Entertainment
Robbie Felice’s Japanese-Italian eatery has NJ pizza collab
Two buzzy Jersey eateries are teaming for a one day only collab, we hear.
Casano’s Pizza Parlor — the cult Rutherford spot that was reviewed by Dave Portnoy’s “One Bite Pizza” series earlier this year — and chef Robbie Felice’s Japanese-Italian fave PastaRAMEN will join forces on Nov. 3.
The mashup will take place at Casano’s, owner Dave Ligas’ pizza spot that’s decorated like a living room from the 1970s as a tribute to his grandmother and her home and recipes.
Celebs who have frequented the places include Adele, Halsey, cosmetics mogul Bobbi Brown, “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Melissa Gorga, “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul, BMX rider Nigel Sylvester and former Giants players Justin Tuck and Michael Strahan, among others.
The collab will create Japanese inspired pizzas, the Jersey chefs said in a video posted to Instagram. Said a foodie, “The collab mashes up Casano’s old-school Italian-American vibes with Felice’s ‘Wafu’ Japanese-Italian flair for a menu that’s as limited as it is buzzworthy.”
PastaRAMEN is part of Montclair Hospitality Group, which also is behind Ani Ramen as well as celeb chef Masaharu Morimoto’s chophouse, MM.
“Iron Chef” star Morimoto also just launched a new restaurant, OEN, last week as a 12-seat omakase spot in Montclair, NJ. We hear the waitlist is already at 2,000 guests.
PastaRAMEN previously held a “secret” Manhattan pop-up restaurant hidden inside a Soho hair salon in 2023, and has also popped up in Las Vegas.
Portnoy gave Casano’s a 7.9 rating when he visited the spot and tried two different styles of pizza, including a New Haven style pie.
“Everyone loves pasta and ramen. They are two names that everyone can say. It’s basic, and screams what we do, so we ran with it,” the James Beard-nominated Felice previously told The Post of his innovative cuisine that has included menu items like cacio e pepe fritti, truffle porcini ramen and dry-aged Japanese A5 Wagyu.
He’s said that the seemingly disparate Italian and Japanese cuisines can have similar bases, like shiso, which combines basil and mint flavors.
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