For cheap, delicious, fast and friendly eats you can't beat Trattoria Rustica in Matawan. The food is consistently delicious, the portions are really generous, and the wait staff is super nice. I'll put it out there.... the place isn't exactly what one would call pretty. It looks like a standard pizzeria in the front of the building with an intimiate dining room in the back. You can tell that they tried to doll it up a bit by painting and adding some artwork, but it is what it is... and what it is is the back of a pizzeria.
Matt and I have enjoyed meals here almost a dozen times, but on this particular night we had a mission. We went to Rustica to enjoy our last meal as locals, seeing as how we have recently moved further South. The menu has tons of options to choose from... pizza, sandwiches, salads, pastas, meat, seafood you name it; but we had a hankering for some old favorites and knew exactly where to get them.
I knew for a FACT that I wanted the penne Puttanesca... they make it the BEST and I crave it at least once a month. Bummer, though.... they were out of anchovies (CRUCIAL to the Puttanesca process) so I had to make a new choice. I ended up getting the Picante which is basically Puttanesca without anchovies but with spicy sausage, while Matt chose penne with vodka sauce and grilled chicken. We also decided to throw in an order of garlic knots, just for good measure.
Silly us, we forgot that Trattoria Rustica always brings out delcious homemade bread with black olive and sundried tomato tapenade to start. The bread is always warm and fresh, and the tapenade is cool and refreshing... a perfect combo. Right along side that we had our garlic knots, which LOOKED very intimidating, but were actually quite tasty. Covered in what almost seemed to be a thick garlic and herb paste, the color was scary. We thought it would be like a garlicy punch in the mouth, but in reality the flavors were quite subdued... juuuust right! After that they brought out our salads... generously portioned with all the fixins. We both had their signature house dressing (Parmesean peppercorn) on the side.
Our meals came out shortly after, and although my first choice had been unavailable I was VERY pleased with my 'runner up', the penne in Picante. The sauce was spicy from the hot peppers, salty from the capers, and earthy from the black olives. The sausage was perfectly cooked and tasted fresh and delicious. My one complaint is that it seems that the sausage was cooked in the same pan that the sauce was made in, making it all a bit oily... a lot oily. Taste wise, though, it was a real winner.
Matt's penne vodka with chicken was great. The perfect combination of creamy and fresh tatsing, the sauce was delightful... not heavy or thick. We suspect that his pieces of chicken were lightly floured before being cooked, and while he would have preffered that they not be, it was still tasty. The chicken was tender and well seasoned and cut to the perfect size to compliment the penne. He was very happy with his choice (and I was happy with his choice too... I couldn't keep my fork out of his plate!)
They have a relatively extensive dessert menu, but we've never finished a meal there, let alone saved room for dessert. I can say that they all look delicious, though! Trattoria Rustica is a real gem. Easy to miss by the casual passer by, it's what I call a 'real neighborhood find'. Take the time to stop in and try one of their fabulous (and oh so reasonably priced!) dishes. I assure you you wont regret (or forget!) it.
Trattoria Rustica
259 Main St
Matawan, NJ 07747
(732) 566-9991
That bread looks YUMMMMMM.
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