Mr. RBI and I had dinner at Nettie’s on Thursday (3/14). When we arrived for our 8 p.m. reservation, all the booths and most of the tables in the bar room were filled. Quite a healthy showing for a NJ restaurant midweek. The noise level was fairly high, so we chose to sit in the dining room where only one other table was occupied and the noise level was more moderate. The music being played wasn’t blasting and included songs from our teen years, i.e., 1950’s do wop, etc. We were able to sit at a 4-top instead of the two-top available in the bar room. Tables, covered with white tablecloths, were nicely spaced. Décor was pleasant.
Soon after our order was taken, the bread basket arrived. Two types of bread along with the butter we requested because we prefer it to olive oil. It was at the perfect spreadable temperature and not rock hard the way too many restaurants send it out. We both liked the bread topped with sesame seeds; the plain one not so much.
We started the meal by sharing the large order of the Spaghetti with Meat Sauce. We almost always share pastas, and it’s easier when the kitchen splits them for us, especially when dealing with long-stranded pastas. But that wasn’t the case here, so I portioned it out as best I could. The spaghetti was cooked al dente, and the tomato-based meat sauce had pleasing flavor.
For the main course, we chose the much heralded Chicken in Vinegar Sauce. I generally prefer dark meat to white. So, while the roasted breast meat was juicy, for me it was the fried thigh and leg that really rocked. Not a hint of oiliness, the crisp, crunchy coating covered flavor-filled dark meat. Perfection! The vinegar sauce was tasty though I would have liked a bit more tang. The peppers were a welcome addition. I foresee this becoming a signature dish.
We ordered Eggplant as a side with the chicken. I love eggplant in just about any way, shape or form. Here it was a fairly large one split in half lengthwise and roasted with chili, lemon, and olive oil. Sadly, I found it disappointing. Much too plain with no hint of the chili and/or lemon.
The Sicilian Orange Cake we shared for dessert turned out to be the star of the meal. (Well, o.k., there was that fried chicken. So maybe a toss-up.) I happen to love citrus desserts, and this one was seriously delicious! Not to be missed!
To drink, Mr. RBI had a glass of Nero d’Avola (he had wanted a Côte du Rhône, but it came only by the bottle) and a cappuccino.
Our server Marisol had a perky personality and did a good job.
Just after we finished our main course, Chef/owner Chris came to our table. When he addressed me by name, I was surprised until I realized that because he has posted here, he recognized my name on the reservation. His wife and co-owner, Tanya (she had checked us in and seated us) also came over. We had a fairly long chat with them. It was Chris’s description of how he makes the orange cake that tempted us to order it. I was honest with him about the eggplant. And I also told him how disappointed I was that he took the lamb chop off the menu. He said he will probably put it back on the menu. Please do it, Chris!
We will be back!
The entire photo set can be viewed on my Flickr here.
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