Last Thursday, March 13th, Mother Nature gifted us with weather rare for our area in March: bright sunshine, temperatures in the low to mid-70’s, calm winds, and no humidity. In a word, perfection! Since we are continuing to refrain from indoor restaurant dining, here was an opportunity to go to a restaurant and dine outdoors.
The week before, Il Nido began serving lunch which they had never done before. Available on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays between noon and 2 p.m. Since that perfect weather was on a Thursday, we jumped at the chance to have lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant in New Jersey located a 5-minute drive from our house. We called for a 1:30 p.m. reservation and requested a table outside. When we arrived, there were two tables set up along the veranda, one on each side of the entrance. We chose the one on the right. The sun shining on the table provided just the right level of warmth to make us comfortable.
A server came out immediately and introduced himself. While we know a couple of the other servers, this was our first time meeting James. He provided us with menus and asked for our water preferences. Tap for me and a large bottle of sparkling for Michael.
The lunch menu is much briefer than the dinner menu: six appetizers, including two salads and two sandwiches; and six mains comprised of three pastas, one meat, one chicken, and one fish. No dessert is listed. (Note: The lunch menu is on the website.)
FIRST COURSE
Ricotta Gnocchi
Pork Ragu from Modena
We shared this. The tender little pillows of pasta were bathed in a delicious ragu packed with finely chopped pork. A spectacular start!
MAINS
Roz
Red Snapper
Castelvetrano Olives, Capers, Fingerling Potatoes
I love having fish at Il Nido because it never fails to thrill me. I found this snapper, a fish I rarely order, to be quite mild. The filet was expertly prepared so that the skin was crisp and the flesh was soft. The fingerlings were hidden beneath and the plate was generously napped with what was essentially a piccata sauce. All in all, a heavenly dish!
Michael
Flank Steak
Crispy Potatoes, Salsa Verde
Michael usually goes for a ribeye; nevertheless, he was pleased with this steak. He ordered it “as the chef prefers,” and it was cooked medium rare. He liked the salsa verde that came with the very generous portion of potatoes. He also ordered an extra side, another generous portion. We took the leftover potatoes and broccoli rabe home.
Broccoli Rabe
Garlic, Chili Oil
WINE
Cabernet
One glass for Michael with the steak
DESSERT
Since there is nothing about dessert on the menu, we asked about it. James said that right now, they are only offering chocolate chip cookies and gelato, but there are plans to offer additional options.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vanilla and Hazelnut Gelato
The tasty cookies were hot out of the oven, and the gelatos were, as usual, excellent.
No surprise that this was a spectacular meal! And kudos to James for his pleasant demeanor and attentive service.
TAKE-OUT
Yes, they are offering take-out for lunch! So, we decided to take home an order of another of the pastas to have that evening. When we have a major lunch like this one, we call the evening repast a “snack meal.”
Rigatoni
Spicy Sausage, Garlic Breadcrumbs
An extremely generous portion which I split between the two of us giving Michael the lion’s share. I had been a bit concerned that it would be too spicy for me. But the spice level of the sausage was exactly right. Another seriously delicious pasta!
This was the earliest we’ve ever dined al fresco, and the official arrival of spring (March 19th) was still almost a week away, I don’t imagine we’ll be dining al fresco again at Il Nido — or anywhere else — anytime soon. But it’s great that they are offering take-out, so I will be adding Il Nido’s lunch options to our take-out rotation.
The Wizard of Roz 