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What did we want for dinner? We had no clue. So that was
our cue to call Nonna’s and ask a menu be
faxed.
The Belleville restaurant –
pronounced NO-nas and named for an Italian grandmother
who was a talented cook – has had an extensive
menu of close to 100 items. Surely we could find
something we wanted among the offerings of chicken,
pork, steak, pasta, seafood, sandwiches, salads
and burgers.
Nonna’s boasts about
its Broaster chicken, which is marinated overnight
and then coated with seasonings and pressure-fried
in canola oil.
“This leaves the chicken
moist and flavorful, with less fat and calories,”
the menu says. I can vouch that it’s pretty
good, but I was in the mood for something else
this night.
Soon, I was back on the phone,
placing my order and promising to pick it up in
30 minutes. The food was ready when I walked into
the busy restaurant after parking in one of two
close-to-the-door spots designated for carryout
customers. I appreciated the way the various insulated
containers were stacked tower-style and secured
in a tightly knotted large plastic bag so that
nothing could move or leak.
At home, after determining
there was no need to zap anything in the microwave,
we sat down to a satisfying meal.
Pollo Nonna’s was a tender
boneless, skinless chicken breast, rolled in bread
crumbs and grilled. It was topped with mushrooms,
perfectly cooked broccoli, red bell peppers, white
wine-butter sauce and provel cheese. The colorful
blend of flavors reminded me of dishes that I’ve
paid more for in upscale restaurants. This one
cost $10.99 and came with a house salad, a side
of pasta in marinara sauce, and bread and butter.
The salad combined mixed greens,
red onions, artichoke hearts, green olives, provel
and Parmesan cheeses and pepperoncini. I was glad
to see that the mild Italian dressing was packaged
separately, even though I had forgotten to ask
for that courtesy.
Our second entrée was
a Meatball Sandwich ($6.49), based on a Sicilian
recipe. Three large meatballs of veal, pork and
beef, topped with tomato sauce and provel, filled
a 6-inch-long hoagie roll. (By now, you may be
noticing a trend: Nonna’s uses provel a
lot, which is fine with me.) My husband pronounced
the meatballs quite tasty; I’ll call them
jaw-popping, as that is the sound I heard when
he opened wide to take a bite.
The sandwich was accompanied
by a spear of dill pickle and a generous supply
of homemade French fries. Some of the fries were
a tad overdone, but we were pleased that they
were not overly salted and did not lose their
crunch on the ride home.
On the other hand, a cup of
ravioli soup ($1.99) tasted as if it had been
salted twice. Otherwise, it had a lot going for
it: vegetable chunks, one big meat-filled ravioli
and other small pieces of ravioli floating in
a tomato base.
In addition to the regular
menu, Nonna’s offers “family value
dinners to go,” serving families of four.
Party items include 50-piece appetizer trays and
pasta dishes that serve 12 to 15 people.
Nonna’s is open from
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.
to 9 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
- Linda Eardley
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