We were faithful customers at Mamma Rosa's, but when they closed down in '21, we were left in the…read morelurch and without a neighborhood Italian joint to call our own. We just quit going out for Italian other than for tomato pies, but now we've begun actively looking for a place to enjoy simple Italian food--outside of the ubiquitous tomato pies. Gennaro's was our first stop, with the menu definitely reading more New World Italian than Old World.
We started with a couple of appetizers: The Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms in Scampi sauce and the Antipasto Salad. I'm not a fan of Antipasto salads (I've a three item max addition rule for salads and tomato pies), but my wife enjoyed it. It was your standard antipasto salad for the area--perhaps more generous with the meat and cheese than the last one we ordered up the street at Papa's. The stuffed mushrooms had a good flavor, and although the sauce didn't really hit me as Scampi (the garlic wasn't really there), it was still good on its own, and I'd order it again.
My wife ordered the Pork Chop Giambotta, which she truly enjoyed. It was a thick, good sized pork chop covered with a sauce that included potatoes, sausage slices, and sautéed peppers. The menu said that the peppers were hot and sweet, but they were pretty much 99.9% hot peppers. If that's an issue for you, I'd make a point in mentioning it to your server first. My wife doesn't do spicy, but luckily I was there to find a home for the hot peppers, and she said she'd order it again if we returned.
My Veal Saltimbocca, however, was a letdown. The veal was overcooked and had lost its tenderness, but most surprising to me was that it was very different from the standard version I've known for years. Had I read the description more carefully, I'd have caught the fact it was in a tomato demi-glace rather than the white wine and butter emulsion I know and love. Also, the ham that was used was not the thinly sliced prosciutto one normally sees, instead it was a thick slice of something that I can't honestly tell you was prosciutto or not. The use of spinach instead of a sage leaf wasn't a complete shock, as I've seen that before. Overcooked veal, the prosciutto mystery, and tradition straying aside, the flavor almost bordered on being alright, but it definitely wasn't what I'd hoped for when I placed the order.
To add insult to injury, I asked for pasta as my side, and was given a couple choices--I chose the linguini and got served a dente-less spaghetti. When I asked the waiter (who was otherwise extremely conscientious and attentive) if they were out of linguini, I was told that there's really very little difference between the two, which so blew my mind that I just shrugged and ate.
While we were there, we could see that there were many people who acted like regulars enjoying their meals, and many of them were also eating tomato pies, however, we're on the hunt for a place that's going to satisfy our need for an Italian place that provides beyond the pizza oven. I'm up in the air about a second shot--my wife was much happier than me with the location (which means we'll likely go), but I'll definitely ask our server more questions about what I'm ordering next time to avoid any surprises.
