takeout – shut up and eat with me

July 14, 2015

Have you ever wanted something good to eat but just wanted to enjoy it in the comfort of your home? Usually, when this happens the only real options are pizza or chinese, or that’s what you THINK.

Villa Gennaro in Edison, NJ is my family’s favorite “special” place to order take out. It’s not something that we get very often but it is something that we enjoy every time. No matter what we order.

My dad loves his salads. Today, he ordered an antipasto salad that is fresh, savory, a little bit sour and cool.

Mixed greens are topped with hot peppers, black olives, red cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, giardiniera, and finally ham, provolone, and salami roll ups. It’s a great combination of a little bit sour, to cool and refreshing with some nice pieces of protein that will really fill you up.

To go along with this salad, my family loves the garlic bread. If you love garlic, then this is your jam. The pizza dough is topped with butter, garlic, and fresh herbs. Surprisingly, there’s no cheese. It really doesn’t need it. It is simple and provides a burst of flavor all on its own. This is one of those things that you can smell from what seems like a mile away. It just lures you right in.

My mom ordered a caprese salad. What’s not to love about the combination of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil? Well, that’s not all that Villa Gennaro offers on their caprese salad. The tomatoes, mozzarella are on top of mixed greens. They also add some roasted red peppers to top this salad.

My mom and I also split a meal because the portions are amazing. The dinners always come with a basic garden salad. This is honestly the only garden salad that I eat from any pizzeria. The lettuce actually looks fresh and there are actual toppings such as black olives, cucumbers and carrots. It’s simple, but actually thought out.

Alright, enough of the healthy. My mom and I finally open our main event. This is what we’ve been waiting for. This is what we have yet to find any place else AS GOOD.

Whole wheat penne, garlic, oil, and broccoli. You’d think everyone could get this right but that is anything but the case. The pasta is cooked to perfection, al dente. It is smothered in olive oil and garlic. I mean CHUNKS of garlic. I mean there has to be at least, AT LEAST three cloves of garlic in this dish. The broccoli soaks up all the flavors so that when you bite into it you get all the juiciness from both the oil and the garlic and it feels like you’ve died and gone to heaven. Then you top it all off, it is covered in parmesan cheese which adds the perfect saltiness to the dish.

broccoli, garlic, pasta — Here, want a bite?

Seriously, though if you want something a little bit better than your ordinary pizzeria, but don’t want to break the budget. This is the place to go. The presentation is just as good when you order takeout or sit down to eat. You can’t lose when visiting this place.

For more information check out Villa Gennaros