Just in time for the new year, Porta’s first coloring book has arrived on our tables. With an original story and hand drawn characters, we couldn’t wait to show it to you. Come in, sit by our ovens’ fires, grab a pizza and some crayons and explore what’s behind our wide, white door.
Song: “Chandeliers,” by Summer Fiction
On Porta’s Plate: The Proud BrunchBeginning this weekend, and continuing every Saturday and Sunday from 11:30am – 3:30pm, Porta will be offering The Proud Brunch, our finest selection of dishes for your late morning / early afternoon appetite. Sweet and savory pizzas, sandwiches, salads, olives, and other tasting delights will adorn our tables, and ours alone. You won’t find these foods anywhere else in the region. Drink wine, eat well, and experience the weekend with Porta.
To pique your interest, we’re showing off some photos of what you can expect (above, Parmigiano Soft Polenta with Seared Head On Carabinero Shrimp):
Cider-Braised Beluga Lentils with Twin Fried Quail Eggs
Bread Pudding with Roasted Apple and Arugula Sprouts
Click for the Restaurant Week Menu
One of our favorite dishes on the menu this fall, our pan-roasted day boat octopus captures all the fresh flavors that the seas have to offer. Day boat octopus is caught in individual cages, a more environmentally-responsible method than trawling with nets; nets that end up catching more animals than you’d think. →
Last weekend, among a roar of clapping and cheering, we proudly served our 10,000 pie (seen cooking in our oven above). The lucky couple who enjoyed their special Italian Stallion on us had found Porta by fate alone, having been rerouted into Asbury due to a traffic detour. By 8:30 that night, they became a permanent part of Porta’s short and wonderful history. And they’ll be back soon, with all the friends and family their car can carry. We’ve grown quickly from our humble beginnings. Thanks to everyone who’s sat at our tables and shared a meal. Our doors are always open to you.
Many thanks and a humble congratulations to Danielle and Chris for having their wedding at Porta last month, a first for us. Over one hundred friends and family members joined them in Porta National Park for the ceremony, followed by a sit-down supper of special pizzas, salads, salumi e formaggi, and our favorite Nutella pizza for a sweet ending. Enjoy the honeymoon, guys. We’ll hold down the fort and enjoy the photos. See you soon.
(P.S. – We’ve got some photos here! Click the red arrow to check them out!)
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Porta is happy to announce that beginning tonight $1 of every Betty Pie sold on Friday’s will be donated to the West Orange Scholarship Fund in Memory of Our Friend Elizabeth “Betty” Maddalena.
With autumn fast approaching, we at Porta are set to update our menus. The first leaf to fall lands on our dessert menu…Baba Al Rhum. This classic dish of Naples is a rum drenched dream.
Someone said something nice about us. Thanks to Marisa and The Examiner;
On Saturday night of Labor Day weekend, Porta in Asbury Park is at capacity: the bar is full, the tables, long and family-style, are full, and even the outside area, outfitted with benches and a bocce court, is standing-room only.
So why wait a half hour for space at a table?
You could go because it’s so shamelessly hip, this (what looks like) a former garage, with its clubby music, low-hanging pendant lights and wall of reclaimed antique doors. Or you could go because it’s an easy jump from the beach when you’re sun-soaked and ravenous. →
Porta Patens Esto. Nulli Claudatur Honesto. Pizzeria. Poetic, with a wealth of meaning, we pulled our name from the story behind the ancient Italian proverb, “Per un punto, Martin perse la cappa” (translated: “Because of a period, Martin lost his post.”). The origin of this proverb is a tale in which a monk, Martin, was told to write the Latin phrase, “Porta patens esto. Nulli claudatur honesto” (translated: “Be the door always open. Be it not closed to any honest person.”)
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