Debbie Gencarelli is a most friendly and cordial host. She is part owner of this average Italian restaurant in Montclair.
Her happy enthusiasm is effusive and almost makes up for the awkward service and good but inconsistent and, in my opinion, uninspired food.
Am I just getting fussy in my old age or is it wrong to have wait staff who can't open a wine bottle and then having delivered the opened bottle don't arrive with wine glasses for another 5 minutes. I am not kidding, I had to ask for glasses twice. The waitress claimed they were being washed. Hard to believe as there were only a few parties seated at the time.
After this bout with the waitress I began to relax in the lovely outdoor dining area behind Gencarelli's which could be the forum for a perfect dining experience, but for us it was not to be.
I was in the mood for a light dinner with white wine. I brought a nice Vermentino and a Verdicchio. Unfortunately there were few dishes on the menu that went with white wine. Most pastas and entrees are with red sauce, a lot of standards, mostly chicken, sausage, veal and beef, not much fish which is what I had in mind.
We had the risotto Parmesan which tasted like hot rice pudding. In Italy and any where else good risotto is made the rice is stirred gently for some time.
"It's the classic Italian comfort food. With its creamy, velvety texture, risotto is to rice what mashed potatoes are to the common spud. The dish, made with rice simmered in broth, can be flavored with anything from cheeses to meats to vegetables to satisfy any set of taste buds." Beth Panitz
This risotto was obviously rushed, the rice was barely cooked, too firm, and it was drenched in too much sweet cream.
I ordered a special Alaskan Black Cod which was actually delicious. Served with spinach and potatoes. The Verdicchio went well with this dish.
By the end of the evening the backyard was filled with people. If you try Gencarelli's I hope you have a better time than we did.
Gencarelli's Cucina
381 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair, NJ
Tel: 973.744.8881
Things to do, places to see, with food and booze
My wife and I have been to the restaurant three times, each time was geat. Debbie has a great way of making you feel right at home.
We have been totally happy with the quality of the food and the service.
Expanding the menue might be a good idea. I strongly recommend Gencarelli'S.
Posted by: Tony San Giovanni | 02/07/2009 at 10:56
My office orders from there quite often for lunch and we love the pannini's. A couple of us got together Thursday night to try it out for dinner. The owners are great and the patio is such a nice addition to Montclair and has plenty of seating. The weather was perfect. You are definitley right about Debbie she was so nice to us. I felt like we knew her. The homemade tomato sauce on the table is so different and authentic Italian. I took some home for the weekend. For appetizers I highly recommend the mozzarella in Carozza and Calamari which is done to perfection. My friends split the special which was a seafood salad very refreshing and delilcious. Our dinner's were excellent as well. Our dinner choices were Steak Gorgonzola, Chicken Rustica and Chicken Di Nicola with risotto instead of rice. Everything was so tasty. I think our server's name was Evelyn, she was great and there were only 2 servers with a filled patio. We think Gencarelli's is one of the best Italian places around. Perhaps you went on an off night.
Posted by: Mary Jo | 07/07/2008 at 11:59