Run, don't walk. 5 out 5 stars, certainly more if they were…read moreavailable, if there's any place that I thought deserves it. I don't know how I heard about this place but somewhere on the internet. It's been going viral. As it should. This is one of the best dining experiences I've had in a while. It absolutely blew me away. We're talking flavor combinations like Saddle River Inn by Chef Jamie Knott and Bill Van Pelt's ecclectic James on Main. This is rarified air. I came on a Tuesday right when they opened for dinner at 5:30. I was the only person in the establishment for a bit, but then it filled up by the time I left. I had the privilege of being waited on by Beth, the bartender, who's been bartending in the building since 2 different establishments ago. She was fantastic and a consummate professional from my walk in to my walk out. I was frequently greeted by manager Alex. We spoke about the best restaurants in north Jersey. Agreed on gems like Prime 94 in Fairfield and River Palm Terrace in Edgewater. He's been in the business and knows what he's talking about. I got the price fixe menu for $69. It included first - some bread appetizer (not pictured) and then a shrimp and (eggplant?) or zucchini appetizer. I also got some free bread with olive oil. Next up was the egg yolk raviolo. And it's exactly how you heard. The star of the night. I love eggs so I'm a little extra biased. I asked Beth if I could also try the butternut squash agnolotti and she hooked it up complimentary. For the main course, I paid the $10 upcharge for the lobster and it came in this sweet sauce. Succulent is the word I'd use. Lots of lobster. I am happy with the choice I made. Now I only eat one meal a day so my only complaint at this point was that I was still hungry. But most people would be well and full by this point. So I asked for the menus again. I ordered scallops. Came with some fried leeks. Truly out of this world flavors in every dish. The price fixe comes with 1 dessert. I wanted to try 2 so I got 1 à la carte. A pistachio crème brûlée tart and a pistachio hazelnut dessert. I recommend the former. I also had 2 beers. I'm telling you I can eat. But the bill came out to a very pleasant surprise of $160. I had to do a double take to see if my girl Beth hooked me up anywhere on there but outside of the complimentary small portion of the agnolotti, nope, that was the price. I made sure to hook her up though! 5 words for the 5-star restaurant. Can't wait to come back.

Food was excellent. Ambience was romantic…read more Service was rushed Menu is prix fix. Choices were excellent.

I came here for a quick slice before my paint + sip class next door at Painting with a Twist and it…read moredidn't disappoint! The staff was friendly and I was the only customer there at the time, so service was very quick. They're located in a strip mall so there's plenty of parking in their lot. I ordered a slice of chicken bacon ranch pizza and it was delicious. Crust was crunchy and dough wasn't too thick. I'm a fan!

This is a great place for both Pizza and Entrees. I like that their entrees come with both pasta…read moreand salad. The owner and staff are very friendly and accommodating to your needs. Definitely would recommend to family and friends. Frequent customer.

Food is delicious and cooked right! I had a veal Frances it…read morewas perfect! I added a Tiramisu homemade! Delicious and the service was professional and attentive! reasonably priced! The setting is beautiful!

We were a party of 4 last night, with reservations for 6:30PM, seated right at the door in the bar…read morearea. I had my back to the bar, but from what I was able to see this is a very cozy place. Service was quick and attentive, and we did not feel rushed and were able to enjoy a pleasant time chatting. Drinks: the black walnut Manhattan, Fig jam old fashioned, wine , beer and port. Drinks were all excellent, i tasted the Manhattan and enjoyed it over the Fig Jam. For apps: Clams oreganato (the couple with us enjoyed this), flat bread (was much more like pizza than flat bread, but still tasty, per my husband), and on the special New England Clam Chowder which was very good, not too thick and decent and fresh clams in it. Entrees: Shrimp Risotto scampi, very flavorful Risotto cooked perfectly. Two of us ordered the Cajun Mahi Mahi, over spinach with mashed, and 2 shrimp. the Cajun sauce was tasty with the perfect amount of heat, shrimp and mahi-mahi fresh and cooked perfectly. Rigatoni Bolognese which my husband enjoyed and said it was almost as good as my Italian mother's (like a good son-in-law) lol Dessert: Crème Brûlée - Brûlée was perfect, the crème was a little too thick for me. I ate it and enjoyed it, but not the best I've had. My husband ordered the key Lime Pie happy that it did not include nuts in the crust as some do, he thought it was good. Overall we had an enjoyable albeit pricy meal with good service. I would come back if other's wanted to go but it would not be my go to place.

From the moment we walked in, the service was outstanding. The staff was attentive, friendly, and…read moremade us feel welcome. The atmosphere was cozy, and the vibe was perfect for relaxing and enjoying a great meal. The cocktails were so good that we had to order a second round! For appetizers, we ordered the arancini and the burrata. Both were delicious, but the arancini completely stole the show. They were perfectly crispy on the outside, creamy and cheesy on the inside, and every bite was absolutely incredible. For our entrées, we had the shrimp pistachio fettuccine and the steak with fried potatoes. The fettuccine was outstanding, the shrimp were cooked perfectly, and the pistachio sauce was rich, unique, and full of flavor. The steak was tender, cooked exactly as requested, and paired beautifully with the crispy, flavorful fried potatoes. The true star of the meal, however, was dessert. We ordered the ricotta cheesecake, and it was one of the best desserts I've ever had. Honestly, I could eat it for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy! It was creamy, light, and absolutely unforgettable. Yes, it's on the pricier side, but the quality of the food, the service, and the overall experience make it well worth it. I'd happily come back again.

The restaurant was very nice inside and the service was great. We started with the veal meatballs…read more These were prepared differently than your regular meatballs. They had lemon zest or lemon in the meatballs. At first I wasn't sure about them because they did not taste like your traditional meatball but it worked. For our mains we had the hanger steak and the saffron spaghetti with zucchini, shrimp and breadcrumbs. The spaghetti wasn't my favorite but the hanger steak was good. I wish there were a few more menu choices.

I have had dinner here several times since they opened and always had a great meal. Love the BYOB…read moreoption - there is a liquor store upstairs. A true family- owned and operated restaurant. Cozy and warm atmosphere!

San Giorgio comes with a lot of hype, and I went in with high expectations -- unfortunately it…read moredidn't quite live up to it. The food was decent, but there are better Italian spots out there in my opinion. Nothing was bad, just not the "wow" experience I was expecting. Portions were also surprisingly small for the price point, which added to the letdown. It's a fine option, just not one I'd rush back to or recommend over other Italian spots in the area.

Rails never disappoints, it's a great place for date night or any special occasion…read more We started our night with white wine and a spicy margarita. For our appetizer we had the tuna tartare and spanish octopus. I will definitely order the tuna tartare again. For our main we had a tomahawk, smoked gouda and bacon mac and cheese and mushrooms with spinach. Our waiter was great, he constantly came by to check on us and had great recommendations for sides.

The problem with Rails Steakhouse is that the apps are the best part, so the overall trajectory of…read morethe experience just goes gradually downhill throughout. I came here last night with the Bitch Pack for a 7pm dinner. One of my top-tier chums had been here before a handful of times, but otherwise we were making our debuts. I've been aware of this place for literally years, having driven by it on 202 numerous times, but the closest I ever got to the door was about 16 years ago when I took some used wine crates from the end of Teresa Guidice's driveway nearby. Time flies! The building is seriously cool. I wandered in first and instead of being a grownup and just alerting my chums to my presence, assumed I was late and that they were downstairs in the speakeasy (one of apparently four bars in the restaurant? So yes, a rather large establishment). They weren't, but it was an opportunity to take a gander at that setup, which involves an incredibly unique entrance to gain access (no spoilers here). In this era where people just decide that their bars are speakeasies because one of their employees is dressed like a flapper, it's nice to see one that actually remembers they're supposed to be secrets and hard to get into. The staff I encountered during my needless search/exploration was very nice; I think one of them politely suggested I text my chums, which was of course excellent advice I didn't take. Anyway. As mentioned, the apps were awesome. We split the lobster arancini at my suggestion, and also got some tuna tartar. The arancini is fantastic; incredible taste/texture, and something I'd order again in a heartbeat. And honestly? To me the best tuna tartar keeps it simple - it's tuna, avocado and wontons/chips. That's it. Nice and smooth, just as nature intended. We were also pondering a special that I think involved gnocchi and strawberries, which might have been awesome too, but I was pleased with all of these decisions. The steak was okay, which is obviously not the greatest takeaway for a steakhouse. I liked the flavors a lot; I was a little concerned the pepper would be overwhelming but I was into it, and the steak was slightly undercooked, which is also a plus for me. Ideally I'd order rare everywhere I go but I only do it at places I trust (cough cough Cloverleaf in Caldwell cough cough), so I went with medium rare, which came out pretty close to rare. It might just be personal palate preference, but I thought the marbling was a little too thick on the ribeye, which meant "stringier" bites that took away from the positives of marbling, namely the aforementioned flavor. Morally I tend to hang out in the steak section of a steakhouse menu, but I might wander off the reservation if I'm back again. We got some sides as well to share, which were SUPER uneven. The mashed potatoes were decent and the gouda smoked mac & cheese a definite highlight - the smokiness really gave it some zest. I didn't taste them but the Brussels sprouts looked almost sickly (definitely not crispy) and my chum almost spit them out in her napkin. Avoid at all costs. And unfortunately we sputtered to the finish line. I sampled the pina colada creme brulee, which was technically tasty but very cold (literally the first time I've encountered it at that temp); same with the s'mores cheesecake. It was pretty obvious these weren't made to order and weren't even prepped/heated up for us, which was strange given that both of these desserts by definition require heat for caramelizing and toasting. Big miss there. The service was fine; maybe a little sluggish but we weren't really in a time crunch unless you count the fact that some of us were perilously close to bedtime. A request to move to a nearby table away from an air vent was promptly handled, so points for that. I'd have no objection to sneaking back into the speakeasy for a nip and some apps, but when you don't have much interest in the steak at a steakhouse, it's kind of a problem.

I went to ARCA for a friend's birthday this weekend. We live pretty close by, but this was our…read morefirst time visiting. My friend ordered a nice wine, and they had an extensive wine list with plenty of variety. I had the Purple Rain Martini because it was made with gin, which I love. It was a little sweeter than I usually prefer, but I still enjoyed it. There were two or three parties happening when we visited on Sunday afternoon, but they were nicely separated and did not affect the service at all. We were seated quickly, and our server was friendly and attentive. We started with the tuna tartare, which was delicious. For my entrée, I ordered the gnocchi. It seemed like it would normally be a great dish, but mine was a little too salty. I'm not sure whether the dish is usually prepared that way or whether it was just an off day. My friend ordered the vodka pasta and loved it. We did not have room for dessert, but I also have to mention how cool the overall ARCA theme is. The church-inspired design, stained-glass windows, and décor create such a unique atmosphere. Overall, we had a nice experience, and I'm looking forward to going back.

This restaurant was a great place. Service is top notch. Multiple servers attended to us - not in…read morean overwhelming sense- just making sure all our needs were met. The best part though was the food! From the varied bread they brought to the table to the cocktails to the entrees. The table enjoyed sea bass, truffle gnocchi and short rib. Everything was flavorful and the portions were excellent. We will be returning.

I had been meaning to give the Columbia Inn in Montville a try for a while since friends of mine…read morementioned that pizza aficionado Dave Portnoy had awarded their exceptional thin crust pizza an 8.7 back in 2020. Even though my usual dining companion and I don't enjoy pizza - due to my lactose intolerance (more on that later) - we finally stopped in for dinner on a recent Saturday night. The restaurant occupies a historic building built in the 1870s that once served as Montville town hall and later became a tavern and inn catering to travelers making their way through northern New Jersey along US Route 202 and the Morris Canal. Today, the Columbia Inn offers diners a great neighborhood pub atmosphere with a lively bar scene and an adjacent dining room that can accommodate larger parties in a casual, family-friendly dining experience. Overall, our food was terrific. My dining companion really enjoyed her St. Peter's fish ($28), a flaky white fish topped with minced garlic, diced tomato with arugula, and a light tomato sauce alongside mashed potatoes and mashed carrots. I ordered the Chicken Scarpariello ($28) -- a very robust sauté of chicken, Italian sausage, and sweet and spicy peppers in a bold, tangy white wine and vinegar sauce -- also served with the mashed potatoes and mashed carrots. Both of us thought our entreés were genuinely delicious. However, we hit a plot twist. Navigating an Italian menu with lactose intolerance is already an extreme sport, but the description of the Scarpariello in the menu looked totally safe. Enter a creative sous chef, who apparently likes to improvise a little off-script. A few bites in, I realized my chicken was secretly wearing a cozy blanket of melted cheese hidden just underneath the sauce. I strive to be the lowest-maintenance diner on the planet and will happily eat around almost anything (while deferring my criticism to a Yelp review) to avoid sending a plate back to the kitchen. I was fully prepared to operationally pick off the cheese and soldier on, but our server, Yuri, caught my look of mild betrayal and swooped in like an absolute hero. He refused to let me suffer through a cheese-scraping mission, insisted on taking my dish back to the kitchen, and had a fresh, dairy-free version out to me in record time and offered his sincere apologies for the snafu. Major credit to Yuri for handling it like a total rockstar. I'm deducting half a star for the stealth cheese surprise and rounding down to 4 stars, but thanks to Yuri's legendary service and the fantastic food, we had a great night and will definitely be back! PRO TIP: The chef seems to enjoy freelancing and dishes may be served with slight variations from the menu descriptions. This has the potential to cause problems for people with food allergies -- so be sure to make your server aware of any specific requests when ordering.

Don't sleep on the shrimp beeps!!!! They were a fantastic start to a great meal. We ordered a…read moremeatball and pepperoni, a Columbus inn, and a grandma. There were diced peppers, which I normally don't eat, but a perfect amount even for me. I thought all 3 pies were amazing but would probably not order the grandma again. The sauce in the other 2 was far too good to miss out on as a first taste. Will definitely be back

I did not have high expectations when we chose this restaurant for a quick lunch, but I was…read moreEXCEPTIONALLY surprised at the quality of food and friendliness of the staff. I had the mussels which came with a huge bowl of wonderful, delicious white sauce and more garlic than I've ever seen in my life ....along with toasted bread that was delicious. It's an absolute excellent value and enough for a full meal. My friend had a Caesar salad that was beyond the ordinary with real grilled shrimp. The prives were very reasonable and the Service delightful. ( very friendly waitress). I would highly recommend ....not fancy just great quality food and friendly service!

I thought this place would be busy on a Saturday night so made a reservation but was pleasantly…read moresurprised to find the restaurant not so busy for an early dinner. There is a small little parking lot that can fit 4-5 cars right off the main road. Inside was decorated with cute Christmas decor, and the domestic violence scene from Godfather Part 1 casually playing on the TV while I'm trying to eat my food. Good variety of options of appetizers, small shared plates, pizza, fresh pasta, and entrées to choose from our group decided to split the popular pizza. Then everyone offended for themselves - our table ordered the gnocchi with pesto and chicken Milanese, chicken parmigiana with penne, Arancini, and the "focaccia"/house garlic bread. The Arancini was perfectly crisp on the outside and soft and luscious on the inside. The pizza was a perfect sweet and savory combo of burrata, prosciutto, and balsamic glaze. The pesto was a bit thin and ate a little soupier than I prefer. Buyer beware with the focaccia - although it's called focaccia, it's also listed under the pizzas so it was served thin and crispy like a pizza rather than thick and fluffy like we had been expecting. I would absolutely return again to try all the other dishes, especially the shared plates, different pizzas, and other fresh pasta offerings.

Tuscany Villa Ristorante in Montville is a casual BYOB Italian restaurant featuring tasty cuisine,…read morea casual, welcoming atmosphere and attentive service -- making it one of those rare spots that works just as well for a low-key date night as it does for a big family dinner. The ambiance is what one would expect from a casual BYOB -- slightly better than average decor; attentive but not overwhelming service; and freshly-made and tasty classic Italian favorites at reasonable prices. I recently attended a surprise birthday party for a friend at Tuscany Villa and I can't say enough good things about our experience. The kitchen executes well on flavorful and beautifully presented dishes and every member of the staff was incredibly professional and attentive, making sure that our group was well-taken care of all evening. The dinner menu features typical pizzeria cuisine including a variety of slices and hot and cold subs as well as a variety of more Italian favorites including pastas, chicken, and shrimp dishes, which offers enough variety to appeal to everyone (including those with dietary restrictions like gluten or dairy intolerance). It's obvious that the chef takes pride making meals that present well and taste great. It's rare to find a spot that hits the mark on both high-quality cuisine and seamless hospitality. We'll definitely be back! PRO TIP #1: Bring a bottle of wine or beer from home or stop at the liquor store next door for some adult beverages to enjoy with your meal. Tuscany Villa Ristorante is a BYOB establishment and does not serve alcohol. PRO TIP #2: Portions are often generous; consider sharing an appetizer or entree if you're not planning on taking home leftovers.

If you know me then you know that I've always got delicious Pizza on my foodie finder radar. Being…read morequite possibly the best meal ever invented I can't help but find it captivating Lol. Recently while on the road and in search of something quick to shove-in my face I stopped by The Tuscany Villa where they just happen to be serving up some amazing hand held captivating deliciousness of their own individual style.    Having so many amazing types of toppings to choose from I initially found it hard to decide but eventually I went with their Chicken Balsamic Slice and Classic Grandma Slice. Firstly I have to say that I really can't remember ever enjoying Square Crust Pizza with this much Crispy Crunch to it. Texture was perfect in every way. Flavorful factor was on point and could be noticed in each and every tremendously tasty bite. Especially that Balsamic flavor added to Diced Chicken, and of course Grandma's San Marzano Tomato Sauce was superb !! YUMMMMMMERS !!    With such a huge menu full of delicious looking dishes my quick write up for this excellent business doesn't give it the proper attention it deserves so I'm thinking of stopping by again in the very near future for a sit down style visit when I have some more time and maybe even bring a nice bottle of wine and a few friends. So until that day. Come And Get Your Munch On!!