VIDEO: This is one of NJ’s best chicken parms
The chicken parmesan at this beloved Clifton restaurant is extra thin, extra crispy and smothered in melty mozzarella cheese.
Four “Jersey-style” Italian dishes most impressed food writer Kara VanDooijeweert this week.This column publishes on Saturdays, and typically features standout eats from Morris, Essex, Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and/or Sussex counties.
We’ve all heard the saying:
There’s Italian food, and there’s Italian-American food.
In the U.S., food purists claim, chefs pollute their carbonara with cream sauce, “ruin” pizza with shredded mozzarella or destroy spaghetti with meatballs.
Those angered by the aforementioned, though, would be appalled to know that an even less “authentic” genre of Italian exists — and it’s found right here in the Garden State.
From garlic knots to drunken vodka subs, Jersey-style Italian is yet another category of carb-heavy, parmesan-topped eats, and it’s even farther removed from the cuisine of the motherland.
But, while many are turning their noses up to the fare, asserting its “not real Italian food,” I argue it’s not trying to be (and, of course, that it’s delicious).
So, in summary; screw the haters.
Here are the best things I ate this week: Jersey Italian Edition.
Chicken Parm, Matthew’s Italian Restaurant
When it comes to Jersey-style Italian foods, no dish is quite as iconic as chicken parm. From Norwood to Red Bank, each Garden State local has their own favorite version of the saucy cutlets — and is quite vocal about it. On Facebook, there’s even a Jersey Chicken Parm Ratings group where residents go to rate regional renditions on a scale from 1 to 10 (the way college girls rate hot guys).
It’s a dramatic, cheese-smothered bloodbath.
Personally, I’ve always been partial to a vodka sauce version; partly because I’m a certified #genZ, and partly due to my obsession with all things heavy, creamy and decadent. This past Thursday, however, Matthew’s Italian Restaurant of Clifton wowed me with a classic red sauce take.
Extra thin, extra crispy and bursting with flavors both savory and sweet (the latter, I assume, coming from fresh tomato), the juicy masterpiece was absolutely deserving of the verbal hype it so often receives.
Go: 1131 Bloomfield Ave., Clifton; 973-928-4300, matthewsitalian.com.
Black Truffle Mushroom Lasagna, Porta Rossa
Lasagna is sliced like a meatloaf and seared in a pan “yesterday” style at Porta Rossa; an artisanal pasta and provisions shop in Maplewood. Crispy on all surfaces, each rectangle features golden brown fronts and backs, crunchy corners and bottom noodles that eat like potato chips. This preparation receives its name because its typically reserved for leftover lasagna, as home chefs strive to bring it back to life by refrying pieces to textural perfection (letting lasagna sit in the tray overnight also allows flavors to meld together and intensify).
Most of the time I visit Porta Rossa, chef/owner Matt Ruzga serves his day-before squares in a standard red sauce variety. Over the past weekend, though, he crafted an innovative offshoot loaded with cream sauce, mushrooms and more.
Called the Black Truffle Mushroom Lasagna, it showcased sheets of al dente pasta around multiple cheeses, over black truffle cream and under a mountain of fresh-shaved black truffle and shaved parmesan.
For over $30 a slice, it wasn’t cheap — but, as I savored each bite, its luxurious fillings convinced me it was worth a million bucks.
Go: 160 Jacoby St., Maplewood; 973-821-9445, portarossanj.com.
Vodka Sauce Fondue, Frank Anthony’s
Because there’s nothing more Jersey than a hot skillet of liquid orange gold.
(Served with miniature garlic knots for dipping.)
Go: 667 Bloomfield Ave., Verona; 973-239-1303, frankanthonys.com.
Funfetti Cake with Chocolate Frosting, my mom’s kitchen
And, as for this one?
My very Italian mom made it for me, in a very Italian pocket of North Jersey.
So, yeah. It counts.
Go: Not telling.
Hungry for more?
Want more on this week’s latest food news? Check out some of my (and others’) best articles at NorthJersey.com/food.
PS: I’m launching Christmas season early on @northjerseyeats, so — if you’re ready for sleigh bells, twinkling lights and cozy cups of cocoa — make sure to follow ASAP; because the holiday videos are already rolling.
Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can’t find her in Jersey’s best restaurants, she’s probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.
Dining and Cooking