New Jersey has a ton of Italian restaurants all over the place. While I was visiting Brick, NJ I stopped into one of those Italian restaurants called Denino’s South Pizzeria.
I could smell the pizza and pasta as soon as I walked in. I saw on the chalkboard of specials that they had Italian wedding soup that day. I knew I would be ordering that. It was a nice large bowl. It was filled with spinach, meatballs, carrots, and onions. The chicken broth had a pleasant saltiness that paired well with the earthy taste of the spinach. The meatballs were tender and absorbed the flavor of the soup.
I shared the homemade rice ball. There was no way I could eat one on my own because they were just too big.
They were crispy on the outside. On the inside was the tender, cheesy rice with a center that was loaded with meat and peas. I drizzled some of the pasta sauce that came on the side. That added extra flavor and moisture. The rice was soft, and I really like all the cheese they mixed in. The meat was tender, and the peas added a slight hint of sweetness.
The meatball sandwich was much larger than I was expecting. These large meatballs were covered in sauce and mozzarella cheese. They were then stuffed into a fresh made hoagie roll. I had to cut this sandwich in half in order to be able to pick it up.
The meatballs were dense but still moist. They were full of flavor from all the Italian seasoning that was mixed in. The cheese added a creamy element. The bread soaked up the sauce from the meatballs. This sandwich filled me up quickly.
This was a great place for lunch. They have a pretty extensive menu. Check them out at www.deninosbricknj.com
Enjoy!
T
