We found a rather quirky but unique restaurant with exceptional food in the Northern New Jersey township of Park Ridge at 7 Hawthorne Avenue. Longtime restaurateur Tommy Greco, along with cousin and partner Chef Nicolas Pescatore, returned to their New Jersey roots with a unique concept: a casual restaurant called Pop Empanada during the work week which turns into That Supper Club, formerly known as the Pop! Pasta Club, Thursday to Saturday.
It’s a fine dining showcase for Nick’s culinary expertise, serving high quality, locally sourced ingredients in a six-course prix-fix tasting menu. The eclectic menu changes monthly, making each visit a new gastronomic adventure.
The early winter menu we had was indeed impressive, reminding me of European starred restaurant-tasting menus we’ve had in Barcelona, Copenhagen, and Venice.
The unassuming storefront restaurant is conveniently located a few feet away from the NJ Transit Commuter train station, and there is ample street parking. The restaurant space is rather small but looks a bit like a funky luncheonette.
There are only nine double tables, and that translates into 36 seats. But don’t let the look of the place deceive you. The food is exceptional!
Reservations are a must, and you can only get a seat when it’s reserved well in advance, as That Supper Club operates only Thursday through Saturday. Reservations can be made through the OpenTable site.
On the Thursday we dined, there were only two empty seats, and we were told that Friday and Saturday were fully booked, as well as the entire following week. So this place is no longer a secret.
Tommy and his lovely wife take care of the front-of-the-house, and Nick is in charge of the kitchen. When COVID and the mandatory business closings created problems for their Manhattan properties, Tommy decided to forgo New York City. Once the pandemic was over, he opened an art gallery storefront near his residence in Park Ridge to display his outstanding collection of pop art.
This was eventually turned into the empanada restaurant, ergo Pop Empanada, and there are still prints and posters from famous artists decorating the restaurant’s walls.
The meal price is fairly reasonable considering the quality of the offerings. There are vegetarian versions for those who require those dishes, but the restaurant has to be informed of that requirement, when the reservation is made.
There were extra offerings available in addition to the tasting menu – East Coast Oysters (6 or 12) and 45-day Dry Aged Filet Mignon. Those are to be paid for in addition to the tasting menu price.
The first thing brought to the table was a small boule of bread from a bakery across the street to the restaurant, along with a dollop of house made herbed butter. I’m a bread person, so I usually judge a restaurant’s quality from the bread, as well as the house wine they bring to the table.
In this case, there was no house wine because That Supper Club is a BYOB. But the bread’s quality was an excellent indicator of the quality of food the restaurant offers. The butter was flavored with kimchi, which is an unusual but delicious addition.
When I perused the current menu online, I decided to bring a bottle of FIOL Prosecco along. It’s a non vintage, slightly off-dry sparkler with crisp acidity and plenty of fruit and character. It offers great floral notes, persistent effervescence and a clean delicate finish.
I thought it would be the perfect pairing for the dishes we were going to have, and I wasn’t wrong. Probably a nice, crisp white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc, a Pinot Grigio, a Sancerre, or a Sicilian Grillo would also have worked well with this menu.
I’m not an oyster fancier, as I much prefer clams on the half shell. But Barbara loves oysters, so we decided to start with the East Coast Oysters with a Gooseberry and Fermented Ramp Mignonette. The taste of the Mignonette was unexpectedly interesting, and the oysters were of exceptional quality.
The appetizer sampling included a Lobster Croquette, Salmon Yakitori on wood skewers, and Shrimp Toast. Visually very Asian, the seafood quantity was small, but the quality, freshness, and execution of each morsel were perfect.
The Poached Pear Salad followed. The pear was sous-vide poached in Cabernet Sauvignon wine and delicate slices were served over baby kale, very crisp prosciutto, and a gorgonzola crumble covered by a Honey Walnut Vinaigrette. Exceptionally good!
Then Agnolotti del Plin were served. The lovely delicate pasta pillows were in a Roasted Duck Consommé stuffed with celery root and foie gras and sprinkled with a little parmigiano reggiano. A long time ago, I had a very similar dish during a stopover for lunch at a restaurant in Udine. It was impressive then, and it’s still very impressive now.
Next, the Oxtail Empanadas were brought to the table. The braised oxtail meat and parsnips were in a red wine demi-glace with a splash of chimichurri and red cabbage slaw decorating the plate. It was a tasty treat, but I wouldn’t consider it a true empanada. I’m sorry – I liked the dish, but I insist on correct descriptions when it comes to culinary terminology.
An empanada is a closed dough pocket filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables, or a mixture of all three, then baked or fried. This was an open-face triangle made with layers of phyllo dough with ground meat filling. It looked more like a Cretan Bouyatsa than an empanada, as I know empanadas well from having eaten lots of them in South America.
The next offering was a Berkshire Pork Ragu Bianco. It was a very interesting dish of Spinach Lumache, Berkshire pork shoulder meat, fresh fennel, and smoked ricotta salata with saffron threads on top of the sauce. I consider it a distinct winter dish.
The final offering was a dessert of chocolate cake layered with warm chocolate mousse, Frangelico cream, toasted hazelnuts, and candied orange. If you like chocolate, this is an exceptional rendition of this dessert. Make sure to leave a final gulp of the wine you will drink with the meal, as you need to cleanse your palate beforehand.
To finish the meal, there are only single or double espresso coffees. No other type of coffee is available. But a double espresso was perfect to accompany the rich chocolatey dessert!
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