Friends of ours, being fully aware that Jon and I appreciate fine cuisine, recommended this new and exciting place in a stripmall in Pennington. The Aperitivo Bar is exactly what you might find in Italy! This was an interesting surprise for me. It is a charming spot that does not hold many people, maybe 30 or so. There is a bar that serves only Italian wines, liquors, vermouth and apéritifs.
We went there with our friends who recommended it, and we had cocktails to start. I was in luck because I drink Negronis or Boulevardiers. Only there was no Bourbon as it is American, so I stayed with a Negroni. They also have several noteworthy cocktails using an Italian type of gin which I had never had. My friend, Pike, had her Aperol Spritz, and her husband, Neil, had one of those gin cocktails (he liked it and even ordered it again because he said it was delicious!). Jon had a few espresso martinis, which he enjoyed.
The Aperitivo Bar is the kind of place where you can share the dishes, but it is not necessarily dinner. These were the best appetizers I had in a long, long time! I often say food is good, but I have to say that this chef, Matt Boffo, is exceptional! His cooking acumen is brilliant! He is a young man who is totally talented. I have always said that, in order to be a good cook, your mouth and your brain must be connected. With this chef, It is obvious that his are!
The four of us shared a special dish, Cuore di Nonna, with meatball, sausage, short rib and arugula served over polenta. It was absolutely divine. I usually don’t like polenta because I find it so gritty, but I ate this up because it was super creamy!
There was another special which the chef had made that morning which consisted of handmade lasagna noodles cut into pasta squares with certain fresh herbs rolled in and cooked with a butter sauce. I simply do not have the words to describe what the taste was like! An incredible edible!
This is the kind of place where, if you are shopping, you can take a respite. (It will make you want to go shopping!)
They also have on hand Italian culinary items for sale, such as Castelvetrano pitted olives (which are my favorite) and Lorenzo olive oil, which we bought and I used three days in a row on my salad. Jon said the salads were the best, and they were nothing more than Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and snap peas. The taste of the olive oil elevates what you might think of EVOO. I use it with a gift from the couple who was with us. They gave me 25 year old Vecchio Balsamic vinegar they found on a trip they took in Modena.
I will stop at the bar anytime I get near Pennington, even before dinner. If you are just a couple, it could be dinner. If you are with others, it will amount to the best appetizers you have ever eaten!
If you are interested in going, go soon, because when it catches on, there will be a long wait!
Aperitivo Bar
Pennington Square Shopping Center
25 Route 31 S, Pennington, NJ 08534
609-303-7594
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