NJ101.5.com - From Clint Eastwood, Frankie Vali, James Gandolfini, Yankee greats like Joe DiMaggio, along with famous New York Giants, the Belmont Tavern on Bloomfield Avenue in in Belleville, NJ is incredibly famous. Famous for their Italian delights and a particular dish created by a Belmont Tavern chef named Stretch. Opening in 1967 and serving quality food every year, the Belmont Tavern is a New Jersey destination.
Chicken Savoy sounds like a dish that was created in Paris, certainly not Belleville, New Jersey, and certainly not by a butcher turned chef by the name of Stretch.
A rough overview of the recipe is that Chicken Savoy is a dish that is made with chicken parts in a skillet with olive oil. I like chicken thighs the best. The chicken is rubbed with oregano, thyme and pecorino Romano cheese, salt, and pepper.
After seasoning the chicken, the skillet is placed in a 450-degree oven and cooked for about 30 minutes.
After the hot skillet is removed from the oven and the chicken is cooked, red wine vinegar is added to the skillet, which will cause your nasal passages to open, and tears will fill your eyes.
When serving Chicken Savoy, it stands alone, meaning it does not adorn pasta or any starch; it is to be consumed by itself. Now if you want a side dish, I suggest sautéed spinach with garlic or simple pasta. Never forget that Chicken Savoy is the star of your meal.
This is an “old school” institution. The rest of the food is good, but I never go in there without ordering the Chicken Savoy. Bring cash cause the Belmont Tavern does not take credit cards. You gotta love old school!
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yeah. there is or was a old school place like that in Philly. cash only. big tippers and wise guys kind of place..
ReplyDeletethe prices where just beyond what I could afford. Ralphs I think it was. in south Philly.
haven't been there in over 30 years now. fun fact, the guy who ended up running the place was a skilled nurse !
he had to chose between nursing or running the family restaurant. he ended up running the restaurant full time.
nice guy to work with too. he always said his MOM was a better cook than he was.
yep. and the stuff he brought in for lunch made your mouth water ! sometimes he bring a little extra and I get a taste.
again, it was over 30 years ago now.
A true time capsule. My wife and her sister make a pilgrimage there every year. Hey Stretch!
ReplyDeleteChicken Savoy looks great and easy to make. I will do so this week, with just-picked-this-morning Yakima Valley asparagus, a lemon and olive oil linguini and a nice locally made Italian wine, likely a Sangiovese. A full report will follow.
ReplyDeleteBut I wanted to see this joint's website and, while a Bing search shows the N.J. location, the website link goes to a place in Milwaukee. Milwaukee! Looks like a nice restaurant, but wonder what gives with the link?