A few weeks back we had a kid free evening our tradition is take advantage of our date night to try out different restaurants and explore the culture of Union County.
Our most recent venture took us to Taormino’s Ristorante (pronounced tah-or-MEE-nah) in Kenilworth. At first glance, driving by the restaurant located at 482 Kenilworth Boulevard, the restaurant doesn’t look like anything special. After we parked the car we noticed the outdoor seating, offering a great view of the boulevard. As you enter the vestibule you can’t help but notice the huge, antique wine press. The décor inside the restaurant is classic trattoria, making the diner feel like they’re in a beautiful hotel in Italy.
It was relatively early and the restaurant wasn’t crowded, but as the evening wore on, it was obvious that an 8pm seating would require reservations.
The wait staff was extremely attentive and charming. Once we settled in we ordered an appetizer to share. I chose the Bocconcini Prosciutto al Forno. It’s comprised of fresh mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto, sprinkled with breadcrumbs before baking. A splash of tomato sauce serves as the base for this extremely delicious appetizer. Needless to say we enjoyed it thoroughly.
I ended up ordering one of the specials, grilled rack of lamb over roasted fingerling potatoes and asparagus, all generously sauced with a demiglace based brown sauce. The lamb was the most tender and tasty lamb I’ve ever had! And Jean, who’s not a big fan of lamb, thought it was delicious as well.
I don’t know how we had room for it, but we even ordered a dessert to share. That evening we shared a molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and brueleed banana slices, although the cheesecake gets rave reviews. The cake was rich, but not too sweet and the ice cream was a sweet accompaniment. The bananas were the highlight of the dish for me.
So if you’re near Kenilworth and you want some great Italian fare, give Taormino’s a try, you won’t be disappointed!
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