My dining buddy and I showed up at Paula’s at about 7pm last Thursday, disappointed because our first choice restaurant had been closed, and not expecting much from an Italian restaurant in the largely Latino neighborhood along Weehawken’s Park Avenue. We were seated in the front window of the tiny dining room, the only customers in the place – always awkward. The waitress advised us to grab a bottle of wine from the wine shop next door and we complied.

I was happy we’d be saving some money by going BYOB, since the menu items were pretty pricey. The main dish I chose, four-cheese chicken marsala, was $20. Ah, but what the hell. We decided to go all out and get an appetizer too. As I quickly got soused on my half of the bottle of wine, I decided that treating myself every once in a while isn’t the worst thing in the world. My companion ordered fried calamari ($10), which I normally turn up my nose at. I am not a seafood person. But the squid looked so fresh and light and golden, and there weren’t any tentacle-y pieces, so I summoned my courage and tried a bite. I actually enjoyed it! This place was quickly winning me over.

When our entrees arrived, I was surprised to see the portions were not as generous as I had hoped. But having already had a decent amount of appetizer and bread (so crusty and good!), my appetite was satisfied. Plus my stomach was full of wine. The chicken could’ve been cheesier, but the dark brown marsala sauce was excellent. The buttery spaghetti was a tasty, if clichéd, pairing. That was my fault, anyway – I requested it in place of the potato and vegetable, which I will have to try next time.

I guess I wasn’t completely full from dinner, because I did manage to stuff down some dessert. I chose the custard with raspberry topping ($6.50), which was jiggly and creamy at the same time. It had a very clean, simple taste, which contrasted well with the tartness of the raspberry sauce, and made it a good closer to the meal. After that, I was definitely satisfied – with my dinner, from start to finish, and with my experience in general. It had certainly helped that, as we were eating, other customers had started coming in for dinner, alleviating that terrible feeling we had of the wait staff having nothing better to do than watch us eat.

As I waited for the check, I took a moment to ponder the culturally mish-mashed dining room. The most noticeable feature was a stunning antique-looking dark wood counter, where I assume people could sit and enjoy a cappuccino like a real Italian if they were so inclined. In contrast, vaguely South American paintings lined the walls, and there was an arch-shaped, brick-lined window that you typically see in Mexican restaurants peeking into the kitchen (I think I saw Paula!). And I had chuckled at the irony of our waitress discussing Italian specials in a thick Spanish accent. So, while not a completely authentic experience, I was pleasantly surprised to find tasty Italian food right in Weehawken. On the other hand, I was pretty tipsy, so maybe you’d better try it for yourself.

Paula at Rigoletto Ristorante
3706 Park Ave
Weehawken
(201) 422-9500

— by Nicole Little
Nicole, GoOutJersey's associate editor, is a Nutley native and recent Weehawken transplant. She loves dining out and imposing her opinions on others, which makes her a well-qualified reviewer.

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