Frank Anthony’s restaurant in Verona NJ serves Pasta Flight
Dear indecisive pasta eaters: the ultimate carb sampler exists. Featuring linguine, tortellini and more, the flight is served at Frank Anthony’s.
International appetizers, al dente rigatoni and more 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.
Hello, hungry folks! And welcome back to your favorite column of The Record.
When I left you last week, I teased that I’d be off to Iowa for 24 hours, and that I’d let you know why later.
Circling back to that: I visited the glorious Hawkeye state to become a certified BBQ judge.
For one lengthy Saturday, I learned all there is to know about brisket, chicken, pork butt and pork ribs. Some meats were smothered in sauces, others dry-rubbed with spices and a select few prepared “illegally,” so I would know what to “disqualify” in an official competition.
It was predictably awesome.
To see what I’m going to do with my certification now that I have it, though, will require a few more months of “tuning in” — because I’m not going to be using it to its highest potential until the fall.
In the meantime, take solace in the fact that I’ll be able to find you some seriously good barbecue — because my tastebuds are now professionally informed.
And, in the mean-meantime? Here are three dishes I ate this week that, like good brisket, would score a perfect nine-out-of-nine (we only go up to nine in the BBQ game, because the old computer software can only handle single digits, so if you start typing “10,” it counts it as a “1” and gives a top competitor a comically pathetic score).
Mantija, Cafe Bubamara
One of my greatest joys as a food writer is getting to introduce people to various global dishes for the first time, and, while I know you guys are starting to get familiar with Balkan food — I’ve mentioned some top bites from the region before — I’d guess 99% of you haven’t heard of this beloved European appetizer.
Well, eaters, let’s get acquainted.
Mantija are small, munchkin-sized dough balls filled with ground meat or cheese. Considered “part of the Balkan soul,” they’re often served with savory yogurt sauce, and are baked until golden brown. In many instances, they stick together at the edges (and you can pull them apart like monkey bread).
When I order this comfort classic, I opt for the cheese variety, as they’re somewhere between garlic knots and mozzarella sticks. Whether you select the same, or the meat, however, you can’t go wrong by getting them at Cafe Bubamara — because the charming mom-and-pop’s version is always hot, crisp and fluffy.
Go: 263 Parker Ave., Clifton; 973-928-1371, cafebubamara.cafe.
Spinach Pesto Rigatoni, Luigi’s Italian Restaurant
A pine nut allergy in the family caused Luigi’s Italian Restaurant owner Luigi Viola to reinvent the pesto wheel when considering how to serve the famed sauce at his East Hanover hot spot. Having a daughter averse to the ingredient, he experimented with a variety of alternatives before ending up with a version that would drown al dente rigatoni in the most demanded dish on his “secret menu.”
In fact, according to the staff, the “in-the-know” pesto entrée — though not being listed on the official bill of fare — outsells most of Viola’s publicly printed pastas.
On a recent visit to the restaurant (to shoot triple-sauced chicken parms for Instagram), then, I knew I needed to try it.
Slurping up a noodle, I noted how creamy the sauce was. Resembling an elevated alfredo-pesto, it sat in the hollow corners of the rigatoni tubes, creating pools of herby decadence. The steak atop the pasta was cooked perfectly, and dripped its fatty juices into those same sauce pools.
From texture to taste, the whole dish was stellar.
Go: 434 Ridgedale Ave., East Hanover; 973-887-8408, luigisrestaurantnj.com.
Reese’s Puffs Tres Leches, Tres Leches King
If cereal belongs in milk, then cereal in three milks should be three times as good, right?
Wrong.
It’s ten times as good.
Go: Order through Instagram for local pick up/delivery. Send a message to @kingtresleches.
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: As for next week, I have brownies, spring rolls and an entire Segovian suckling pig on the agenda — so be sure to follow @northjerseyeats for a mouthwatering visual tour of the region’s best bites.
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