La Borgata

A family-style place in Franklin Park that shows real promise.

By: Pat Tanner

   FRANKLIN PARK — La Borgata is a pleasant little Italian restaurant-cum-pizzeria on Route 27 in the space that had most recently been The Vineyard. Two young brothers, John and Tino Procaccini, took it over a few months back. They have kept the white trellis with fake greenery décor, but have hired as chef a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Don Tietjen.
   Baskets of his small garlic knots arrive at each table alongside a bowl of minced green olives in olive oil — a good but salty start to meals here. Among the appetizers is antipasto salad ($7), a big plateful of sopressata, provolone and ham on chopped romaine dressed with pimiento-stuffed olives and roasted red peppers. I was enjoying this until I bit into a whole clove of raw garlic.
   A more ambitious starter is shrimp-topped bruchetta ($6.25), four thick slabs of toasted Italian bread that disappointed because the garlicky tomato topping completely masked any flavor the chopped shrimp may have had. But the shortcomings of these appetizers were overshadowed by the excellent soup of the day: cream of mushroom ($3.50 for a generous bowl). This was creamy but not gummy, packed a powerful mushroom taste, and opened my eyes to Mr. Tietjen’s potential.
   This potential was confirmed with the evening’s chicken special, Pollo Maurizio ($17). Here, two thick, tender chicken breasts were sautéed with, but not overwhelmed by, slices of fine Italian sausage and a tangle of onion and red bell pepper. An excellent merlot "demi-glaze" — really more like an intense broth — enhanced all. All of this was placed atop the chef’s fresh tagliatelle, but unfortunately the pasta ribbons had not been properly separated during cooking, so were congealed into an uninviting mass.
   We also tried the lobster ravioli in pink vodka sauce ($15), which consisted of five ravioli in a rich and excessively cheesy sauce that included nubbins of lobster meat. Again, the pasta proved gummy. A dish of gnocchi ($13) was notable for the excellence of its light tomato sauce — even better the next day — but the gnocchi were ordinary and a bit dense for my liking. La Borgata offers a range of expected pasta, chicken, veal and seafood dishes, including tortellini in cream sauce, veal Parmigiana and shrimp scampi.
   A salad of mixed greens comes with entrees, but the greens were soggy, either from not being thoroughly dried or by being burdened with too much vinaigrette.
   Some desserts are made in-house, but the one we tried was imported from Brooklyn and not very memorable. This was the millefoglie ($5.25), a big rectangle of layers of puff pastry and pastry cream. Other desserts offered that night included two flavors of tiramisu (chocolate and vanilla), homemade cannoli, bittersweet chocolate cake, tartuffo and fruit sorbets.
   From what I could see, service is apt to be friendly and efficient here, although our party got off to a rocky start. The group being seated directly before us turned out to be acquaintances of the host, who then stayed to chat — and chat. After being ignored by at least five other employees, I inquired as to how long it would be before we were seated. The host was summoned, but was clearly nonplussed — so much so that he didn’t tell us about the evening’s specials, as he did all of the subsequent tables he sat. Then, as all the tables but ours got a basket of rolls, we began to think we were being punished. Eventually, a young and apologetic waitress came over and explained that she was unaware that we were actually "her" table.
   This small restaurant has one asset that many of its pricier competitors lack: a noise level that is under control. Even when full, it never went above a pleasant hum. And whether it was the ambiance, the food, or the relaxed setting I’ll never know, but in an amazing turn of events we were surrounded by three tables at which sat multiple small children — and each could not have been better behaved or more charming. How unique is that among dining experiences?
   La Borgata, at least in the rear, has the trappings of a pizza parlor, such as a take-out counter and a case full of sodas and Snapples. The dining room, which seats 54, has a blessedly low-key décor, the white lattice trelliswork overhead notwithstanding. Walls are decorated with three not unattractive gold-framed paintings and mirrors edged in wrought iron with a leaf motif. Dark green linens grace the tables, which are topped with glass. However, the back room that leads to the restrooms displays to patrons the working, not very appealing side of the restaurant.
   In sum, La Borgata is a pleasant, family-friendly place that shows real promise but is not quite there yet.