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Bareli's
Still Smokin' in the Garden State
Posted: Wednesday, June 15, 2005
By Alejandro Benes
I admit it -- I'm a Jersey guy. I live in New Jersey and, increasingly, I dine in New Jersey instead of New York City. There are three compelling reasons to consider doing the same if you're in the vicinity. First, there are great -- not just good -- restaurants in New Jersey. I'm not arguing that Manhattan is in danger of losing its ranking as tops in the region, but I'm saying you don't need to schlep across the Hudson if you want a superb meal. Plus, that in New Jersey liquor licenses are so hard to get that many restaurants invite you to bring your own wine -- no corking fee -- so the “value quotient” just got higher. Of greatest interest to the aficionados of this web site is the third reason to try the Garden State: you can smoke a cigar after dinner.
I've told you before about a restaurant in Englewood (Smoke Chophouse & Cigar Emporium) where you can have a prime steak and a cigar, a Cuban place in Edgewater (Azucar) with a cigar lounge on the second floor, and now you're going to learn about an Italian classic in Secaucus (emphasis on the first syllable, please). And if you don't like it, we're gonna have a little talk later.
Bareli's is that kind of white-linen Italian restaurant that dots the landscape of the northern part of the state. Bareli's is Wine Spectator-worthy and Zagat-rated, but none of that matters. What you will get at Bareli's, just minutes from the Lincoln Tunnel, is exquisite service and mostly Northern Italian cooking that is fairly traditional and highly comfortable, but with enough innovation that you'll be happy to return. On a recent visit with a good friend, we shared a couple of the special appetizers. The more traditional of the two was a plate of warmed asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and laid on milky-white melted mozzarella. A little balsamic vinegar and we were very pleased. The other was a salmon pastrami. Thin slices of smoked and cured salmon, a sort of carpaccio, surrounded a lone jumbo shrimp. These antipasti were ample, but not overwhelming. The flavors exploded and soothed. We were properly set up for the main course.
I kept mine simple, ordering a grilled tuna filet and a sautéed spinach contorno that was not drowned in garlic. My buddy had a special pasta dish that was solidly in the comfort column: spinach noodles in a sort of casserole dish featuring chicken and tomato and lots of other seasonings. He ate it quickly, always a good sign.
You will not be disappointed with the larger menu at Bareli's. The antipasti, as in many other places, are among the better offerings. I'd recommend a mix of the simpler ones: insalata di frutti di mare, a classic cold combination of calamari, scungilli and shrimp with a light dressing, chunky lobster meat with scallion vinaigrette (just ignore the word "chunky"), and the slightly more modern polpettine di granche, a crab cake improved by its accompanying pepper sauce.
Entrées, and here I would include both primi and secondi (pasta dishes and main courses), are generally less complex. If I want pasta, it's usually a tomato and basil or, on the more robust side, the linguini marechiara -- shrimp, clams, mussels, scungilli and calamari, in a light tomato sauce. If you're watching carbs -- and, damn it, who isn't these days -- pick from three different versions of veal chops, or, if you want beef, I like the tagliata (slices) di manzo con rucola -- prime shell steak with arugula, potato and rosemary. As a friend of mine likes to explain, "Dey got chicken, but what are you, nuts?" Try the rack of lamb in a honey-mustard walnut crust or, best bet of all, go with seafood. The selection is superb and the preparation is flawless.
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The same is true of the wine list, which I won't even bother to detail, but it's worth noting that wines by the glass come in a great variety and are notable. I tried a Selvole Sangiovese and would have had more, but I wanted to continue with a drink and cigar after dinner. And, ultimately, that's the point of all this. When you're done, and get up out of the plush leather chair, you make your way to the small horseshoe-shaped bar and order a drink from the blonde, Turkish bartender and light your favorite smoke. Then you sit as long as you want and watch ESPN or tell jokes to willing and charitable listeners.
If there's anything missing from Bareli's, it's the cigar selection. There's a small tabletop humidor with not much in it, and most of the cigars are in the petit corona range. Unlike those many restaurants previously alluded to, Bareli's does have a liquor license, but you can and should take your own cigar. There’s no cutting fee, either.
Alejandro Benes can often be seen speeding on the Turnpike.
Bareli's
219 E. Route 3
Secaucus, NJ 07094
Phone: 201-865-2766 or 877-BARELIS
www.barelis.com
Monday to Thursday: 11:30 am to 11 pm
Friday: 11:30 am to Midnight
Saturday: 4:30 pm to Midnight
Sunday: Closed (available for private parties)
Go to Cigar Bar Central.
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