Portofino, Tinton Falls NJ

Most days Alan and I can't think of anywhere in our area to eat out that isn't take-out pizza. For the most part we drive to Red Bank, Sea Bright. Montclair, Princeton or Bedminster. So it was a nice change of pace to actually remember that there is a small little Italian place nearby that we went to years and years ago and actually liked. Located in Tinton Falls, Portofino Ristorante is a tiny little thing with less than 15 tables and a itsy-bitsy bar in the front.



We picked this one to go to after golfing with Kristie & Mike. We had a reservation and they seated us right away. The menu is fairly standard with antipasti, salads, pastas and entrees - a pretty big selection. But don't get too attached to the menu...one of the amazing things about Portofino is their seriously long list of nightly specials. It's hard to fathom how these attentive and upbeat servers can remember the twenty plus extra dishes that change constantly. But they do! Keeping track of them while you're listening to her rattle them off can be a challenge but our waitress was more than happy to repeat a few for us.

We started off with salads & appetizers that ranged from caprese to steamed little necks in white wine sauce (yummy) and a rolled eggplant in red sauce. Very tasty. We all ordered pasta as our main dish. I selected a very basic penne alla vodka in a light tomato cream sauce that was al dente with a flavorful sauce. Enough garlic and seasoning to be interesting but not so heavy that you felt like you couldn't walk.

Alan ordered a take on carbonara with rigatoni, pancetta and a light cream sauce. Again, not too heavy with nice flavor.

Kristie & Mike ordered a pappardella pasta and what I believe is a veal scaloppine with mozzarella, tomato sauce and prosciutto.

The wine list isn't huge but has some nice selections on it for reasonable prices. The food was quite good - especially for a tiny, local place. We'd recommend it if you're in the area and looking for a casual place.

Zagat: 24-17-20
Jenn's Rating: 82