I don’t know about you guys, but there is no way that Jeff Eats could-not try a pizza joint named Jersey Johnny’s Pizzera… betcha a dime, that I’ll soon be hearing from Mike’s Bayridge Pizzeria, Flatbush Boys Burgers, Joey Chan’s Staten Island PizzerIa, Leon’s Atlantic City Subs, Tony’s Bronx Deli—so be it!

Anyway…last week Mrs. Jeff Eats had some folks over to the house and did a “takeout” from Jersey Johnny’s Pizzeria… antipasto salad, Caesar salad, 16″ round pizza, 16″ sicilian pizza, meatballs marinara, penne ala vodka, fettuccini alfredo, veal parmigiana, sausage & peppers. At this stage of the discussion you can check www.jerseyjohnnyspizza.com for menu/prices.

Let me make this one real simple, Jersey Johnny’s Pizzeria gives you a ton of food for cheap money…Now you and I both know, that cheap doesn’t necessarily mean good…

I’m glad to report- that every “dish” that we had was A-OK. For sure, some were better than others, but not one disappointed. I will tell you, that the pizzas were really good and the meatballs marinara were dynamite.

Like I mentioned 33 seconds ago, we did takeout…Just so you know, the joint has plenty of tables, so you can eat there.

One final thought, some of you guys maybe wondering how Mrs. Jeff Eats “selected” Jersey Johnny’s in the first place? Just so you know, one of her closest girlfriends-Judy recommended the joint so that’s how that tune really got played.

Jersey Johnny’s is open Monday-Thursday 11am-11pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-midnight, Sunday 11am-9pm.

First, who here remembers Cosmo Topper?

Cosmos Cafe & Pizzeria…a good “mom & pop” red sauce Italian joint in Naples. Check www.cosmospizzanaples.com for menu/prices—you’ll also find a handful of pictures that will “tell” you what Cosmos’ indoor/outdoor patio setup is all about.

Recently did dinner at Cosmos…the joint’s menu is loaded with all types of pizzas, salads, appetizers, pastas, meat/chicken/seafood entrees. Tried, 16″ plain pizza, fried calamari, meat lasagna, penne a la vodka, chicken marsala, filet of sole. For the record, the pizza was thin/crisp/sweet red sauce—just like Jeff Eats likes it. The fried calamari was ok-but nothing to get nuts over. The meat lasagna and penne a la vodka were delicious-the chicken marsala and filet of sole were good but I’ve had better, but then again, I’ve had worse.

Let me sum Cosmos Cafe & Pizzeria up this way…a good “mom & pop” red sauce joint. Nothing outrageously great going on here. That said, I loved the indoor decor and the outdoor patio setup–service was as friendly as could be–reasonable pizza joint prices–all-in-all, the kitchen definitely “got” the job done.

Cosmos Cafe Pizzera is open Monday-Saturday 11am-close, Sunday 4pm-close.

Trattoria Romana is an upscale “white table cloth” Italian joint in Boca Raton. For the record, the joint has been around since 1993 and has a HUGE following…the bet here is that Trattoria Romana is one of the most successful upscale Italian restaurants in Boca Raton and for that matter South Florida. I think (actually I know)–the most cursory Google search on Trattoria Romana turns up loads of extremely favorable “food” reviews.

If you guys do a bit of checking, you’ll find that Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats do quite a bit of-shall we say–eating out. Trust me, we are easy going customers and never make life hard for waiters/waitresses–nobody. We tip well and are always pleasant. We know what it’s like to work for a living and have great empathy for the cooks, waiters, hostesses of this world.

I’m gonna make this “story” short and really sweet.

The food at Trattoria Romana is top-shelf. I and Mrs. Jeff Eats have eaten there TWICE…the first time was in 1995 and the second dinner- last week. Now, you guys may-be asking yourselves (then again you may not be asking): If the food is so delicious, why has Jeff Eats only eaten there twice in 17 years?

Glad you asked…

At the top of this story, I mentioned that a Google search would turn-up a ton of favorable “food” reviews—however, I neglected to mention that a search would also discover a ton of negative “attitude/service” comments… For the record, back in 1995, the front door hostess copped an attitude–like she was Eva Perone or something…throw in the waiter’s histrionics when we requested a 4-year old’s “kid’s” sized pasta portion—the outcome, it took me and Mrs. Eats 17 years to give Trattoria Romana another shot. The 2012 outing– now not 100% sure on this, but the same Eva Perone or a look-a-like is still the gate-keeper and is as charming as ever…the 4 year old is now 21, so I can’t tell you how the “waiter” would have handled a request for a “kid’s” portion…

To sum Trattoria Romana up… great looking joint, very good food (the chicken scarpariello, veal chop parmigiana and yellowtail oregenata are outstanding), not too terrible prices, very bad “personnel” vibe…

Just so you know, Jeff Eats isn’t planning a THIRD Trattoria Romana go-round, then again in 2029 I may have softened up a drop.

It absolutely amazes me, that certain restaurants just don’t know how to treat customers. What gets me even more, is that some customers put up with this crap. I guess they are what my dad use to call “gluttons for punishment.”

If you are a glutton, you can check www.trattoriaromana.com for menu/prices.

The joint is open Sunday-Thursday 5:30pm-10pm, Friday-Saturday 5:30pm-11pm.

The last time I checked–Jeff Eats had been in something like 260 different South Florida Italian restaurants. Math was never my strong suit, suffice it to say, that equates to a whole lot of pizzas, pastas, veal parms, eggplants, chicken cacciatores…Now nothing for nothing, the truth be told, the exact details about any-one particular “meal” is probably just a hazy memory.

Anyway…last night I gave 6 week old Ernie’s Italian Chophouse in Lighthouse Point a shot. By the way, I’m familar with Ernie’s location, in that over the years–it has housed several restaurants like Giulio Cesare Italiano Ristorante. The point I’m gonna make here, is that the “restaurant” that I knew, has been totally reconfigured-remodeled. Just so you know, when you walk into Ernie’s there is a separate bar area where you can eat–then walking a short corridor, there is a second room for dining with a pass-through window that allows you to watch the “chefs” work. The walls are white, there is a handful of “modern” scultpures on the walls, and both rooms have blue wall lights that give the joint an upscale South Beach look. From the decor, there is absolutely no tipoff as to the what type of food dominates the menu. For the record, Mrs. Jeff Eats and the couple we were with loved the decor—personally, I thought the lighting was too dark and the walls on the boring side—and since this blog is called Jeff Eats, I win! By the way, the joint’s website www.erniesitalianchophouse.com in addition to menu/prices has a few dining room photos, so you’ll see what the controversy is all about.

Now let me tell you about Ernie’s food.

The menu is not exactly huge, but there are enough appetizers, salads, pastas, Italian entrees, steaks/chops, desserts—so nobody is going to go home hungry.

At the top of this “review” I told you guys how I’ve been in so many Italian joints–that a haze has set in…well let me tell you, I will absolutely positively remember Ernie’s Italian Chophouse’s food. Let me make this as simple as I can, the chicken on-the-bone scarpariello that I “tried” was probably the best that I’ve ever eaten. Other entrees consummed- veal parmigiana, chicken milanase, broiled veal chop were absolutely top-notch—appetizers – meatballs, fried calamari were delicious and Caesar and fenel/beets/arguela salads were real good. For desserts, we stuffed our faces with in-house-made cannoli, flourless chocolate cake and cheesecake—I really enjoyed all three, but the cannoli and chocolate cake were worth the price of admission alone.

Let me sum the food up this way…this was one of the best Italian outings I have had in South Florida.

Now we- talk, prices and service. The prices aren’t neighborhood pizza joint prices—but surprisingly this “white table” cloth joint didn’t burn us. Now I’m just thumb nailing this–but maybe the whole shooting match was 7-8 bucks a head more than pizza joint fare. Trust me here, your favorite neighborhood pizza joint in a million years doesn’t come close to the goods that Ernie’s is turning out. On service–think competent “sports bar” folks and you got the picture. Just a thought, if Ernie’s makes fresh pasta daily, don’t you think that-should be used as a selling point? Or maybe that the salads and sides are big enough to feed two maybe even three people. Well I do! I will tell you- owner Ernie was all over the joint–visiting- from what I saw every table and trying his best to make sure that the kitchen and servers were doing shall we say…the right thing. Now, being a kind hearted soul, Jeff Eats is going to mix into the equation the fact that Ernie’s has only been open for something like 6 weeks.

By the way, for those of you who maybe wondering…yes, Ernie’s is located in a non-descript half empty South Florida strip center so parking was a snap.

I really enjoyed Ernie’s Italian Chophouse.

On a final note, every so often Jeff Eats finds a joint that has a shot at being a home run. Look, I’m not trying to tell Ernie what to do because I got no skin in this game… But, if you ask me…if he gets his service up to snuff and pipes in some tunes by guys like Frank Sinatra, Jerry Vale, Steve Lawrence and doo wop groups—The Duprees, The Passions and The Skyliners he’ll get a vibe going that will have the joint constantly packed.

Ernie’s is open Monday-Thursday 5:30pm-10:30pm, Friday-Saturday 5:30pm-11pm, Sunday 5pm-10pm.

On February 7, 2012 I did a “review” on Papa Piccolo Pizzeria…Last Saturday night, I ate at Papa Piccolo and I gotta tell you that the original review didn’t do justice to this terrific red sauce mom & popper. So here’s a drop more about the joint.

You know and I know that “mom & pop” red sauce Italian joints are literally a dime a dozen down here in South Florida. Give or take a trellis here and there, they basically look the same—similar menus, price points…and, they usually get the job done with decent enough pizza, pastas, garlic rolls etc. For sure, every so often, you catch a really delicious dish–but generally, the stuff at best is just ok. The bet here, if blindfolded–most of you (me included) couldn’t differentiate one joint’s veal parm from another’s.

So with the “above” in mind… I was absolutely blown away by a recent dinner at Papa Piccolo Pizzeria. Now there is absolutely no way for me to make a sensible “pecking order” of moms & pops–because we aren’t just talking 1-item like a burger, or fries, or a slice—one joint may have great pizza but crap chicken parmigiana, while another may have great calzones but garbage penne ala vodka. Capice!

Anyway…trust me here—Papa Piccolo Pizzeria has amazingly delicious food. Everything that I “tried”- pizza, veal parmigiana, chicken marsala, shrimp scampi, lobster ravioli, penne ala vodka was right on the money. Throw in huge portions, really reasonable prices and a garlic bread that alone is worth the price of admission—and you got one of the best mom & pop joints that I’ve been to. Now for sure, the failure to make chicken cacciatore and chicken scarpiello “on the bone”—is a negative, but I’ll live.

If you live or work in Papa Piccolo’s neighborhood–you gotta try this joint.

Papa Piccolo is open Monday-Thursay 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm, closed on Sunday.

Now I’m not 100% sure here, but if you go to Webster’s Dictionary–and look up “mom & pop red sauce Italian joint” you’ll find Franco & Vinny’s Pizza Shack in Fort Lauderdale listed.

Not going to mince words here, I absolutely loved this joint. Tried it out the other night for dinner…and Franco & Vinny’s is firing on all cylinders. At this stage of this game, you can check menu/prices at www.francoandvinnys.com.

Now nothing for nothing–we aren’t talking gourmet/fancy schmanzy Italian stuff here. We are talking pizzas, pastas, garlic rolls, subs, loads of napkins and more Coca Cola than any normal human should consume at any given time.

Just for the record, on my “outing” there were eight of us…tried– large plain pizza, veal parmigiana, chicken marsala, shrimp scampi, chicken cacciatore, clams & mussels/linguini/red sauce, fried calamari, meat lasagna, baked clams oregenata, eggplant parmigiana—like I said a few seconds ago, Franco & Vinny’s was firing on all cylinders.

Neighborhood pizza joint prices & service.

I am telling you, if “red sauce” joints are your game, you will absolutely-positively love Franco & Vinny’s. Now for sure, some dishes were better than others, but the pluses and minuses are too small to even be concerned with. If I got one bitch, I personally like chicken cacciatore to be on the bone and Franco & Johnny’s uses boneless white meat–but the garlic bread with cheese is worth the price of admission alone.

Franco & Vinny’s is open 7 days a week 4pm-11pm.

Piccolino is a “mom & pop” Italian joint in Boca Raton. It has been around since March, 2011. The entire “staff” consists of an owner/ husband-wife team (Roberto & Leonora) and 1-waiter. Maybe, there are 40 seats inside and 10 outside.

Back in May, 2011 Jeff Eats recieved an email from Owner:Roberto–asking me to come to the restaurant to try the food, blah, blah, blah. Being a “busy” man…I finally got over there this past Saturday night and here’s the skinny.

Let’s call this one a sleeper. I seriously doubt that a-whole lot of Boca folks or for that matter other-folks know about this restaurant. It’s an inline “hole in the wall” on Federal Highway. There is extremely limited foot-traffic in the area…As for walk-ins, the bet here, not many. Did some checking, a few months back–Piccolino did some couponing on LivingSocial–but that’s about the extent of its advertising game. The point I’m trying to make…very few- really know about this joint.

At this stage of the this story you can check menu/prices at www.piccolinoboca.com.

The aforemetioned husband, wife and “waiter” were very friendly-personable people. Amazingly, a staff of three was able to handle (with a few minor rough spots) about 35 people from the 8pm-9:45pm that I was there. For those of you looking for a $11.95- red sauce joint (soup/salad–garlic rolls–entree–pasta) look elsewhere. Piccolino’s entrees ($16-$21) come with pasta or vegetable. Pastas run $15-16. If I have one bitch with this joint’s menu—it’s kinda limited. A handful of appetizers–same for entrees/pastas–a few personal pizzas–a few specials. Now, nothing for nothing, everyone in my party of 4 found something to eat–but trust me, a few more menu items wouldn’t hurt…but then again, with a total staff of 3–I guess the joint may have to limit itself in the selection department.

Let’s talk food.

An eggplant parmigiana appetizer was absolutely sensational. I’m talking, one of the best versions that I have ever eaten.
The veal parmigiana entree was good. It would have been real-good, but it had a drop too much salt in the mix.
The sole francese was delicious as was the chicken paillard, penne alla vodka and spaghetti bolognese.

Now you know and I know, that “taste” is purely a subjective thing…with that in mind, all four of us really enjoyed the meal-and agreed that Piccolino would definitely be a joint that we would eat at again.

One final observation–Piccolino serves what I call a “standard” room temperature Italian bread. It comes in a basket with little plastic “tubs” of butter. You know—those little tubs, where you have to peel the paper off the top to get to the butter. Not Good! A joint like this, should have delicious garlic bread-or garlic rolls-or hot Italian bread with oil/garlic on the side-or hot Italian bread with large plentiful tubs of butter…Now, I know that many restaurants actually try not to serve “good” bread because they don’t want you to fill-up on the bread—and as a consequence not order “lots” of appetizers/entrees, etc.—that said, Roberto & Lenora step-up-the-bread!

Like I said before, this is a hole-in-the-wall. Nothing fancy going on here, but it’s definitely not a formica-pizza joint. It’s got a bunch of “old world” looking paintings on the wall—but like I just said, nothing fancy going on-so you don’t have to dress-up, or nothing.

To sum it up. Except for the veal parm and the bread—Piccolino hit every dish out of the park.

Piccolino is open Monday-Friday for lunch 11:30-3pm, Monday-Saturday 5pm-10pm, closed on Sunday.

Pappa Piccolo Pizzeria is a “red sauce–mom & pop” Italian joint in Miami.

This one is real simple…Pappa Piccolo Pizzeria’s food is terrific. The joint’s got the full-boat of pizzas, pastas, subs, meat/chicken/seafood entrees. I only got one bitch with Pappa Piccolo, it’s not open on Sunday.

The other day, I did dinner…pizza, veal parmigiana, lobster ravioli, snapper francaise, fettuccini alfredo. Do what you’d like, but I’m telling you—that as far as “red sauce–mom & pop” Italian joints go, Pappa Piccolo is right up there with best of breed. Everything I “had” was delicious and the garlic bread that this joint makes–is alone- worth the price of admission.

Pappa Piccolo Pizzeria is open Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm.

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! Yeah, I know it’s from Godfather Part III…

Anyway, got a spanking-brand new Boca Raton “mom & pop” red sauce Italian joint for you…PieZano’s Pizza & Pasta (talk about a play on words!)—owned and operated by Anthony a real Italian guy from Brooklyn…and, I can vouch for his “authenticity” as I know his “original” Brooklyn-Ditmas Avenue pizza joint…I lived in the Ditmas Park area for over 30 years.

I tried PieZano’s out for dinner last night—first let me tell you, its got the coolest wallpaper/paint job that you will ever see. Not sure, how it works, but it-that being the wallpaper/paint job-throws off something like a 3D effect—I’m telling you, you’ll swear that the painted guys are sitting right there in the restaurant—real cool…the wallpaper/paint job alone makes Pie Zano’s worth a visit.

At this stage of this game, you can check menu/prices at www.piezanosboca.com.

PieZano’s has the full-boat of appetizers, salads, brick-oven pizzas, hot/cold subs, panini, wraps, pastas, meat/chicken/seafood dishes, gelato, flat screen tvs—now let’s talk food, “tried” fried zucchini and fried mozzarella sticks (nothing out of the ordinary), large 16″ plain pizza (delicious), chicken parm sub (hey Anthony, the cutlet was delicious, as for the bread-look for a new supplier, it was way too soft), meatball sub (hey Anthony, loved the meatballs, as for the bread–see chicken parm sub comment)), gnocchi alla vodka (delicious), chicken vesuvio (delicious), calamari marinara (delicious), garlic knots (delicious).

If I got my facts straight, Pie Zano’s has only been open about a month. Give or take a few things that I would change, like the sub-rolls and the mozzarella/zucchini stuff—the joint is off to a real nice start. As for service and prices, very pleasant folks run the joint– you guys are gonna love Anthony’s Brooklyn accent and energy…very reasonable prices.

Let me sum PieZano’s up this way…I’ll be back!

PieZano’s is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.

For our purposes, let’s call Portobello Cucina Italiana a “semi-upsacle” Italian joint. When you check Portobello’s site www.portobellojupiter.com in addition to menu/prices you’ll find pictures/video so you’ll know- exactly what you are getting yourself into.

I recently tried Portobello for dinner and I gotta tell you, whoever owns this joint, sure knows what he-she-they is-are doing. Portobello is a great looking restaurant, the service was professional/attentive, the food was dynamite and the prices extremely reasonable. No! I’m not a brother or brother-in-law…really, this restaurant has all of its ducks in a row.

Recently tried Portobello out for dinner…”sampled”–fried calamari/zucchini, gnocchi marinara, chicken marsala, veal parmigiana, shrimp francese, ricotta cheesecake. Like I said a few seconds ago, the food was dynamite. A cursory review of Jeff Eats’ site should tell you, that eating Italian food is one of my favorite dining-things to do. Trust me on this one, for basically the same price—Portobello’s food & ambiance run absolute circles around most of the “mom & pop” and other Italian joints that dot the South Florida landscape.

I loved Portobello’s.

Portobello’s is open 7 days a week 5pm-10pm.