Nunzio Ristorante Rustico – Collingswood, NJ
You already know that MANY – MANY restaurants line Haddon Avenue in Collingswood, New Jersey. Some are better than others, and some have been in business much longer than others. During a lunch time visit to this town, I would end up in Nunzio Ristorante Rustico (NRR) one of the restaurants that have been there the longest. The interior of NRR is very formal and I did like the feel of walking into an European neighborhood with NRR’s décor, but it did feel a bit dated and stale. I would start things off with the lobster bisque with lump crab.
The soup was a little thinner than I enjoy my bisques, and it was a tad salty, but it did have many nice pieces of lump crabmeat throughout which always helps. For my entrée I would have Ravioli alla Aragosta.
The Ravioli alla Aragosta in easier terms was lobster ravioli in vodka sauce. I had high hopes for NRR with the semi-upscale setting, staff dressed to impress and proper, and price points setting the stage for something special. Sadly NRR, did not impress. The presentation of the dish was a mess, the sauce and raviolis were bland, and service was sometimes non-existent with drink and bread refills. The service also disappointed when I asked for the check, I had to ask for it again fifteen minutes later, and it finally arrived past the twenty minute mark of my first request. NRR may have tried to recreate that European atmosphere and flair in their dining room, but the meal and service need to take a trip back to basics.
BlueJeanFood 