La Pasteria Enters A Whole New Era

Good news for Italian food lovers in Summit: despite extensive renovations, La Pastaria is still open for business.

"I was tired of looking at the same old stuff," said co-owner Shari Angelo. "After 17 years, it's time for a change, time for an update. It's almost like putting together a whole new restaurant."

The front of the building is being redone with mahogany doors on the storefront. The main dining room is undergoing renovations, and the two smaller rooms are already completed and hosting customers. Angelo says the restaurant is going for a cleaner look, without the distraction of murals on the walls.

"Of course (the renovation) affects business," said Angelo. But Angelo originally wanted to close during the work and longtime customers balked. Every day, dozens of people brave the dust and the noise for a meal at their favorite restaurant.

"It's the best restaurant in New York or New Jersey," said Joan Damino, loyal customer and owner of Salon Bangles in Springfield.

"It's nice to know that people appreciate us," Angelo said.

One of the main features of the new La Pastaria is the arches around the top of the walls in each room. The Angelo family has employed artist David Heffernan, who also did the artwork in the Village Trattoria, to decorate them. Fruit and vegetables are the main themes. Angelo's grandparents, who were big influences on their children's and grandchildren's lives, often talked about fruits of the spirit: love, joy, self control, patience. The artwork is as much a tribute to the grandparents as their portrait superimposed on the menu.

For a family as spirited as they are spiritual, planning the renovation was a raucous affair. Angelo has co-owned the restaurant with her brother Phillip and their mother, Emanuela since 1993, and said Emanuela often acted as "referee" while Shari and Phillip "went at it."

"Everybody has different ideas, and there has to be compromise," said Angelo, and added that the common ground reached made the renovations even more attractive.

Angelo is unsure when the renovations will be completed, but the contractor, Lenny Leider and the Leider group, have been hard at work since February and Angelo thinks it won't be much longer. And the family would like to reassure customers that the price of the renovation won't be reflected on the menu.

"The only thing that's changing is the fresh new look," Angelo said. "There will be no price increase. We're entering a whole new era for La Pastaria."