What's the Best Italian Restaurant In Passaic County?
- Aldo's Cucina, Wayne
- E & V Restaurant, Paterson
- Novelli, Wayne
Sounds straightforward, right? But with a dizzying array of options – everything from old-school red sauce joints to modern takes on Grandma’s homemade cooking to trattorias with gourmet pizzas -- the answer can be hard to answer.
We asked for your favorites; three have been narrowed down as part of our contest and those finalists are being profiled this week.
Voting continues until 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28. You can vote multiple times, albeit once per day.
Grab a fork, read on, and let your fingers do the clicking.
The winner will receive a framed DVlicious certificate as well as the pride in knowing it offers a taste of Italy close to home.
Novelli, 2410 Hamburg Turnpike, Wayne, (973) 835-3585
What Makes It Pasta Perfect: This is no ordinary pasta joint; Novelli fancies up its northern Italian and continental menu with tuna, mango and avocado and brie-stuffed figs wrapped in prosciutto as appetizers, and kale salad with goat cheese, and branzino filet served over escarole and white beans as entrees. It also has seasonal specials such as stuffed zucchini blossoms and panko-crusted soft shell crabs. Frequently mentioned by Yelp reviewers is its grilled octopus appetizers which, they say, is done to perfection. They also kick it up a notch with Kobe beef meatballs, Italian sausage burgers, and grilled rainbow trout. Its pasta is homemade.
Worth Special Mention: The classy but comfortable décor and lengthy wine list, plus its famed martinis, can more than set a romantic mood on special occasions. Forget about calorie counting and try to save room for dessert; E&V is known for its bananas foster (made tableside) and other sinfully sweet goodies such as its homemade pistachio gelato, fresh orange tart with cardamon pastry cream, and pears poached in red wine, with ice cream, biscotti and cannoli cream on the side.
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