The Restaurant Guys

Dinner and a Movie: Big Night

Screening at The Heldrich - Dinner at Catherine Lombardi - Friday July 22nd

Click image For trailer and info

If you love food, you must see this film!

This is one of our favorite nights of the year and Big Night is our absolute favorite Foodie Film.

A cult classic, it's a hysterical account of the sometimes heated relationship of two brothers who open a very forward-looking Italian restaurant in not-so-forward-looking New Jersey of the 1950's. It stars Stanley Tucci, Tony Shaloub, Isabella Rossellini, Mark Anthony, and Minnie Driver to name just a few.

The Italian Feast at the center of the film will be recreated immediately following. We will dine at large communal tables in Catherine Lombardi.

The Private Screening Room at The Heldrich Hotel right across the street is a wonderful place to see a film and the bar remains open during the movie. It's just so darned civilized.

The Menu

• Italian Wedding Soup
• Trio of Traditional Risotto
• Timpano Stage Left Style
• Mixed Family Style Feast
• Roasted Organic Chicken, Whole Roasted Branzino,Roasted Suckling Pig, Zucchini Flowers, Roasted Garlic with Broccoli Rabe and our famous Garlic Bread
• Flambé Pascal

Dinner and the movie is $99 or $125 with Italian country wines.

Film starts at 6:30 - Dinner Immediately Following in Catherine Lombardi

The Heldrich Hotel is offering a special rate of $99 for the evening. Why not make a night of it?

Reservations: 732-828-4444.

Friday Night Cocktail: The Florodora (A Raspberry Drink from 1900)

These were the hottest girls of 1900 New York.  

They starred in a wildly successful Theater show called The Florodora.  By all accounts, it wasn't a remarkable show, except of course for these sex kittens.  They were the Kardashians, Paris, J-Lo, Beyonce and Jessica Biel of their day; and they weren't afraid to show alittle ankle every now and again!  When you add that to the fact that they were a "Sextette," it was almost too much raw passion for immediate post-19th century New York to handle.

In 1901, the New York Evening World reported that the Florodora cocktail was created for one of these pretty maidens by a barman named Jimmy O'Brian.  (The specifics are detailed in my friend David Wondrich's wonderful book, Imbibe.)

It's a tall drink, consisting of Gin, Lime, Raspberry Syrup, and Ginger Ale: A perfect summer cooler.

This Friday, in the Cocktail Bar at Catherine Lombardi, the Florodora will be servedfor a 33% discount.  Hors d' oeuvres will be passed from 6-9 PM and the most tasteful cocktail enthusiasts of The Garden State will be in attendance, as is their custom.  I do hope you join us. 

Podcast: John Mariani

John Mariani, food writer for Esquire Magazine, joins Mark and Francis to discuss his new book, How Italian Food Conquered the World.  They discuss Italian food, both in the United States and abroad; how, over the years, Italian food took hold in the U.S.; and how Italian immigrants found access to familiar (and unfamiliar) ingredients after moving to the U.S.

.

 

MP3 Available: Click here to listen, right click to download. 

See also:

• www.johnmariani.com
• How Italian Food Conquered the World at Amazon.com: Read about it | Buy it

Podcast Date: 6/20/2011

http://www.restaurantguysradio.com/sle/rg/content/shows/index.asp?show_id=531

A Live Radio Play in Stage Left: Sherlock Holmes

What's that?  A radio play performed in front of a live audience of diners with cocktails in hand?  It's elementary, my dear readers.  Those Stage Left fellows are always blazing new trails to entice their guests. 

THE FINAL PROBLEM by Arthur Conan Doyle
Theatrical Adaptation by Alex Dawson

Holmes asks Watson to accompany him on a Continental "holiday" designed to thwart the relentless pursuit of the Napoleon of crime himself, Professor Moriarty. The story culminates with a fateful square off at "a dreadful cauldron of swirling water and seething foam" known as Reichenbach Falls. Period Costumes! Theatrical Lighting! Sound Effects! Period Cocktails!

On July 7, we will gather in the bar of Catherine Lombardi at 6:30 PM and be served a Victorian punch.  At 6:45 we will retire to a secret dining room to view the spectacle of the great detective.  Afterwards we will sup on a luxurious dinner with choices in each course that might well have been shared by Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson.   

First Course

Choice of:

• Oyster Pan Roast
• Pate de Foie Gras 
• Quail Stuffed with Black Lentils
• Summer Pea and Mint Soup 

Main Course

Choice of:

• Huffed Pheasant with Apples and Gooseberries
• Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding
• Trout with a Hasty Pudding 
• Duck with Onion Tart, Blackberry and Ginger
• Scottish Salmon with Fingerling Potatoes  

Dessert

Choice of:

• An English Trifle
• Blueberry Crumble  

This is a price fix dinner for $75 per person, plus tax and service.  Pre-dinner punch is included in this price. Other beverages are not.

Advice will be offered on what beverages would be appropriate to the period.   

Period attire including houndstooth anything and deerstalker hats are welcome. 

Pipe and cigar smoking on the sidewalk cafe afterward.  

Reserve: 732-828-4444 extension 200

Stage Left Prime Cuts For Grilling on Father's Day!

Simply Put: We've Got Great Meat! 

Dads grill on Father's Day.  They deserve the best raw materials to work with.  So we're making selections of the meats we use in the restaurant available for you to take home for Dad to grill at your family's cookout.  We've spent years cultivating relationships with purveyors who meet our exacting standards.  You cannot find this kind of meat in any supermarket (or even in most quality butchers).   The Stage Left Burger is included.   

• 21-28 Dry Aged Prime Angus Porterhouse (3 lb)
• Angus Cowboy Steak (20 oz)
• Grass-Fed Flatiron Steak (10 oz)
• American Wagyu Flatiron Steak (9 oz)
• Nature Veal Porterhouse (approx 16 oz - Like a Chop)
• Nature Veal Rib Chop ( 14 -16 oz - A Classic)
• Stage Left Burger 11oz (with 3 Yr cheddar, roll & chipotle mayo)
• Thick-Cut Amish Bacon (to die for) 

*All weights are approximate; please call for current prices.

 

Fourth of July Weekend: Cookout at Stage Left!

Good taste never takes a holiday, and there's no reason cookout food can't be exceptional.

Every year we celebrate the Fourth of July with a Cookout-Style Menu at Stage Left. It's a natural use of our wood-burning grill on our nation's birthday.  It's a casual day, casual attire is welcome, and a casual Niman Ranch Fearless Frank Chili-dog with Wild Boar Chili is a perfect upgrade to standard Fourth of July fare. 

This year, we'll be celebrating on July 3, and we will add the pig roast element. The pig is scheduled to come off the coals at 3:30. But of course, he will come off whenever he is ready.

If you're out sailing off The Hamptons that weekend, good for you. If you're not, come to our pig roast and that will be good for you!

We will serve from 3 PM till 9. Reserve by calling 732.828.4444.

Pig Roast & Cookout Style Menu at Stage Left

July 3, 2011, 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Whole Roasted Pig Comes off the Jim Beam Charcoal at 3:30. From that point, we’ll offer plates of roasted pork for $20 per ½ lb, $29 per lb.

Barbeque Plate for Four ($15 per person)

• Wild Boar Niman Ranch Chili-Cheese Dog with Wild Boar Chili and Aged Cheddar,
• Cheeseburger
• ¼ Rack Niman Ranch St. Louis Ribs
• Pulled Pork Sandwich
• Grilled Corn on The Cob
• Grilled Pineapple
• Watermelon
• Potato Salad

Mixed Grill for Four ($29 per person)

• Veal Chop
• Pork Chop
• Sausage
• Pastrami Cured Flatiron Steak
• Quail
• Corn on the Cob
• Grilled Pineapple
• Watermelon
• Potato Salad 

Appetizers

• Chilled Vegetable Gazpacho $8
• Jersey Corn and Crab Chowder $9
• Grilled Wild Boar Chili $10
• Quail, Grilled On A Skewer With Pickled Sungold Cherry Tomatoes $10
• Arugula Salad with Parmesan Cheese, Olive Oil and Lemon $8

Sandwich / Burgers and Dogs 
(All served with choice of side)

• Stage Left Burger (Food Network's Best Burger in NJ) $18 new price
• Grilled Niman Ranch Fearless Franks (2) $10
• Niman Ranch Chili Cheese Dog with Wild Boar Chili and Aged Cheddar (2) $14
• Pulled Duroc-Berkshire Pork Sandwiches $15

From The Wood-Burning Grill (right on the sidewalk)
(All served with choice of side and a Sauce)

Fish

• Grilled Scottish Salmon, with Lime and Cilantro $28
• Grilled Swordfish with Grilled Pineapple and Melon Chutney $38

Meat

• ½ Rack Niman Ranch St. Louis Ribs $19
• 9 oz Pastrami Cured Flatiron Steak $25
• Filet Mignon (9 oz) $32
• Wild Boar Chop $42
• Veal Chop (14-16 oz) $42
• Berkshire Pork Porterhouse $28

New Brunswick's Summer Pig Roast...er, Toast

On Sundays this summer, beginning June 26, the air of New Brunswick will be perfumed with the scent of roasting pig (how delightful)!  You see, we're a little bit in love with our sidewalk cafe and so we're going to put it to good use.  

Now you may ask, "Well Francis, what did that pig ever do to you, aside from standing over there looking all delicious?"  Well, nothing really but the dirty deed will have been done and it's YOUR responsibility to make sure that our little piggy did not die in vain!

While we will roast a pig, I don't know if I would consider this a "pig roast;" more of a Pig Toast! 

Heaps of Jack Daniels Barrel charcoal will be laid upon a perfectly seasoned whole pig sometime in the late morning every Sunday.  You never can be exact with a whole pig under charcoal, but we can assume he'll be ready to go around about 5:15 PM.  

At that time Mark and I will pour a complimentary round of libation, we'll remove him from his box, give him a parade fitting his noble sacrifice (the squeamish will be given fair warning to remove themselves from the arena) and all present shall Toast the Pig!

Of course while we're toasting, chef will be rendering the guest of honor into some delicious plates of roasted pork.  In a decadently downscale departure, we'll serve a 1/2 lb portion for $20 and a 1 lb portion for $29.  It can be enjoyed family-style, right alongside our more elegant dining room offerings, or at the bar or at cafe tables alongside our famous burger and bar menu. 

We'll also prepare a couple of different regional American barbeque sauces, corn bread, and black-eyed peas in hoppin john.

Even for those not present at the Pig Toast, the whole roasted pig special will be available for the balance of the night, as long as he lasts! 

New Brunswick's First Summer Pig Toast - June 26th Rain or Shine! (If it rains, we'll seat you inside and the toast will happen under umbrellas.)

Make a reservation by calling 732-828-4444.

First Fruit: Strawberry Tasting Menu

We perceive local strawberries at the height of the season as incredibly sweet, but it's not so.  California Frankenstrawberries can be made to taste sweet.  

The magic these local strawberries possess is an extremely strawberry-ey intensity.  This makes them a remarkably versatile secret weapon in savory dishes, not just dessert.  

Trust us?  Come to Stage Left and experience a journey through an entire tasting menu that makes use of the summer fruit that is at its height right now! 

Chilled Strawberry Soup
Cracked Black Pepper 

A Crudo of Wild King Salmon
Indyk Farms Strawberry Vinaigrette & Baby Watercress 

 Long Island Duck Breast
Strawberry and Onion Tart  

Smoked Strawberries in a Crepe
Buttermilk Ice Cream  

$69 per person plus tax and service 

This menu will be offered for the rest of the week as long as the wild salmon and strawberries hold out!

Make a reservation now online or call 732-828-4444. 

 

Finally Here: Strawberries and the Cocktail Bar at Catherine Lombardi!

Chef just walked in from Indyk farm where we picked up some really terrific strawberries: The first of the season!  The rain last week really delayed things down on the farm but they were worth the wait!  Fresh local strawberries are radically different than the California Driscolls we get year round.  They're amazing.

What to do with a strawberry?

Daiquiris need be neither silly nor slushy.  The daiquiri pre-dates the ubiquitous use of the blender.  Hemingway drank many a daiquiri for heaven's sake (even had one named after him). You can be certain that if any barman ever served him anything slushy Papa H would have punched him square in the nose.  

A daiquiri is rum, lime and sugar.  From there you can make any sort of variation. The key is to use great rum and then add great flavor to it.  

Modern "daiquiri mix" (don't get me started) is designed to completely mask the flavor of the rum.  When using this stuff, it doesn't matter what kind of industrial swill is used off the speed rack.  You can't taste it anyway.  It's a child's slushy that tastes neither of real strawberries, nor of rum.  
Good rum, flavored with great strawberries is an entirely different story. 

Our strawberry daiquiris use Banks 5-Island Rum and fresh strawberries from Indyk's Farm.  We mix them by hand and there is be no blender involved.

Wild Salmon!!!

Wild salmon is radically different from farm-raised salmon (which accounts for 99% of the salmon on the market).  

You see, you are what you eat.  And therefore, you are what you eat eats!  

Wild salmon spends a lifetime feasting on the bounty of the ocean.  Around this time of year, the salmon that are mature enough begin to gather at the bays and inlets near the mouths of the rivers where they were born.  They start to fatten up, building up stores for their long journey up-river to their spawning ground. They also start to get extra tasty!

Wild salmon has flesh of a different texture and color than farm-raised; and the flavor is off the charts. An hour ago, we took delivery on some beautiful Wild King Salmon from The Ucluelet Bay at the mouth of The Columbia River.  

Chef is preparing it as an Entree in Stage Left this evening (and through the weekend as supplies last).   The dish will be Ucluelet Bay Wild King Salmon with Beets, Morels and Wild Greens (Dandelion Greens, Mustard Greens, Kai Choi & Pea Shoots).  

Come Eat Some!