Aldo's Cucina Ristorante Italiano, Wayne, NJ

"Crappy Photo Alert"

Where: Aldo's Cucina Ristorante Italiano, Wayne, NJ

What: Fall Ravioli Special
Build: Four fresh cheese ravioli, fresh pumpkin, grated Locatelli cheese, sauteed Crimini mushrooms, white wine & butter.

Comment: I have been to Aldo's many times - partly because the food is very good and partly because I live very close to the restaurant. The food has never disappointed, and tonight, election night, was no different. My wife and I stopped by for something warm and good to hold us over in case the election results were going to give us *Agita for the next 4 years. We both ordered specials from the menu and both dishes were outstanding. Michele got a boneless grilled chicken breast with sauteed mushrooms and spinach in a balsamic reduction over fresh Parppardelle (which if made correctly, is a delicate wide macaroni noodle). She loved it... and so did I. But this review is about my menu selection for no other reason than because I ate it and I need to call 'em as I see 'em. While our waiter was running along the list of ingredients for my dish, I crumbled like a boxer taking a KO punch. I mean I could swear I heard someone shouting in the distance: "Frazier goes down! Frazier goes down!" Seriously, I was going to tell him he had me at hello when he rattled off 3 of my all-time favorite ingredients - Ravioli, Butter, Truffle oil.  Geeeez, how's a guy supposed to diet? Ever? But I'm digressing, the dish was a true seasonal dish due to the presence of pumpkin and although I originally turned my nose upwards at the possibility of too much sweetness I was very pleasantly surprised. The 4 ravioli came topped with perfectly cooked shreds of fresh pumpkin, Crimini mushrooms and what tasted like grated Locatelli Romano cheese, all which were in a white wine & butter sauce with a healthy dose of high-quality truffle oil.  In a word: "YUM". Halfway through this meal I found I was subconsciously cutting the ravioli into smaller and smaller bites in order to make it last longer -  (yes, we've all done it) Now that's a great meal. Even the Ricotta cheese in the ravioli was creamy with flakes of fresh chopped parsley, the same way my Grandmother used to make them. Michele and I shared a bottle of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2008 - it was Heaven; sip a little, eat a little, talk a little... nice nice. The slightly sweet pumpkin mixed with the velvety deep rich flavor of the truffle oil and butter was occasionally interrupted by the earthiness of the mushrooms. Damn - great job Aldo's.

And yes, I'll have 4 years of *Agita so I'll be at Aldo's as much as possible to keep a good taste in my mouth.  10/10 without question ~ again, sorry about the crappy photos...  ~ B

Agita: Heartburn, acid indigestion, an upset stomach or, by extension, ... The word is Italian-American slang derived from the Italian "agitare" meaning "to agitate.