La Padella Ristorante Ventnor NJ

I met Marilyn in first grade and we became best friends immediately. That was more years ago than I care to admit! Marilyn, her husband Paul and I went through school together. They summer in Margate NJ. So as soon as I knew the dates we would be at the Jersey shore we set a date for the four of us to meet at La Padella Ristorante in Ventnor NJ.

With COVID-19 still threatening everyone’s health, even those of us who are fully vaccinated, we were so happy for a gorgeous clear evening so we could dine outside. In fact, I couldn’t even tell you what the inside of La Padella looks like.

Somehow dining al fresco feels so European. We could just as easily have been having dinner in a small Italian village. but we were on Ventnor Avenue in Ventnor NJ. The sidewalk in front of the restaurant and spilling in front of the stores on either side, was filled with tables covered with white linen. Every table was filled with convivial diners enjoying great food, BYOB wine and lively conversation.

As you can guess, La Padella serves Italian food. But it is certainly not your typical red sauce joint. The food is creative, very fresh and wonderfully flavorful!

I love being able to share some of the back story of this establishment. The Chef of La Padella Ristorante Ventnor NJ, Tony Hoda, grew up in Tirana, Albania. Since he was a young boy, he has had a passion for cooking. By the tender age of ten, he had a great deal of experience working at his father’s restaurant. His father always preferred to be on the operation side, but Tony really enjoyed the kitchen much more. He even attended a few culinary schools, only to realize that the craft is better learned through experience.

Tony lives by the motto: It’s not about cooking one great dish one time. It’s about cooking 100 great dishes at the same time.

When he was sixteen, Hoda decided he wanted to travel to America to pursue the dream of opening his own restaurant. Once here, he garnered a great deal of knowledge by working in restaurants in Chicago, Philadelphia, and various shore points in New Jersey. He continued to learn and experience in the culinary art, until finally landing in Ventnor, NJ.

La Padella gives Hoda the opportunity to do things his way. Says Chef Hoda: “Only the freshest and highest quality ingredients are used and each dish is carefully plated to ensure it is perfect, because seeing the initial satisfaction on the customer’s face is exactly why i love doing this.”

 It’s that kind of passion and dedication to his craft that makes La Padella such a tasty and enjoyable place to visit.

And now for what we ate. Paul and Steve started with Caesar Salads which were delicious but not unusual enough looking to bother photographing. (To be honest, I was so hungry I almost forgot the pix all together!) But the Burrata Salad that Marilyn and I shared was colorful and so yummy. A lovely nest of peppery, baby arugula held a lovely orb of burrata. And scattered around the plate were bright red halves of cherry tomatoes and luscious roasted red peppers. Drizzled over it all was a rich tasting balsamic glaze and toasty sliced almonds added such a beautiful added crunch.

If memory serves me correctly, Paul and Steve both ordered the Pollo Parmigiana. Their portions were huge. Freshly made linguine filled the ample pasta plates. The pasta was topped with a breaded and pan fried chicken cutlet with was blanketed in stretchy mozzarella and the whole dish was anointed with rich, tomatoey marinara.

Marilyn opted for the amazing Parpadelle Tartufo with was divine!!! Really wide pasta was laced with wild mushrooms and goat cheese and tossed together with a truffle cream sauce. At service the perfume of truffles wafted in our direction as soon as the walked through the door to bring it out to our table.

I was thinking that I had made a mistake and should have ordered the Parpadelle until I tasted my Tuna Positano. The seared, rare Ahi tuna and jumbo lump crab was atop a bed of capellini, capers, a light pomodoro and cherry tomatoes that burst in you mouth like fireworks going off created an amazing dish. I was thrilled I made the right choice. I am a sucker for seared Ahi tuna!

I’m sure that their desserts were as good as their savory dishes, but we were actually too full to have dessert. I’m sure we will make up for it soon!!!