Villaggio Iccara — Restaurant in Hamilton Township

I have been debating whether I want to write something about this restaurant or keep it my secret. I went there last night, Saturday, for dinner, with no reservations. They were booked and there was an hour and fifteen minutes wait. I decided to stay to try it out. The place was a total surprise for me. Inside was beautifully done and there was a patio outside. The covered patio was fenced in with shrubs that made it private. The interior was so nicely done and inviting that made me want to endure the one hour wait to be seated. I noticed people walking in with their own wine carriers, which told me that they did not serve alcohol. Conveniently, there is a liquor store less than 50 feet from the place. I walked over and picked up a bottle of Zinfandel while I was waiting.

I noticed the owner and her son, and a young lady working behind the hostess counter. All three of them were running around and not only seating people, but making sure they were taken care of. Customers were greeting them and some of the ones leaving were getting hugs, which told me they were long time customers. Watching all the interaction between the staff and the customers was a delight.

Finally the wait was over and we were seated. The menu was amazing from top to bottom. All sorts of dishes with Italian touch to them. None of your typical dishes, but things that have some new touches of greens, and veggies that added to it overall taste. I had a hard time picking a couple of items. Then I turned the page, and notice two different types of pizza. Apparently both have Sicilian flare to them. One that was your conventional wood oven pizza, which is my favorite, and another with an unusual description. The description of this group of pizzas said that it was made with all organic flour and ingredients and cooked such that it would eliminate the typical bloating that comes afterwards. Interesting!!!

I had picked a few items and was ready to go until Tori, our waitress came over. She started reading off the specials, which all sounded heavenly. One item on the list got my attention. Black Ink Linguine!!!! What???? This was a seafood dish with black ink linguini, crabs, calamari, and fish. I had to try that.

While we were waiting for our food, the owner came by to check on us and see how things were. A nice touch.

When Tori brought the food, I was in heaven. I ordered a Salamino pizza, the wood oven, east coast style. A must have for me. The pizza was done just right. The Salamino pizza had the sauce, small chunks of tomato, cheese, and pepperoni. The center was moist. The crust was crunchy, but not too hard. The bottom was a bit black, but not burnt. Just right!!!

Then came the Black Ink Linguini and Pollo Caponata. Fresh tomatoes, linguini, bits of seafood and marinara sauce. All in balance, and none overwhelmed the others. Not too much sauce that would look like a soup, and not too little that would leave the linguini dry. The Caponata had capers in it to give it flavor, but also had some sour grapes, which for sure is all Italian. All together both dishes were excellent. I would have cooked the chicken a bit less to keep it moist.

They were very busy and Tori was running all over the place. I was watching the crowd, and they all looked pleased with the service. So did I. She was not around too much to be rush the meal. Gave us time to dine and enjoy the food. She stopped by and got engaged in conversation about food, pizza and the history of the restaurant.

Apparently, the owners, husband and wife, opened the place 40 years ago, and are still involved. Their kids are now actively helping. I saw the son there, and the young man was running all over the place and paying attention to everything and everyone.

The atmosphere, service, and ambiance added to the taste and created a lasting experience. For sure I am going back. First, I want to try the other dishes on the menu. But next I want to see if my experience was a one-off or they deliver this kind of service all the time. I highly recommend...

I've dined there three times over three years. A couple of qualifying disclaimers: I love dining. I take it very seriously and I, unlike most, do not think eating a Bloomin' Onion or Outback Steak qualifies as an exceptional and memorable dining experience. I cherish great service and call out awful service. I think I deserve the best a restaurant can produce in all facets of the dining experience. When I go to a gas station, by comparison, I expect exceptional gasoline. Likewise, when I dine, I expect exceptional food, drink, presentation and service. Disclaimers aside, what follows is an honest, unemotional appraisal of my three visits. I can actually combine all three visits into one review, because to this restaurant's credit, the experiences were identical. Here goes...

The Food: it's bland and unoriginal. Presentation is unceremonious and lacks vision. Now to be clear, the food wasn't bad. Not once. But it absolutely lacked flavor. And if it seems that I am painting with a broad brush, it's because I can. The apps lacked flavor, style and presentation. The entrees were as uninteresting and lacking in bold, pronounced flavors too. I have had a pasta dish, two fishes dishes, a cheese appetizer, calamari, and soup. It all seems to be handled by the same lack of vision. But I can absolutely see why most would accept it at face-value and treat it as good food. It's not offensive or truly bad. It's just ordinary and forgettable. But here's the rub: these people love what they do! The hospitality is truly world-class by anyone's standards. Go to Midtown Manhattan and you won't get any better an hospitable dining experience. such sweet, accommodating and enthusiastic hosts. They truly love serving their guests food and clearly take enormous pride in what they do. My concern is that this love for restauranting, hosting and serving is just falling short on the plate. I propose they reevaluate their menu, shorten it, perfect a dozen or so selections, truly be critical of the flavor profile of their dishes and I think they'll come to the same conclusions I have: this restaurant has the potential to be an incredible diamond amid an uneventful little suburb. the decor is charming, rustic and perfectly imperfect. The food sadly however is unremarkable, but not offensive. And that alone makes this restaurant like so many others that are not doing anything special. But my hat is off to them for their love of what they do. IT was noticeable and admirable. I won't be hack though until the food is truly scrutinized. All my best to you. A lovely host...

Came twice now with reservations and was seated right away. The staff is very friendly but some times they seem to just disappear for a long time. First time I came, ended up having to wait 10mins just for someone to take our wine order.

For appetizers we got the tuna from the specials and the vongole. The clams were excellent. Loaded with flavor and no grit. Loved how it was baked. The tuna tasted good but the texture was kind of off. It was mushier than other places I've had tuna tartare.

For entrées I've tried the Pescatore with white wine sauce and the brick oven pancetta and margherita pizzas. The pescatore pasta was great. Loaded with seafood and the texture of the pasta was just right. I think it could have used a bit more sauce but otherwise was happy with it. The brick oven pizzas on the other hand were way too charred in my opinion. I know some people like their pizzas a bit burnt but every bite had a bitter taste and it looked like burnt crumbs from previous pizzas stuck underneath. The bottoms of the pizzas were soggy too. The sauce and cheese tasted great but was overshadowed by the bitterness.

The people behind us got regular pizzas and those looked much better, not burnt and had crispy bottoms. Will try that next time.

Got a caesar salad with my entree that had really good flavor and fresh lettuce but really hard croutons. They were seriously like rocks. We ended up not eating any out of fear of breaking our teeth.

Got ice cream for dessert and it was okay.

The ginger ale I got with the pizzas tasted really watered down. Won't be getting sodas here again...