BOSCHETTO — Restaurant in Montclair

We've been to Boschetto twice in as many weeks, three times if you include yesterday's pizza takeout. It's a very casual, yet modern and charming restaurant. It's the gemstone in a small arcade of unique small shops located at the corner of Walnut and Grove St in Montclair. We have had the pleasure of meeting the owners Ryan and Robert - and even Robert's mother, who is as friendly as she is justifiably proud.

We have ordered the octopus, pork chop, seafood risotto, different pastas - Amatriciana and Vongole, Gnocco Fritto (bread fritters) Bistecca (steak), Panzorotti Nocciola, 2 different pizzas and gelloto. To describe the culinary nuances of each dish is beyond both my ability to explain and my patience to write, but suffice it to say, each and every dish is made with the finest, freshest ingredients, uniquely prepared and perfectly presented. Just a few examples - if you think you've delighted in grilled octopus before, the "sauce" that surrounds it will make not ordering it again on your next visit almost impossible. Think a breaded pork chop is banal? This one, with summer berries will dissuade you. Gelato? Try their Italian made offerings; you may want - as I did, to get seconds.

As mentioned, this is a casual dining experience by design; they have elected not to be a white tablecloth, candle lit, type eatery. It is very family/child friendly, especially at this time of year when the outside is open. There is no wait staff to take your order, rather you stand at the counter, gaze intently at the menu atop, order and pay for your food, get a placard with a number on it and grab a table. In a timely manner, your server will bring your food out in proper order.

The establishment itself has a large outdoor eating area, more than ample parking and of course, like most Montclair restaurants is a BYOB. Hours now will be 12pm - 9m, with everything available on the menu from opening, no lunch/dinner variations - as of now. No reservations needed/accepted. The vibe is modern, background music not too loud and the total sound level more than comfortable for this boomer's ears - damn I hope it stays that way and doesn't change into another Montclair "place to be seen, not to eat, can't hear yourself think, food is an afterthought" joint. But I'm guessing even if they were to be so tempted, Robert's mom, who like any good Italian (I'm guessing?) mom, would set' em straight in a hurry. I'm kind of selfishly hoping that Boschetto doesn't get so popular that our choice for dinner will be limited to the slower, late afternoon times.

If you are a person attuned to a finer level of culinary art, there is also another sensory delight to be had and that is experiencing the beaming and justifiable pride and confidence that Ryan and Robert (in a town replete with excellent restaurants) exude in having created their very own...

I'm going to preface this by saying that I never leave reviews, but I feel obligated to after the disappointing takeout experience I had this past Friday evening. This was my first time trying Boschetto and I was very excited based on the menu and the high reviews I'd read. To start, the estimated order time of 15-30 minutes was extremely inaccurate. I only ordered two side dish vegetables and a bread roll, but when I arrived after 30 minutes (I wanted to give the restaurant the full estimated time because it was busy), I was told that two of the three items were still being prepared. I don't have a problem waiting for freshly made food, so I stepped outside to wait. And wait I did. Around an hour after initially placing the order, I went back inside to check on the status and was again (at this point 25-30 minutes after first checking in) told the same exact thing: two of the three items were still being prepared: a side order of broccoli rabe and a bread roll. That did not sit well because it was clear that my order had just been pushed aside and was not being worked on at all. There was no apology and just a brush off that the estimated wait times are not accurate. If I hadn't prepaid, I honestly would have left by now. So again, I went back outside to wait and finally the order was brought out a few minutes later - the broccoli rabe and roll which had just been prepared, and the zucchini fritte which had now been sitting in the bag on the counter for well over an hour. I asked for the zucchini to be made over because that is not something that tastes good after sitting around not to mention the health concerns, which I honestly feel should have been done without me having to say anything. If the food had been delicious, I could have forgiven the poor customer experience. But the worst part was that after all of the waiting and frustration, none of the food even tasted good. The broccoli rabe was described as having garlic and lemon - but it seemed to be steamed with a ton of onions and some sort of a gelatinous clump - very unappetizing. There was also nothing mentioned about onions, which a member of my family is allergic to, so the dish was inedible and had to go into the trash. The zucchini was okay but it tasted overly salty and was mostly the fried breading with super thin slices of zucchini in between. I know this because at some point I was trying to pull the zucchini out of the breading. And the roll was fine but it wasn't anything special and I have no idea what the black oil was that it was served with, which had been put in the bag sideways so it had leaked by the time we got home. I wish I had the positive experience that so many others have, because I was looking forward to trying some other dishes on a future visit, but sadly this was my first...

FLAVOR, TEXTURE AND VISUALS.....The 3 cornerstones of food. Italian food has always been the crowd pleaser for most Americans, reason being the simplicity, taste and of course PASTA. But with all that said, you still have to have a recipe, mindful cooking and plating style. This is never an easy task but one thing is certain and that is each and every restaurant creates their version of some tried and true dishes in their own vision.

Boschetto is a stand alone player in this realm, My wife, and I were there last night and it was another joyous dinner there. We have been pleasured guests at Boschetto since its very first day. The unusual system at the Restaurant is you order at the counter and then your meal is brought to you by the service staff. The beautiful part of this system is you get to be greeted by Ryan and Robert the owners of this gem of a vacation for your palate. They are welcoming, engaging and knowledgeable. It is also a BYO restaurant and as great as the food is bringing a sensational bottle of Brunello wine will heighten that experience.

It was a gorgeous evening the temperature was perfect for dining outside, the breeze was gentle for your enjoyment and comfort, the sun was in the setting mode which further enhanced the ambiance for a culinary feast. We ordered the char grilled Octopus with a complex Romesco sauce showcasing that glorious red pepper flavor accompanied by tiny celery cubes. The octopus was thick, succulent, and perfectly charred with a visual that required a 5 second stare before surgically cutting up one of God's greatest creations. Our salad consisted of wedges of iceberg lettuce that were artfully arranged on the plate and ironically it reminded us of our trip to Antarctica. The dishes came out as they were finished from the kitchen, so there was no set order, the next part of this eclectic meal was the sauteed shitake mushrooms WOW talk about texture and complexity. Now for the pasta....My wife ordered squid ink linguine with clams in a broth that required a straw to drink the remaining liquid in the bowl. I ordered a traditional Roman pasta creations Bucatini Amatraciana and it was made with Guanciale pork the main ingredient which at other restaurants is substituted with Pancetta or proscuitto. That is like substituting reprocessed wool for cashmere. The onions and hot peppers rounded out this dish to a point when I hit the worst part....the last bite.

We live in Northern NJ and Boschetto is not close by, much to our chagrin, but when we make that trip it is always with Brunello in hand a hunger in our belly and the promise of taste sensation consistency, and hospitality by two gentlemen that have their finger on the pulse...