Company description
Tony Boffa's Restaurant offers Pizza Restaurants services in Middletown NY, NY area.
More details
- Editorial Text 1
- Tony Boffas Tony Boffa's Restaurant in Middletown is a lovely place where time, specifically the 1950s, seems to have stood still. The restaurant is in a part of town that used to be a haven for Italian immigrants. It still is, but the area has now embraced a new age of immigrants, mainly Latino, like our terrific young busboy tonight. Isn't America great; a melting pot of cultures and customs. The first room looks like the kind of place the Fonz would take a date: casual with a vinyl floor, closely spaced tables and a takeout area next door. In one corner is a gentlemen playing old Italian favorites on an electronic keyboard, too loud for us. So through a bar area and into the second dining room we go. This section is almost worthy of museum status with its wood paneling, fake plants and large unframed mirrors. Chairs are black metal with blue vinyl seats and backs. Tables are set with cloths topped with thick glass and lit by candles. The keyboard music is pumped into this room also, but at a more tolerable volume. Another antique is a buzzer system, which the chef uses to alert the dining room staff that food is ready to be picked up. When the kitchen gets backed up it's made painfully clear by a long and impatient series of BZZZZZZ, BZZZZZZZZZZ, BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! This is a system that needs to be eliminated immediately. The menu is also a trip back in time. All the classic Italian-American dishes are here: eggplant parmigiana, lasagna, ravioli are each offered in whole bunch of different preparations. A whole array of veal and chicken preparations are also available. House salads are simply refreshing. Served in old school ceramic bowls, they're the regular mix of iceberg, tomato and cucumber with pungent slices of black olives. When we ask our waitress what dressings are homemade, she simply looks down at me and shakes her head, asking, "You want me to lie to you?" But she recommends the balsamic vinaigrette, and it's one of the best bottled dressings I've had. We share an order of Baked Stuffed Clams ($9), and they are simply the best version of this popular dish I've ever had. Rather than the bread filling overwhelming the clam content, this is the opposite. Lots of big chunks of rich and briny clams are joined with a minimum of zesty bread crumbs. And rather than the barely warm versions we've often seen, these are piping hot and have a terrific, crispy crust on top. Add a white wine and garlic sauce and the result is incredible. We finish every last bit. Stuffed Sole ($14.95) is listed on the menu with a shrimp and scallop filling, but the version we're served ? filled with crabmeat and shrimp ? is also delicious. Barely cooked, tender and full of flavor, the shellfish and sole are terrific together. A few slices of yellow and green zucchini add color to the plate, and a side of spaghetti with marinara tastes homemade. Shrimp Scampi ($14), another classic dish, is a good barometer of Italian cooking. The version here, simple and straightforward, passes the test with flying colors. Six large shrimp are rich and tender. The scampi sauce needs a little salt, but is the perfect blend of garlic and oil. Al dente pasta completes the dish nicely. With dinner we drink, what else, Soave from Folonari ($15). It's a bargain, and it's delicious with our seafood dinner. Desserts come from an outside supplier. Tiramisu ($5) is mild and creamy, a round portion like the Turtle Cheesecake, which is rich and augmented with chocolate, nuts and caramel. My double espresso is more like a quadruple and is served with tasty little white cookies filled with raspberry cream. Dinner comes to a very reasonable $68.45 without tax and tips. Service here is uniquely wonderful, everyone is terrific. Our waitress, a six-year veteran, is honest and lovable. Though we wait for some courses, especially dessert when the place fills up, it doesn't really matter. A young busgirl who first seated us when we came in stops by to chat like we're old friends and to make sure we're enjoying ourselves. So do the young Mexican busboy and the hostess/owner. Enjoying your meal is a priority for everyone. This place is perfectly imperfect. The decor is from another era, but that's OK. Service is cordial and warm and full of honest mistakes. But the food here is simple, straightforward and delicious. The prices are also old-fashioned, nice and low. We had a ball here, wonderful food and wonderful people. The second generation owners, brother and sister Tony and Donna Boffa, should be proud. They do a terrific job. Only one suggestion: Please get rid of that buzzer. Restaurant critic Bill Guilfoyle has more than 25 years experience in the restaurant industry as a sommelier, manager and chef/owner. He is an associate professor at a local college. The Dish rating Decor: **? Service: **? Food: *** Value: **** Overall: *** Tony Boffa's Restaurant Where: 75 Railroad Ave., Middletown Phone: 343-8842 Web: www.tonyboffas.com Entree price range: $9-$20.95 Hours/days: lunch ? 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wed.-Sun.; dinner ? 5-9 p.m. Sun., Wed.-Thurs., 5-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Children's menu: yes Parking: limited with nearby public parking Reservations: suggested but not required Full bar Handicapped-accessible: yes Low-fat/vegetarian menu: yes Other amenities: takeout, catering and private parties Signature dishes: Baked Clams, Calamari, Chicken Brasciolettini Marsala, Italian Classico Credit cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
- Payment Accepted
- American Express, Cash, Debit Cards, Discover Card, Major Credit Cards, Mastercard
- Features
- Takeout/Carryout, People Watching, Signature Dishes
- Rating
- 82% of 28 people liked it on Urbanspoon
- Atmosphere And Personality
- Bustling, Laid Back Casual
- Cross Streets
- East Main Street
- Cuisine
- Pizza, Italian
- Meals Served
- Dinner, Lunch
- Price Range
- $$$ ($16-$25)
- Noise Level
- Moderate
- Parking
- On Site
- Web Site
- http://www.tonyboffas.com/
