DineSite Featured on McNees.org

Featured Restaurant on Rick's DineSite Journal


DineSite:	Stephanie's Italian Restaurant

Location:	283 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell, NJ 07006

Website:	Stephanies Italian
Tel:	973-226-2142
Cuisine:	Italian
Review:	17/20

Journal entries: Date, Atmosphere, Food, Winelist, Service, Other

A favorite local regular haunt of colleague and friend Brian E. in Caldwell, NJ.
Stephanies Italian listing at www.Restaurantpassion.com New Jersey dining guide - From Vincent Lombardo, Jr. prepares all the meals at Stephanie’s Italian Restaurant. He and his wife Christina welcome you, this is the place for your next meal. Catering available. With an open kitchen design and charming patio in back, this place is lovely. With the eatery named after Mr. Lombardo’s daughter, how could it be otherwise? New this year: 1-year-old Sebastian now appears on the ownership menu.

Dec 14, 2004 -

Small intimate dining in this warm casual, comfortable store front eatery that has an open kitchen yet is not distracting or obtrusive. - 4.25/5

Food - The menu is quintessentially Italian with creatively and whimsically named section headings in Italian as well as English such as IL Pollaio de Campagna (The Farmer of the Hen House) and IL Macellaio (The Butcher), and IL Pescatore (The Fisherman). There is an amazingly broad and extremely enticing selection of choices within each category with more than a dozen seafood selections alone. I ordered something off the menu - not a special - the Flounder Francese and it was fabulous. I would rank it up there with one of my favorite seafood dishes, the Petrale Sole at Scott's in Palo Alto, SJC and SFO! The desert menu was limited but imaginative and almost equally enticing - the gelato was served in a frozen orange peel cup. Food - 4.5/5

Wine - They do not have a liquor license so there is no winelist. Not a problem as they graciously serve BYOB selections. See Wine Journal Review. For such accommodation I give them a Wine Rating of 3.75/5.

Service was friendly and personable, attentive and accommodating, as one would hopefully expect from a local family eatery. Stephanie's didn't disappoint. Diners were welcomed and served with professional, courteous and gracious, service.
Service - 4.5/5

Overall - 17/20.