La Sicilia, Belleville-- SOLD!
Heard from a friend that was here last week, the place is under new management-- not good news.
La Sicilia was one of the best Italian Americans in NNJ-- I was there 3 times, and it never failed to impress-- a wonderful, unusual "Palermo Pizza", and exquisite pasta and Ital fare. Great homemade soups.
Food is changed now, it now resembles every other Ital American place in NJ. Totally ordinary. Prices have gone up, and what the new owners did is cross out the prices on the old menus and put the new prices! (OMG!)
So, unfortunately, a really terrific place bites the dust and morphs back to "eh".
Anyone know where the old owners, the Ali family, went? Did they call it quits or open another place?
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With due respect, I'm curious as to how you know the food has changed......since you just heard last week that this management/ownership has happened through a friend......and not through an actual experience.
For the record, I always thought La Sicilia was ordinary and nothing was exceptional other than the Escarole and Beans.
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re: fourunder
Well, I know my friend's tastes, we have dined together often. The place was definitely NOT ordinary in most folks' eyes, anyway. It does get exceptional reviews in Yelp and many local papers, as well as even a 4 minute video by some brothers who put out videos of places in that area often. I think it's from 2009.
When I ate there last winter, the pasta was exceptional, perfect homemade sauce, great from-scratch lentil soup, and the Palermo pie pizza was extraordinary. I didn't hear about the pizza, but now my friend reports the sauces are different, the pasta is cooked too long, and it's just a whole different feel-- the new owners are not Italian, either. The menu price cross-outs are pretty unforgiveable as well. Too bad.
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re: lemarais
I was only there for lunch. Nothing for lunch has changed. I have been going there for years and know the menu quite well. At least some of the guys who own it now were partial partners with Mr Ali, the previous owner. I recognized the waitress and kitchen staff from previous visits.
PS I had the veal parm with linguini for 8 bucks. It was as good as ever and the best bang for the buck for this type of dish I have ever had anywhere. That is why I keep going back.
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re: fourunder
Well, that does mean that it's anything but "ordinary".
I went for lunch yesterday with friends, it's quite close to the Ole Ole Spanish Warehouse that had their monthly open house yesterday.
Have to say, that, yes, the place is still in basically the same hands-- Mr. Ali's partners bought him out and are still running the place as before. Palermo Pizza is heavenly and unique, as always. Pasta is excellent, sauces are homemade. Salads fresh and interesting. Looks like some of the home made soup and fresh-made pasta is off the menu, but the place still is way above average and definitely "worth a journey".
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