Chef Jeff Malloy of Boston's Carmen restaurant, located in the competitive North End Italian district, opened an authentic Italian restaurant called Il Forno Cafe & Trattoria in West Windsor, New Jersey.
Outside of Princeton in West Windsor Village at 358 Princeton Highstown Road, the current BYOB establishment provides a "Prohibition List" of non-alcoholic custom-made drinks and serves lunch and dinner six days a week.
Chef Malloy holds accolades from a Zagat-rated restaurant 27/30, including Boston Magazine's Best Of Boston.
"Although I have to divide my time between West Windsor and Boston, I did it for love," says Chef Malloy, who co-owns the new restaurant with girlfriend, Melissa Virgilio. "Once here, I quickly realized that there was nothing like this in the Princeton area. I wanted to give people a taste of true Italian food at reasonable prices while still providing a white table cloth atmosphere.”
Il Forno is a reflection of Chef Malloy’s travel experience in Italy during his training years, and pasta and pizzas are not the primary items on the menu.
"If someone is looking for a place to go to order a gigantic pizza to share with friends or family, this isn't their place," Chef Malloy says. "However, I invite anyone who wants to try our delicious Neapolitan pizza as an appetizer or salad, followed by a delicate fish dish or meat selection and end with a frothy cappuccino—that's more like a true Italian meal."
