NJ Monthly: "Where to Go Gluten Free"

Rudy's of Garwood has made it on to New Jersey Monthly Magazine's list of "Where to Go Gluten Free" in New Jersey. Chef Dario and the staff take great pride in addressing our customers dietary requests and serving delicious Gluten Free dishes. Thank you all for your continued support and Buon Appetito.  (Click images below for full size)

Rudy's Ristorante & Pizzeria of Garwood serves up traditional and contemporary Italian food

GARWOOD — Giving customers what they want has been a hallmark of Rudy's Ristorante & Pizzeria since the restaurant opened its doors at the Garwood Mall about nine years ago.

Co-owner Rick Osso said he and his partner, Chef Dario Fernandez, are always looking to make their patrons happy with their fresh made-to-order traditional homemade Italian food, often prepared with a twist.

“We strive to provide our customers with the same type of food we would serve in our homes," said Osso, an experienced hand in the restaurant business who started helping out at the first Rudy's owned and run by his father and uncle, which is still going strong in Closter in Bergen County.

Customers keep coming back to the restaurant, Osso said, in large part because “we do the food here the old-fashioned way. We cook all of our food fresh to order.”

Osso spoke with passion about some of Rudy's dishes, including the best-selling Sunday sauce...

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Frank Mustac / Independent Press
on April 29, 2013

Rudy's Italian Restaurant introduces gluten-free menu

Rudy's Italian Restaurant, formerly Bensi Italian Restaurant, located in Garwood Mall is introducing a full-page gluten-free menu as well as exciting new Italian dishes and wines to its menu.

In recent months, owners Rick Osso and Chef Dario Fernandez have noticed more people asking for gluten-free menu options. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, malts and triticale. "There is a much greater awareness of celiac disease and wheat allergies in the community," said Osso. "In the past, this type of condition would often go undiagnosed, but now, people are becoming better informed and taking better care of themselves. Unfortunately, not many restaurants understand the associated dietary needs or have the ability to accommodate them. At Rudy's, we take great pride in cooking our dishes to order with fresh ingredients. This makes us able to accommodate most dietary requests. In addition, our staff is trained to be sensitive to our customers' dietary needs.

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Italian Revival

Bergen Businesses carry on the 'mangia' movement

Italians still maintain a significant presence in Bergen, and Italian is the most commonly identified first ancestry in the county.  Many Bergen food establishments cater to new generations of Italian-Americans who want prepared food that tastes like it did in "the old days."

"To a certain extent, Italian cuisine was really created in the United States, because the cuisine in Italy is all local," says Dr. Erick Castellanos, assistant professor of international studies and anthropology at Ramapo College of New Jersey in Mahwah. "The standardization came when they had to co-exist." "Italian" food in the Unite States was also further defined by "deviation from the adherence to local traditions," note Castellanos. "It had to appeal to Italians and non-Italians too".

Italian-American dishes such as spaghetti and meatball, baked ziti and eggplant pamesan have always been top sellers at Rudy's Ristorante in Closter.  But Charlie Osso, who has owned Rudy's with his brother Fred for 30 years, still serves Old World Italian meals of escarole and beans, scungilli, and broccoli rabe sautéed in garlic and olive oil.

Osso, originally from Calabria, has watched this region's demographic makeup change, from many Italian customers years ago to many different nationalities today.

By Joyce Venezia Suss

As Published In (201) Magazine, November 2007