The Restaurant Guys

The Spirits Project: Thursday, September 1

Read more about the Spirits project.

Mezcal Del Maguey "Pechuga" 2004 Bottling (Numbered Bottle 322) Estimated retail price: $250 per bottle; Thursday, we're pouring one ounce for $8!

Tequila is a place, an the mezcal that comes from Tequila is called by the place name, much like the wines of Burgundy are often simply called Burgundies. There are other regions of Mexico however, whose practice of mezcal making is as old and in many cases more authentic and difficult than that of the more-well -known Tequila. Oaxaca is one such really special place. The agave is caramelized and made ready for fermentation by burying it in the ground with hot coals as has been done for many years.

The pioneer of bringing these artisanal spirits to America is Ron Cooper. We're proud to call Ron a friend. We're also proud that we were the first restaurant in NJ to offer Ron's mezcal. We have one old bottle of the rarest of all types of Oaxacan mezcal, The Pechuga. The current bottling is an 07 or 08. You will not find this spirit anywhere.

Pechuga means "breast" and in this case it refers to the chicken breast used in the making of this particular rare "bird" of a spirit. The Pechuga production season is limited to year end due to the special ingredients: Wild mountain apples and plums that must be in season and cannot be substituted. Pechuga is begun with Minero; mezcal that has already been double distilled. In preparation for a third distillation they place about 75 liters of mezcal in the still and add about 25 lbs of wild mountain apples and plums, big red plantain bananas, pineapples, a handful of almonds and a few pounds of uncooked white rice.

Next, a whole chicken breast, skin removed, bone structure complete, is washed in running water for about three hours to remove any grease. This is then suspended by strings in the atmosphere of the still and a 24 hour, third distillation is begun. The vapor passes over the pechuga and condenses into a crystal clear liquid that has an amazing taste and smoothness. The reason for the breast they say, is so the mezcal is not dominated by the fruit...a balance.

Upon completion the Pechuga is removed from the still and hung in the family Altar room...the most important space in the house.

False Mezcal labeling in the commercial production Towns and sales in Cities is endemic to Tobalá, Pechuga as well as Minero. There is no way to find a TRUE bottle of any of these special mezcals other than the village they were made in, any place in Mexico including Oaxaca!

This is the real deal. It's truly unlike any other spirit in the world. Unfortunately, There Is No Vegetarian Version.

This Sunday, We Roast a Whole Lamb

And a free sweater to one lucky guest!*

This Sunday, instead of a pig, we're roasting a whole lamb. The wonderful thing about a lamb is that it's constructed of chops and loins and legs and all sorts of other wonderful delectable parts. While we're all familiar with how delicious these discrete bits can be when cooked separately, in the hands of our talented kitchen and sealed in the feiry box called Caja China, the whole roasted lamb takes on a character all its own.

The Lamb is scheduled to come off around 6 PM. At that time we'll remove him from his box and all present shall Raise a Glass to the Lamb. Mark and I will pour a round of Gin Gin Mules, complimentary to all revelers present at the moment of unveiling-- BUT LAMBY GOODNESS WILL CONTINUE ALL NIGHT, so if you can't make in time for the toast, come anyway!

We'll serve 1/2 lb portions 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. Even for those not present at the Toast, the Whole Roasted Lamb special will be available for the balance of the night, as long as it lasts!

Reservations:
732-828-4444 or
http://www.StageLeft.com/reservations/ (just note that you're coming for roasted lamb).

* You know I'm kidding about the sweater, right?

The Bloody Americano

No, I've not adopted a British accent. But there's a new spirit available in NJ. It's a blood orange liqueur from Sicily called Solerno.

The traditional Americano is a lovely, tall summer drink of Campari and sweet vermouth topped with soda. Inspired by this we combine Campari and Solerno Blood Orange in a tall glass with crushed ice and Q-Tonic for a bracing late-summer refresher.

Friday we will serve The Bloody Americano in The Catherine Lombardi Bar at a 33% discount. We will pass hors d'oeuvres from 5:30 - 9 PM, and the most tasteful cocktail enthusiasts of The Garden State will be in attendance, as is their custom.

The Spirits Project: Thursday, August 25

Read more about the Spirits project.

Guillon-Painturaud "Hors d'Age" (30-Year-Old) Cognac Estimated retail price: $299 per bottle; Thursday, we're pouring one ounce for $6.50!

The Guillon-Painturaud family has occupied their property since the early 1600s.  It's not a large estate-- about 38 acres of vineyard-- but it is an extraordinary estate.  

We've taken on several of their bottlings (including an excellent pineau de charantes).  We're actually making cocktails with their V.S. (We're crazy, yes, but try a French 125, or an Improved Cocktail, or a Sazerac with Guillon-Paintaraud VSOP and you'll be ruined for life).  

Hors d'Age is a name like VS or VSOP or XO.  It literally means "Beyond Age."  In cognac it denotes a very high quality of bottling that has significant age and quality beyond just what it's age would indicate.  

The cognac in this bottle is an average 30 years old.  It is uncommon, rare old brandy from a tiny little family producer with four hundred years' experience. 

Labor Day 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 Labor Day 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 holiday-weekend fare. 

This year, we'll be celebrating on Sunday, 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

September 4, 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

By Popular Demand: We've Got Your Goat Again!

I never got more emails than I did after our last Goat Roast. Both goat afficionados and the uninitiated were blown away by the amazing flavor and texture of freshly roasted whole goat and the festive air of the Goat Roast.

So, this Sunday, instead of roasting a whole pig, we're again going goat. If you came to the last goat roast, we know we'll see you again. If you missed it, here's a chance you should not pass up. You don't roast a whole goat every day!

If you allow us to get your goat this Sunday, we will bring it to you with some with Naan Bread, Curried Yogurt Sauce and Kaffir Lime Scented Jasmine Rice. 

Our goat is scheduled to come off around 6 PM. At that time we'll remove him from his box and all present shall Toast The Goat. Mark and I will pour a complimentary round of libation to all revelers present at the moment of unveiling! BUT THERE WILL BE GOATISH GOODNESS AVAILABLE ALL NIGHT.

We'll serve 1/2 lb portions 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. Even for those not present at the Toast, the Whole Roasted Goat special will be available for the balance of the night, as long as it lasts!

Reservations (just note that you're coming for goat): 732-828-4444 or online.

The Bellini Cocktail

For those of you not inclined to a stronger bourbon drink, we feature The Bellini.  

The Bellini, of course, was invented at Harry's Bar in Venice in the 1940s. A Bellini is not made with Champagne, as most people think:  It is made with Prosecco and peach nectar.  

We offer Bellini all year round, utilizing an excellent bottled white peach nectar; but there is nothing like a Bellini made from the best white peaches, in season.

This week, we're also featuring The Nixon-- for two reasons:

1. These peaches are the very best of the season; AND
2. I was just featured in a cool cocktail video where I make a Nixon.  (This week's peaches are amazing Wightman's white peaches, even better than the ones in the video!)

Both Cocktails will be offered at $8 Friday and Saturday.  Hors d'oeuvres will be passed until 9 PM Friday, and the most tasteful cocktail enthusiasts of The Garden State will be in attendance, as is their custom.  We hope you will join us. 

Mixing Cocktails with Francis Schott

Here's a video of me making drinks on Patch.com. Please note, I even wore a peach color shirt! The peaches we're using now are MUCH more juicy!

View the video on New Brunswick Patch

The Spirits Project: Thursday, August 11

Read more about the Spirits project.

Calvados Camut "Prestige" (40-50 Years Old) - (estimated retail price: $400 per bottle) Thursday, we're pouring one ounce for $12!!!

In Normandy, it's not about grapes. It's about apples. Since the 1800s, the Camut family has grown 115 acres of apple trees in the Pays d'Auge, the finest growing region for Calvados. The Camut family grow about 25 different types of apples, all hand-harvested at optimum maturity, between October and mid-December. While pears are allowed in Calvados, only apples grown on the Camut property are used in Camut Calvados.

Cider is made from these apples and rests in oak barrels for ten or eleven months. In September, the cider is double-distilled through two of the property's wood-fueled stills, one of which is 75 years old. During the first two years, the Calvados is frequently transferred between barrels in an effort to promote oxidation. No new barrels are used. Most have their origin in The Limousin Forest and average 50 years of age. In the third year, the Calvados is placed in large wooden vats or "foudre." These are always kept between 2/3 and 3/4 full which allows for a constant exchange of oxygen and gradual reduction and concentration of the apple brandy. This is not the most economical way to make or age a spirit. Quite the opposite. Time alone has mellowed the rich, lush calvados of Camut.

Camut releases 6 year, 12 year, 18 year bottlings. More rare are the special reserves: "Reserve de Semainville" (25-30 year), "Reserve d'Adrien" (35-40 year) and "Prestige" (40-50 year). These older calvados truly show that these are not just some of the finest calvados in the world, but they are some of the finest spirits in the world!

Tremendously rich and thick: nutty vanilla on the nose, smoky, baked apple, balanced, earthy complexity

Peruvian Pig Toast: Sunday, August 7, Rain or Shine!

This Sunday, we celebrate all things Peruvian with our Roasted Pig with Pisco Sours and Pisco Punch by Pisco Porton.

The pig itself is rubbed in salt, lime, garlic, paprika and cumin. This is not all that different from the pig traditions of many other South American countries. What is particularly Peruvian however is Pisco!

About Pisco

Pisco is the most popular spirit in South America. It first appeared in The United States pre-prohibition in San Francisco, but never really made a comeback until recently. Both Peru and Chile lay claim to the origin of Pisco. DO NOT get in the middle of that argument if you are ever in a bar with a Peruvian and an Chilean!

Pisco Porton is a new product to America, at one of the oldest distilleries in the world. Porton is made on the Hacienda La Caravedo, where pisco has been made since 1684. You read that right: that's 327 years! While it sits on one of the oldest distillery sites in the world, Master Distiller Johnny Schuler has made a tremendous investment of time, money and talent. The new distillery is one of the most advanced artisanal distilleries anywhere. The methods he brings to bear to produce Pisco Porton are above and beyond what any other Pisco producer has ever done. Check out an excellent video explaining the whole thing: 

The Toast

So this Sunday, we'll toast the pig with Porton Pisco Sours. We'll also offer Porton Pisco Punch and you can taste the Porton side by side with other Pisco.

At approximately 6 PM, our pig will emerge from under the coals. We'll give him a parade fitting his noble sacrifice and all present shall Toast The Pig (in Spanish). We will shake up Porton Pisco Sours to all revelers present at the moment of unveiling! It's as much about the Pig Toast as it is about the Pig Roast! Of course while we're toasting, chef will be rendering the guest of honor into some delicious plates of roasted pork.

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.

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 it lasts! And likewise the pisco!

If it rains, we'll seat you inside and the toast will happen under umbrellas!

Make a reservation by calling 732-828-4444 or email [email protected].