Brioso's Italian Restaurant

Brioso’s Italian Restaurant

Final Grade: B-

            Last weekend, my husband and I were invited out to dinner with some friends to catch up and enjoy dinner in a casual yet inviting atmosphere. After finding out that our first choice of locales was booked, we settled on Brioso’s. I had never been; however our pals had and spoke highly of the fare. 

            Located in an unassuming small strip mall along the northern side of Route 9 in Marlboro, Brioso’s is a large restaurant that has great décor and an upbeat vibe. The waiters were attentive and the space was filled with both small and large groups of patrons. The prices were quite reasonable and were a welcome sight to see along with their BYO policy.

            Having been to way too many Italian establishments over the years, I can pretty much recite what a menu will present. On a good note, this menu did offer some novelties- mozzarella in Carrozza with fried zucchini,  ravioli in a pistachio cream sauce, and veal scaloppine with black truffles topped with fontina cheese in a brandy sauce, to name a few. On the other hand though, staples such as fried calamari and fusilli Bolognese were both available and average.
            Cannellini beans in a room temperature tomato coating were placed on our table along with hearty Italian bread upon sitting. The beans were seasoned well and the bread made for a great accompaniment.  We decided to go “old school” and order the fried calamari for an appetizer. The ringlets came out piping hot and coated lightly in a basic flour breading. They were juicy yet bland as I found myself enjoying more of the marinara when eating.  All in all though, I have suffered through worse in that department so I commend the chefs for doing a nice job.
            Dinners were well-received; however one dish came out wrong and had to be re-ordered. This made for an awkward, should we wait and eat, feeling which I do not enjoy. While we waiting for the missing dish, we each shared. The Cavatelli Contadina:
sausage, broccoli, & sundried tomatoes with fresh tomato was simple and satisfying. The broccoli was crisp and forked well with soft cavatelli. The Fettuccine Verdi Mare Monti:
spinach fettuccine with shrimp, asparagus, olives, fresh tomato,garlic & oil was tasty but was marred by too heavy of an olive flavor. Fusilli Bolognese was hearty and vibrant with color and freshness. I think the dish needed more sauce as the pasta was a tad dry for my liking. Lastly, the Pollo Saporito: pieces of chicken topped with speck (smoked prosciutto), radicchio, zucchini, smoked provolone cheese, and cognac sauce, was odd. Odd because the chicken pieces were long tenders and all the ingredients didn’t form a cohesive dish. It seemed like a plate of great ingredients coincidentally on one plate.
            Overall, Brioso’s, which has another location in Staten Island, will continue to do well in our Italian restaurant loving community. Not surprising though; they serve up good dishes that are both innovative yet traditional and maintain an admirable atmosphere that people seem comfortable in. With a few tweaks to their dishes and more time to develop as a restaurant, I predict their success lasting.
            Brioso’s can be found at 184 Route 9 North, Marlboro, NJ 07726.

Total score 17/25

Final Grade: B-

A: 21-25    B: 16-20    C: 11-15   D: 6-10    F: 0-5

Restaurant Rubric

	1	2	3	4	5
Food Taste	Bland, boring, overcooked, underdone	Very little flavor, not much aroma	Flavors apparent, basic ability to please palates	Flavor worth discussing, chef’s use of ingredients impressive	Great flavor, taste lingers and leaves diner wanting more
Restaurant service	disrespectful	Inattentive staff, no regard for wait time	Staff average in helpfulness, timing alright, either more/less needed	Staff knowledgeable and attentive to needs without asking, timing very well executed	Remarkable and noteworthy, service so good you forget it is ever an issue elsewhere
Food Presentation	Cover it up please	Sloppy and the eater can tell little thought went into it	Descent presentation: looks alright, not worth a picture but enough to make you hungry	Admirable, it is apparent the chef plated with a consideration for presentation	Presentational talents are here. Looks beautiful and too good to dig in
Prices match quality	Prices are too high for quality	Prices are still too high but not outrageously	Some items are priced accordingly but not all	Most items are priced accordingly	All items are matched accordingly
Would I go back?	Not a chance ever	Nope	Maybe	Looking forward to it	What time should I arrive?!?

Sausage & Squash Pizza

Sausage & Squash Pizza

Serves: 3-4

OBJ: TCW be able to apply her dough making skills she learned from cooking class and bake a pizza fit for a hungry husband and health-conscious wifeJ

Dough: Adapted from Diana Albanese, Classic Thyme Cooking School

2 tsp active dry yeast

¾ C + 2 TBS warm water

2 ½ C all-purpose flour

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp kosher salt

Procedures:

1.      In a large bowl, combine ¼ cup warm water and ¼ cup flour. Let sit for 30 minutes

2.      Add remaining flour, ½ cup + 2 TBS warm water, oil and salt

3.      Mix dough with wooden spoon or hands and turn out onto a well- floured work surface

4.      Knead until smooth, elastic and a little sticky to the touch, about 5 minutes

5.      Shape into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Rub excess olive oil on dough ball

6.      Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place ( I put my heat on 75!) for about 90 minutes, it should double in size

Sweet Sauce:

½ small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

¼ Cup dry red wine (I used merlot, but use what you booze:)

I 14 ounce can Italian style stewed tomatoes

½ can 6 ounce tomato paste

½ can 14 ounce diced tomatoes with juices

1 tsp dried parsley

S & P, salt and pepper

Procedures:

1.      In a large sauté pan or medium sauce pot, heat olive oil over medium flame

2.      Add onions, garlic, parsley and a pinch of S & P, cook over medium heat until veggies are translucent, about 5-8 minutes

3.       Add wine,  all tomato products, and mix well,  turn heat to high and bring sauce to a boil

4.      Once it has reached a boil, turn heat to low and bring to simmer, cover while simmering for 20 minutes

5.      Take off cover and add another pinch of S & P, keep heat on low and stir frequently for about an hour to allow sauce to thicken

Toppings:

2 Italian Sausage links (I used one sweet and one hot, but do what suits you)

1 yellow zucchini or squash, cut into ¼ in rounds

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

S & P, salt and pepper

Procedures:

1.      Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2.      In a small baking dish, place links inside and loosely cover with foil, bake for 40 minutes turning once

3.      Place sliced zucs on a large baking sheet, toss well with olive oil and a tsp each of S & P

4.      Bake for 20 minutes or until bottoms are browned

Pizza……Finally

1 pizza dough (from above or purchased or prepared)

1 ½  Cup sweet sauce (use more or less depending on your sauce amount preference)

2 sausage links sliced into rounds

1 yellow zucchini or squash rounds, baked/roasted as above

1 Cup shredded mozzarella

¼ freshly grated parmesan cheese

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Procedures:

1.      Preheat your oven to 475 degrees and preferably place your baking stone in oven right away

2.      Roll dough out to about a 14 inch wide circle or any shape you can get it to look like, anything works with cheese and sauce on top!

3.      At this point, I quickly take out my preheated stone and place dough on it

4.      Quickly spread the sauce, sprinkle mozz all around, spread sausage out on one side, zuc on the other, sprinkle parmesan on top of entire pie and drizzle with olive oil

5.      Place stone with assembled pizza on top back in oven and bake for about 12 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned crust

6.      Place stone on a large cutting board, bring to table, slice away and enjoy

You're Bacon Me Hungry Pasta

You’re Bacon me Hungry Pasta

Serves: 4

OBJ: TCW be able to flavor her marinara with smoky bacon to add to fresh linguini with sautéed shrimp

Ingredients:

1 9oz package fresh linguini (I used Buitoni)

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

½ onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced plus 1 whole

1 14oz can diced tomatoes, plus ½ of another can

½ can of 6 oz can tomato paste

4 pieces bacon, cut into ½ in pieces

½ Cup dry red wine, (I used Merlot, but use what you booze:)

25 extra large raw shrimp, peeled, cleaned & deveined

½ TBS unsalted butter

1 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp red pepper flakes

S & P, salt and pepper

Procedures:

1.      Boil your water and cook pasta according to package directions, pasta can be added right before you are ready to serve though because it only takes 3 minutes!)

2.      In a large sauté dish over low –medium heat, heat 2 TBS of olive oil

3.      Add bacon, onion and garlic, parsley, 1 tsp red pepper flakes and a pinch of S & P, sauté for about  10-15 minutes with heat on medium, or until the veggies are translucent and bacon is browned

4.      Add wine, turn flame to high and bring to boil, then let sauce reduce (lower flame), about 4 minutes, stirring often to get up the bottom “goodness”

5.      Add diced tomatoes with juices and tomato paste, stir and bring to boil

6.      Add a pinch of S & P and lower heat to a simmer and cover sauté pan, leave covered for 20 minutes

7.      Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan over low - medium heat, melt ½ TBS butter with 1 TBS of olive oil, add a pinch S & P,  other 1 tsp red pepper flakes, and whole garlic clove grated in (use cheese grater)

8.      Add shrimp and sauté until pink, about 5 minutes, turn off heat and tent pan while you wait for pasta and sauce to be ready

9.      When pasta is done, drain and add it to tomato bacon sauce and toss to coat. Add shrimp with all the pan juices and fold in

10.  Bring to table and enjoyJ

Italian Platter

Italian Platter

Serves: 2-8

OBJ: TCW be able to assemble a cheese & meat platter that she and her husband can eat for dinner in a lingering fashion

Ingredients:

Cheeses:

½ ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced thin

¼ lb sharp provolone, thinly diced

¼ lb fontina, thinly sliced

¼ lb gouda, thinly sliced into triangles

½ Cup crumbled goat cheese, mixed with chopped cranberries & slivered almonds

Meats:

¼ lb good quality prosciutto di parma

¼ lb good quality salami

¼ lb good quality soppressata  

Accompaniments:

1 eggplant, sliced in ¼ in rounds

2 zucchinis, sliced into ¼ in rounds

½ C roasted red peppers, sliced

½ C marinated artichoke hearts

Fresh basil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

S & P (salt and pepper)

Procedures:

Veggies:

1.      Roast Eggplant and Zuc: preheat oven to 425 degrees

2.      Lay your vegetables on a baking sheet, brush each with olive oil on both sides(about ¼ C in total)

3.      Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper

4.      Roast for 20-25 minutes

5.      Take out of oven, put aside

Meats:

1.    On your large platter, gently fold your prosciutto into ribbons, one slice on top of another

2.    Roll your salami and soppressata, place on platter

Cheeses:

1.      Place each of your cheeses into separate areas on your platter. Leave room so that they can be distinguished from each other

Accompaniments:

1.      Place your roasted red peppers and artichokes in the center of your platter in separate piles

2.      Fan out your zucchini and eggplant in another designated area

3.      Place 5-10 fresh basil leaves in one corner

4.      Lightly drizzle olive oil over vegetables and fresh mozz

5.      Sprinkle salt and pepper over vegetables and cheeses

Serve with crusty Italian bread, ciabatta bread, breadsticks, and seasoned olive oil for dippingJ

*** If you are doing this ahead of time, 2 things to note: place roasted peppers and artichokes on platter right before as the juices will run and make other items soggy and wrap in plastic wrap very tightly as the meats will brown if too much air gets in. ***

Crisini's

Crisini’s Brick Oven Pizza Parlor & Restaurant

Final Grade: B

                What Ocean County, or any county in NJ, doesn’t need is a new Italian restaurant:  true or false? Most would argue true, the brave would take the former. However if you travel to Crisini’s in Toms River any time soon, you should take the side of false and sit down for dinner.  

                Located in a new shopping center in the Silverton section of this vast town, this dining destination will surpass your expectations. The atmosphere is warm and comforting. It definitely has a rustic appeal, especially with the exposed brick walls and concrete floor. The dining room is larger than most; booths on the outer rims with round and square “tops” filling in the middle space. Hard to find elbow room will not be an issue here as the management has done an impressive job spreading out the seating.

                The first thing that struck us as a good sign that we decided to go “Italian” that night was the menu. Not that it was innovative or trend-setting; it was just the fact that the chef took familiar flavors and served them in an untraditional way.  The appetizer list read items such as Broccoli Rabe over Polenta with sausage ($12), Long Hot Peppers with olive oil and potatoes ($9), and Fritella Vera- Old Fashioned Spinach pancakes ($8). The pastas include choices such as Rigatoni Napolentana Campania- diced eggplant sautéed with olive oil, garlic, plum tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella  & basil ($17) and Rigatoni alla Crissini- pasta tossed with shrimp and sautéed in olive oil topped with cherry tomatoes in a white wine sauce with arugula ($19). Some entrees that required a double take were the Chicken Lola- grilled chicken served over escarole and beans ($19) and the Veal Rabe- veal scallopini sautéed in olive oil, garlic, and butter served over broccoli rabe in a clear broth with a hint of lemon ($21).  There were others that were commendable, but those were the best examples that show how different your trip to this place may be.

                More importantly though is the taste. We started with the polenta and long hot pepper appetizers mentioned above. They both came out synchronized and steaming hot, good start in my mind. The garlicy broccoli rabe was dispersed generously enough to make for excellent “fork-fulls”.  What complimented the sliced sausage was the buttery and creamy polenta. Sadly, the sausage itself was mediocre, it clearly benefited from its counterparts. Long hot peppers were next on our plate. We were quite impressed from the heat this dish attacked us with. Firm potatoes sopped up the seasoned olive oil while acting as a much needed cooling agent. For dinner, we ordered a special of the evening, Chicken Cardinale ($19) - chicken topped with ham, roasted eggplant & red peppers, and fresh mozzarella on a bed of pasta in a tomato cream sauce. Chicken Lola, and Veal and Shrimp- veal and shrimp with artichokes, shitake mushrooms, and chopped fresh tomatoes, in a white wine, garlic lemon butter sauce ($21). The chicken special was enjoyable. The pasta was cooked well and the cream sauce was creamy enough to be called so. Chicken Lola was even more enjoyable though. Full of slow-simmered flavor, it was got better with each bite. Chicken and Veal was a mixed dish. The broth was zesty and fresh, the veal tender and abundant, shitakes and artichokes sautéed to their potential; the shrimp, however, was tough and hard to get past.  

                Our wait staff was helpful and attentive. They gave us apt time to discuss options before choosing and brought items when needed. Unfortunately, they didn’t bring out our bread until appetizers were presented and only brought out water when asked to.

                Something also very interesting and commendable about Crisini’s is their wine lockers. There are lockers in the back of the dining room that you can have to store your vino. If you donate at least $100.00 to an Ocean County organization and bring in your receipt, you can have your own locker. The locker will sport your name while you get to keep the key.

                So as the continuous population of Italian eateries grow, us patrons will have to take some risks to find the winners. Trust me, there’s a winner here at Crisini’s. This restaurant is located at 1898 Hinds Road, Toms River, NJ 08753.

Total score 17/25

Final Grade: B

A: 21-25    B: 16-20    C: 11-15   D: 6-10    F: 0-5

Restaurant Rubric

	1	2	3	4	5
Food Taste	Bland, boring, overcooked, underdone	Very little flavor, not much aroma	Flavors apparent, basic ability to please palates	Flavor worth discussing, chef’s use of ingredients impressive	Great flavor, taste lingers and leaves diner wanting more
Restaurant service	disrespectful	Inattentive staff, no regard for wait time	Staff average in helpfulness, timing alright, either more/less needed	Staff knowledgeable and attentive to needs without asking, timing very well executed	Remarkable and noteworthy, service so good you forget it is ever an issue elsewhere
Food Presentation	Cover it up please	Sloppy and the eater can tell little thought went into it	Descent presentation: looks alright, not worth a picture but enough to make you hungry	Admirable, it is apparent the chef plated with a consideration for presentation	Presentational talents are here. Looks beautiful and too good to dig in
Prices match quality	Prices are too high for quality	Prices are still too high but not outrageously	Some items are priced accordingly but not all	Most items are priced accordingly	All items are matched accordingly
Would I go back?	Not a chance ever	Nope	Maybe	Looking forward to it	What time should I arrive?!?