Tim Farrell I The Star-Ledger
By Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Today is officially National Pasta Day, but isn't pretty much every day pasta day? Per capita pasta consumption is about 15 pounds in the U.S. (it's 51 pounds in Italy). There are an astounding 600 kinds of pasta; according to the National Pasta Association, the most popular types are spaghetti, thin spaghetti, elbow macaroni, rotelle, penne and lasagne.
Here is a list of my favorite pasta dishes throughout New Jersey, a tasty mix of pastas, sauces - and restaurants, from fancy to casual.
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Pappardelle rustica, Paisano's, Rutherford
Paisano's in Rutherford offers a range of northern and southern Italian dishes in a casual, comfortable setting. The standout pasta is pappardelle Rustica, shown here, in a hearty Bolognese. Almost as good: the short rib with gnocchi. A dessert must-try: the semifreddo. Don't look it up, just order it.
Alex Remnick I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Rigatoni alla Disgraziata, Zeppoli, Collingswood
Zeppoli in Collingswood is one of New Jersey's most heralded Italian restaurants; chef/owner Joey Baldino is a three-time James Beard award semifinalist. The menu is Sicilian-influenced, and the Rigatoni Disgraziata, with eggplant, tomato, ricotta, salata and basil breadcrumbs, shows off Baldino's rustic yet refined touch.
Di Pomodoro with penne, Augustino's Kitchen & Bar, Hoboken
Getting a table at cash-only, 24-seat Augustino's is not easy, but you'll be rewarded by friendly service and first-rate food. The pork chops are legendary and the zuppe di pesce, shown here, is amazing, but for pasta, try the di Pomodoro with penne, a supremely satisfying combo of pasta, prosciutto and onions in a plum tomato sauce.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Osso Bucco, Mulberry Street Restaurant, Woodbridge
Mic drop, jaw drop, something. The osso bucco over pappardelle at Mulberry Street is a tasty tower of meat, pasta and sauce - your photo will be a guaranteed Facebook and Instagram hit among envious friends. I also love the baked Bolognese lasagne here.
Braised rabbit ravioli, Bottagra, Hawthorne
Rabbit ravioli - kind of rolls off the tongue, no? On Sundays, Bottagra throws an all-day, bacchanalian brunch; the rest of the week, the restaurant is much more sedate. The melt-in-your-mouth braised rabbit ravioli is one of many standout dishes; also recommended are the St. Giuseppe pasta and the Sicilian rib-eye. And the zeppole, with dipping chocolate, may be the best you'll ever have.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Gnocchi pomodoro, Sapore Italiano, West Cape May
Something about tomato sauce and gnocchi always floats my pasta boat. The gnocchi pomodoro at Sapore Italiano was one of the surprise hits of our epic search for N.J.'s best Italian restaurant. The dish is proof you don't need a long list of ingredients to make a deeply satisfying dish.
Avi Steinhardt
Sunday gravy, Kitchen Consigliere, Collingswood
We'll set aside for a moment the whole sauce vs. gravy debate. But if you don't want to mess with a former mob guy, you'll call it "gravy'' at The Kitchen Consigliere. Executive chef/owner Angelo Lutz was a Merlino crime family associate. He did prison time on a racketeering charge, now he turns out tasty, unfussy dishes at his casual Italian restaurant. The Sunday gravy is a serious production - fried meatball and sausage, fried and roasted spare ribs, fried braciole, tomatoes, oil, Fontina cheese.
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Lasagne Napoletana, Trattoria la Sorrentina, North Bergen
It just looks perfect, doesn't it? Trattoria la Sorrentina may be better-known for its pizza, but their pasta dishes are not to be missed. The lasagne is lovingly constructed, a saucy, cheesy (both ricotta and mozzarella) success.
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Pasta with primo sauce, The Homestead, Hamilton
Chick and Nello's Homestead, in a 19th century house, is one of New Jersey's more unique Italian restaurants. Stubbornly old-school, with a dark-wood bar just inside the entrance and a small dining room one step down, the Homestead offers a small menu - five appetizers, seven sauces, three kinds of pasta - but great food. The primo sauce is a hearty combination of the house sauce (pork ragu) and aglio e olio.
Shrimp scampi, Vic's Italian Restaurant, Bradley Beach
You don't have to go to a fancy-pants restaurant to get great Italian food. Vic's is a legendary thin-crust pizzeria, but don't sleep on their pasta dishes. The shrimp scampi is a simple, unqualified delight - the shrimp and pasta cooked just right. For an appetizer, the mussels marinara are highly recommended.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Linguine with white clam sauce, LuNello, Cedar Grove
LuNello is one of Jersey's hallowed Italian restaurant shrines, but they don't mind having some fun every once in awhile; this is the restaurant, after all, where Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice went bonkers and flipped over a table in one episode. There are fancier pasta dishes at LuNello, but the linguine with white clam sauce is a simple dish perfectly executed.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Bucatini Amatriciana, Spano's Italian Restaurant, Point Pleasant Beach
Spano's, the reader's choice winner in our N.J.'s Best Italian restaurant showdown, offers almost 20 pasta dishes (not including specials), drawn from owner Joe Spano's background (his mom's family is from Naples, his dad's from Bari). Bucatini Amatriciana takes one of my favorite pastas, adding guanciale (cured pork jowl) and onions in a rich tomato sauce.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Maloreddus, da Filippo, Somerville
Filippo Russo and his wife, Berti, opened a tiny storefront in 1988; today da Filippo is more spacious, and white tablecloths cover the tables. But stuffy it's not; when he's done in the kitchen, Russo often comes out and plays the piano for his patrons. Try the Maloreddus, a special, Sicilian-style gnocchi topped with shrimp.
Agnolotti di cacao, Luca's Ristorante, Somerset
Almost hidden in a ordinary-looking highway strip mall, Luca's, run by Andrea DiMeglio, is not your average neighborhood Italian restaurant. It would easy to pick the Gnocchi Genovese here as my standout dish, but I'd rather recommend the agnolotti di cacao, a cocoa ravioli stuffed with roasted butternut squash.
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Pappardelle con ragu di cinghale, ITA101, Medford
Local boy-made-good Kevin Maher cooks simple, authentic dishes from throughout Italy at ITA101; each weekend a different region is featured. I could easily pick a half dozen dishes here; I'll go with the pappardelle con ragu di cinghale, handmade pasta tossed in a slow-cooked wild boar ragu.
Alex Remnick I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Rigatoni Bolognese, Cafe 2825, Atlantic City
The winner of our N.J.'s Best Italian Restaurant showdown, Cafe 2825 remains relatively under the radar 30-plus years after opening. Old-school atmosphere, high-end dining, Cafe 2825 is small and cozy. You absolutely must order the mozzarella made tableside, then a meat or pasta dish, such as the terrific Rigatoni Bolognese.
Gnocchi, Battello, Jersey City
As of this writing, Battello is closed due to construction on the pier on which it rests, but as soon as it re-opens you'll want to rush to this waterfront restaurant with stunning views of Manhattan. Chef/owner Ryan DePersio says his gnocchi and polenta fries are the two dishes that "made me who I am today,'' and the gnocchi, resting in a sweet sausage-accented Bolognese, is a pillowy pasta from Italian food heaven.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Lasagne, RosaLuca's, Bethlehem
In the middle of nowhere yet minutes from the interstate, RosaLuca's bills itself as "progressive Italian,'' but I just call it good. The grilled octopus makes for an awesome app, and the lasagne is layered with fresh mozzarella and sweet sausage and enlivened with a four-cheese sauce.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Spaghetti arrabiata, Scalini Fedeli, Chatham
Call Scalini Fedeli the perfect place for that Italian restaurant power lunch, with its hushed, rosy-colored, columned setting. The spaghetti arrabiata is a lovely, lively marriage of mushrooms, black olives and Spanish anchovy in a spicy tomato and basil sauce.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Polpette della Nonna, Senza, Bayville
Hey, don't turn up your nose at strip mall Italian restaurants; some of the state's best cooking can be found there. Joe Gramaglia, shown here, is the affable chef/owner of Senza. Despite the surroundings, there are no cliched dishes here. The polpette della Nonna are slow-baked meatballs over Sardinian cavatelli in a tomato ricotta sauce.
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Gnocchi Osso Bucco, Toscano Ristorante, Bordentown City
Bordentown City is an overlooked dining destination; Oliver A Bistro, The Vault and HOB Tavern are all highly recommended. The butterfly pork chops at Toscano are phenomenal, but this is about pasta, so I'll rave about the gnocchi osso bucco. Great side dish: Emma's Meatballs.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Pappardelle with pork ragu, Laico's, Jersey City
Laico's is on the short list of Jersey old-school Italian legends, although good luck finding a parking space in the residential neighborhood (valet parking is available). Lou Laico, shown here, presides over the kitchen, making simple, straightforward but never boring dishes, including the pappardelle with pork ragu.
Alex Remnick I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Filetto pomodoro, Vidalia, Lawrenceville
Vidalia was a well-deserved finalist in our N.J.'s best Italian restaurant. "My philosophy is simple food - don't drown it in sauces,'' says chef/owner Salvatore Scarlata. I can never get enough tomatoes in my life, so the filetto pomodoro is a good choice here. Save room for the incredible creme brulee pie.
Fusilli with broccoli rabe and sausage, Guerriero's, Morristown
"It is just like being at Grandma's house'' is the motto at Guerriero's, another one of those old-school Italian haunts Jersey seems to do better than anyone else. Braciole is the special on Wednesday, pork osso bucco on Thursday. Neapolitan-stye dishes dot the menu; the fusilli, with imported fresh Italian pasta, is a great place to start.
Bootzin, Porta, Asbury Park
It sounds like cheap table wine, or maybe some trendy imported shoe, but Bootzin is a delectable dish with oriechette, San Marzano tomatoes, sausage, cherry peppers, olives and parmigiano Reggiano at Porta, a lively space with exposed ductwork and picnic table seating. Porta made its rep on pizza, but you'll want to try the pasta, and the housemade meatballs and mozzarella.
Saed Hindash I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Gnocchi, Filomena Lakeview, Deptford
Don't mess with Grandma. Filomena DiVentura, 80-plus years old and stay out of her way, makes the gnocchi every Sunday for Filomena Lakeview and two sister restaurants. The gnocchi features mini-heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, and parmigiano cheese. Grandma knows what she's doing.
Alex Remnick I The Star-Ledger
Linguine Fresche con Nduya, Il Capriccio, Whippany
Il Capriccio has long been regarded as one of the state's premiere Italian restaurants; Cody Kendall, in her review, called the food "beautifully prepared but not contrived.'' It's not easy picking one pasta from the wide-ranging menu, but we'll go with the Linguine Fresche con Nduya, with garlic, oil and spicy Calabrese homemade nduya (sausage).
Robert Sciarrino I The Star-Ledger
Tagliolini bolognese, Brick Oven, Westfield
Tagliolini is not the same as tagliatelle; the former is cylindrical and thinner. The tagliolini Bolognese at popular neighborhood spot Brick Oven is Italian comfort food: green noodles in a meat sauce with parmesan cheese baked on top.
Maltagliata Pugliese, Pasta Dal Cuore, Jersey City
Maltagliata are a thin-strip pasta often used in minestrone soup. Pasta Dal Cuore, owned by Elena Cartagena, offers both fresh pasta to go and sit-down dining. The Maltagliata Pugliese features "whimsically cut'' thin pasta with sausage, broccoli rabe, pecorino and red pepper flakes.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Shrimp and pasta with chile pepper, Via 45, Red Bank
It's difficult standing out in restaurant-mad Red Bank, but Via 45 does just that with its country-rustic decor and singular food. The compact menu belies the depth of the dishes. The calamari, for one, turns that most cliched of appetizers on its head, and the shrimp and pasta with chile pepper makes an ordinary-sounding dish something special.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Ravioli, Boniello's, Riverdale
We must include ravioli somewhere on this list (as a kid, I set a family record for most ravioli in one sitting). Boniello's makes just about the biggest ravioli on earth, but this is more about taste than size. The marinara sauce is just right, and don't forget to order Vikki's Homemade Rice Balls.
Pappardelle, Tutto A Modo Mio, Ridgefield
Broad, flat noodles similar to wide fettucine, pappardelle may lurk in the shadow of linguine, lasagne and other popular pastas, but it's great at enveloping sauces and meat ("pappare'' means "to gobble up''). Tutto a Modo Mio is a BYOB restaurant showcasing southern Italian dishes. The homemade pappardelle rests in a braised short rib ragu.
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Duo gnocchi, Annata Wine Bar, Hammonton
Hammonton is not just the blueberry capital of the world, it's a dining destination. Annata Wine Bar - you'd never guess this was a former auto parts store - features hundreds of bottles of wine, reds on one side, whites on the other. The Duo Gnocchi is my favorite dish, housemade potato gnocchi in a sage brown butter sauce and housemade spinach and ricotta gnocchi in a creamy basil tomato sauce.
Mafalde with vodka sauce, Pasta Volo, Asbury Park
Ignore the Chinese food-like takeout containers at Pasta Volo; the store, barely a year old, has attracted a fanatical following for its homemade pasta, which you can buy dry or prepared with choice of nine sauces, seven cheeses, and 10-plus toppings. Can't decide? Order the mafalde (a ribbony noodle) with vodka sauce.
Fettucine with artichokes, escarole, roasted peppers, olives, tomatoes, Caffe Aldo Lamberti, Cherry Hill
Aldo Lamberti is a South Jersey restaurant legend; he owns Caffe Aldo Lamberti and is a partner in eight other restaurants. There's a ravioli of the day, and other enticing pasta dishes, but go with the fetttucine with artichokes, escarole, roasted peppers, olives and tomatoes. It tastes as great at it sounds.
Cathy Miller
What's your favorite N.J. restaurant pasta dish?
We could have gone until the end of time with this gallery; there are so many great pasta dishes to choose from. What's your favorite pasta dish at a N.J. restaurant? Let us know in the comments section.
Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
More stories about Italian food in New Jersey
Shore restaurant named state's best Italian restaurant
2 N.J. legends named among 50 best Italian restaurants in U.S.
Pizzeria "in the middle of nowhere'' wins N.J.'s best pizzeria showdown
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