Parkside PizzeriaCasa Turano Restaurant: Quality Since 1998

Parkside PizzeriaCasa Turano Restaurant is a comfortable, romantic sit-down pizzeria on one side and a world of take-out on the other.   Customers enjoying a cozy dinner at the restaurant would never know that nearby the phone is ringing off the hook for a Grandma slice of Sicilian.

“We’re comfortable to a lot of people,” says owner Mike DiSerio of his establishment, which is situated next door to Brookside Park. “Both (sides of the place) have good reputations. We decided when we first opened to make one side a restaurant and the other a pizzeria. The reputation is good, and we do very well.”

DiSerio, a 1992 Bloomfield High School graduate who has been working in restaurant kitchens since age 12, says Parkside PizzeriaCasa Turano Restaurant strives for perfection.  “We try to create a friendly atmosphere where the customer is the key, and we listen to what the customer has to say. Lots of [business owners] don’t, and stick with their way of doing business. I feel totally the opposite.”

Fittingly, business at his location is 50% pizza, 50% restaurant entrée. The Grandma Square and bruschetta pies are often ordered, as is the classic thin crust pie. As for entrees, there are chef specials offered nightly, including seafood dishes like salmon, tilapia, and the signature Fusille Special with fusille pasta, jumbo butterfly shrimp, spinach and mushrooms in a plum tomato sauce.

Writer Trish Rubin, formerly of Bloomfield but now based in NYC, was in town for lunch with her mom, Pat Douel. “I ordered the chicken and broccoli rabe sandwich with mozzarella. I ate half, and I’m taking the other half back to New York City.” For her daughter, she was taking home a grilled chicken hero with roasted red peppers and balsamic vinaigrette.

Mrs. Douel? She had the margherita pizza. “She loves pizza,” says Rubin. “Pizza, pizza, pizza.”

Parkside PizzeriaCasa Turano Restaurant, which also offers catering and hosts private parties, supports their home town as well. “We do a lot of work with law enforcement,” he says, adding with a laugh, “and sometimes this place looks like headquarters.”  DiSerio is also committed to giving back to local schools, especially day care centers.

DiSerio descibes his clientele as “family and dating.”  The popular eatery offers a bar with liquor license and three spots to dine: in-season dining with a bar on the outside deck, a rustic indoor area and a tiny back room with tables for two or four overlooking a serene stream. Popular music plays during lunch, Frank Sinatra during dinner hour.

Mike DiSerio then sums it up. “We offer true quality, made to order food at pizzeria prices.”

Parkside PizzeriaCasa Turano Restaurant, 455 Broad Street, Bloomfield, (973) 748-6834 or (973) 743-7441