The Restaurant
Speranza is a great small Italian restaurant in Westville. The word Esperanza means “hope” or “expectation.” It seems like a fitting positive vibe that you will experience while dining here. They offer a lot more than just pizzas and the usual Italian fare. While their pizzas are wonderful and creative cuisine, their other offerings should not be missed. It is a BYOB (of course), but they also offer wines from Plagido’s Winery. For a small venue they make the most of the space with ambiance (and without crowding). The portions are large and the presentations are attractive. Did I mention that the meals are also inexpensive? Yes, but bring your cash because they don’t accept credit cards. My wife and I were accompanied by a good friend.
The Food
Appetizers
We ordered a plate of calamari, which was as large as it was delicious. They were lightly breaded with a good marinara dipping sauce, with just a touch of spice to light the fire of desire. The calamari were tender and golden and done to perfection.
Soup and Salad
I had a cup of seafood bisque that was excellent. It was thick and creamy, with small chunks of shrimp. My wife and our friend chose the Caesar salad, which were pretty large and looked wonderful.
Entrees
I ordered the Cavatelli with sausage and broccoli rabe. This dish was just what I wanted with my Cab Franc. The melding of the sausage, broccoli rabe, and cannelloni beans was a tasty combo and paired exquisitely with my Cab Franc.
My wife chose the Chicken Piccata. The three huge pieces of chicken were very tender and flavored to lemony perfection.
Our friend ordered the Towered Eggplant Parmesan (below). It really did look appealing and our friend assured us it tasted even better.
Wine
We enjoyed our bottle of White Horse Winery Cab Franc and Unionville Vineyards Mistral Blanc.
- White Horse Winery 2016 Cabernet Franc-I found this gem in my cellar. I was surprised that I still had an older vintage of this excellent wine. It did not disappoint. This was a medium-bodied version with ripe black cherry notes on the palate and silky smooth tannins
- 2019 Hunterdon Mistral Blanc-I have felt for some time that this white blend has been under the radar of many of the wine critics in the area. This blend of Viognier (50%); Marsanne (25%); and Rousanne (25%) is terrific. It is full-bodied with lots of tropical fruit notes, a rich mouthfeel and a creamy finish. It is a welcome alternative to Chardonnay and perfect for those end of summer evenings.
Cheers!
Another Recent Shout Out
I recently had the opportunity (and good fortune) to open another excellent New Jersey wine that I would like to share with you:
- Laurita 2018 Norton – Norton (AKA Cynthiana) is one of my favorite unsung heroes in the wine world. I was happy to find a bottle of this in my cellar this past week, hiding in the darkness. It is a dark, medium to full-bodied wine, with smooth tannins. The grape is a hybrid that is able to withstand colder temperatures. I’m not sure why more New Jersey wineries do not grow it. Cedar Rose Vineyards makes a very good Norton wine, too, but there aren’t many others.
Want to Learn More about NJ Wine?
If you are interested in downloading a copy of my book, New Jersey Uncorked: A Snob-Free Taste of NJ Wine, you can do so now for only $8.99 at the Apple iBook store app, using the coupon code WineNot.
Coming Attractions
- Revisiting the Finger Lakes
- Iron Hill Brewery
- Laurita Delivers
- A Few More Shout Outs
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