Bona Vita Osteria Cooks Up a Fun, Playful Menu

Bona Vita Osteria in downtown Summit proudly displays a new banner across the front of its awning, announcing its recent wins as “Best New Restaurant,” “Best Italian Restaurant,” and “Best Bang for Your Buck” by New Jersey Monthly’s 2009 Readers’ and Critics’ Restaurant Poll. That’s three impressive titles for Chefs Marc Bruzzio and Adele DiBiase who only opened the restaurant a year ago this past May. Naturally, Patch made a beeline to the place straightaway to find out what the fuss is all about.

From the second you step into BVO, you realize this is not your regular trattoria. The restaurant is decorated in shades of orange, right down to the art deco light fixtures and Veuve Clicquot champagne/wine buckets. Plants spill out of extra-large tomato cans, a collection of wooden and wrought iron chickens look down from the walls and soffit shelves, farm stand market barrels showcase tomatoes, lemons, and limes in the back, and a blackboard announces the restaurant’s motto: “Eat responsibly…Save room for desert. We mean it!”

BVO’s menu is very much in line with the tone of the décor, offering whimsically named dishes such as “Not Your Nonna’s Spaghetti and Meatballs” ($18), Organic Bell & Evans “Airline” Chicken ($20), and Ricotta Gnocchi with a Sauce of 100 Tomatoes ($18). Bruzzio and DiBiase certainly know how to have fun with their food—and that’s before a single morsel has even hit the table.

BVO does not have a liquor license, although they are more than happy to uncork a bottle of your own while you peruse the menu and nibble on crisp Grissini breadsticks (a nice twist) and a somewhat dense Focaccia served with an olive oil infusion of parmesan and red pepper flakes. BVO also offers a wine storage “box” service for diners who want to leave a bottle behind to finish at a later visit.

Antipasti is categorized by type of food, and choices ranging from “Verde” vegetables ($7 each), “Formaggi” cheeses ($7 each), “Mare” seafood ($9 each), and “Carne” meats ($7 each). BVO also offers three versions of their signature Bufala Di Mozzarela ($10), a cold Antipasti Platter ($10 per person, 2 person minimum), and a Seafood Antipasti Platter ($12 per person, 2 person minimum). The Italian eatery also serves a variety of salads ($8-9) and thin crust Iron Griddle Pizzas ($10-12).

At a recent outing, I gave the Hot Sopressata appetizer a go. The dry-cured domestic sausage was sliced into ten thin rounds and turned out not to be that spicy, even with a dusting of red pepper flakes. On the flavor scale, however, the sausage was pretty high up the chart. I just wished there was more of it for $7.

For the main course, I had to ask about the Airline Chicken, which turned out to be a cut of chicken that includes both the breast and the wing; thus the name. Our server explained that Bruzzio pulls the chicken skin back and then stuffs the product with spinach, Fontina cheese, and roasted garlic—a far cry from what you’d be served on Continental Airlines.

The menu also featured a host of house-made pastas (pumpkin tortelonni, $18, veal ravioli, $20, linguini and crab, $20), as well as other Italian specialties (chicken Marsala, $18, grilled Niman Ranch pork chop, $25, and wood roasted salmon, $24).

My choices were the Ricotta Gnocchi ($18) and the Lemon Sole Milanese ($23), both of which were superb. While I didn’t count or taste 100 tomatoes in the sauce (I’m not sure anybody actually could), the pasta dish included a generous helping of halved grape tomatoes, basil, and Pecorino. The gnocchi was light and fluffy, and the sauce was more of a thin broth—all clean flavors that were perfect for a summer eve.

The sole, too, was well-prepared. The breaded fish was barely sauced, which allowed the bright hit of lemon to bring out the nuances of the dish. A playful ice cream scoop of roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a zucchini/yellow squash mix were thoughtful accompaniments to the plate.

Of course, I felt compelled to “save room for dessert,” as ordered by Chef DiBiase—and I was glad I did. DiBiase’s sweets menu changes often, and some of the offerings I considered were the coconut cream pie, sour cream pound cake, and cannoli cream cupcake ($8 each). However, I ultimately ordered the apple zeppoles ($8), an interactive twist on an Italian street fair tradition. The fried doughnuts were served in a brown paper bag which, when shook by the diner, covered the hot zeppoles in powdered sugar. A simple dip into the caramel sauce, a bite through the donut’s crunchy exterior to the apple pie-like filling, and life suddenly seemed very, very good.

Between the pizzas, salads, and mains, there seems to be something for everyone at Bona Vita Osteria, including children. Service is snappy without being too rushed, which means patrons can get in and out if they need to—or not, as the case may be. The fanciful, casual-yet-hip set-up works on many levels for many kinds of customers. One would not be intimidated to bring a family; nor would one hesitate to book a romantic meal.

No matter what’s happening or who’s in the front of the house, it’s clear Bruzzio and DiBiase know what they are doing with Italian comfort foods. The chefs are bringing a dash of fun and panache to the Summit restaurant scene, and I can see why they were selected for “Best New Restaurant.” Personally, I have to pose a question mark for the “Best Bang for Your Buck” nod, since I found the carne antipasti dish small, the main course portions to be generous but not overly large, and the prices on the higher end of the scale. Perhaps NJ Monthly readers were referring to BVO’s $10 lunch special, rather than dinner.

Regardless, there’s a lot to like about Bona Vita Osteria. It’s refreshing to see a pair of chefs devote as much energy in the kitchen as out and deliver a meal that truly touches all five senses. If this is how they’re starting out, I’m looking forward to what’s to come.

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Bona Vita Osteria

37 Maple Street, Summit

(908) 277-1414

Hours of Operation:

Tuesday through Saturday, Lunch 11:30 am-3 pm & Dinner 5-10 pm

Sunday, Dinner 5-9 pm

BYO, all major credit cards accepted.

Private dining and catering available.

Recipes available online.