The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/1180832
F ood is where Lucco proved itself to me as a reputable restaurant in Northern New Jersey. With tastes reminiscent of grandma's house, it was hard not to fall in love with many of the dishes—many of which transported me back in time to my childhood. Take the meatball appetizer, for example, a dish I would normally glaze right over. How could someone top my family's meatballs? It was insisted as a must-try, so I followed suit. Tender, flavorful meatballs made of beef, pork, and veal; just like grandma's. ey were larger in size than what I am accustomed to, but came as a pleasant surprise to both the eyes and the palate. e lasagna followed a similar pattern as the meatballs. Arriving in a circular pot, the what-felt-like 10-pound lasagna was an absolute must-have. "It is a portion for one," Jorge joked to me, but something in my mind tells me he was not entirely kidding when he said it. Again, eating this brought me back to my childhood. A hot, meat-filled lasagna laden with seasoned ricotta is encapsulated under a thick coat of crispy and golden-brown crust. It is unapologetic. e beauty in a dish like this lies in the way it makes you feel rather than how it looks. And that feeling is one of comfort and familiarity. Similarly, Russo's cavatelli with short rib ragu also struck a chord. Rich, succulent short rib paired with ricotta cheese and celestial pasta le me yearning for more. Each bite preceded immediately going in for a second, third, fourth and so on. e cavatelli themselves were made with ricotta cheese—perhaps one of my favorite types of pasta dough. If you are lucky, dishes like this are familiar to you, but if you are like me, a dish like this serves as a true treat. It's not just cloning Sunday dinner that Lucco does well; they also leave room for innovation. e baked clams in Calabrian chili butter were a unique take on a very familiar dish. e stuffed-then-baked clams themselves scream "New York City steakhouse" at you, but the extra touch of heat provided, and the charred lemon accompaniment, brings you back to a reality displaying why this dish is in a league of its own. V U E N J . C O M 120