Best Pizza of The Caldwells Contest: Russillo

Since opening in the early 2000s, Russillo Ristorante & Pizzeria has been quite the draw among those in The Caldwells seeking Italian food. 

It has a big (really big) menu that in addition to pizza, contains many sandwiches and dinners of all kinds that keep them coming back.

In the front, there is a small eating area where folks can eat lunch, grab slices or even have a quick dinner with table service. The decor is surprisingly nice for a space that also houses the pizza-making stations, ovens, main counter and waiting area. Every inch seems to be used to maximum benefit.

In the back, there's a cozy, fancier dining room away from the ovens and commotion with a full waitstaff where customers can bring their own, and enjoy a more intimate dining experience. Just make sure to get there early—it always fills up fast.

On paper, Russillo continues the modern-day pizzeria duality of sorts (casual, more fancy) with three different menus. One is for catering, which is a "greatest hits" of pastas, chicken, but even items like sandwich and wrap platters and six-foot subs.

Variety for Lunch

The lunch menu is the little brother of the dinner one, containing some of the same items, but stands on its own as one of the most varied of its kind in the area.

Attention getters include the "Grandma Soup" (OK, this "grandma" thing with pizzerias is officially a fad), which contains vegetables and veal meatballs.

The steak Caesar salad is a nice inclusion and self-explanatory, while the "Insalata Caprina" needs a closer look: It's a tasty blend of romaine lettuce, apples and pears, topped with almonds and goat cheese in a raspberry vinaigrette. It can also come with grilled chicken or shrimp.

Other interesting fare on the lunch menu includes entrees such as "Tilapia Livornese" (with onions, olives, capers and tomatoes) and something with a great moniker.

The "Chicken Sinatra" takes the best name prize that features a chicken breast with portobello mushroom, hot peppers and potato, sauteed in a brown demi-glaze.

What's For Dinner?

Now for the dinner offerings. The choices are seemingly infinite, but in spite of the sheer number of choices listed, there's also a note that if diners don't see something they want, Chef Enzo will try to accommodate requests.

Chicken, veal, beef and seafood each have their own sections and there are also hot and cold appetizers, wraps and sandwiches, including an old-school Frittata—that's basically a pepper and egg.

Attention-grabbing entrees include the "Veal Principessa," which is veal topped with prosciutto and eggplant, and "Chicken Balsimico," which is chicken, sauteed in a "balsamic vinegar reduction brown sauce."

Pizza Panoply

Russillo offers round pizzas in two main sizes: personal, a 10-inch offered only for lunch and a large, while also making a Sicilian square pizza.

There's a good selection of toppings you can choose from to build your own pie, interesting options include pesto and asparagus.

If you don't feel like building your own combination, there's a lineup of specialty pies, including chicken giambotta, prosciutto and olives and even Italian hot dog. There's also an assortment of slices available at the counter.

Judges from The Caldwells Patch arrived at Russillo on Wednesday night during the onset of its dinner rush, took seats in the front area and ordered a large cheese pizza.

This week's tasters were editor Mike Pignataro, contributor Ron Albanese and Joseph McCann, outgoing president of the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education.

Mike: This was one of the better pizzas we tried. It had a nice blend of cheese and sauce above a filling crust that was crisp and formed a nice handle to hold onto the slice. However, while I'd say my first slice was right on, my second piece was a bit more oily and made the crust a bit soggy.

Cheese: It was a good amount, a little oily, and it had a nice taste. I also tasted a decent amount of Parmesan cheese, which was a nice additional touch that I enjoyed.

Sauce: Unlike many of the places we've visited, Russillo provided a good amount of flavorful sauce that wasn't too much—yet a perfect complement to the cheese and crust.

Crust: It was filling and cooked just right, but a bit of excess oil from the cheese affected the crunch of my second slice. But one of my favorite parts of the pizza was the medium-thick edges—a nice finishing touch to the slice.

Ron

Cheese: It was ... hearty? There was a nice blanketing of cheese, but it didn't smother the overall taste. It was slightly oily, not too salty and the amount made for a filling slice.

Crust: It was good handle-type crust and well baked—nice and firm. It was the right kind for the amount of other ingredients, and each bite yielded a nice crunch.

It was cooked right, and well done!

As a side note, Russillo was either aware of us (we ordinarily remain undercover until the test is over) and/or has read our previous reviews and is aware of the "hot cheese slice slider syndrome." On two separate occasions, staff came over and offered us advice on how to best transfer a hot slice from the tray to our plate.

Their concern was perhaps misaligned, as my slices held up. That's a sign of a proper crust thickness—and it tasted good, too.

Sauce: It was a nice, deep red sauce and get this—it was evident in the taste mix! There wasn't an abundance of it, alas, but what was present took this pie out of the "hot cheese sandwich" zone and made it a more complete product.

Overall: The plain cheese pizza probably isn't what people are flocking to Russillo for, but it's a pleasantly pleasing traditional menu item among a myriad of other offerings—tomato pie and otherwise.

Special Guest Judge: Joseph McCann

Joe was looking forward to being a part of our taste test. The Verona native and Caldwell resident has a good working knowledge of the history of pizzerias in the area, as well as the current cheese, sauce and dough landscape of The Caldwells. Citing The Pizza and Sandwich Barn as a longtime favorite, he and his family frequent a few different places in the area.

As developed as his tomato pie acumen may be, when it comes to the local pizza shops, the educational leader grades them all on a curve.

"I travel out to the Midwest a lot," he explained, "and the pizza out there (nods his head disapprovingly) ... Everything around here is good!"

Let's see if Russillo makes his grade.

Cheese: It maybe had a "twitch" too much cheese—it was thick.

Sauce: (Taste wise), it was on par with every other place, and it was just the right amount.

Crust: I liked the crust—it made the pizza feel solid.

Overall:  "It was good—very good."

Would he have it again? "Absolutely! It was very good."

Russillo Ristorante & Pizzeria

Address: 675 Bloomfield Ave., West Caldwell (Dine-in, takeout and delivery)

Phone: 973-228-4100

Web site: www.russillo.com

Price of large cheese pizza: $15.45 (eat-in), $12.45 (takeout)

Trivia: Russillo is at the former location of Cohen's stationery.

Tested on: Wednesday, April 21, 2010

If you would like to be a guest judge, please let us know or post your experiences at each pizzeria below. The Caldwells Patch has already visited Forte, Calandra's, Nicco's, Cedar Grill and Pizza, Pizza and Sandwich Barn, Tony D's, Domino's and Papa John's and Michael's.

Next week: Vitella's Cucina