Pizza Rustica To Become Turano's Italian Bistro

Okay, Bloomfield, I’ll unveil a best kept secret that wasn’t supposed to be a best kept secret.

A Turano-owned restaurant is and has been back in Bloomfield for two years, although you may not have known it.

Make no mistake, though. When you dine at Pizza Rustica, soon to be Turano’s Italian Bistro (the awning will soon be up), you will know the quality and the taste.

Pat Turano, who also owns Montclair’s upscale Trattoria Rustica, originally owned Casa Turano (now Victorio’s) on Belleville Avenue back in the mid 1980s, a favorite lunch spot of mine. Shortly thereafter, he opened Casa Turano on Broad Street prior to selling that and heading into Montclair.

It’s nice to know that, while still in that restaurant hotbed, he’s returned to our township with a 40-seat, rustic, BYOB spot for the family, but can also be enjoyed on a casual date for two.  The restaurant is small with large black and white tiling; brick walled on one side with a blackboard listing all that appears on the menu, while the opposite wall contains family photos and artwork. In addition to pizza, a good sampling of pasta dishes and meat entrees are also offered.

My wife and I dined on an early Tuesday evening, the eatery devoid of a dinner crowd. Even though I was a bit under the weather, I needed to get out of my house, but not endure a long drive to a restaurant. Pizza Rustica – from here on in this piece to be referred to as Turano’s Italian Bistro – is, if I’m adventurous enough, within walking distance. But we drove, finding on the street parking. There is a parking lot in the rear as well.

The goal for this evening was to eat light, maybe not in what we ordered, but meaning smaller plates. So we decided to forgo entrees and share and share alike, starting off with spicy, garlic large shrimp with generous slices of potato, hot pepper and garlic. This was a HOT dish - literally. We loved it.

“This is fantastic,” I said to our server, Amy Wilson, who has worked for Turano for seven years. A fellow Bloomfielder, she knows the product well, knows what Pat Turano expects from servers, and understand what his clientele looks for.

“It’s great for dunking, too,” she said, and returned shortly with another (that’s right, our second) so we could dunk some more and further agree with her words.

For our second course, we enjoyed an eggplant personal-size pizza, a 14-inch offering that was just enough to allow us to bring home two slices for our daughter. The pizza was made exactly as ordered: well done and light on the sauce, and there was a nice amount of thin eggplant strips per slice to satisfy.

For dessert, we shared another fresh Turano offering: cannoli cheesecake. To which I say, “Well done.”

Turano’s Italian Bistro is slowly segueing into a new menu, which will just about mirror the outgoing Rustica one. All major credit cards are accepted except for American Express. Catering and party packages available.

Turano's Italian Bistro, 1047 Broad Street, (973) 338-1555, Mon - Thurs 4:30 pm - 9:30 pm, Fri 4:30 pm - 10 pm, Sun 4 pm - 9:30 pm