ZANOS is the place for Italian Food

A Birthday celebration was planned. I was going to have a family Birthday celeb ation and we were not going to cook. So with every birthday in our home, the birthday person gets to pick what they want for their special dinner. I picked Spaghetti and Meatballs! But where can you find the best spaghetti and meatballs in the Long Beach Island, NJ area? I was always told by my father that if an Italian restaurant can make great spaghetti and meatballs, they can make anything and this is exactly why we went to Zano's Italian Market in Waretown, NJ.

What I like about this establishment is that it is truly a family-run business. Father and Son Anthony keep up the Italian traditions and share their mother's and grandmother's recipes that they have enjoyed since childhood. Grandma Francesca is a frequent visitor at the market making sure the family is doing her recipes justice. When you walk into Zano's, you are immediately transformed into a New York bodega-type store. Food is everywhere. From dried meats and cheeses hanging from the ceiling to stuffed cherry peppers, salads, dry Italian pasta, Italian canned goods, Canollies, lasagna, chicken, a huge sandwich menu, cookies, and of course, the best bread and rolls anywhere in the area.

So, after some discussion with the owner, I asked for dinner for 11:

Spaghetti & meatballs (2 portions Gluten-free)* Extra meatballs* Antipasto for all* Desert for The Birthday Boy---

The order arrived right on time. A huge pan of spaghetti & Meatballs with trays & sterno, antipasto, a huge fresh green salad, a tray of cannolis, and an Italian cookie assortment were set and ready to go by ZANOS personnel. With good red wine, beers, and all the food ready, the celebration began with the mixed Antipasto. OMG! This magnificent antipasto was a sight to behold. Bruschetta, sopressata, provolone cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese, cherry pepper poppers, Prosciutto, capocollo, Salami picante Culatello and others that you expect. It was so delicious, we had to cover it so that we would have room for the main course. With wine and beers flowing, the family of 11 (5 kids included) sat down at the dinner table. On the table was a fresh crispy leaf salad with a vinegarette, spaghetti, and meatballs and rolls. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly, Al Dente! With a very generous amount of tomato gravy on the top and mixed in. It was not dry. Did I say Tomato gravy? Italian Sunday Gravy will get your family to the table like nothing else - the fragment smell of a rich, hearty tomato sauce spiked with red wine, succulent cuts of pork and meatballs slow cooked and simmered on the stove all day, oh just sooo good. This gravy was right out of the kitchen of Grandma Francesca. Tangy, thick, sweet, hell you could just eat a bowl of this. On top was the generous amount of meatballs. These meatballs were not the lousy frozen meatballs that you see at these chain restaurants or the mass-produced things, they were handmade 3-inch mixed and rolled, and browned. They tasted wonderful. The flavorful meaty texture coupled with the hints of garlic and onion cooked in the Sunday red gravy was just perfect. I am so happy I ordered ten extra meatballs for leftovers.

As with every family dinner in our house, the kids disappear and the adults sit, drink more vino, and begin the discussion on everything from alien aircraft to what went on the past few months since we all got together. All in all, this was one of the best authentic Italian Spaghetti and meatball dinners I have had in a very long time. You ask, what about the price? The prices at Zano's of Brooklyn Bros were reasonable. For the amount of food and the quality that the Crapanzano's personally serve you, it was well worth it. One can tell the Crapanzano family has a true passion for Italian food. We will be back again, but I was told that I am not allowed to have spaghetti and meatballs again, it is the third year in a row and the kids want to try much more. But that's OK.

Thank you Zano's for the PERFECT birthday dinner.