Elite Event: Novita Bistro and Lounge

Another great event.
For starts, they had the drinks going which is always a plus. The Arnold palmer was a hit. Very refreshing and summer like! Wine is also a wonderful choice!
As far as the food, the pasta and the rollantini (spelling ?)were my favorites of the night. I could have eaten a ton of those two things. They were perfect. I didn’t get a chance to try any of the shrimp. The line was sometimes backed up and wasn’t able to try everything there.
Very cute décor and atmosphere. Parking was a bit tricky in that area.
Thanks for another great event!

Brevity is not always my strongest trait… Anyway, this was my first elite event, and honestly I almost talked myself out of going. Common sense eventually prevailed as I got a text from my friend who is the new chef at Novita and informed me that there would be duck sausage & pig head on the menu. That was all it took, I’m in!
I was pleasantly greeted by the community manager, who wasn’t as peppy as I was expecting. This isn’t a bad thing at all. For some reason, I had it in my head that the CM was a super peppy, hopped up on a quad shot latte, overly excitable master of ceremonies. This was part of my hesitation of making the trek from Red Bank to Metuchen. Those types usually make me cringe. Needless to say, Sara was great; welcoming without being too excited, I would have never known it was her first event.
Anyway, I made a b-​line to the bar for a glass of vino, which for a house red was really good. Drink in hand I assessed the room, preparing myself for the litany of questions. Where are you from, is this your first event, what do you do, etc? For a hot second, I had my smart ass instigating answers teed up, but out of the corner I saw something shining bright like a beacon, calling my name. A server came out of the kitchen with a tray of deep fried balls, which could only mean one thing — pig head! They were out of this world!
If you’ve ever been to a crappy wedding with a bad cocktail hour, you know you’ve struck gold when you’re standing in the path of where the servers bring food out of the kitchen. Instead of eating crudité and other bland restaurant depot cocktail items, you’re at least greeted with fresher hot foods. While I knew the food at Novita was going to be good, I was happy to be in the flight path of the servers; especially when duck sausage & fried pig head are coming out of the kitchen.
Luckily enough, the spot where I was standing was also where the main courses were going to be served. I also found two seasoned veterans who were also lingering in the same area — Andrew & Jacquie G. For the rest of the evening I found myself drinking, eating and having a great time with them and Adam D. We got food before there was a line, got drinks when the food line was long & had a great time in the process. Nice meeting you guys!
Foodwise — besides the aforementioned pig head & duck sausage, the papardelle with the Bolognese was outstanding, the calamari was fresh and the aioli it was served with was a nice compliment. Everything I ate was excellent. The servers were on their A-​game as well. I’m really looking forward to getting back to Novita with my wife for dinner and drinks.
As far as the Unilocal event, I foolishly had the bar set very low for the event and wound up being blown away. Great food, drinks & company; what more could you want! looks like I’ll have to come to more of these…

Props to Sara M for an amazing event!
This bistro is intimate and trendy, definitely worthy of another trip. Great place for a couple or a double date.
Peroni on tap!
The event was flowing with food, my favorite being:
–goat cheese crackers
–duck sausage
–parpadelle
–spices pighead
–olive pound cake dessert
Super impressed with the amount of food and how many trips those waiters and waitresses made back and forth to the kitchen to replenish.
Sara and Unilocal,thanks for the portable chargers! Love the Unilocal freebies and this one is definitely a favorite of mine.
Can’t wait for the next event!

Mad props to Sara M. for showing off her ability to fill Yo Steph’s big @$$ shoes as the new YCM!
The eggplant was delicious, and I HATE eggplant. Still, my favorites were the duck sausage, the pappardelle, which I waited an eternity for because my fellow Unilocalers kept hogging it all, and the pig’s head on a stick, even though I had no idea what the hell it even was!
Some people suggested the line was kind of long, including myself. But after observing the set up of the table, I learned to appreciate that long line. These peeps were continuously bringing out fresh food versus bringing it all out at once and letting it sit in those metal bins under the endlessly burning wax candle.
I wish we had gotten to try some of that delicious looking pizza, but other than that, what could I possibly have to complain about?

This is my first Unilocal event in Central Jersey and it totally worth the drive through Garden State Parkway traffic during rush hour. I never knew that downtown Metuchen has a lot of interesting places to eat. Anyhow, Novita Bistro was right by the Metuchen train station and parking was quite alright since the metered parking is free after 6PM.
I really like the intimate atmosphere at this event. Everyone was just mingling around drinking and eating. Totally loved the vodka arnold palmer! Food was great as always. The pasta and the duck sausage were my favorites! If I’m ever in the area again, I would totally love to come to Novita again.
Thanks Sara, and thanks Carlos of Novita Bistro, for hosting this wonderful event for us!

where has Novita been all my life? sheesh, everything i tasted was DELICIOUS, despite me being a proclaimed non-​fan of italian cuisine.
Carlo and the gang at Novita spoiled us with high-​quality delectable dishes and a ton of hospitality. the resto staff was friendly, speedy, and accommodating. passed apps were distributed around the room, and our lovely gang of Unilocal elites played nice and sampled in moderation making sure everyone got a taste. there was a food table set up for us, where fresh dishes of homemade pasta, garlic shrimp, eggplant rollatini, fried calamari, and more were constatantly being replenished. there were times that the line got a little long, but carlo and his crew made sure the dishes kept coming. we’re so spoiled!
all Unilocal gatherings are improved with the addition of booze, and bulleit old fashioneds and vodka arnold palmers along with merlot and pinot grigio, kept us socially lubricated. the arnold palmer was fabulously boozy and not cloyingly sweet– yay!
central jerz elites came out in (almost) full force, and it was awesome to see everyone again. there’s nothing we love more than YEE’s in our region, so THANK YOU to our new CM Sara for bringing this to us! (and one coming up on Monday too? totally winning.)
so…
i’m still craving that eggplant rollatini.
and that garlic shrimp.
OMG.
i think we need a Novita UYE.
oh, it was totally worth dealing with the metuchen parking situation. free street parking after 6 is lovely (thanks for the heads-​up, Sara!)
can’t wait to do this again :)

Novita Bistro Carlos
Hats off to Sara another wonderful event for the Unilocal family. Novita Bistro was a home run and had the whole package. The place was so beautiful inside and the staff was amazing. The owner Carlos put a nice spread of delicious food.
The homemade pasta was cooked perfectly with an excellent meat sauce. The mini BLT crustini was also an excellent bite. The calamari was crispy and had a nice chipotle dipping sauce to accompany it with. The walked around with duck sausage and a plum reduction. That was my favorite bite, it melted in ur mouth nice duck and spiced flavor. And there was also fried pig head. Which tasted exactly like pork u couldn’t tell it was the head. Lol.
The alcohol was flowing as well in this event. They had an old fashion and a vodka Arnold Palmer I tried both. The old fashion was nice they used bulleit bourbon. Which is one of my favorites. So I enjoyed that. And the Arnold Palmer was so refreshing a nice blend of lemonade and iced tea.
I met some really nice Unilocalers at this event. And my Unilocal family keeps growing. I want to thank Sara and her crew and Novita Bistro for inviting us to their home. It was another successful event. I can’t wait for the next one.

Alright Central Jersey, show me what you got.
While I have never been to Novita Bistro and Lounge, I have heard raving reviews from people in the area, so I was excited to sample some of their staple items. Upon entering, Sara M. was there to greet us with our name tags and 2015 Unilocal gift (Rescue Recharger). Anyone who knows me can attest that I’m always THAT person looking for an outlet to charge my phone, so this was a godsend. In fact, I already made use of it last night, so thanks!
I had a fantastic time at this event. I tried so many different delicacies, and they were all were delicious! Do not let the names intimidate you; the duck sausage and pig’s head were phenomenal. Juicy, full of flavor, and rich. The eggplant and crostinis were excellent as well. There were an array of cocktails and wines for sampling. I chose to stick with an excellent Cabernet Sauvignon.
The restaurant itself is nicely laid out. We dined in the strictly restaurant portion, but there is a decent-​sized bar area as well. The staff and owner were on point! Not only was there a station for food, but there was never a shortage of friendly wait staff to provide chicken strips and more. We were also catered at our tables, being asked if we would care for more water or wine, which was a really nice added touch. Thank you to Novita for wining and dining us tonight, and thank you to Sara for setting this up for us! I may just have to travel to Central Jersey more often now.

Another excellent YEE has come & gone — but will not soon be forgotten, thanks to:
1. Excellent food & service from Carlos & his crew at Novtia
2. Superb coordination of the event by our new CM, Sara (who’s… ya know… FROM CNJ!)
3. A strong showing by our regular (okay, highly irregular) CNJ Unilocal crew.
Local Trivia: Did you know that the word ‘Metuchen’ is actually an old Native American word which roughly translates to «there is no parking»? But I digress…
It was so nice to finally meet our new CM — Sara, who obviously labored long hours to put this together, and worked the room to welcome us. The Unilocal emergency phone charger was a thoughtful gift, and will come in handy I am sure (assuming I remember to charge it). I know that I speak for my fellow YE’s in CNJ when I say we really appreciate the attention Sara has given to our part of the state, with two local events in August alone!
I do enjoy a good buffet, and I think the approach Novita took in setting up our tasting dinner was great (especially the… ahem… bar). The line to get food started to grow, and could have dampened our enthusiasm, but Carlos and his crew saw that things were slowing down, and quickly brought out more food to feed us while we waited for the main table to clear. Nicely done. I especially enjoyed the gluten free pizza with homemade crust, that Carlos was kind enough to whip up for me. The GF pizza here is FAR better than the typical commercial frozen crust variety that you get at some «gluten-​free-​friendly» restaurants. I am sure I’ll be back to sample more of their GF menu. The wine was excellent, and I also enjoyed the vodka Arnold Palmer.
Did I save the best part for last? Duh! Even in the height of summer, when many are on vacation or lying prostrate in front of their air conditioners, we had a strong contingent of local Unilocal Elites to make the evening glow with good cheer, twisted humor (John, I wasn’t pointing at you, really I wasn’t…), and boisterous good fun. Every once in awhile I still hear someone whine about the ‘evils of modern technology’ and how people just don’t communicate face-​to-​face anymore because of it. Those folks have obviously never been to a Unilocal event. All I can say is that Unilocal has to be one of the most successful techno-​social experiments ever created. The way it has brought together such a diverse group of positive, fun/​food-​loving people and made us good friends is just magical.
Until the next one…

Yay, a Central Jersey event! It was great to meet some new Unilocalers!
This event was awesome! I loved the Arnold Palmer cocktail! It was so refreshing! The food was amazing and cute! Pork head, duck, crostinis, eggplant, pasta, etc! Everything was delicious! I left feeling more than satisfied! And on top of great food and cocktails, there were Unilocal goodies! Portable charger?! How cool is that?!
Thanks, Sara, for a fantastic event!

How exciting was it to attend an amazing Unilocal Elite event in Central Jerz?! It’s always great to catch up with my fellow seasoned Unilocalers and meet new faces. Also, I am glad I was finally able to meet our new CM Sara (a Central Jersey native).
Everything about Novita was outstanding. The servers and bartenders could not have been nicer and more helpful. Carlos went out of his way to make sure that everyone was taken care of. Unilocalers can eat and drink, and Carlos made sure that the food was being replenished and that our glasses were never empty. I enjoyed sipping on the vodka Arnold Palmer. The bartender was just a doll and always had a smile on her face. Being Italian I am a tough Italian food critic, and I really enjoyed the food. The calamari, garlic shrimp, eggplant rollattini and meatballs were among my favorites.
Thank you so much to Sara, Carlos and Novita staff for an amazing night. I can’t wait to return to Novita.
#centraljerseyyelplife

This event was extremely pig-​headed…
In a LOVELY WAY. I’m talking about the spicy, pig head meatballs, of course. Just great.
This was a very delicious event at Novita, and since it was my first time there, it was nice to see such an intimate set up. The staff (including Unilocal’s Sara M.) absolutely killed it with their food offerings. Everything they put out was delicious — the goat cheese crackers, eggplant rollatini, and bread cake dessert killed it. I also loved the duck sausage.
Couldn’t be happier with the generous gift of portable juice for the Elite ’15 members’ devices — BIG plus.
It was also nice that Bulleit was on deck for some Old Fashioneds to help ease into the evening.
A great event; an awesome debut for Sara M. As the new NJ manager, and a really good showing for Novita!

Did she just say pig head… yup!
This was my first Central Jersey event so it was a little bit of a drive but well worth it. I was able to meet so many new Unilocal friends and mingle over some delicious cocktails and food!
Novita Bistro and Lounge had a very inviting and intimate feel to it. I was greeted by our new CM Sara and was handed our 2015 gift which was an awesome portable phone charger! Thanks Unilocal!I made my way to the bar to grab one of their signature cocktails (Arnold Palmer or old fashion I believe) The Arnold Palmer vodka drink was so great and refreshing I really enjoyed it. There were servers passing out little bites like duck sausage, PIG HEAD, chicken skewers, and eggplant rollatini. The pig head was probably my favorite thing I ate last night along with the veal bacon crustini. Over by the serving area there were two different types of pasta to choose from, garlicy shrimp that I really enjoyed, veal bacon on a crustini, fried calamari, and a few others I don’t remember.
I really had a great time chatting it up with my Unilocal people and can’t wait for the next Unilocal event! Thank you Novita, Unilocal and Sara for putting all of this together!

An event on hump day, yes please! This was a great way to break up the week and mingle with fellow Unilocalers. Sara greeted everyone as they entered the door and provided us with our official 2015 gifts. Sucks if you have an iPhone, but I don’t, so I’m able to use the awesome portable charger that was provided to us. Thanks Unilocal!
We had 4 drink options to choose from, a Pinot Grigio, Cabernet, a Bourbon cocktail and a vodka Arnold Palmer. I tried the Pinot which was alright and the Arnold was way too sweet for my liking. If I didn’t have an hour drive, I would’ve indulged on more drinks.
Now, for everyone’s favorite part, the food. Some items were passed by the lovely workers while others were on a stretch self serve table. Hmmm. what stood out, what stood out? Ummm. I’d say the calamari, it was very tender, perfectly cooked with a light breeding. Don’t get me wrong, the pasta, skewered chicken eggplant, garlic shrimp and dessert were all ok but sad to say nothing stood out for me. I didn’t care for the duck or bread, and there were a few pork items so I was very limited to my choices. Although the crostini brushetta was great, it was only passed once, so I didn’t get to fully indulge.
Service was really really attentive! I give them props for constantly filling up our drinks and keeping our belly’s stretching. They were friendly and polite so they have that going for them. We had an entire section of the dining room to ourselves which was a great way to separate our loudness from the rest of the restaurant.
Thanks Carlos for allowing us to try your menu. As always, thank you Sara and Unilocal for all the great goodies and events!

What was the remedy for the headache that was caused by the parking issues of Metuchen due to the unexpected, barricading construction in the public lot nearby? This event! (10^th Elite/​14^th General)
When we walked in, we were greeted by our new CM, Sara. Then we proceeded to the drink area. This was where certain wines and a mixed drink were served. This was where I had an Arnold Palmer for the first time.
The Arnold Palmer consisted of vodka, lemonade, and iced tea. The flavor was great, and wasn’t too sweet. I could even taste the vodka in the drink too. A perfect choice for the night.
Later, some servers came by to serve us little appetizers. I grabbed some chicken skewers, which were tender and very well seasoned. I also grabbed some smaller appetizers, and they tasted great as well. One of the appetizers contained a perfect spicy sensation.
Afterwards, a small table was filled with food for everyone to grab and enjoy. Various seafood and eggplant specialties were available. Baskets of bread slices were available as well. Of course, we couldn’t forget about the pasta and the tiny pieces of cake.
The food served on the stick was packed with flavor, and wasn’t overwhelmingly salty. The bread slices were just okay. The pasta was actually my favorite. This was because the sauce itself had a great taste of seasoning, and the sprinkled cheese on top made the taste even better. The tiny piece of cake was good.
During my experience at this event, I met Sara, our new CM. Everyone thought she was cool. Also, just like my experience at other GYEs, I met new people and hung out with the old ones. That’s always the good part of these events.
The restaurant itself had a very comfortable atmosphere. We could even see a liquor bottle collection in the back. Every table contained sweat wristbands and mints. Key-​chains that opened bottles were scattered in the specialty drink area.
Everyone had to get up to get their drinks and food on their own, before they could sit down and enjoy. Also, when we got up to grab more food, we noticed the servers re-​fold our napkins into a unique shape. That was nice gesture. Overall, this was an enjoyable experience.
Of course, we couldn’t forget about our Elite gift. That gift was the USB POWER BANK. This was perfect for anyone who needed to charge up their USB electronic device while being on the go. I would like to thank our new and cool CM, Sara and everyone else at Novita for making this great event possible.
As always folks, it was a pleasure seeing and meeting you all. Stay in touch!
— AH

I was very glad to find a new good Italian restaurant (yes, NJ has thousands of them, but when making plans with friends, I find 50% of them think of nonItalian restaurants the way Republicans think of Obamacare – they won’t try it and they won’t suggest any alternatives).
The outdoor seating area is spacious and an attractive option in good weather (my wife would eat outside in anything other than a thunderstorm or blizzard). An after dinner short walk to Metuchen’s attractive Main Street would round out an evening well.
Very nice, very energetic staff (and, of course, great company). Never have so many Vodka Arnold Palmers been ordered by people too young to remember he was Tiger Woods without the sex scandal – note to Jack Nicklaus: avoiding too much sex and alcohol helped you be clearly the best golfer of all time, but hurt your chance to be famous 50 years later.
Some unusual, interesting and tasty menu items (confession: I might not have tried and liked what I later learned was «pigs head» if I had not thought the waitress said «pignoli») and such mainstays as fried clamari and zucchini and garlic shrimp were very good. The papperdelle must have been excellent, as it was always gone by the time I reached the buffet.
Very well organized event and a real service to our Central NJ members, allowing them a much easier trip and a chance to discover an appealing restaurant and small town for future visits. Thanks to our CM Sara for not forgetting Central NJ while enjoying the much hipper Jersey City scene!

Their pappardelle was the bees knees. Good evoo and dried roasted tomatoes used in the pasta. Although pappardelle sometimes looks like broken lasagne.
Anyhow, I met cool elite Unilocalers at this event. New jerz CM Sara did her thing. Sara, you have big shoes to fill. Unilocal HQ didn’t pluck yosteph out of jerzboondocks/​obscurity for no reason. It bears further watching. And eating. But good start, Sara.
Lovely event, people, food, Unilocal swag, and venue. Parking was tough though. Thus four stars.

What a fun night everyone had at Novita Bistro and Lounge. It was nice to attend another Elite Unilocal Event it has been awhile.
The crew from Central Jersey made my evening, they were fun as usual. Amalia Y, John D, Jeff B, Bill M, Marc N, along with Alex H, Jason C, Francis C, Adam D, Lily H, I’m sure I forgot a few. It’s always nice to connect in person with fellow Elite Unilocalers.
One of the owners Carlos, and all of his staff did a wonderful job showing us a really good time. They have a nice cozy bar with very knowledgeable bartenders who make good drinks. We were on the other side of the bar tables all around and a fake fireplace going.
We started out with a sampling of red merlot and some White Nobilissima Pinot Grigio which I preferred along with a special cocktail made with Green Mark Vodka and homemade Arnold Palmer ice tea.(half ice tea, half lemonade mixed.) It was called the «Arnold Palmer» It was so smooth and refreshing great for summertime. Each drink was custom blended. There was also a Bourbon Cocktail called an Old Fashion. It was made with Bulleit Bourbon. I didn’t try it but was told it was equally good.
We had hot hors d’oeuvres being passed around. I enjoyed Little Mini” pig heads «with sliced Radish on top.
Skewered Boneless Chicken Breast with a lemony, garlic flavor .
Mini Sausages and Mini Meatballs were just some of the hors d’oeuvres.
The Crostini with Goat Cheese, Grilled Peaches and Speck on top. It was very fresh tasting…
Calamari Fritti had a Cornmeal & grana dusted crust on the Squid & Zucchini. For the dipping sauce it was Fennel, Smoked Paprika Aioli. The Calamari was light and crispy.
I then went on to sample their Garlic Shrimp
Pangrattato, garlic, roasted lemon, peperoncino. Boy! was that ever tasty.
Along side was The Eggplant Rollatini. Grana crusted slices of Eggplant, Prosciutto Di Parma, Mozzarella, Tomato, this was served on skewers. It was melt in ur mouth good…
The Bolognese Pappardelle. Wide, Ribbon shaped Pasta, Ragu of Beef, Veal, Pork & plum tomato, Grana, Cream, house made Ricotta. It is rich and thick and the house made Ricotta adds so much freshness.
The pastas are all homemade.
The Pasta Norma. Rigatoni had
Ridged, tube shaped pasta, Caramelized Eggplant, fresh Basil, Plum Tomato Sauce, Ricotta Salata. This pasta was another nice dish not to heavy.
I tried a bite of The Sponge like Cake topped with Strawberries and a Balsamic Glaze. It was a nice way to end our meal.
Our New CM Sara M did a fine job putting this Elite Unilocal Event together. She seems to fit right in… This will be an easy transition. Our photographer, also did a great job .
This is one of those places that I will definitely come back to…

What does it mean to be Unilocal Elite? Sharing a passion for cheer both spirits and chow. Let me tell ya what that means.
Drinking like a Viking, I guess that makes me, «Haggar the horrible. «Destroying every and all tasty tid bits that lie before your lips. Friendly exchange with like minded peeps. At only Unilocal events especially Elite can strangers come together as if long time friends.
I’ve been quite fortunate to have made several friends through this social medium. It usually starts after reading an intriguing review that sparks attention or something out of the ordinary especially for me being an over the top foodie. A wonderful ecosystem where opinions may be shared or criticized without destain. I love meeting Unilocalers and never feel shy about introductions. Matching a face with a name tag while searching your friend list without seeming overly smart phone focused, you know what I mean. Event venues are unimportant and soon forgotten, interaction with cool individuals will live on. For those I finally met for the first time I’m happy to have embraced your awesomeness. For those who didn’t say Hi, boo on you.
Novita wreaks class from décor to ambience. The food and spectacular drinks (the Vodka Arnold Palmer hit a whole in one) are divine. I was already a massive fan and today only fortified my view.
Great meeting Sara, our lovely Unilocal goddess from East Brunswick currently residing in Jersey City. She will soon come to realize why CNJ Unilocalers are the Elite amongst the Elite.

Loved this event at Novita, an Italian restaurant in Metuchen. We started with a mini cocktail hour. I enjoyed a glass of pinot grigio and met a few Unilocalers. My favorite appetizer was the chicken skewers. Then we had several dishes at the buffet. My favorites were the pappardelle bolognese and the grilled shrimp. We also had rigatoni, calamari, eggplant, and crostini. Dessert was a spiced cake.
The manager and staff from Novita were friendly and took great care of us. I’m looking forward to coming back at the first opportunity. I’m new to the area, and so I was glad to be introduced to a new place.
Big thanks and congrats to new CM Sara! It’s great to have some events in Central Jersey. There are people here, too! I can see from the checkins that although I caught up with or met several of my Unilocal friends, I also missed a few. See ya Monday ;) !