dining out
Cucina Classico
Cucina 545 Ristorante in Totowa brings fine Italian dining to the neighborhood
WRITTEN BY JOYCE VENEZIA SUSS PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL KARAS
ZUPPA DI PESCE ALLA TOSCANA
E
very community
munity
deserves to
o have
the kind of f place
that Billy Joel
oel
evokes when
hen
he sings
about “a bottle of red,
a bottle of white”
— a good Italian
restaurant that
prepares the clas-
sics well. Cucina
545 is that kind of
place, especially
appealing because
it’s BYO and has a
warm, cozy atmo-
sphere.
The staff is friend-
ly and helpful, and
chef-owner Giacomo
Polibio has a strong
culinary background;
the restaurant, where he
lovingly prepares the food
od he
grew up with, is near his s home.
Several restaurants have
ve been at this
location; Polibio’s may be the one
that stays for a long time.
My dining companions and I
shared several appetizers, including
crispy fried calamari and an antipasto
for two. The platter held several
mussels in red sauce, stuffed clams,
garlicky shrimp, eggplant rollatini
46
HOLIDAY 2018 WAYNE MAGAZINE
CARROT CAKE
FRUTTI DI MARE
Totowa
CUCINA 545
RISTORANTE
545 UNION BLVD., (973) 595-5595
CUCINA545.COM
RAVIOLI ARAGOSTA
filled with creamy ricotta, and
rather dry ric
rice balls. The best
in the med
medley was mozza-
rella in carrozza, a grand
grilled cheese sandwich
(it’s also available as a
separate appetizer.)
sepa
To cut all that
ri
richness, Insalata
545 is a delicious
salad of baby
mixed greens,
tossed with cara-
melized walnuts,
slices of poached
pear and dollops
of creamy goat
cheese, with a
li
light touch of bal-
sa
samic vinaigrette.
Al
All pastas are
made in-house. Our
waiter touted Cucina
545’s fres
fresh seafood.
Ravioli Arag
Aragosta, with a del-
icate lobster fi
filling, are served
atop a velvety lob
lobster champagne
sauce; two butterflied shrimp accent
th
the plat
plate, with
ith bits of roasted red
pepper and asparagus for contrast.
Zuppa di Pesce alla Toscana provided
a nice seafood medley — including
a lobster tail — served over linguini,
though the light tomato sauce could
have used more seasoning. A better