Last week Dana & I met at Ciao in Basking Ridge for dinner. It was an early reservation and the restaurant quiet when I arrived ahead of time for a drink at the bar. The glass of Rose I had at the bar was decent, inexpensive and a very generous pour.
The restaurant feels both roomy and intimate. There's an immediate positive reaction when you walk in and smell the garlic, cheese and sauce all bubbling together on their brick-oven fired pizzas.
For dinner we each had a salad - mine the special heirloom tomatoes with red onion and for Dana the baby spinach salad with dried cranberries, pine nuts, goat cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. My tomatoes were fresh and sweet and probably the last of the season.
As an entree I went traditional with linguine and littleneck clams in a garlic, white wine sauce. Dana ordered the personal size Margherita pizza. My pasta had chili-pepper in it giving it a little zing and the linguine was cooked to al dente. The sauce wasn't overly creamy but did have a strong garlic flavor that I appreciated. The clams were small and flavorful without any grit. Dana's pizza looked pretty good though I didn't try any.
Overall an easy place to get to right off Rt-78 with a slightly more subdued atmosphere and comfortable ambiance. The food was perfectly acceptable and the service adequate. The price, very reasonable. Not a bad option if you're in the area. One other note - this restaurant is attached to it's sister eatery, 3 West. If you wander in the wrong door they are perfectly happy to escort you through the connecting corridor to the right place.
Zagat: 21-21-21
Jenn's rating: 70
