Eilte Event: Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas

Better late than never! This was my first elite event in NJ having relocated from the land of dairy and cheese Wisconsin. I am so happy and honored to be on the guest list and meet new and wonderful Unilocalers from a different community! The place was packed and there were great good and great wine. We had a nice combination of whites and reds with some beer and bourbon for sampling to top it up.
The food variety included beet and watercress insulata, tuna watermelon crudo (ahi tuna, watermelon and tequila), spaghetti pomodoro, pork belly and assorted brick oven pizzas. There were also freshly pulled mozzarella as well as a sampling of five different types of olive oil. I love the pork belly, fresh mozzarella as well as the mushroom olive oil!
Of course there were the italian desserts! The lavazza expresso was rich but excellent! We also had four different flavors of gelato including chocolate, lemon sorbet and pistachio. My favorite wine of the day was the dessert wine — a Moscato d’Asti was a great way to end my night (I have a thing or two for sweet wines)!
To top things off, we were each given a gift bag and a complimentary Spuntino wine flight gift card as a parting gift. I love my new CM Sara and the wonderful Unilocalers and their +1s whom I met that evening. Everything about the trip (and the drive) was all worth it!

Flawless Elite Event with our new CM, Sara, and she was in her element! Big thanks to Spuntino for hosting a wonderful evening for us Unilocal elites and our +1’s, with what seemed like endless amounts of food, and bottles upon bottles of liquor, beer and wine.
A few of my faves from the evening included the homemade fresh mozzarella, pork belly, beet salad, and the pasta. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente while I couldn’t help but go back for 2nds (and thirds) of the meaty pork belly and the soft and cheesy mozz.
At the bourbon whiskey table, Woodford Reserve has my heart, and for red wines, the Merlot from Washington State was delicious! (and I’m not even a Merlot fan!)
A nice touch from Spuntino was having an olive oil sampling over at the pasta station. My fave of the bunch was the Il Prezioso truffle olive oil which I must get a bottle of stat!
Enjoying some great conversation with fellow Unilocalers and their guests, the time flew by and before I knew it, the gracious staff at Spuntino was wrapping things up. Unfortunately for me, this included the gelato! Super sad that I wasn’t able to grab me a scoop of some pistachio gelato which I was eyeing from the beginning of the night! (ugggh! I knew I should’ve started with dessert! lol!)
Again, big big thanks to our awesome CM Sara and the phenomenal Spuntino crew for an unforgettable night!

All Spuntino needed was a Red Carpet out the door. Tonight was the night, the Who’s Who of Unilocal Elite and their guests came out in full force!
Each person was greeted by our lovely new CM Sara M. Sara had a smile on her face from the beginning of the event to the end.
The Spuntino staff was extremely hospitable. A large part of the restaurant was sectioned off with numerous alcohol, food and dessert stations.
The wines consisted of lovely whites and reds. Beer and bourbon were there for the sampling too!
A variety of food samplings consisted of a Beet and Watercress Insulata, Tuna Watermelon Crudo (Ahi tuna, Watermelon and Tequila!!!), Spaghetti Pomodoro, Pork Belly and Assorted Brick Oven Pizzas.
(My favorite was the Pizza!)
Who can forget dessert? The Lavazza Expresso was excellent! Also, a delicious Chocolate Gelato and Lemon Sorbet were there for the sampling.
A wonderful dessert wine a Moscato d’Asti was superb!
Each person was given a Gift Bag and a Complimentary Spuntino Wine Flight Gift Card as a parting gift.
«Bravo to Spuntino and Brava to CM Sara for an evening well done!!!»

Sweet event, loved the setup and all the space for seating/​mingling. The highlights of the event for me were the tuna watermelon crudo. I might have had 2 or 3 tastings, woops! I also thought the pork belly was pretty good as well. But my favorite station was the gelato and espresso tables. The chocolate gelato was so yummy and the espresso hit the spot. Shout out to the lady serving the espresso, I didn’t catch her name but she was a sweetheart! The staff overall was very friendly and accommodating.
Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to grab some pizza cause of the line but it definitely looked good! When I saw this event was at Spuntino I knew it would be good, as I’ve dined here once before and enjoyed it. Thanks Sara & Unilocal for another sweet Elite event! :)

My plus-​one and I had a wonderful time at this event! Thank you for organizing a great one, Sara! This may have been my favorite one yet — the food was superb and seriously, WINE.
I had been meaning to try Spuntino for a while now, and this was the perfect way to get a «grand tour» of the place. After making our name tags & entering a raffle, we dove into the crowd with wide eyes. We tried to hit up every station at least once (read: a few times). The only thing I didn’t try was the beet & watercress salad, because I don’t like either of those things. Womp.
Tuna Watermelon Crudo — So good! I was totally thrown off by the yellow watermelon (my eyes kept telling me it was pineapple!), but once I tasted it, the entire thing was so fresh and delicious. I’m a big fan of summer foods, and really anything with fruit. This checks all the boxes for a fresh, summery, light treat. And I think I was lucky to get a sizable chunk of tuna that eclipsed my watermelon! Awww yeah.
Pork belly — I’m not sure I’ve ever met a pork belly I didn’t like. Aaaand this one was no exception! The pork belly was served on top of a carrot purée, and topped with fresh pea shoots & a very light lemony dressing. The pork was a little crispy, a little fatty, and very juicy. I was really a fan of the carrot purée underneath as well, which totally surprised me. It was a perfect complement to the pork belly and I’m kinda surprised more people don’t put them together!
The gelato was absolutely A+, #1, gold star ALL CAPS excellent! I only tried the vanilla and chocolate, because I’m not a fan of pistachio. My fiancé, however, looooved the pistachio. The vanilla gelato was so creamy and smooth, and the same goes for the chocolate. Of the classic gelato flavors, I think vanilla was my favorite. But the standout to me was the lemon sorbet! A classic palate cleanser with the perfect balance of tart & sweet. (I honestly may have cleansed my palate at least twice, to be honest.) When I thought I was done tasting, it only took one little scoop of lemon sorbet to get right back out to those delicious plates!
I was totally swayed by the little fresh mozzarella presentation. A slice of yellow tomato, followed by a fresh thick slice of mozzarella, then sprinkled with coarse salt and drizzled with a bit of olive oil. YUM. I’m going to serve mozzarella like that from now on! This was easily one of the best dishes of the night.
The spaghetti & the pizza were pretty popular with my fellow Unilocalers, but my fiancé & I both felt that the sauce was lacking … I don’t know, SOMETHING. Maybe salt or pepper? Or maybe it was a little too sweet? Whatever it was, we both thought that it smelled great, looked great, but tasted a bit flat. With that said, I was a bit unimpressed with the spaghetti. I managed to snag a slice of margherita pizza before The Unilocal Elite Pizza Line of 2015 really got started, and I thought it was delicious. I think the mozzarella and fresh basil really shouldered the brunt of the flavor, though. The dough was delicious and crispy, and stood up to the toppings, which is much appreciated.
I also managed to tear myself away from the food long enough to sample several of the wines. I know, I know. What a sacrifice! What a service! I do it all for the (Elite) badge, guys.
The sparkling Cava Rose may have been my favorite. It was bubbly and sweet with a little bite to it – probably just about perfect. Great for a celebration, and it definitely went well with the fresh mozzarella and the pizza. Number two is the Sauvignon Blanc, which had a strong smell/​taste of apricot (?). It was surprisingly fruity and I would totally order that one in real life. It was at the table with the tuna, and I wish I had the sense to sip it while I had my little crudo. I can see how the apricot flavor would go very well with the watermelon, & give another fresh summery note to the entire dish. How smart are you, Spuntino?! Honorable mention goes to the Moscato d’Asti, which was more like a very sweet candy dessert wine than actual wine. But I love my sweet dessert wines, and this one would make a lovely treat at the end of a meal.
(Bonus: my fiancé stopped at the bourbon table to taste the Woodford Reserve, which was described as the oldest, but smoothest. He agreed — it was very smooth and he loved it!)
The ingredients used by Spuntino are clearly top-​notch, & I can’t wait to have a sit-​down meal here. Thank you to Sara, the staff at Spuntino, and my fellow Elites for a great night!

Wow. This event was crowded. I guess they added the schweddy balls tapas to the menu.
Other than that, the event went really well. The staff was amazing, readily taking away the vast amount of glasses and plates that us Unilocalers were going through — some of which didn’t exactly make it back to the kitchen in one piece.
The food was excellent, with a couple being on the more delicate side (tuna watermelon crudo, beet watercress salad). Pork belly was crispy and not too overwhelmingly fatty, although it could have used a touch more salt. I actually didn’t try the pizza, but it definitely passed the eye test.
The wine, beer and bourbon stations were a-​flowing. A big surprise was the effervescent rosé. It was quite enjoyable, and I had gone back for seconds and thirds. Of course I went back for seconds for the beer — to sample of course. And not wanting the bourbon to be left out, I went back for seconds there as well.
I do wish I got to try the gelato topped with bourbon. It looked like a party on a small plate. At that point, I had already reached my gastric limits.
I also enjoyed seeing my Unilocal friends (some of whom I haven’t seen in more than 3 years!) as well as finally getting to meet some of my previously online only Unilocal friends!
Overall, Sara M did a great job with the event, and I look forward to seeing what she’ll bring in the future. Psst. I want my swag bag!

Great event and great food, as always, I think my favorite part had to be meeting other Unilocalers, but the food, wine, and gelatto was divine too!
Everything was delicious and even looked beautiful! The pizza was excellent but hard to get, at soon as it came out, it was gone! The pork belly was also scrumptious. I was too nervous to try the watermelon and tuna. But the pasta was to die for, it was clearly home made, but my sister and I could not get enough of it! But by far, my favorite part of the night was the gelatto. From the flavors to chose from to the adorable men dishing it out, it was definitely the highlight of my night!
I also really enjoyed trying all the wine (and beer) pairings. The merlot was the pasta was the perfect red in my opinion and the dessert moscato, I wish i could have bought! Cannot wait to go back!

Another phenomenal Unilocal Elite Event!
I had never been to Spuntino, though had heard rave reviews, so this seemed like a perfect event (plus any event that advertises to «come hungry and thirsty» is already a win in my book!). It was also a plus one event, which was really appreciated, as my boyfriend was also able to join in.
Upon arriving, my boyfriend and I were greeted by Sara, filled out name tags and then a chance for a raffle to win a wine dinner at Spuntino (fingers STILL crossed as the drawing wasn’t done as of last night). We were then instructed to grab a wine glass and make our way around the various stations, using a provided card as a map of what each station would offer.
There truly was something for everyone — the first station BF ran to was the pork belly, which he said was incredible. In opposite fashion, I headed to the beet salad station, which was absolutely delicious.
After that, we made our way to every station between the two of us. Everything I tried was delicious — the Ahi tuna with watermelon was lovely and refreshing, the pasta pomodoro was cooked perfectly and the sauce was incredible, the pizzas were varied and really good — especially the one that had a ton of veggies thrown on it, the fresh mozzarella was incredible and perfect with the heirloom tomato, and my seconds of the beet salad was just as good as the first.
Mixed into the whole setup was various wines to pair with each dish, as well as a craft beer station, AND bourbon sampling table. I tried the merlot, which was lovely, and then the blended red wine (that was over by the pasta station). Everything was fantastic.
The service throughout and warmth of everyone at each station was also top notch, which says a lot about Spuntino and their staff.
By the time we headed to the dessert station, lemon gelato was the only flavor left, so the station was clearly a hit. The lemon flavor was delicious, and as was the theme of the evening, the men who served it were wonderful.
The time flew by, and when it was time to leave, we were also given gift bags and coupons for a free wine flight next time we go to Spuntino (which will be soon!), which just went above and beyond any expectation of the night.
Wonderful night surrounded by awesome people, delicious food and drinks, and a fantastic staff/​event space. Another awesome evening — thanks to Sara and Spuntino for hosting us!

Spuntino & Company, I think I’m in love. Not like. Love. I can’t get enough of you!
Every time I come to Spuntino, I find more wines and tapas and desserts to satisfy my palate, leaving me full yet still craving more. As a frequent diner, as well as a Grapevine member, I have attended various events and wine tastings hosted by Spuntino. I’m always impressed by the attentiveness of their staff, the ambiance of the restaurant and bar, and the excellent detail spent pairing wines with speciality meals to share as suggestions for customers.
There were a huge turnout for this event, especially since we were allowed a +1, and yet everything ran smoothly. I always had a drink in my hand, and while the portions were for tasting, 2^nd helpings were never frowned upon. The only line I had to wait on was for the pizza, but I liked the server/​chef because he gave me extra haha. My favorite had to be the pork belly, although the tuna was great as well. I’m more of a wine/​craft beer gal, but I have to say, even the bourbon station was fantastic. The woman serving the bourbon was a sweetheart and very helpful.
I had a fantastic time mingling with the Unilocalers and their +1s. Lots of laughs were to be shared. It was my boyfriend’s first Unilocal event, and I think after attending, it has given him the bug to start reviewing away. All-​in-​all, I had a great time. Thank you so much to Sara M. for another excellent event. You are on a roll; go girl! Once again, Spuntino staff, you rock. I have never had a complaint in the numerous times I’ve been here, and I’m always recommending people to check it out.
Oh! And the free goodie bags were awesome as well. And the complimentary flight. I will 100% be back soon.

This was my second Elite event at Spuntino. I think the spread was more grand at the last event, but they def. didn’t skimp on quality.
This was probably the most crowded Unilocal event I’d ever been to, but it thinned out after a while. We started off at the shortest line, Tuna Watermelon Crudo. If I was a fan of watermelon I’m sure I would have LOVED it. I know I’m weird, and I’m a rare one who isn’t obsessed with it, but I tried it anyway. Definitely an interesting combination of ingredients.
My sister and I skipped the salad.
We went for the pork belly next with Merlot. This was my fav. dish of the evening. I loved everything about the combo, and eventually came back for seconds.
Then we tried the pasta. This is always tricky for me because nothing compares to mom’s dishes. I liked the way the pasta was cooked al dente. We also tried the other wine here. My sister and I liked the Merlot better.
The pizza line died down so we hopped on that station next. Pizza was good. I tried the regular slice, the white slice, and the sopressata slice. I thought it was pepperoni at first. I was like OMG! this is the best pepperoni pizza ever… then the Spuntino staff person at the station explained why it was so good. Why don’t more people use sopressata? Also had a couple tastings of Rose. I think this was the first time I ever had rose and it thoroughly refreshed me.
I remember the Pistachio ice cream from last time. Loved it. Saved the best for last. I tried the Basil Hayden’s bourbon with hint of caramel. I was so happy I chose it. I would get it at a bar. It was so tasty. The lady told us to pour it over the ice cream. Bourbon + Pistachio ice cream = heaven.
I was super sad at the end because I had no idea they were giving out Spuntino wine gift bags. Neal N. and our +1s were chatting away about liquid nitrogen… yeah… totally missed the gift! I ended up winning the raffle though so that pretty much makes up for it! :)
Thanks for the experience CM!

Hats off to Spuntino for hosting such a large Unilocal Elite +1 crowd. I had no clue Spuntino’s was right next to the Shannon Rose… so the plaza has plenty of parking.
New CM Sara M greeted everyone at the door. Welcome! I can’t imagine saying hi to that many people. But that’s exactly what was happening… so many familiar faces so it was nice finally meeting them in person. Cheers.
The staff did a great job on making sure that everyone’s glasses were filled and that the food kept coming. The setup was great. And I did a great job at making sure the Pistachio gelato was all for me ;) My favorite was the pork belly. followed by the Angels Envy Bourbon… just kidding. That was too strong for me. I had some pizza, tuna watermelon salad, the pumpkin beer, and the spaghetti. Basically, everything. We were given Spuntino goodie bags when we left… a nice cocktail shaker, hat, whiskey glass, and a coupon for the next time I come back!

Elite Event on my birthday!
Spuntino Wine Bar and & Italian Tapas. Located in Clifton commons, right next to Target and the Shannon Rose.
After checking in with Sara, we were told to fill out a raffle ticket and given a menu. The menu included descriptions of the food and drink stations. These stations included: beet and watercress salad, fresh mozzarella, tuna watermelon, spaghetti pomodoro, pork belly, pizza, olive oil tasting, espresso sampling, gelato, bourbon bar, a couple wine stations and a beer station.
Tons of food and drink. My favorites included the spaghetti, the pork belly, and the pizza. I unfortunately didn’t get around to trying the espresso sampling and the gelato, because I ran out of time. Lol. I think I was too busy eating extra helpings of the spaghetti, pork belly, and pizza. The food was delicious. The pumpkin beer and the red wine were also tasty.
It was nice meeting new people, reconnecting with those I’ve met in the past, and seeing Unilocalers I only know from my friends list.
Its great to see Sara easily transitioning into her new role as CM. I was very impressed with this event (everything ran pretty smoothly) and knowing that this was only the first few events Sara has been a part of and ran, makes me look forward to her events in the future and the great things to come. Big props to Sara, team Unilocal,and Spuntino Wine Bar and Italian Tapas, for a fabulous event.

Outstanding Tapas and such a fun event. Thanks to Sarah M and Spuntino for hosting. Friendly service in a really nice surrounding.
The pizza was delicious the pork belly was my favorite along with the al dente spaghetti pomodoro. Accompanied by the super Tuscan red wine which was excellent.
The Tuna watermelon crudo was also very tasty and the fresh mozzarella was fabulous.
To end it all was a taste of the Angel’s envy bourbon.
Great night all around!

Great event and great food. Very happy I made it out today. My favorite tapas were the fresh mozzarella and the tuna watermelon crudo. Love the lemon sorbet also. I was told it is made with real lemons.
Great set up in a circle around the room forcing Unilocalers to mingle with each other while moving from one station to another. Also, the classy biergarten style seating was perfect for making new friends.
One thing I learned about tapas today is that each is an explosion of flavors which is why a small amount is more than enough to get the idea… Can’t have tapas when too hungry because they may loose their taste.
Service was amazing. The staff was polite, accommodating and super nice. The guys serving ice cream were making jokes and telling me about how the ice scream was made.
Overall — awesome event and there was plenty of parking which is always a plus for me!

The pie. Definitely the pizzas, well charred in the gas oven, yummy pepperoni, veg or sopressata on top, the best food of the night. Although the wife’s concoction of espresso shots with a scoop of vanilla gelato was a close second :)
Honorable mention: olive-​oil tasting bar, pork belly, pasta with cherry tomatoes, tuna crudo with yellow watermelon, watercress, beet & chèvre salad, fresh mozzarella. And bourbon! Plus super Tuscans, Sancerre, domestic sauvignon blanc, Washington state merlot, dry sparkling rose, craft beer (altho pumpkin was about two months early) and, oh yeah, more bourbon.
Had a nice chat with the mozzarella guy while he was doing his thing. He started with blocks of what looked like cheese to my untutored eye, but no. Those were actually blocks of pressed *curds,* which he shredded gently and doused in nearly boiling water, then formed & stretched into the classic ball shape of fresh mutz. Only took a minute, ya had to have asbestos hands to do it for any period of time. That fresh cheese was very tasty with tomato plus a dab of salt & olive oil.
I was a little surprised there wasn’t the usual talk, no one-​minute presentation by the management when we applaud, they thank everyone publicly. Hmm, a miss.
Thanks to Sara M., Spuntino and Woodford bourbon for a fantastic tasting, drinking and socializing event in high summer! Swag bag with a personal cocktail shaker was very cool too.

I could think of no better way to end my Tuesday.
We were a pretty large crowd tonight, and at no point was I without a drink. I could have been sipping on the glass of red I was handed 4 seconds after I walked through the door, or enjoying the sauvignon blanc paired with the beet salad, killing a second sauvignon blanc hanging by the tuna, chasing that with a rosé — or a beer — or more red — or bourbon — or moscato… any of that could have been happening at any given time in the two or so hours I was here. I can very much confirm — it all happened.
Tuna.
The pasta was perfectly al dente and had just the right amount of tons of garlic (the best way to have anything red) and I probably had three to four servings (tuna) of that along with various amounts of bread and olive oil (hey, when in line.)
Also, I apparently like beets. I never (tuna) thought that was a thing, but tasting tonight’s beet salad four to seven times really solidified the «Tyler might like beets» third person type statement I often wondered about, but never tested.
The pizza line may have been long, but (tuna) each sliver was well worth the wait. I watched fresh mutz appear out of nowhere, ingesting it with yellow tomato and special salt seconds (tuna) later, not to forget that dash of olive oil. (tuna)
Pork belly, gelato, moscato, pizza, tuna tuna tuna tuna tuna tuna tuna, rosé, red, white, red.
And I circle back to the TUNA — which was probably my favorite thing here. I’m a huge sushi fan, a huge tequila fan, and a huge fruit fan, so pairing all that into a sushi grade tuna type dish with a bunch of extras to round out the dish was perfect. I won’t lie, I had 8 or more of these. Every time I walked by… the whole station pretty much told me to grab one.
As is true with all NJ elite events, I got to say hi to a few friends, and, of course, meet a few new ones. I walked in with nothing (except my +1) and left with a gift bag, a coupon that will surely bring me back, and a smile (also, my +1.)
A big thank you for the staff at Spuntino for dealing with a bunch of food-​craving, bottomlessly thirsty elites taking pictures of every move you made, asking you 1,000 questions at a time, coming back for seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, and ninths of all the food we found to be exceptionally delicious.
And of course, a huge thank you and shout out to Sara M for hosting an awesome, all around Jersey style event that will not soon be forgotten!
I think I need a few glasses of water if I expect to be anything resembling a productive person at work tomorrow.

What a fun night! Like most Unilocal events, I was greeted by friendly people and met some awesome friends. On to the food — they had stations for spaghetti w a garlic tomato sauce (it was great!), pork belly, homemade pizza (the sauce is on the sweet side), hand rolled fresh mozzarella (delicious), tuna watermelon crudo (which was like a tar tar –I didn’t care for it), and olive oil tastings, among other things.
They served several types of wine, gin and craft beers. My favorite was the Independent a Produce Merlot.