Nestled in the corner part of the strip mall at 347 Ramapo Valley Rd, is a very warm, inviting and modern Italian restaurant called Cuccina 347. I have been following them on Instagram since they opened several years back and have been wanting to try the food. A friend and I dined there on Friday, October 13. While it was my first time eating at Cucina 347, my friend had been there many times before and found the food enjoyable.
I arrived before my friend and was seated at the table. I was greeted by an extremely friendly server named Mike. Before I continue with the over all explanation of the food, I have to take a moment to praise Mike. This is honestly the best server I have ever had in a restaurant. It’s definitely obvious he cares about his job and the patrons that come in. I saw him engaging in dialogue in every table. He took the time to ask me my name and talk with me while I was waiting for my friend to arrive. I joked with him about not waiting to crack open my wine bottle and have a drink so he opened up my wine for me.
When my friend arrived, I introduced her to Mike, we caught up a bit and took a look at the appetizers. We decided on the day boat scallops with champagne creamed sauce with colored peppers.
I loved this presentation. I have this thing for food on a board. We both agreed that the appetizer was nicely cooked and tender on the inside. She commented that it had a strong fish smell which I didn’t notice. Normally I pick that up right away which is one of the reasons why I don’t eat salmon. The cream sauce had just the right consistency. No crazy thickness. My friend said it was silky. The peppers were an interesting touch I thought. You could definitely pick up that flavor. I love a good crunch with a piece of bread with or without an appetizer placed on top of it. My friend found the bread tasty but a little tough to eat due to a dental situation.
While waiting for my meal, I was explaining an upsetting story and didn’t realize how fidgety I was being with my wine glass. I spilled wine all over my clothes and the table. Mike was there right away with extra napkins and the customers at the table to my left gave me their extras. What is funny is everyone who assisted in the cleanup was extremely friendly and almost treated it like a “whatever” situation. Very low key chill vibe. That’s’ what I look for when I go out.
Prior to going to the restaurant, I had viewed the menu. The weekends are my time to eat what I want. I already knew I wanted garlic bread with cheese and the chicken vodka parm which is chicken cutlets with vodka sauce and melted mozzarella. I had been craving it for whatever reason. I’ve never even had it with vodka sauce before. While I should have stuck with the salad as the side, I opted to have the entrée over penne pasta and asked for extra vodka sauce. Look at the portions! HUGE!
I can’t say enough about the quality and flavor of the food. The chicken was perfectly breaded and not overdone. The pasta was cooked to my liking as well. I got two whole meals out of this. The vodka sauce was delicious and not bland.
Look at how much cheese is on that crunchy garlic bread! A lot of places barely cover the bread when cooking it.
My friend got her go to dish which was the lobster ravioli with shrimp. She said there was a nice texture there and a subtle lobster taste. The vodka sauce was a nice balance of tomato and cream. She also said just like every other time, the shrimp was perfectly cooked.
We were way too full to have dessert. Maybe next time.
I love this restaurant and the staff. You definitely feel at home here and everyone is so friendly. Seriously, this was one of the best dining experiences I have had in a long time with one of the best waiters. I would like to try other dishes. My boss raves about the sausage & peppers sandwich so another visit or possible or picking up some take out may definitely happen one night after work!
Cucina 347
347 Ramapo Valley Rd
Oakland, NJ 07436
The Food Connection 
Lisa thanks aga
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