La Mezzaluna, Princeton NJ

Between Christmas and New Year's we had the fortune of joining Mary & Steve for a night out in Princeton. They selected a restaurant they had tried earlier that was surprisingly good. And, it's BYO so we were excited to join them! (http://www.lamezzaluna.com/)

We started off our evening down the street with a drink at Mediterra before walking over for our 6pm reservation. Mezzaluna is located on Witherspoon Street in Princeton among all the shops and restaurants. It's a little place that was practically empty when we walked in and we were seated in a booth immediately. The ambiance is nondescript with standard issue booths along the sides and wooden tables in the middle. It probably seats fifty to sixty people in total.

After a quick conference, we decided we'd start with two appetizers to share for the table, then order salads and our entrees. The appetizers we chose were the calamari with marinara sauce and the pumpkin ravioli with brunoise of squash, coriander cream and sage brown butter.

The calamari was slightly chewy and the pieces were all body, no tentacles but the light, almost tempura like batter and marinara sauce were very good. The pumpkin ravioli were delectable with the sage butter really bringing out the best in this delicate pasta. Really super dish.

For salads, Mary, Steve & Alan all went with the warm, braised duck salad with crisp goat cheese, butter lettuce, toasted almonds and agro dolce vinaigrette. It was solid / good... not great but pleasant enough. I ordered the grape tomato salad with mixed green, Gorgonzola and balsamic vinaigrette. The salad was a simple one but I love the fresh combination of ripe tomatoes, cheese and a tasty dressing. This one made me happy.

For entrees, both Mary & I ordered the rigatoni with pancetta, shallots, grape tomatoes, vodka and a blush cream sauce. And you might think that sounds like a basic, every day penne a la vodka sauce but I have to tell you...this is hands down the BEST vodka sauce pasta dish I've ever had. I loved it and practically licked my plate clean.

Alan went with one of the specials of the evening - a spicy seafood pasta dish. When it arrived, I think we were all surprised at how large the portion was and how completely loaded it was with all kinds of shellfish. It had lobster, scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels and octopus in a red sauce over linguine.

Other than the dish really not being spicy at all, it was quite flavorful and the shellfish was cooked nicely - a good choice, no doubt.

And finally Steve ordered the pappardelle with wild boar in a vegetable ragout based on having tried it the last time they were there and really liking it. The boar was nice and tender (cooked for a long, long time, no doubt) and the pasta was fresh. It was a filling dish with a great taste profile.

We ended the evening with sugar dusted, semi-sweet chocolate ricotta fritters. One serving came with four fritters which was a perfect last bite after a completely enjoyable meal. And with the BYO policy (we had a Barolo and a California Pinot), the bill was $112 a couple - an inexpensive pleasure.
Be sure to check this one out if you're in the area.

Zagat's Rating: 19-17-19
Jenn's Rating: 82