Chef Joe Tartamella Makes His Mark on Montclair’s MC Hotel
It can take years for people to find their own career path, or maybe even lifetimes, but Chef Joe Tartamella found his passion as a child. “All the kids were playing baseball with their dads, and we were connecting through food,” Tartamella says of his father. “That’s where my passion comes from.” Tartamella’s father was born in Sicily, and his par...
Vision for Ninth Street coffee house stands the test of time
A high-school trip to Italy sparked Anthony’s Italian Coffee House in Philadelphia’s South Ninth Street Italian Market. “I fell in love with the cafe culture,” Anthony Anastasio recalled about those two weeks in 1989. “I was born and raised at the market, and it was some- thing the market was missing.” He has since built the business on the legacy...
Bardea Steak Is Not Your Average Delaware Steakhouse
Despite all the well-earned accolades between them, Scott Stein and chef Antimo DiMeo felt a bit frazzled on the phone last year while negotiating cattle prices from specialty ranch in El Paso. The main problem? They didn’t speak dude ranch. “Buying whole cows for the first time, it was a little intimidating,” Stein says. “Their terminology, their...
The Oldest Italian Restaurant In West Virginia’s North Central Region Is A Culinary Masterpiece
Minard’s Spaghetti Inn in Clarksburg, West Virginia – if you’ve never eaten here, you need to fix that ASAP! As the region’s oldest and best authentic Italian restaurant, this longstanding favorite is a West Virginia culinary masterpiece that stands head and shoulders above the pack in terms of taste, service, reputation, and longevity! Way back in...
Inside NJ’s Best New Italian Restaurant of 2022
Earlier this year, a new, mysterious Italian restaurant popped on my Instagram feed— dish after dish of sleek, authentic fare each with a distinct character. I was relieved to see an Italian restaurant that wasn’t serving the same, tired chicken parm and Fettuccine Alfredo. Instead, the dishes looked lively and inventive. Noticing the Italian dicho...
You Must Taste The Cheese Wheel Pasta At This Unique Italian Restaurant In Maryland
Calling all pasta (and cheese) lovers! Have you ever heard of cheese wheel pasta? If not, you’re in for a treat. The following restaurant is the first in Maryland to serve up this delicious dish. Read on to learn more, and prepare to salivate… Cheese Wheel Pasta is located 1101 Atlantic Avenue in Ocean City, Maryland. It's right on the boardwalk, a...
Cugino Forno offers taste of Italy with imported ingredients
In 90 seconds, Cugino Forno cooks pizza to perfection inside a 900-degree oven imported from Naples, Italy, made from the stone of Mount Vesuvius. Co-owners Joseph Ozbey, Eren Yildirim and Pat Gio are cousins from Turkey who became enamored with pizza in their travels to Italy. After opening five locations in North Carolina, they set their sights o...
Here’s why ‘Elo’s Italian Pop-Up’ is sticking around in Del Ray
Justus Frank and Jeremy Barber are sticking with Italian food with their pop-up restaurant Elo’s Italian Restaurant in Del Ray. It’s been a little more than a year since the partners closed their date night spot Live Oak (1603 Commonwealth Avenue) and reopened it as Elo’s. The pop-up has been a hit with customers, Frank says, adding that it’s a lot...
Fazoli’s Prepares to Introduce Fast. Fresh. Italian. Flavors to Dublin
The town of Dublin can prepare to have a new go-to destination to enjoy Fast. Fresh. Italian. food when Fazoli’s opens its doors to the community soon! Located at 4416 Cleburne Blvd., Fazoli’s broke ground on its new Dublin restaurant in mid-May with a projected opening date in late summer. When the 4,400-square-foot restaurant opens its doors, it...
We saved you a bite: Martino’s Italian Traditions (Lebanon Valley Food Critics)
We had a long day on the road as the critic crew went to Easton and the Crayola Experience. After a day like this, we didn’t want to make dinner. I know, shocker, right? As we tossed out ideas, we settled on Italian and decided to dine at Martino’s Italian Traditions. Located along Route 72 north of Ebenezer, this standalone spot has a stone parkin...
Amedeo’s Bakery in Suffolk has the air of an Italian bake shop
Gazing at all the pretty muffins, cookies, pastries and other delectables in the glass display cases at Amedeo’s Bakery, I heard myself loudly declare, “I’ll take one of each.” Too polite to roll his eyes at a “joke” he must have heard too many times before, the server smiled and patiently filled takeout boxes as I narrowed my order to just a few t...
The Ocean County, NJ Italian Restaurants That Serve the Most Outstanding Food
If there's one thing Ocean County knows, it's Italian food. With all of the Italian heritage in Ocean County, every entree must be excellent every time. We have high standards, and rightfully so. There are the classics like eggplant parm and chicken cacciatore. Seafood served Italian style can't be beaten. Don't forget about the antipasti and appet...