With a variety of brick oven pizzas and delicious Italian entrees, Hoboken’s Il Cantuccio has quickly become a favorite spot among local residents.
Located on Washington Street between Fifth and Sixth, Il Cantuccio is Italian for "cozy place." The eatery offers patrons an extensive variety of pastas, meats and pizzas. Open for business since early September, executive chef Luis Peralta and his assistant Joseph Touraity work hard daily to create excellent dishes and to keep up with the demands of being in one of the mile-square city’s busiest restaurant locations.
"People know us for our pizza," Touraity said. "We offer them great food at reasonable prizes."
Peralta’s specialties include penne alla vodka ($9.25); ravioli di aragosta stuffed with lobster meat and served with fresh tomatoes, peppers, garlic and olive oil ($14.50); fettuccine deliziose, a divine blend of baby artichokes sausage and mushrooms in a pink tomato sauce ($9.95); spaghetti puttanesca served with anchovies, garlic and black olives in tomato sauce ($9.95); veal scaloppine ($14.95); chicken piccata served in a lemon sauce ($11.50); chicken farcito stuffed with spinach mascarpone, cheese and pignoli nuts ($12.50); and linguini fra diavolo served with fresh spicy tomato sauce, basil and mixed seafood ($14.50).
From the outside, the restaurant has tall red entrance doors that give way to a large open area. There’s a pizza counter in the front and in back, a dining room that seats 30 people. There’s another on the second floor that seats 40. The second floor is ideal for private parties and catering events.
There’s also a wonderful café tucked away on the third floor where people can order coffee, cappuccino, espresso, and hot chocolate, as well as a variety of Italian pastries. Restaurant Manager Mike Russo said the café is a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the fast-paced city life.
"This is where you can come and get away from everything," Russo said.
The service is friendly and very professional and the food is good enough to talk about when you get home. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own wine.
My meal
I began my meal with a bowl of minestrone soup ($4.50). It was not too spicy, and with a touch of grated Parmesan cheese, it tasted great. After the soup I enjoyed La Caprese ($5.95) for an appetizer, which is homemade mozzarella with sliced tomatoes and fresh basil, and sprinkled with olive oil, black pepper and oregano, nested on radicchio leaves. The mozzarella was terrific with the fresh-baked bread prepared daily by Touraity. Other appetizers include bocconcini di fuoco, cherry hot peppers stuffed with mozzarella and parmesan sautéed in virgin olive oil ($6.25); salmon carpaccio, paper thin raw salmon served with olives and capers on a bed of arugula ($7.50); shrimp cocktail, chilled with cocktail sauce ($9.25); fried calamari served with marinara sauce ($7.50); and mozzarella in carrozza, a slice of breaded mozzarella served with tomato sauce ($5.75).
For my main course, which was recommended by Peralta, I enjoyed pollo Il Cantuccio ($13.50). The entrée featured chicken and asparagus cooked in brandy and tarragon sauce. The chicken was juicy and the asparagus added a sweet note. The brandy was quite noticeable and the tarragon sauce, a bit bitter and spicy, was delicious with the bread. Pollo Il Cantuccio is one of the most popular entrees on the menu, according to Peralta.
I also tried the pizza campagnola ($12). This brick oven specialty was served with tomato sauce, mozzarella and grilled fresh vegetables and wild mushrooms. They offer many other ingredients on pizzas, including seafood.
For dessert I had a very delicious cannoli that I highly recommend. Other desserts include ice cream and chocolate cake.
Il Cantuccio is located on 518 Washington St. Their hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. They accept major credit cards and deliver. For more information, call the restaurant at 420-4447.