You'll have to walk past the kitchen, and out the back door to find Bloomfield Avenue's latest dining oasis at Gencarelli's Cucina. The Baristas recently inaugurated the secluded patio, bedecked with spring flowers, cafe lights, and gurgling fountains.
Basking in the sunlight on a summer-like day, we savored the pear and gorgonzola salad with a side of bright orange, crispy sweet potato fries. Two delicious pasta dished graced out table - garlic linguine with shrimp in a white wine butter sauce and fresh cavatelli with brocolli rabe. But the real eye candy came when we sheepishly agreed to a mid-day dessert indulgence.
Katie scooped up a pistachio gelato delight elegantly served in a giant martini glass, and we all swooped on the pink pyramid - a white chocolate rasperry mousse concoction, sinfully delicious. And then there was the tart key lime mousse cup, drizzled with lime curd puree and chocolate. We made a pact to repent for our calories with an extra hour on the stair master.
On the lunch menu, you'll find pastas, paninis (I like the "Ortolano" - grilled veggies with melted Asiago), seafood, steak, and chicken salads, and a light battered calamari accompanied by a palate-pleasing ginger sauce, or the traditional marinara if you prefer. The good news, if you're already a frequent evening diner, is the dining capacity nearly doubled with the new patio, and Chef Joe Frisari's prize winning lasagne is now on the menu. Try Gencarelli's Cucina and Dessert Lounge for lunch Tuesday-Saturday; dinner Tuesday-Sunday, serving until midnight Friday and Saturday. 381 Bloomfield Ave. Montclair. 973-744-8881.
"...I like the "Ortolano" - grilled veggies with melted Asiago)."
Intersting in that serving Ortolan (no "o") has been banned in France because of the inhumane way the bird is prepared.
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