La Piazza and Pizza

It would almost be too easy to miss La Piazza Cafe in Florham Park, but if you are in the mood to try some new pizza flavors, the pizzeria offers some interesting selections.

The menu at La Piazza betrays an affinity for taking the main course of a dinner table and putting it onto a pizza. They offer baked ziti pie with penne pasta and cheese; lasagna pie with ground beef and ricotta and mozzarella cheese; and salad pie with lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and onions.

The specialty chicken pies have a little more texture to them, covered – smothered, one might say – in chicken and various accoutrements. The menu lists:

• Chicken Ricotta Pie, with breaded chicken, two cheeses and tomato sauce;
• Chicken Tomato Pie, with breaded chicken and chunks of tomatoes;
• Chicken Marsala Pie, with sauteed chicken, mushrooms and marsala wine sauce;
• Chicken Ranch Pie with grilled chicken bacon and ranch dressing; and
• Chicken Francese Pie, with egg-battered lemon chicken and white wine sauce.

All specialty pies are $19.95 for 18 inches, or 8 slices. La Pizzeria also offers a variety of salads, but the arugula salad ($6.95), with its crunchy vegetables and biting bitter greens, caught my fancy.

As far as appetizers go, there is an array to choose from, including chicken fingers ($6.95), fried calamari ($8.95) and bruschetta ($7.95), as well as some options for a slightly more discerning palette, such as seafood salad ($10.95) and baked clams ($8.95), but the big winner were the garlic knots ($1.50 for 5, plus marinara sauce). Crispy brown on the outside and chewy on the inside, they may have been my favorite part of the entire meal.

If you are not in the mood for pizza, La Piazza has numerous hot entrees to offer, from lasagna and manicotti to chicken marsala and veal piccata. With prices ranging from $6.95 to $9.95 for salads and from $9 to $15.95 for entrees, the entire family can fill up without breaking the bank.

La Piazza Cafe is located at 184 Columbia Turnpike in Florham Park and offers both delivery and in-house seating with BYOB service. For more information, call (973) 301-9660.