At the newly renovated Lantana Restaurant in Secaucus, an elegant establishment perched on Paterson Plank Road, the food is always divine. The service is attentive and the atmosphere could only be described as festive.
Sound too good to be true? It isn’t. Lantana is not only a fine restaurant but it also has an air of credibility about it. Frank Vecchiotti opened Lantana in 1982 to much fervor. At the time, Joe De Crescenzi, also known as Sonny D, was the chef and Vecchiotti’s associate. The restaurant was actually named Sonny D. It was very popular in the metropolitan New York area, and had an infamous list of guests, including Frank Sinatra, who actually attended opening night. Sonny D was also Sinatra’s personal chef for a time.
Later in the ’80s, Vecchiotti and De Crescenzi’s relationship dissolved and "Sonny D" became Lantana. This year, Vecchiotti turned 80 and turned to Bob Ermilio, a 17-year customer, to help him out. When you hear the phrase "17-year customer," take note because it is a reflection of Lantana that customers keep coming back year after year.
Ermilio became Vecchiotti’s associate, and now they are working to bring Lantana back to its heyday. The restaurant has undergone remodeling on the inside and outside. The outside is simple yet inviting, with valet parking. Lantana makes everyone feel like royalty before they step in the door. The inside is well-lit and beautifully decorated, but not overdone.
The main dining room has a stage for entertainment, which Ermilio has also been concentrating on bringing in more of, and a dance floor for weekends. When there is not entertainment, satellite radio plays any kind of music one can imagine. The bar has 50-inch plasma TVs and a comfortable décor.
"The idea is to maintain the food, the atmosphere and the entertainment, while slowly exposing ourselves to more people and expanding our customer base," Ermilio said.
With a restaurant like Lantana, that should not be hard to do. Lantana is the recipient of the Five Star Diamond Award, and is one of 50 American restaurants to be a member of the International Italian Guild of Professional Restaurateurs.
Maintaining the food has been an important part of Lantana. There are five chefs in the kitchen. In fact, some of the chefs worked at Lantana under Sonny D., ensuring that the food is really as good as it ever was.
My meal
Lantana is such an experience that I have to admit I almost forgot about ordering my food. Immediately after I was seated, warm bread, olives and Parmesan cheese were placed on the table, and drink orders were taken. I chose Blackstone Merlot from California, which is a treat to the taste buds, but there are also many other wines from France and Italy, plus champagne, beer and lighter drinks to chose from.
It was only after settling that a server came over with the menu. It is a terrific accomplishment of the wait staff that they manage to sense what you need when you need it and to bring it over immediately. Although they were not noticeable, I sensed that the customers were being observed and attended to at every moment by the wait staff.
The menu was dizzying. Too many choices that looked too good. You could come to Lantana for months without having to have the same thing twice. That is a great achievement considering I hate walking into an elegant restaurant only to be confronted with 10 things on the menu, which happens more times these days than I would like.
The appetizers were outstanding. I had clams oreganata and a delicious mozzarella and prosciutto salad. The clams were delectable. They were baked in amazing seasoning, making them more interesting but not overriding the taste. The salad consisted of very fresh ingredients. The tomatoes and peppers tasted like they were picked from a garden minutes before, the mozzarella practically dissolved in your mouth it was so fresh, and the prosciutto was finely sliced and definitely a superior cut of meat. Other appetizers included shrimp dishes, mussels, soups and salads and ranged from $10 to $15. There was something for everyone.
For my entrée I had filet mignon with truffle butter and a truffle sauce ($29). It was served with mashed potatoes and an herb encrusted tomato. I’ll try not to go on and on about this dish, but it is going to be hard because this may have been the best cut of meat I have ever tasted. The filet mignon melted in my mouth. The cut was large and presented in a stately manner on the dish. The truffle sauce filled the bottom of my plate, so I could enjoy it with the meat, potatoes and tomato. Everything blended together so well.
I also tried the Fruits of the Sea ($23.75). Mouth-watering seafood, including shrimp, scallops, squid, clams, octopus and two kinds of fish, were presented in a bed of angel hair pasta with a superlative tomato sauce, light enough to complement the seafood but not drown it.
The menu also included an extensive list of pasta dishes, veal, chicken, lamb and beef entrees and a superior list of seafood plates, including lobster and the fish of the day presented in one of 10 ways, your choice of course.
I finished every last bit on my plate, but was neither hungry nor stuffed, just pleasantly satisfied.
For desert, I had been eyeing the chocolate ganache cake. When I ordered my choice without hesitation, the waiter gave me a sly smile. The cake of course was excellent. The raspberry tart was also a first-rate desert, and I only wish I had room for the cheesecake too.
Hilary Kole
During the meal singer Hilary Kole and her husband, pianist Richard DeRosa, entertained the guests. Kole and DeRosa are part of the entertainment overhaul at Lantana. While Saturdays are always packed at Lantana, Friday is being brought back with entertainment. Kole and DeRosa started performing a couple weeks ago, and will be at Lantana until the end of the year.
Both Kole and DeRosa grew up in musical families; so they have "grown up backstage" as DeRosa put it. Both are composers; they collaborate while also doing projects on their own. DeRosa is also a professor in the jazz department at William Paterson University.
Kole, who can be described as a cabaret singer, started out singing at the Rainbow Room in New York City. She then moved off-Broadway and stayed there for three years. Ermilio saw Kole in a performance and wrote a note to her about Lantana asking her if she would like to perform there weekly. Kole and DeRosa liked the idea that they could perform together and both liked the atmosphere Lantana provided.
"Lantana is like an establishment you might find in New York City, but Bob [Ermilio] has brought it to New Jersey," Kole said. "The customer gets the New York lounge and music scene with an excellent meal, without the parking and driving you have to deal with in New York."
"I don’t know any other place where you can enjoy an elegant romantic night without paying a fortune," DeRosa added.
Kole and DeRosa definitely added to the elegance and romance, not to mention the fun. Kole is a professional who established a terrific repertoire with the customers from the beginning. She added little comments about the songs before each one, and had a clear modern powerful voice.
At Lantana in March, Ermilio plans to continue with the entertainment. He will present "March Madness," in which a different comedian will perform every Friday night that month. It is just more of the ever-changing entertainment found at Lantana.
Lantana is located at 1148 Paterson Plank Rd. in Secaucus. Lantana is open for lunch five days a week, dinner seven days a week. For more information call (201) 867-1065 or got to www.lantanasrestaurant.com. q