VIAGGIO
Dining Review
CHICKEN CACCIATORE
OLIVE OIL CAKE
ATasteful Interpretation
WRITTEN BY ELISA UNG PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS PEDOTA
Drop everything , head to Wayne ’ sItalian hotspot , Viaggio , and order the chicken . Yes , the chicken . Yes , this is arare and ringing endorsement of what is the most notoriously boring dish in most restaurants .
And no , it ’ snot Parmigiana or Francese . Those Italian-American favorites happen to be banned from the premises of Viaggio , a strip-mall restaurant that seeks to present food as it ’ scooked in Italy . With his chicken , chef-partner Robbie Felice presents an unforgettable interpretation ofcacciatore that involves brining the breast and stuffing adelectable herb-cheese-breadcrumb mixture under the skin , then serving it over mushrooms whose flavor has been amped upwith chicken-leg confit and ground pancetta .
Felice is aformer sous chef for the restaurant group of Mario Batali and Joseph and Lidia Bastianich . Now , many chefs have toiled in big-name restaurants , and you wouldn ’ talways know it from their own creations . Here , the influence is clear : Felice ’ sbest dishes bear intense , soulful flavors that evoke those of the acclaimed Babbo in Manhattan , where Felice was once anextern before rising to sous chef atthe group ’ sB & B Ristorante in Las Vegas .
You ’ re set up nicely here with a crunchy-crusted loaf from the famous Sullivan Street Bakery in Manhattan ,
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but it ’ s worth springing for the $ 7 pillowy foccacia , heaped with caramelized onions , if only for its accompanying bowl of pungent Sicilian olive oil .
That ’ s the first of many ingredients that set this restaurant apart . Felice is serving Berkshire pigs and free-range chickens from Lancaster County , and his cured meat and pastas are either
house-made or imported from Italy . Alas , the restaurant was out of the house-made charcuterie when Iwas there , but my platter of imported mortadella , soppressata , calabrese and prosciutto was one of North Jersey ’ s most satisfying charcuterie selections . There ’ s also a comparatively ordinary cheese plate that should be skipped to make room for some extraordinary appetizers .
First , calamari . Felice soaks his squid in buttermilk before frying it , then tosses in pickled shallots and Calabrian chilis , and mellows it all with a lemon butter sauce .
Next , try the octopus tentacles , braised and charred and arranged over an herbal combination of the large white gigante beans , all pulled together with a tangysweet apricot mostarda . And lastly , sample bruschetta . The standout is a deeply scented eggplant caponata ; carnivores may also appreciate the house-made Berkshire pork pastrami .
As in Italy , Viaggio ’ s menu offers both a “ primi ” section of pastas and a “ secondi ” section of entrées ; our waiter correctly
Wayne
VIAGGIO
1055 HAMBURG TURNPIKE ( 973 ) 706-7277 , VIAGGIORISTORANTE . COM
described the primi dishes as smaller and suggested ordering both , but that ’ s overkill ifyou ’ ve ordered appetizers .
Both categories offer good options , though . We swooned over two housemade pastas : cappellaci pasta filled with kabocha squash , and super-light gnocchi made of both potato and ricotta . But Batali ’ s influence is most clear in the fiery bucatini all ’ amatriciana flecked with pancetta . In the secondi category , redmeat lovers should spring for tagliata – slices of famously tender imported Piedmontese beef accented with a faintly sweet cipollini onion agrodolce .
As for desserts , ignore the too-salty pine nut crostata and try the phenomenal house-made cinnamon gelato – or the delicate panna cotta . The star ? A luscious rosemary olive oil cake that is Felice ’ s tribute to the acclaimed late Babbo pastry chef Gina dePalma .
Our confident , gregarious waiter effortlessly described dishes and did his best to make us feel comfortable , even when the talk at my table revolved around the logistics of bringing our own chair to a restaurant . Or maybe just a stadium seat cushion ? Or a big puffy coat to sit upon ? The testament to Viaggio ’ s food is that it is absolutely worth that kind of effort . ■
WAYNE MAGAZINE MAY 2017
53