Cheapeats, Inc. Blog

To be a food connoisseur, you have to be willing to expand your horizons and go where you normally wouldn’t frequent. Now I’m not talking about crazy things like bugs or pig snout. I’m talking about the outer boroughs. Which one you ask? Staten Island.

Staten Island? You gasp….Isn’t that where the garbage dump is?  Yes…but believe it or not, there is some great eating there. My first pick…Nove Italian Bistro.  

It’s a tradition that my friend Nanci and I take each other out to dinner for our birthdays, even if it’s months after the day. Doesn’t everyone celebrate Christmas in April? Don’t judge me.  Nanci (yes that’s Nanci with an i) lives in Staten Island and as a good friend, I agree to head west.

When we open the door, we step into an  atmosphere that  is right up there with any trendy spot in NYC.  Soft lighting, sleek design, and cool bar area. Pair that with a  friendly staff and Manager Chris Balzano. He was absolutely delightful. He apologized that we had to wait a few minutes for a table and quickly offered us a glass of wine while we waited. Impressive.

Once seated, the experience unfolded. I will admit, this was a special occassion and this place is at the high end of the Cheapeats spectrum, but it’s worth it. The beet salad appetizer (special of the day) was clean, fresh and tasty. Honestly, I would have been happy with just that. But it was a belated birthday celebration. Our seafood entrees were even tastier. Lobster and Sea bass…I say no more.

Room for dessert? Chris asked. I don’t think I could fit another thing. Are you sure?  We have a special; “Poached Pears in Wine.” Oh… OK. If you insist…wink, wink. I’ll take one for the team. It was the perfect end to a perfect meal.

I didn’t pay for dinner but know we went over the budget, but you can make it work. Just choose wisely from the menu. They also have a party room for private parties.

I raise my glass to Chris and the team at Nove Italian Bistro and cheers you. Thank you for making my birthday dinner a special event.

Happiness, $25 and under.

Tags: Birthday, Celebration, Friends, Italian Bistro, Staten Island

This entry was posted by Rosemarie on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 10:33 am and is filed under Italian, Staten Island. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.