here yet, but they offer a prix fixe menu during the week--$23.95 for three courses, with numerous choices in each. An excellent deal, imo. And they are also going to start offering a Sunday Family Dinner right after Thanksgiving--everything served family style, but real down-home food. I'll certainly post more details/menu when I get them.

[tommy]

Had dinner at Fortunato last night on the egullet recommendations.  When we arrived we were greated by valet parking.  The parking lot is very small, and I think that is an unnecessary expense. 

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do they charge for the valet?

the parking lot, as you say, is very small, and seems to fill up quickly. in this situation i'm more than happy to let someone else worry about parking my car. i would think that it should be complimentary.

[Curlz]

Great news! Fortunato now has a web site, www.fortunatoristorante.com. I say this is great news because it's something that a few of us have discussed with the owner at great length, and he genuinely considered our comments and those of others. Looks like a few pages are still awaiting info, but check it out!

[tommy]

Great news!  Fortunato now has a web site, www.fortunatoristorante.com.  I say this is great news because it's something that a few of us have discussed with the owner at great length, and he genuinely considered our comments and those of others.  Looks like a few pages are still awaiting info, but check it out! 

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they should include a pic of their beautiful and enormous fucking wine glasses as well.

fyi the listing in yp.yahoo.com is wrong. it's (201) 804-6244, not (201) 804-6233 (which is their fax number). and jeff/anthony, if you're reading this, i was going to tell you that on monday, but you're not open on monday so had to go elsewhere!!!

hooray to curlz for making me try this place!!

Edited December 7, 2005 by tommy (log)

[Curlz]

they should include a pic of their beautiful and enormous fucking wine glasses as well. 

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AGREED. And I think we should be in said photo so we can demonstrate how beautiful and enormous they are while in use.

I really need to get a set of those.

[Anonymouze]

tommy,Dec 7 2005, 05:02 PM

they should include a pic of their beautiful and enormous fucking wine glasses as well. 

fyi the listing in yp.yahoo.com is wrong.  it's (201) 804-6244, not (201) 804-6233 (which is their fax number).  and jeff/anthony, if you're reading this,  i was going to tell you that on monday, but you're not open on monday so had to go elsewhere!!!

hooray to curlz for making me try this place!!

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Psst, this must be unique to northern nj, I've never seen "wine glasses" have intercourse before. Do I have to pay extra Tommy or do I just have to drink alot to view this discourse du jour?

[Curlz]

Had another wonderful dinner at Fortunato last night...Chef Anthony is cooking--that's for sure!

Four of us shared three apps:

-The eggplant tower, which is now officially on my not-to-be-missed list

-Prosciutto and pear salad, a perfect pairing

-Oven-roasted sugar beets with goat cheese, which was not a 'salad' in the normal sense of the word; this was a perfect (and tall!) stack of stunning red and yellow beet slices, and my co-workers are still talking about it this morning.

For entrees, we had:

-Pan seared diver Sea Scallops w/vanilla whipped sweet potatoes, celeriac, spinach, walnuts with a maple vinegar sauce

-Sauteed Striped Bass w/braised fennel, whipped potatoes, tomato and black olives

-Pappardelle with red wine braised beef and sausage

-Veal loin over a parsnip cake with a gorgeous demi-glace (mine)

Two bottles of what is now referred to as "my" wine. (La Macolina sangiovese, if anyone needs gift ideas... )

Desserts were the apple cobbler and Chef Anthony's Mt. Etna Chocolate Volcano, which the chocoholics swooned over; we were too full to finish off the cobbler, but it was wonderful, as is the apple 'tart' that accompanies it (swoon).

Service, as usual, was warm and attentive. Everyone was thrilled with the food and said they'll all be back, with or without me--and there were some serious eaters in the mix, so I was happy they gave the place their stamp of approval. Dinner for four, including wine and tip: $60pp.

Kudos as usual to Anthony, Jeff and Hernan. If you haven't been yet, PM me if you're interested in a group dinner. This is a restaurant you need to try in '06!!

[tommy]

curlz, who makes those great wine glasses they have?

[Curlz]

They're by Schott Zwiesel and I'm going to have to own a set SOON.