Covering the Basics at Roman Nose

Roman Nose, conveniently located right by the Grove Street Path, is a fairly casual and family-friendly Italian restaurant that focuses on serving authentic home-style meals. While not exactly brand-new, the restaurant still feels like a relatively new addition to Jersey City, partially because of their recent remodel. The new bar area adds a welcoming touch and the space is very nice; intimate but casual and while it can get crowded, I didn't feel like I was right on top of the other customers.

Not long ago, I stopped in for a casual dinner with some friends. We were waiting for two more people to join us who took longer than expected, but the staff was very friendly and calm about it. They went ahead and seated us and didn't act as though it was a problem which we appreciated. However, throughout the meal, I found our service to be a bit disorganized and slow. We had to ask for wine a couple of times, our food took quite a long time to come out and it felt like we were alternately being left alone for long stretches of time or checked on four times in a row by different people. Those issues aside, I found it to be a welcoming and friendly atmosphere and think they probably just need to work on organization a bit.

As for our actual meals, we pretty much stuck to the basics: salad, meatballs, and pasta although it was hard to say no to several of the delicious-sounding and much-buzzed about pizzas. I did have a glass of wine which was served in a small carafe and proved to be an exceedingly generous pour, especially for the price. While I wouldn't call the drinks menu expansive, it was pretty well-rounded for a restaurant this size and I'd say there's something for everyone.

We started with the house salad which was made with very fresh mixed greens (heavy on the arugula), cherry tomatoes, and a decent sprinkling of Parmesan, all tossed with a simple but tart vinaigrette. I'm a big fan of the peppery flavor of arugula which was complemented by the slight salt of the cheese and the vinegary tang of the dressing. I loved that it came in a large wooden bowl which felt familial and comforting and contained enough to feed a small army.

In addition to the salad, I got a bowl of meatballs in Roman Nose's "Sunday Sauce" - a classic, homemade marinara. Had I known how huge the salad was, I probably would have stuck to a side of the meatballs, but as it was, I wasn't complaining. Four come in a bowl and it's served with extra bread to help soak up the rich, pleasantly acidic tomato sauce. While there are hints of basil and garlic, the sauce is really all about the intensity and purity of good tomato flavor.

 

The meatballs themselves were quite dense, but juicy and flavorful and I could really taste the blend of the meats. Besides getting them in a bowl, you can also order them in a full or half sandwich and add fresh, homemade mozzarella which I highly recommend. The bread they're served on is of good quality and while the sandwich is a bit hard to eat because of the size of the meatballs, the bread holds up well. The mozz melted beautifully and its creaminess smooths out the acidity of the sauce.

We also got the Penne alla Norma, a Sicilian specialty made with eggplant, diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and ricotta salata. This is not a sauce-based dish, allowing the simple ingredients to shine through. It was good, but a little bit on the under-seasoned side, especially after the meatballs. The eggplant was excellent, cooked until tender and there was plenty of it along with the tomatoes and basil.

All in All
Roman Nose (125 Newark Ave by Grove Street) is a satisfying and comforting Italian restaurant that would be good for a date or for a family meal and they have a large amount of outdoor seating that will be a good option in the coming months. They're not reinventing the wheel and nothing I had blew my mind/taste buds, but it was all reasonably priced, fresh, generously-portioned, and certainly tasty. I think it's worth giving it a try; I know I'll be going back to sample a few of the pizzas, the lasagna they frequently have on special, and the apparently amazing Nonna Memma's cookies.

As a special note, they will also be having their ribbon-cutting this Friday at 4 p.m. with Mayor Fulop. They'll be serving free snacks at the bar and will also be debuting their new Ora Felice Happy Hour with $4 drafts, $6 house wines, and $8 specialty cocktails.