Slice of Jersey – Stop 4 – Nicolo’s in Old Bridge [VIDEO]

Variety is the spice of life. With that said, variety is what you find at Nicolo’s in Old Bridge!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen any more eye-popping varieties of pie than the ones Jeff and his crew of dedicated pie masters serve up. As soon as we walked in the door, the variety hit us right between the eyes.

Baked Eggplant, “Vegas”, Chicken Francese, Buffalo Chicken, Mediterranean;  and the piece de resistance, for dessert, the Granny Smith pie. Yes, you heard right!  And those are  just off the top of my head!

Jeff is the quintessential American entrepreneurial story. Starting out as a delivery boy and box folder for Nicolo, his dream was to eventually own the place and put his indelible stamp on it. So once Nicolo, the original owner decided to “call it a day”, Jeff grabbed the ball and ran with it. And he definitely ran with it!

If there’s one constant about each pie at Nicolo’s, it’s the crust.  Depending on the number of ingredients, the crust will either be thicker to hold everything better, or thinner, again, it all depends what the toppings are. Jeff ensures there’s plenty on top.

Check out the footage from our visit to Nicolo's:

My first choice was the Baked Eggplant Pie, with sun-dried tomato, a hint of feta cheese, and calamata olives.  The cheese gave the pie a nice bite while the tomato added a hint of sweetness.

Then we continued to the Chicken Francese pie, and there I found Jeff extremely secretive about the ingredients, holding “the cards close to his chest,” to put it mildly.

Besides the obligatory generous helping of baked chicken, mozzarella, basil, and a hint of garlic, there’s one ingredient he didn’t want to reveal.

(drumroll!) “The Secret Sauce”! Put it all together, and one slice is a meal!

The Vegas Pie includes bacon.  And don’t we all know just how much bacon adds to anything you eat.  Add to that Jeff’s Alfredo sauce, plus mozzarella and cheddar blended together into a nice “swirl”; plus fried potato slices.

Ever the “morte di fame!”*(see translations below), Ray the Prize Guy put his stamp of approval on the Mediterranean pie .  Since Ray’s a publicity “chazzer”**, he specifically made a note to refer to it as the “Prize Guy Pie!” Ok Ray Ray….”The “Prize Guy Pie!” it is! Anyway, the “Prize Guy Pie” is very simple, sorta like Ray. The ingredients are a thin crust featuring feta, artichoke hearts and calamata olives to round out the Mediterranean theme.

Derek the “tattooed wonder” of the Jersey Prize Team couldn’t hold himself back from Jeff’s signature Buffalo Chicken Pie, featuring mozzarella, Buffalo chicken slathered with “atomic” sauce, and bleu cheese.  Something that would go great with a couple of cold beers and I’m not talking light beer either!

And on the seventh day we rested, but not before sampling Jeff’s dessert topper, the Granny Smith pie. This pie is not for the weak!  The Granny Smith is loaded with a caramelized walnut, gorgonzola cheese, red onion, and crisp slices of green apple. Time and room in the stomach only allowed us for just so much.

Perhaps a trip back to Nicolo's might do the trick.

But should you find yourself on a shopping expedition in East Brunswick, or on a jaunt down to Raceway Park or the Englishtown Auction, make a stop on Route 527, Englishtown Road and treat yourself to a few slices at Nicolo’s. And by the way, stay for a meal while you’re at it.

Nicolo’s, 1120 Englishtown Road, Old Bridge.

Next week, stop number 5 in the Slice of Jersey tour takes us to Café Napoli, 1027 Rt. 70, in Manchester.

Rossi Glossary Translations:

*morte di fame – someone that will bite off your arm if you gave them a chance!

**chazzer – the guy who has to hog all the attention.

You know I say that with all due respect, lol!