Montclair has more Italian restaurants than you could shake a loaf of Italian bread at, so when Tuscany came to replace the abandoned Five Guys Burgers and Fries, it was hard to muster enthusiasm for what sounded like yet one more Italian. To be fair, Upper Montclair, with its sushi and American offerings, really didn’t have a sit-down Italian, until Tuscany opened this May.
Tuscany managed to transform the red and white tiled, industrial looking burger space into something much different. Warmly painted yellow walls, paintings of Tuscan-inspired landscapes and a pair of carved gates soften the long narrow space. And while folks complained here about the noise, we noticed on our second visit that the restaurant seemed much quieter. Looking up, we spied an installation of foam on the ceiling that, while not pretty, seemed to be doing the job.
Tuscany’s menu offers many dishes you would expect to fine at an Italian restaurant and a few surprises. On our first dinner visit, the big hit was the homemade cannelloni ($22), stuffed with tender braised short ribs, parmigiano reggiano and spinach, taken to another level with a light Cognac cream sauce that forms a delicious puddle in your plate that begs to be finished.
The second time around, our favorite was the Aragosta ‘Martini” ($16), under salads, (a combination of my three favorites – lobster, avocado and mango, dressed in raspberry aioli). Owner Valter Cianni (an amiable native Italian and seasoned restaurateur, who on our second visit was hobbling along on crutches after a fall off a ladder, but still managed to get to all the tables to check on their meals) said they only use fresh lobster for the martinis — which was evident when you bit into the generous chunks of lobster meat. Tuscany also showcases its fresh pasta prowess with its Lasagnette Toscana – handmade square sheets of pasta stacked with fresh plum tomatoes, thinly sliced eggplant, fresh mozzarella, pecorino and a splash of pesto, served as an appetizer ($12).
Some dishes, like a homemade ravioli special with smoked mozzarella, were not as successful. The raviolis were a little leaden, although the sauce, with fresh basil, redeemed them. Another — a shrimp, broccoli rabe, tomato and garlic with rigatoni, was delicious except for breaking its promise to include truffle oil, a flavor that usually comes through strong, but seemed M.I.A. in this dish.
Besides homemade pastas, Tuscany offers steaks, chicken and fish. Try the salmon brodetto ($24) pan seared salmon with cherry tomatoes, wild mushrooms, arugula and splash of pinot grigio (and don’t be surprised if your waiter tells you to let them cook the salmon “the way it’s supposed to be cooked.” Whatever that means, it ended up being deliciously prepared). Tuscany’s service is attentive and desserts are varied, but include a decadent tiramisu and great cappuccino. If you forget your wine, Angelbeck’s is across the street. Here’s a review from Baristanet commenter Nick Danger:
POSTED BY nick danger | JUNE 06, 2012 @ 6:31 PM | EDIT
My wife and I ate here recently. I’m hard pressed to say enough good about the meal and the people. The location is perfect – lots of available parking and Angelbeck’s is just across the street for all your BYO needs. I had a pasta dish and my wife had a chicken dish and both were simply wonderful. Everything is fresh and beautifully prepared. The bread pudding is extremely special. We definitely are planning a return visit.
Tuscany, 622 Valley Road, Montclair, (973) 744-0200, Monday-Sunday, 11 a.m.to 10 p.m., BYO
Photos: Rachel Kaplan
We went with our six year old and it was good, but we haven’t been back yet. I think they should cater a little bit to kids more, a kids menu – crayons/coloring book. Especially in that location — some kids drinks too would be good. That’s my opinion if they really want to get a steady, true following like Raymond’s. Another really creative idea, I went to an upscale italian in florida while on vacation and they gave the kids a ball of dough! My two played quietly with that the whole dinner. I remember the food was good, but the atrmosphere wasn’t very warm. I hope they continue to improve with time & would like to see them become a great new fixture in the upper mtc. valley road scene. we’ll definitely give them another try soon.
Maybe they’d rather not have kids?
If the food is fresh and appetizing, the wait staff effecient and attentive, the prices reasonable, the air clean, the chairs comfortable, the floors and lavatories immaculate, the maitre d charming and informative then it’s kid friendliness factor won’t be a significant variable in the success equation.
CME:
What the two posters above said.
I beg to agree with the first poster. The fact is, the town in general, and UM in particular could use another Raymond’s (but without the disappointing service we’ve experienced at R’s lately). Living within walking distance of UM, we were excited to see a new restaurant coming in. But if we’re going to go on a “date”, we’ll likely choose Samba, Fascino, CuliAanaire (sp.), etc. We’ll never take our kids to Tuscany, whether it’s child-friendly or not, just because it comes off (menu-wise, price-wise, and aesthetically) as rather formal.
It’s good that there’s something for everyone. It’s nice to have a restaurant that’s walking distance with good fresh food and a professional ambience. We don’t date, we just don’t have kids. And we love Raymond’s, when we’re in the mood for big and noisy and really great food, but that doesn’t mean every restaurant has to cater to families to be successful and Tuscany is really small. I hope they succeed and maybe the old Charlie Brown’s will become a nice family place. It’s too bad the train station became more of a sports bar, missed opportunity there.
I went to visit them a few weeks ago, to tape a segment of Inside Montclair . Owner/Chef Valter was almost dancing as he prepared a very special culinary delight..which had me tapping my toe waiting to taste it.
One of the cool things, is they make All of their pasta right there in the restaurant – yeah, all Homemade.
If you’d like to see the segment, go to YouTube ( my channel is – 22videoguy22 )..and you’ll see Tuscany’s and many past segments of Inside Montclair.
Go over and say Hi – welcome them to town as a new neighbor, and wish them luck – better yet, go for dinner.
You can’t swing a dead cat in this town without hitting an Italian restaurant.
I ate there with my wife, we both throught that it was excellent. staff was very nice too and all seemed to have italian accents (whether real or embellished!). Went around 6 pm on a Sat in June and got a table right away. It’s a bit pricey (like $85 for two w/ BYOB) but worth it and we will absolutely go again.
When I’m not in a corporate chain joint, I prefer restaurants without small children. Especially if I’m spending 85 bucks for two. Why do people with small children in this town think that the world should reshape itself to accommodate their children? I never did when our youngest member was, well, young. The former missus and I had favorite joints to go with the kid, and places that we liked because there were no kids…especially when ours was at home with a sitter. Just sayin’.
If we’re going to spend any kind of serious money when we dine out, we will absolutely avoid any place that is ‘kid friendly.’ And I doubt we’re alone, as evidenced by a couple of other comments above. The last thing a restaurant like this needs is to encourage parents to bring small children. Ugh.
And to compare a restaurant like this to Raymond’s is to compare apples to oranges. Completely different styles and clientele.