Dine in delivery

As we all know, ordering in is a typical part of our life. At least once a week we find ourselves debating what's for dinner and ultimately end up ordering some sort of take out. Monday, February 16th was one of those nights. After the long weekend and having the day off for President's day, ordering out seemed to be the answer before going back to the workweek grind on Tuesday.

Being unhappy with the recent downturn of our usual last minute savior (I won't mention it hear as they are in the midst of selling the business and we will give the new owners a shot) we turned to the internet for assistance. The multitude of chooses led us to Michael Angelo's pizza in Monmouth Beach. We had ordered there in the past and from what I could recall it was pretty decent even though we only had a few cold subs and pizza. Being able to find a menu on a 3rd party site this time we opted for Mozzarella sticks ($4.50), 1/2 Meatball parm sub ($5.50), and 1/2 veal parm sub ($6.00).

Delivery got here within 25 minutes (I always appreciate anyone who can get us hot food quick). The driver was friendly and had a pen ready to sign the credit card slip (anywhere that takes credit cards over the phone is always another bonus). We set up for our gourmet dinner and begin the feast. Our starter, the mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce for dipping. Surprisingly the marinara wasn't half bad. When it comes to good sauce from restaurants I never expect much, but Michael Angelo's did a pretty good job on this one. The mozzarella sticks reminded me slightly of what you might get in your high school cafeteria (not bad, but not good). The breading was loose and the cheese partially melted. They give you 5 sticks so all in all not a bad value, just think I'd go with a different app next time.

The veal parm was next on my plate.The bread was great! it was perfectly toasted soft on the inside and smothered in melted mozzarella. I am a sucker for good bread and cheese so the sight of this sandwich alone made my mouth water. As I lifted the sandwich for the first bite my mind raced with anticipation of the succulent veal smothered in sauce in cheese, this would be a good meal. I quickly learned I would once again be disappointed by pizzeria veal. With the ratio of bread to veal being about 2:1 , I can easily say that the chef was a little less the generous with the main component of this dish. I can forgive quantity for quality when it comes to food so The portioning doesn't bother me so much, however the preparation of the veal was also a miss. Apparently here at Michael Angelo's they use the same batter for the veal as they do for the Mozzarella sticks causing it to fall apart as you take your first bite. Besides for the poor structuring of the veal, I found (after the 2nd bite) that the veal was undercooked. It was still pink and tasted "off". At that point I cut my losses took the veal off of the bread and enjoyed an Italian sauce and mozzarella sandwich.

Appearance wise, the meatball parm looked delicious! The generous portion of meatballs overflowing the sub roll were smothered in the same manner as the veal with a beautiful red sauce and melted mozzarella. Generally when we order meatballs for takeout my expectations are the same as for marinara, don't expect much and you should be ok, but again I was pleasantly surprised. The meatballs seem to be made on premise here at Michael Angelo's, brought in by a company that really knows what they are doing, or we just got 'em on a good night. The blend of meat, cheese, and sauce combined with the fresh warm bread was a delight and redeamed our stay at home culinary experience. The meatball itself was tender and flavorful. The generous portion on the half portion was enough to satisfy the two of us and end our night on a positive note.

I'd rate this 2.5 out of 5 mozzarella sticks.