Noce77 Ristorante
“Noce is a family owned business and its clear that they aim to please, very pleasant people and a very romantic atmosphere that is great for a date or a group get together.”
“For our mains, she had the rigatoni with lamb bolognese and melted goat cheese, and I had the veal chop with vegetable risotto.”
“We started with the homemade meatballs with risotto milanese ($12) and the special butternut squash risotto with shrimp ($13).”
Noce77 Ristorante
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
4 reviews
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We were excited to give this new place a shot, especially after the first reviews were so positive, but in the end we were left feeling pretty disappointed.
Having eaten in the space lots of times before, I was interested in seeing what these folks did with the decor. Apparently not much. While it was not the same art on the walls, everything was hung in the same spots, so it may as well have been. The room was set up in exactly the same way, with, I believe, the same silverware as the last occupant.
The staff was friendly and sweet. They knew it was us when we arrived and had our table ready. Only a few other tables were seated, but it's a new place, and it's summer.
The food was fine, but with rare exception, there was nothing really unique or special about the dishes. We started with a couple orders of the meatballs, the calamari and a caesar salad. The meatballs were very good. Super tasty and three in a serving. The calamari was pretty bland and done in a way that you could have anywhere else. The marinara was pretty bland and basic. The "traditional" caesar was anything but, with bacon on it.
For entrees, we had the branzino, veal chop, capellini (I think) with mussels, clams and shrimp, and the chicken dish. The veal chop was tasty and the risotto it came with was fine. The way they cooked the branzino left the skin kind of soggy as opposed to crispy, and as such it was pretty inedible, and that's usually one of the best parts. We were told they were out of mussels (which I otherwise would have ordered as my appetizer) but they magically appeared on the pasta dish, which our friend said was fine. The chicken dish was good.
For dessert, we tried the bread pudding and the chocolate lava cake, the two they make in-house. They were both good.
All in all, if they're going to try and compete with the many, many other Italian offerings in Montclair, they're going to need something new and different to stand out from the masses. Step up the menu with more out of the box options and flavors.
As is, there's nothing special about this place or the food, and it's a little overpriced for what you get. It's unlikely we'll return.
I came here when this place was Passionne, which succeeded at least two other restaurants. I'm not sure why businesses keep closing and opening here, but I like what Noce 77 has done here. Very authentic Italian feel with the artwork, music and white tablecloths.
We started with the homemade meatballs with risotto milanese ($12) and the special butternut squash risotto with shrimp ($13). As for the meatballs, only three small balls, each topped with shaved cheese, but they were delicious. The price is a little steep considering the portion size of the balls and the amount they (don't) give you, but great flavor. As for the risotto, it was cooked perfectly, but the shrimp itself could have used some seasoning.
For entrees, we got the gnocchi with seasonal vegetables, dehydrated tomato, cheese and pepper ($17) and the pappardelle and lamb bolognese with goat cheese and mint ($19). The gnocchi was cooked perfectly and the dehydrated tomato was a nice touch and very creative. But the pappardelle and lamb bolognese was out-of-this-world-good. The flavors blended together for one big party in my mouth. Yum-bo.
The only thing that brought this experience down to 4 stars was the sad attempt at crème brûlée. The "custard" was more like a soup so I'm guessing they either failed to nail the custard or else they brûléed the surface too much or left it under a heat lamp. I guess that's what I get for ordering a French dessert in an Italian restaurant. Aside from that, everything was perfect.
BYOB. Street parking.
Visited this cozy Italian restaurant twice. Both nights were during the week and both nights we were waited on by the same server. I did appreciate the consistency of his service. Personable. My only gripe with was, he missed to see our crème brulee was soupy. Even after we took our first bite. Actually, we intentionally left so much behind just to see if our server was going to take it back. Didn't happen.
On a more positive note, out of the two dates, I would have to say my favorite dish was the homemade meatballs with risotto Milanese. Small meatballs but with large amounts of flavor! The gnocchi with seasonal vegetables did not impress me. To me it wasn't light, airy, smooth or luxurious. The lamb Bolognese with goat cheese and mint- now that was pretty awesome in flavor. Lastly, the bronzino dish was so out left field for me. The baked red potatoes were old. The fish was dry and bland. The string beans and carrots were wrinkled. Oh, I almost forgot to mention. Try their bread pudding dessert with ice cream. I would order that and meatballs again.
So we came here again and once again we love Noce 77.
The owner/waiter is always so courteous and helpful in trying to pick out our meal.
However, this time I had to come back for the Homemade Parpadelle. My wife had this dish too, so next time we're going to have to try something different. (The stuffed porkchops sounds pretty good too.)
We did try a different appetizer though. The meatballs with creamy risotto was absolutely fantastic. I may have to see if this dish is available as an entree next time… and there will be a next time. This is my new favorite restaurant in Montclair. (All you "OG" fans… try Noce7! You won't be disappointed.
The 2 other dishes we tried were the arugula salad and the tiramisu for dessert. Both of these were excellent too.
Give Noce 77 a try. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.