The Restaurant Guys

Trappist Ales Pig Toast!

Summer Sunday Pig Roast

Trappist Ales and Whole Roasted Pig

Every Sunday this summer, heaps of Jack Daniels barrel charcoal are laid upon a perfectly seasoned whole pig sometime in the late morning.  There is nothing quite as tasty as pig roasted whole. It's a celebration of life!  We call our summer Sunday events "Pig Toast" rather than "Pig Roast" because we always raise a glass of something special when the pig comes off the coals.  Now you never can be exact with a whole pig under charcoal, but we can assume he'll be ready to go around about 6 PM.  At that time we'll remove him from his box pour everyone a taste of that day's libation, 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. 

This Sunday's Pig will be toasted with a selection of Trappist brews. We will be pouring beer from Orval, Rochefort and Westmalle for the toast and these beers will be discounted for purchase all evening.
In addition, we will make some lambic ales (fruited ales) available from the Lindeman family brewery: not trappist but AMAZING with pig.

In 1997, seven Trappist abbeys – six from Belgium (Orval, Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Westmalle and Achel), one from the Netherlands (Koningshoeven) – founded the International Trappist Association (ITA) to prevent non-Trappist commercial companies from abusing the Trappist name. Koningshoeven is no longer under control of the monks, and so is no longer Trappist. 
Trappist products adhere to precise production criteria. For the beers, these criteria are the following:

• The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by the monks themselves or under their supervision.
• The brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life
• The brewery is not intended to be a profit-making venture. The income covers the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Whatever remains is donated to charity for social work and to help persons in need.
• Trappist breweries are constantly monitored to assure the irreproachable quality of their beers.

Sunday, we will pour Westmalle, Orval and Rochefort.  We will also have a selction of Lindeman's Lambic ale which go GREAT with pig!

Make a Reservation at [email protected] or 732-828-4444

White Blueberry Fizz

White Blueberry Fizz

Gin, Flower Water, Egg White, Much Shaking, Charged Water

 

Elizabeth White and Dr. Frederick Coville domesticated the blueberry right here in NJ, around the turn of the 20th century.  It had always been in important plant around these parts.  The flowers and berries were prized by Native Americans and early European settlers, but until White and Corville , it was always a wild berry that had to be foraged. New Jersey today is the second largest producer of blueberries and the largest producer of table quality blueberries in the world. The capital of the quality blueberry world is Hammonton, NJ.  There is nothing in the world that tastes like a blueberry.  It's sweet and complex and mild. 

There is almost no reason to mess with a drink like The Ramos Fizz. Invented here in New Orleans by Henry C. Ramos at The Imperial Cabinet Saloon on Gravier Street in 1888.  The most famous joint to serve it is The Roosevelt Hotel, which trademarked the name in 1935 and still makes a damn good one today.  Mark and I are headed there tonight and you can be sure we will be sporting the inevitable milk mustache of the Ramos Fizz.  It's a dangerous thing to go tinkering with a Ramos Fizz, but every year about tihs time we do.  Muddling in local blueberries, in season, in the blueberry capital of the world makes for a stellar enhancement.  We call this the White Blueberry Fizz (for Elizabeth). It's delicious.

 

Join us Friday for the White Blueberry Fizz.  It will be offered for $10.  We will pass hors d'oeuvres Friday evening from 6 until 10 and the most tasteful cocktail enthusiasts of The Garden State will be in attendance, as is their custom.

The Nixon

This Week's Cocktail - The Nixon

 

I'll wager most of you don't realize that there is a drink named for former President Richard Nixon.  The Nixon was created in 1969 to mark Nixon's visit to Britain.  It was mixed in The American Bar and sent over to Claridge's where Nixon was staying.  Our version is a surprisingly lovely and lithe concoction of Woodford Reserve Bourbon, fresh peaches (gloriously in season right now) and sloe gin, served on the rocks.   It's summertime in a glass.   

 

Friday Evening in The Cocktail Bar at Catherine Lombardi, The Nixon will be offered at a 33% discount. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres will be passed until 9 and the most tasteful cocktail enthusiasts in NJ will be in attendance, as is their custom. 

 

Sloe Gin Trivia: Sloe Gin is made from the fruit of the blackthorn tree.  This fruit is called a sloe berry. The blackthorn tree is really a bush.  Its branches, when cured, are prized for their hardness and weight.  Some of the best country walking sticks in the world are made from blackthorn.  Also the Irish weapon known as a shillelagh is made from blackthorn.  There is a martial art that centers on the use of the shillelagh.  And when one refers to a condition where "shillelagh law" applies, one is referring to a brawl.

 

Friday, I will have at the bar, a true shillelagh for display purposes only (unless any of you gets really out of hand, then we won't hesitate to use it).

JM Rhum 1994

I don't know about you, but from the picture, I think that the Rhum guys have more fun than the Scotch guys.

Thursday, July 26 - The Spirits Project at Catherine Lombardi will feature

Rhum J.M. 1994
Suggested Retail Price is  $259    We will pour one ounce for $8

Located on the northernmost tip of Martinique at the base of an active volcano, and dating from 1845, Rhum J.M has a truly unique terroir for its estate-grown sugarcane. The island of Martinique itself carries an AOC Rhum classification, the only such classification of its kind, as the island is recognized as the the world’s premier sugarcane growing area. The intense tropical heat and humidity of the island plus the rich volcanic soil of Rhum J.M creates a unique microclimate that yields the highest quality sugarcane and therefore rhums. Rhum J.M was started by the Crassous de Médeuil family. The distillery and estate are still family-owned and have passed through four generations while maintaining the traditions and standards from when the distillery was founded over 160 years ago.  Rhum J.M. Vieux was distilled directly from this estate-grown, hand-cut, fresh pressed sugar cane juice in 1994 then aged for 15 years in ex-bourbon barrels. 

On Thursday, we will open just one bottle at precisely 6:30.  When it's gone, it's gone.  I do hope you can join us.

 

Next Week in The Spirits Project

Interleven 1979 Scotch Whisky

 

Mark and Francis in the Big Easy

 

Hello My Friends,

Mark and I just arrived in New Orleans.  We set foot once again on terra firma at Louis Armstrong Int'l Airport and made our way to The Hotel Monteleone.  Now late July is not exactly the most sought-after time to sojourn in The Big Easy.  But in late July every year, there is the largest cocktail conference in the world: Tales of The Cocktail.

It started 10 years ago with a small group of cocktailians, attending from around the country, to share knowledge, techniques, products and innovations.  There was some pretty good eating and drinking and music and fun as well.  Over the years, the conference has grown exponentially.

I will always remember a few years back, two other conventions were in town at the same time as Tales.  The city was overrun with bartenders, cardiologists and swingers.   Here are a few observations from that year: Let's just say, you always knew who was who when you got on the elevator.  The bartenders and swingers had more fun than the cardiologists, except for the few cardiologists who started hanging out with the swingers.  What happens in N.O., stays in N.O.

This year 20,000 people are attending this conference, which is geared entirely to professionals.  I'm presenting a seminar tomorrow, but then Mark and I are going to spend a few days taking it all in, having a good time and recording for the radio show.  There's a lot to be learned when a good percentage of the best bartenders, bar owners and distillers get together for a sit down.  It also says amazing things about how we as a culture have again embraced what H.L. Mencken called "the greatest of all the contributions of the American way of life to the salvation of humanity." He was referring, of course, to the cocktail.

Enjoy the sidewalk cafe and the fantastic weather in our absence. Our able staff will be running the place for a few days until we return, but I will remain available to answer your emails. When in New Orleans, however, I never reply after 10 PM.  Never drink and type.   Friday's cocktail is going to be GREAT, and can only be had in blueberry season.  Perfect weather is forecast for this Sunday's Pig Roast.  Don't forget Big Night and the Dalmore Scotch Dinner.   And remember, you don't need a special occasion to come join us!

Here is one little gift to you.  You MUST check out this music video "Mixologist" when you have a moment for a laugh.  Here's the link.  It got 46,000 views in its first 5 days!

Warmly,
Francis

Pig Toast with Uinta

Sunday's Pig Roast

The Beers of Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City

 

Last Week: Champagne

This Week: Great Beers!

 

 

So last week, Mark got in only one game of petanque before we had to admit defeat.  The metal boules actually started to get hot!  But the Champagne was a big hit and so was the pig (mostly eaten inside, in the nice cool air conditioned dining rooms)!  This coming week, we're featuring the excellent beers from our friends at Uinta Brewing in Salt Lake City. 

 

I remember the first and only time I rode in to Salt Lake City.  It was late at night as my friend Laurence and I rode by The Great Salt lake on our motorcycles.  We had picked up a couple of Harley Davidson's in Missoula Montana, headed through Wyoming and Yellowstone.  After hanging out with the buffalo for a while, spent the most boring motorcyle ride of my life headed straight south in Idaho. Idaho = very boring...like a potato, only more bland. On our way to the Utah dessert and Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder, Utah, we spend an evening in Salt Lake City.  Not my kind of town.  But Uinta!  That's a great beer. 

 

The pig will be roasted and the sauce and accouterments will be Kansas City style.  If the weather remains the same, we will be blasting the air conditioning so that you can look at our lovely sidewalk cafe as you enter and through the windows.  If, by some stroke of luck, the weather breaks, we will serve outside as well!

Big Night is Coming August 10th!

BIG NIGHT

The Ultimate Food Movie: Very Funny - Very Jersey

Private Screening Room at The Heldrich

Dinner at Catherine Lombardi

Friday, August 10th

 

Click Here For The Trailer

If you love food, you must see this film!

 

This is one of Mark and my 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, 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.  If you haven't seen the film, you should!  If you have, you know you should come.   It's just so darned civilized. 

 

The Menu:

Italian Wedding Soup 

---

Trio of Traditional Risotto

---- 

Timpano Stage Left Style

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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.  And you KNOW we have great Italian country wines!

 

Call 732.828.4444 or just email me back.  Film starts at 6:30 -  Dinner Immediately Following in Catherine Lombardi.  The Heldrich Hotel is offering a special rate for the evening $75!!!.  Why not make a night of it?  We'll make the hotel reservation for you as well!

Bunnahabhain (Scott's Selection) 1977

 

 

 

Thursday, July 12 - The Spirits Project at Catherine Lombardi will feature

Bunnahabhain (Scott's Selection) 1977

Suggested Retail Price is  $239   We will pour one ounce for $7

 

Bunnahabhain has been continuously producing on the island of Islay since 1881.  Their distillery and aging room sit hard-by the chilly Northern ocean, which lends to Bunnahabhain whiskies (and to an extent all Islay whiskies) a certain freshness and almost briny, sea-air quality.  Unlike many Islay distilleries, Bunnahabhain does not heavily peat the barley that goes into their whisky.  Don't let that fool you into thinking it's not layered with complexity and power.  Bunnahabhain is singular among whiskies.  It's a distillery with a point of view.

 

This week, we will open a merchant whisky barrel from the year 1977.

 

On Thursday, we will open just one bottle at precisely 6:30.  When it's gone, it's gone.  I do hope you can join us.

 

Next Week in The Spirits Project

Rhum JM 15 Year - 1994 Vintage

Burgundy

Hello My Friends,

With just the briefest break of tolerable weather, we're sweltering once again.  It is the hottest summer on record in the U.S.  Have I just wasted two sentences stating the obvious?  Perhaps.

 

I thought you might be interested to know that we're not the only ones experiencing freakish weather this summer.  Burgundy is a mess!!!  I know that you count on me for interesting food and wine news from around the world, so I thought you might find this interesting.

 

Tomorrow, the high in Beaune is forecast at 67 F.  In the last few days its dipped down into the 50's there.  They've had a summer experience just the oppposite of our own, and with disastrous effects to date.  It's been remarkably gray, cold and rainy there.  To add insult to injury, June went out with a hail the size of yoyos (to quote Jancis Robinson).  I love Jancis Robinson, by the way, because she comes up with great quotes like "hail the size of yoyos."  I didn't even know yoyos were a standard size.

 

The book is not closed on the vintage yet and some of the finest wines have come out of vintages with very difficult weather, but this one's gonna be a doozy.  Let's wait and see and send positive thoughts to those farmers there drowning in the chill, and to our farmers here sweltering in the heat and drought.  Farming is a difficult and delicate vocation.  Let's remember that while the weather may cause us inconvenience or discomfort, it means a lot more than that to a lot of hard-working people.   

 

Click on the picture below to visit Jancis' website.  You'll need to subscribe to read the rest of the article.

 

Bastille Day Pig with Perrier Jouet

Bastille Day in New Brunswick!

We say to the Bastille Day Pig: "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!"

We say to our guests: "Let them eat cake

(and pig and drink Perrier-Jouet Champagne)!"

 

Did you know that Mark Pascal's ancestors were granted an inheritable Papal dispensation from the requirement abstain from meat on Friday's (now only a requirement for Catholics during Lent).  Mark is always keen to point this out as he chomps down on a cheeseburger almost every Friday in April.   

 

Be sure to ask him why his family was granted this perpetual indulgence.  It seems the Pascals were charged with guarding the King of France.  To wit I respond: "Great job, Mark's Ancestors!"

 

This coming Sunday, July 15, our pig roast will celebrate Bastille Day (July 14th) with our most ambitious and decadent pig roast yet.  Perrier Jouet Champagne will be our sponsor!

 

 

That's right!!!  Champagne with our Pig!  The Pig will be roasted whole with herbs de Provence.  At the appropriate time, all in attendance will be supplied with a glass of Perrier Jouet Champagne.  We will only remove and butcher the pig when the crowd assembled has sufficiently and loudly cried "Off with his Head!" 

 

We all know, Marie Antoinette did not say, "Let them eat cake." 

She said, "Let them Eat Brioche."

We shall serve brioche with our dinner and our Brioche Bread Pudding for desert is delectable.