 |
| RER 8.18.12 |
 |
| JAR 8.18.12 |
Nestled and unexpected in the middle of a completely
residential block in Jersey City, rests Laico’s, a small Italian restaurant, hosting
a bar and around fifteen tables. You almost stumble on the valet parking
surrounded by homes and driveways. At first glance the façade almost blends into
the cityscape, but then the awning is spotted, something different from the
long line of residential homes. The awning covering the doorway, felt old
school and dated; a decadence that is almost out of style.
The interior décor was old and heavy, wooden and stone.
Plastic plants were also strewn throughout the restaurant, only emphasizing how
outdated the decorating was. In a way though, these details felt classic, how
you imagine many older Italian restaurants would look, like from the movies.
They spoke of luxury, just like the valet parking on the residential block,
lifting the importance of every patron.
It was a noisy Saturday night in the first room with tables
and the bar, so we opted for the quiet room in the back. The front room was
jumping, a birthday party or some kind of celebration was taking place, so
there was drinking and ringing laughter. Three or four steps down was the
quieter back room, just a family and a couple on a date. We sat at a table set
for four close to the swinging door of the kitchen and the server station. The
traffic wasn’t excessive, and neither was the noise. Light shone through a
stained glass window with “Laico’s” in cursive, reminding us where we were,
another out of date touch.
After seating ourselves we were given the specials menu and
the regular menu— jammed packed with all the Italian favorites one would
expect. It had pastas with a wide variety of toppings and sauces, as well as
meat main courses served with the daily vegetable or a side of pasta. Typical
old school Italian. I was imagining the lengthy menu as heavy portions and lots
of sauce, heaping bowls of steaming pasta, and cheese for days.
After making the mistake of asking for more time, as the
waitress made her rounds in the small dinning room and finally came back, we
ordered. I chose my dish from the
specials menu and my date picked form their everyday fare.
Laico’s seems like the kind of restaurant where the
clientele and the wait staff become a family, like a restaurant full of
regulars. It also felt like the kind of place where the waitresses and waiters
work for a very long time, getting used to the crowd and becoming familiar
faces. The few I saw there that Saturday night were like career waiters, very
familiar with the trade, and have probably worked for Laico’s for years. Though
everything was mechanic and ritualized, each table got just the right amount of
attention.
We were given warm bread—delicious, airy yet dense, hearty
and hot—a great indicator of what was to come. A house salad came shortly
after, bland and almost superfluous. The salad was large and decorated with
tomatoes, red onions and lots of salad dressing. We ended up using the salad
almost as a pallet cleanser in between the appetizer and the entrées.
For an
appetizer we picked a polenta starter, which was, pan-fried crisp and smothered
in a sweet and savory creamy Marsala sauce and earthy mushrooms. The inner
texture of the polenta was drier and more crumbly than expected, but the sauce
held it all together—smooth and meaty countering the grain of the polenta. It
was a decent sized appetizer, perfect to appease two bellies until the entrees
arrived.
I ordered the cockles, mussels, sausage spinach and linguine
served with a white clam sauce, which was one of the day’s specials. What was placed
in front of me was a garden of shells filled with perfectly cooked seafood, and
it was enormous. Taking all of the succulent meats out of their strewn shells
proved to be a task but well worth it. The linguine was cooked to a nice al dente and drenched in a buttery white
wine sauce. Though it was not bursting with flavors, it allowed for the
admiration of the seafood and the rustic sautéed spinach and the salty sliced
sausages. I enjoyed the marriage of the light seafood with the more substantial
sausage and the earthy spinach. Initially the balance was lovely and the varied
textures created interest, but eventually the butter and salt beat out the
seafood and even the pasta couldn’t mask it. At the end, I opted for finishing
up the scrumptious seafood, rather than wasting space on the not so special
pasta.
My date ordered a chicken and shrimp parmesan combination,
with a side of spaghetti. The dish only really looked like two heaps of red
sauce, the other ingredients hidden, with a little floating side dish of pasta
with the most basic of sauces on top. The portion was definitely not as large
as we were expecting, especially since it was a combo, and the taste was ok.
Some of the chicken breading was a little burnt, which ruined some bites, with
the acrid taste. There were only a few shrimp, not even enough to get a taste
for the quality or technique. The side pasta, as it is most times, was nothing
special, but necessary since the combo was small. This combination was kind of
ordinary and it was not even filling. The flavors were monotone, but the
chicken and shrimp both felt like good quality ingredients.
After our plates were cleared away and we looked over the
dessert menu, it was a while before our waitress found her way back to us. She
got involved in a lengthy conversation with a group at another table, clearly
regulars that were aware of her life and circumstances. We were able to
overhear most of it at our table, unfortunately.
While waiting for the Italian poundcake and cappuccino we
ordered, we were also privy to another conversation I wish we didn’t overhear.
It was our waitress and another waiter discussing tips, expressing their
disappointment in how the people were tipping that evening. I felt like that was
a very inappropriate conversation to be having in earshot of patrons, just as a
mark of lack of professionalism. It really turned me off.
The poundcake, also was a turn off. It was warm, served with
ice cream topped with some chocolate drizzle and whipped cream, but the cake
was floury in the mouth. It felt dry and course, almost like it was overworked
in the kitchen. The dessert definitely left dinner at a low note for me, as
well as wondering when leaving the restaurant if our tip was to the satisfaction
of our waitress.
Even though Laico’s in some ways felt out of style, its
traditional atmosphere and food are disappearing. I would definitely like to
try some of the other items on the menu, as the list goes on and on of
delicious potential. It is a place I would go back to when I am longing for
simple classic Italian, rustic atmosphere, and a long lost luxury.
RER
8.18.12
 |
| RER 8.18.12 |
 |
| JAR 8.18.12 |
