I Haven’t Had a Just-Okay Dish at This Little Italian Spot in New Jersey
This is Highly Recommend, a column dedicated to our very opinionated editors’ favorite things to eat, drink, and buy.
I got a great little BYOB spot: Corto in Jersey City. Up in The Heights, right across the mighty Hudson River, it brings something to the neighborhood that’s been missing for far too long: an approachable restaurant with fantastic Italian food. Oh, and a backyard space too!
Everything on the Italian-inspired menu is delicious. Chef Matt Moschella puts an amazing meat-and-cheese plate that he changes every day. The one above features bresaola, mortadella, finocchiona from old-school NYC deli Salumeria Biellese; NJ-made crema de bleu and pepato from Valley Shepherd Creamery; fermented broccoli rabe from Italy; cherries from the garden at Corto; and crackled carta di musica. Now that’s a cheese plate!
He also makes fresh pastas—get the spaghetti, get the ravioli, get any of the pastas, really! There’s always a fish on the menu, like whole bass or skin-on tile fish, which you should definitely get, and staples like the angry chicken (Calabrian chiles will do that to you), perfectly cooked octopus over borlotti beans, and ricotta toast with honey and TONS of crushed pink peppercorns, which, yeah, you should order. Haven’t had a just-okay dish yet.
Every meal at Corto has left me satisfied and I can’t recommend it enough. All the food is simple and thoughtful without lacking creativity and quality. These young folks know what they’re doing!
Go there: Corto
Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit
