Best Side Festival

While there a lot of great events happening this weekend, there's one in particular worth checking out.

Pasta Dal Cuore

Shortly after Pasta Dal Cuore opened their pasta counter, they began working on their next project: putting a restaurant in the back of the store. The restaurant, which naturally focuses heavily on the house-made pasta, opened in June, offering classic but modern Italian dishes with specials that draw from local markets and what's in season.

The restaurant is on the smaller side, but comfortable and noise is kept to a minimum. It's equally fitting for date night, a family night, or just dinner with friends. It does get a little crowded on the weekends, so if you want to come with a group, I recommend a reservation. Keep in mind, it's also BYO, and the staff will happily set you up for whatever you bring.

The meal begins with a complimentary bread basket, accompanied by a dish or two of something to dip it in. In our case, we had a delicious eggplant caponata and seasoned olive oil. The bread basket is one of the best I've had in Jersey City, containing three kinds of bread including a special Sardinian flatbread reminiscent of an herbed cracker and a Tuscan foccacia-like bread, rich with slightly salted olive oil you could taste in each bite. Definitely take advantage of the variety and try a little of everything.

Update on Bell+Gray, Now Open

Bell + Gray, the revised Carrino Provisions, officially opened Monday evening and a few more details are now clear.

While the space isn't overly changed, minus the addition of the bar and a few other decor details, they did put the TVs back in the front bar area (formerly the market space) which is good news for those who thought a more upscale sports bar would be a good addition to the area. If you're not a fan of that idea, the back dining room remains semi-separated and has its own bar although it is apparently reservation only . That seems like an odd choice to me, considering Jersey City is very much a walk-in kind of town. Yesterday, it seemed as though they were letting people back there without a reservation, but that might have just been for opening night. If you feel strongly about it, I'd recommend calling ahead. The wine cellar in the basement will be available for private events as it was when it was the Osteria.

The restaurant does also have patio seating in the courtyard although I'm not sure how long that will stay considering the season (my question about heaters outside went unanswered) and they are planning on restarting the Weekly BBQ Buffets although don't yet know when they'll resume. The fate of the brunch buffet they had recently instituted prior to renovating is yet to be determined.

While the restaurant still doesn't have a website, the menu can be seen here. While I haven't yet been so can't vouch for size of dishes, the price point does seem relatively in line with most restaurants around town at this level.

They'll be closed for a private event Wednesday (10/13), but are otherwise planning to open at 5pm every night this week.

Bell+Gray
8 Erie Street, Jersey City
973-988-2836

Community News

• Join 9 Bar Cafe for a special Columbus Day and Italian Heritage Month celebration tomorrow.
• The Hamilton Inn will be serving their brunch menu tomorrow in honor of the holiday.
• Congratulations to Brazicki's Tavern, 153 Liberty Ave, on celebrating their 70th anniversary.
• Beginning 10/14, The Kitchen at Grove Station will no longer be BYO and will have a $10 $25 corkage fee along with their all new beer and wine list. Cocktails to follow soon.

9 Bar Cafe "The True Italian Experience"

Join 9 Bar Cafe as they celebrate Italian Heritage Month and Columbus Day with a day-long coffee celebration tomorrow, Monday 10/12.

I've written before about the quality of 9 Bar Cafe and their coffee and tomorrow is the perfect chance to experience all they have to offer with three different deals to enjoy their coffee and food and have the true Italian experience.