Villa Berulia
M-F 11:30am-10pm; Sa 4:30pm-10pm
On a bright winter afternoon, I stopped by Villa Berulia in the hopes of meeting someone who would chat with me about this thirty plus year old restaurant. And I hit the bulls eye when Johnny, a soft spoken gentleman introduced himself as the owner. Speaking with him for only a few minutes, I was completely enchanted by him and his exquisite restaurant, decorated spectacularly for the Christmas holidays. A week later, I invited my son to join me in the charming, classic Italian dining room. The old world elegance emanates from every nook, and follows into the kitchen and to the servers, who are quietly attentive to every guest. Our waiter shared with us that he has been serving customers from the restaurant’s beginning.
The food was stupendous, but while eating I soaked up the details of the restaurant’s history. Maria, Johnny’s warm, down to earth, sister was kind enough to spend time with us sharing both of their stories. In 1968, Johnny jumped ship when it stopped in Brooklyn and never looked back. He had worked in hospitality in Croatia as a young man and then got a job aboard a vessel headed for America. For many years he was a waiter in top midtown restaurants, always saving money for his ultimate goal. Three years in, he sent for his sister. Then in 1981, together they felt ready to venture out on their own and open their dream restaurant…but not without Mili, a fellow Croatian chef, who is still the man responsible for the delectable dishes that come out of the kitchen.
When I asked about Maria’s favorite dish, she immediately said, the cannelloni, “the chef puts so much love into it. People call and request it when making their reservations.” Unfortunately, on the night that we were there, they had already run out. Each bite, however, of the fluffy pillows of pasta (filled with spinach, artichoke, pine nuts and mascarpone and covered with a pink vodka sauce) that I ordered were exquisite. “Melt in the mouth goodness” were the words that came from my son when describing the first bite of his lobster-filled pasta. “I cannot imagine it needing to be any better than this.” But then it was, as we ordered the flourless chocolate cake for dessert. When I inquisitively looked up at Maria, she quickly responded by telling me, “We never share our recipe.” I guess I was not the first to make this request. I believe that this might have been the richest, most incredible slice of chocolate heaven that I have sampled on thirty-four streets.
