Dining Seaside @ Nino's Bistro

RRR & I spent the weekend at the Jersey Shore and as always, the big question was "Where are we going to eat?" We decided to be adventurous and try somewhere new, this time around, Nino's Pizzeria and Bistro in Seaside Park. As is often the case in Jersey, this restaurant was pretty much a pizzeria with a BYOB restaurant with tables and waitress service on the other side. We ran out in the rain to get a bottle of Corvo Nero D'Avola and sat down with the hopes that RRR will have better quality Italian food than she usually gets in Massachusetts.

Well, the entire meal was a pleasant suprise. We started off with a broccoli rabe appetizer. After the waitress survived RRR's inquisition of how much oil would be used in making the broccoli rabe, there was just enough olive oil to bring out the flavor of the vegetable without drowning it. The bitterness of the broccoli received just the right amount of kick from the toasted garlic and there was just enough lemon to keep it all in balance. We made quick work of the huge heap of broccoli and felt like it was well worth the $8.95 price tag (one of the pricier appetizers on the menu!). Side note: I never tire of the 'sticker shock' at how inexpensive meals can be outside of Manhanttan.

Next came our side of meatballs - two meatballs we topped with a generous helping of parmesan and as meatball conessieurs we did note that this was probably a 100% beef meatball versus a beef/pork or beef/pork/veal combo which usually yield a tastier meatball. Still pretty decent considering the fine texture of the meat and not as much parsley as I would prefer - I believe the meatball was helped by the fresh marinara sauce that accompanied it.

Our main courses consisted of a personal pizza with mushrooms for RRR (pizza in MA cannot measure up to pizza in NJ) and I had pappardelle with shrimp, broccoli rabe and sundried tomatoes in a tomato sauce. The pasta was cooked al dente and the combinations of the fresh ingredients made this entree a standout. They must have added some parmesan when finishing the pasta since there was a note of creaminess that you usually don't find in a seafood & pasta dish.

So nice to have discovered yet another great restaurant to have an inexpensive but delicious meal. This is why you should never underestimate the little neighborhood places!