Cafe Al Dente of New York

"Loved our first outing to Cafe Al Dente! The bistro style makeover is intimate and lovely. Service was excellent and the food out of this world. We had an order of meatballs, penne a la vodka and papardelle bolognese. All superb. The limoncello cake for dessert was out of this world."

"Love this quaint lil restaurant - where Vine used to be in North Forest Beach, Coligny Plaza. First, it’s tiny and adorable. It reminded me of a French bistro. It’s light and bright - opposite its predecessor, Vine, which was dark yet intimate - a different vibe altogether. Owners have carefully designed the space to make it fresh and new. Entire staff was welcoming and friendly. The pinwheel lasagna is outstanding …it’s better than the pappardelle bolognese…which was also excellent. (My sister got the lasagna and asked for extra marinara sauce - just a lil disclaimer.) Only improvements I might suggest (hard to judge such a sweet place that’s only soft-opened)…bread was served plain sans butter or olive oil….although I’m sure we could’ve asked for it. We ordered Caesar salad - perfectly delicious with a hint of lemon - but would’ve liked fresh pepper. (Again, I’m sure I could’ve asked, but it was busy, and I didn’t want to ask for something so trivial. I think they had pepper on the table, but I’m a pepper snob and like it fresh/cracked.) Table next to us ordered Rombauer Chardonnay (not cheap) - and it was placed on table rather than in a chiller. It’s possible they were not wanting it chilled, but as a white wine lover, I’d want it chilling if I ordered a bottle. All in all, I’m stoked this restaurant is right near our home and hope to dine here for years to come. We really enjoyed it. The food was delicious, and the ambience was adorably charming/quaint. I think most of the pasta is homemade. It’s a NYC vibe in HHI. We loved it…hoping it’ll be another great staple in Coligny."

"Phenomenal food at Cafe Al Dente. Best Italian food we’ve had. Our server Danielle was awesome! We’ll definitely be coming back."