A Quiet Sunday Night Dinner at Tosca, Montclair, NJ Restaurant Review

I am thrilled at all the fun Super Bowl fans have once a year while they party and celebrate the  biggest US sports event of the year. Me, I relish the opportunity to go out and find quiet restaurants and enjoy a very nice meal while others are gorging on pizza, wings and nachos.

This Super Bowl Sunday my daughter Nell and I went to the new Italian restaurant Tosca on Church Street in Montclair and enjoyed a relaxing dinner.

We took along a wonderful bottle of Alex Elman's Malbec, my Italian red wine stock was low, which is from Argentina but paired nicely with the meal. 

The intial reviews are on Tosca mixed so far. Our dinner was overall very good.

The owners of Tosca, Jim Wildey and Alfredo Traficante, did a very nice job refinishing the room which was very bright and stark in the previous restaurant. There is a lot of exposed brick, beautiful wood floors, from an old farmhouse I understand, and good lighting. I think they should put half curtains on the windows which impose too much exposure to the street or the un-attractive interior of the Clairmont Theater building.

We were greeted by the gracious and attractive hostess, who happily seated us in a comfortable spot. That wasn't hard since as I said it was Super Bowl Sunday. Nevertheless I do appreciate a warm greeting something that not every restaurant in Montclair provides.

The waitress, surprisingly, took a while to come to our table. Then kind of awkwardly recited the specials before taking our drink order.  One thing I really did like is the quality of the wine glasses. Very nicely shapped for either red or white with nice thin crystal. She warmed up and became more comfortable as our dinner progressed.

First up was our wine. This Malbec by Alex Elman is really great. Very affordable and so well made. She emphasizes preserving the purity of the grape and ensures that her winemakers use organic, sustainable growing practices.  

I think most Argentinean wines pair very well with Italian food. This Malbec certainly did.

We started our dinner with a special of the evening a Swordfish Carpaccio with Baby Octopus. It was the one dish we were not thrilled with. I thought the fish should have been sliced much thinner and it needed more olive oil and a little salt.

We also had the Tosca Beet Salad which was beautiful and delicious. It had a delicate dressing and the Red & yellow beets were perfectly firm. The fennel greens,, pignoli nuts, fennel and gorgonzola dolce cheese  & champagne vinaigrette all came together nicely.

We then had two pizzas, the Rustica and the Tosca. I liked the way that two guys from the kitchen ame out and served them to us with a look of great pride on their face. Both were quite tasty. Nice medium crust, not too thin and not too thick.

We also had a side of spinach that was fantastic. Delicious greens perfectly cooked with just the right amount of oil and garlic and a nice touch of lemon.

Montclair Patch and Baristanet both have good articles on Tosca.  

I met the chef on the way out and thanked him for a great meal. I think Tosca has a few things to work out but is a fine addition to the Montclair dining options. 

 
Tosca

Authentic Napoletana Cuisine

15 Church Street
Montclair, NJ 07042
973.337.5100