To pine. It’s a noun and an intransitive verb. The verb (as defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary) is to “yearn intensively and persistently, especially for something unattainable.” That’s the best way to sum up the dishes at the Pine Restaurant. You see – you may want to finish each dish in one sitting, the food is that good, but you’ll never make your way through their massive portions.
It’s a Saturday night, so it’s date night for Jack and I. Normally we’d find a small, romantic restaurant in Manhattan, but tonight is different. It’s my friend Fallon’s birthday and we’re going out on a double date to celebrate. So we head to The Pine Restaurant, located on Bronxdale Avenue in the Morris Park section of the Bronx. Yes, I get around – but there are no limits to how far I’ll travel for a good meal.
The Pine Restaurant is “old school” Italian restaurant. The waiters have that special “accent” – a mix between da’ Bronx, poor English and partial Italian. Don’t get me wrong, as long as the service is superb and they get my order correct, complete sentences are not required.
The décor is open and expansive. Exposed brick walls and ceilings give the restaurant a rustic feel and the tables are finished in that Italian kitschy way covered in red and white checkered table cloths. From what I can tell there are four sections. The main dining room with the checkered table cloths, the bar area, a partially covered outdoor area for al fresco-dining, and a more formal, elegant dining area for large parties and special events.
What I love about this restaurant is the deli counter in the front filled with mouth-watering goodies; and not too far behind the deli counter a brick pizza oven. If you can make it past the counter without being drawn in like a moth to a flame you’ll find a small passage way that leads directly to the bar area. Clearly, Saturday nights are their hot night, as most seats were taken. The bar tenders were busy but attentive.
As soon as we nestle into our seats we reach for the small drink menu. Don’t let the size fool you. The wines listed are very good and nicely priced. As if on cue the bartender asks for our drink order. We both order a Montepulciano. The bartender asks if we would like to see the food menu and we look at each other and say “why not?” I’m not easily overwhelmed but we’re literally handed a menu that is about 1.5 feet long and just as wide – laminated, double sided.
The menu selection is EXTENSIVE and if you’re normally an indecisive person you’re going to have a problem with this. Hot appetizers, cold appetizers, salads, pizzas, fish, meat and pasta dishes – all with on average 8 choices per category to choose from. I kid you not. What tops it off? All of the selections sounded amazingly good!
While we wait for the other half of our double date to arrive, Jack and I decide on our main entrées. The atmosphere in the bar area is nice but borderline clubby. Lots of lights and TVs which I did find a bit distracting.
Fallon and John finally arrive and we make our way back to the hostess area. We are immediately seated. Nice. We are escorted to a corner table and once again handed the gargantuan menus. Fallon and John are not phased by the menu because ah-ha, they’ve been here before. “These menus are huge” I say and Fallon laughs it off and says “yes, but everything on it is really good.” Good to know.
Now for the meal. Our waiter was personable and had a little bit of I’m Italian from da’Bronx accent. It was comical to listen to him – but in a funny way it worked. We order Noona’s Meatballs as a starter. The meatballs arrive and are literally the size of softballs. Huge! A single order comes with two meatballs covered in marinara sauce. Each couple split a meatball. Moist, meaty and heavy, but very delicious. Halfway through my half I started to regret the last bite I took as I was already full. I was excited when I ordered my entrée – a Rigatoni Pasta tossed with tomatoes grilled chicken, shrimp and Italian sausage; but excitement turned to disbelief when they brought out the PLATTER. There was no way I was going to be able to finish this off myself. Jack almost fell out of his seat when they brought his order of Chicken Parmesan. The portioned sizes are gigantic. Each portion could easily feed 4 people. To-go containers were requested for everyone at the table. What I was able to eat was absolutely delicious. The grilled chicken was moist and the flavor profile of the dish was complex.
Do I recommend it?
Yes, the Pine Restaurant is good for dates, celebratory events and a girl’s night out. But remember, do not plan on going out afterwards because you will have to-go containers full of food. Let me help put this into perspective – I was able to have 3 additional meals just from my leftovers.
Pine Restaurant
1913 Bronxdale Avenue
Bronx, NY 10462
Phone: 718-792-5956
Website: http://fjpine.com/
Note: The restaurant does not take reservations for parties less than 10 people.
