The Restaurant Guys

Waiter, There Are Strawberries on My Linguine!

Gael Greene was one of the most important restaurant critics in New York for more than forty years. Back in 1968, when Gael started reviewing for New York Magazine, she was immediately an important voice. By the time Mark and I started in the business, her voice was second only to The New York Times. Her history is amazing: She slept with Elvis! She coined the term "Foodie!"

So Mark and I were delighted when she invited us to attend a lecture and review a new restaurant with her. It was June, 2009. The restaurant was Sfoglia on the Upper East Side. The dish that blew us all away was Chef Ron Suhanosky's Spaghetti with Tomatoes & Strawberries. Upon reading the menu, we recognized a gauntlet thrown down. It sounded so unlikely. It was a revelation! Chef explained that it only only only works with fresh, local strawberries, in season. With California Driscolls, it's a train wreck.

Well, this year we've just taken delivery on some great local strawberries. We personalize the Suhanosky's recipe slightly.,It's remarkable and we're delighted to report that we're offering Linguine with Preserved Local Tomatoes and Strawberries in Catherine Lombardi beginning tonight. Strawberry season is very short and very fickle so we've no guarantees how long this will be around. We have not made this dish in the last few years because the local strawberries weren't good enough.

Make a reservation here.

Check out our interview with Gael Green here.

Smith-Madrone Wine Dinner

I have been trying to get Stu Smith to come here to host a wine dinner for about ten years. He's a phenomenally nice guy and his wines are just screamingly delicious, age-worthy, mountain wines. I've had the great good fortune to speak with him at length many times, and each time, I have implored him to come meet you wonderful people. Stu is not a spotlight kind of guy though. He would rather farm and make wine than take center stage. Finally though...finally, he has agreed to come. What's more, he's bringing some back vintages from his library. Here are Cabernet, Chardonnay and Riesling to blow your doors off.

There is a commonality among wines from very high elevations that was not recognized or understood for a long long time. Mark and I have always sought these out and Stu's Smith-Madrone wines are just some of the most beautiful and powerful examples in the world. Smith-Madrone is directly above Stony Hill Winery, one of our other great favorites and hidden gems of age-worthy mountain wine.

[If you would like to read the most comprehensive article ever written on the topic of high-elevation wines in Napa, click here for a ground-breaking article by Christy Canterbury, our favorite Master of Wine. It costs £10 to read the article but it's worth every pence. We cannot recommend Ms. Canterbury's wine writing enough. It's brilliant.]

All Smith-Madrone wines are made entirely from the winery's dry-farmed estate vineyards surrounding the winery on top of Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley. The vineyards sit at elevations between 1,300 and 2,000 feet, on steep slopes which range up to 35%. Trust me, that's crazy!

Dinner with Stuart Smith

The Wines of Smith Madrone

Friday, June 19, 7 PM

Hors d’Oeuvres
Chardonnay 2012

Lobster Lasagna
Orange Peel
Riesling 2012
Riesling 2005

Chilled Duck Breast
Duck Terrine & Pistachio
Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Veal Braciole
Australian Black Truffles
Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

Fernet Branca Ice Cream Parfait Valrhona Chocolate, Malted Mint Milk Shake
Coffee

$129 plus tax and service

I do hope you can join us. Reserve a spot by calling 732-828-4444 or [email protected]

This Sunday: Lobster & Soft Shell Crab Fest

1.25 lb Lobster for $25
Two 1.25 lb Lobsters for $39
Lobster Roll $19

Have a complimentary glass of La Galantine Bandol Rosé with any entree, lobster roll or burger.

Our regular menu will also be offered.

Seating from 4-10 PM

It's supposed to be a beautiful evening. Make a reservation here.

You can also pick up Stage Left meats for grilling at home. Details here.

The Spirits Project: Deanston "Cognac Barrel" 18 Year

Making the experience of super-luxury spirits crazily affordable and accessible!
Read more about the Spirits project.

• Suggested retail price: $179
  
• Thursday, May 21 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring a one-ounce pour for $6

Deanston first acquired its name in 1500, when Walter Drummond (the Dean of Dunblane) inherited the lands now known as Deanston from the Haldanes of Gleneagles. The Scots word ‘dean’ was coupled with the Scots Gaelic term ‘toun’, meaning farm/settlement, to make Deanston.

The site was a cotton mill from 1785 to 1965. That’s 180 years! As the need for Scottish cotton mills was on the wane, there was a strong market for good Scottish whisky. Deanston Distillers Ltd converted Deanston Mill into a malt whisky distillery in 1965.

The soft, fast flow of the River Teith made the site ideal for whisky production. Three floors were removed to make room for four copper stills and a mash tun. The constant, cool temperature of the weaving shed made it ideal for whisky maturation.

Deanston started bottling in 1971 and the first single malt was named Old Bannockburn. Teith Mill, a blended whisky, was also produced at this time - a kiosk was set up at Blair Drummond Safari Park which sold Old Bannockburn and Teith Mill in take-away cartons.

In 1974, the first single malt bearing the name Deanston was produced. Sadly, after a downturn in the whisky industry, Deanston Distillery ceased production in 1982. Finally, Deanston was purchased by its current owners Burn Stewart Distillers Limited in 1990. These folks also happen to own Tobermory on The Isle of Mull and the delightful Bunnahabhain on Islay.

Deanston is now the only distillery in Scotland to be self-sufficient in electricity, with power generated by an on-site hydro-energy facility. Deanston sits in the Highlands and produces whisky which is handmade by ten local craftsmen, un-chill filtered, natural colour and bottled at 46.3%.

Master Distiller Ian MacMillan took a barrel of spirit that was almost twelve years old and transferred it to old Cognac barrels. He let it continue to rest for its final six years. The result of his labor, this Deanston 18, will be available to you beginning this evening.

The Wines For Summer: Walk Around Wine Tasting

Saturday, May 30 - 2:30 - 5:30 PM

Spring is a time when most wineries release their new vintages. Mark and I have tasted thousands of new wines in 2015 and we would like to share some of our extraordinary finds with you. To that end, on Saturday, May 30th, we will host a walk-around wine tasting with more than 20 of our new finds. We will have everything from great summer Rose, German Riesling and White Burgundy to Italian country wines, red Bandols from near Provence, remarkable Cru Beaujolais and sparkling Moscato.

The tasting will be from 3:30 to 6 PM and the cost is $25, which will be credited toward your first case of wine, should you choose to purchase a case. Reservations are required. Please call 732-828-4444 to reserve a spot.

The Stage Left Butcher Shop Is Open for Memorial Day Weekend

We've Got Great Meat! 

For Memorial Day Weekend, we're making selections of the meats we use in the restaurant available for our guests to take home and 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)	$85	each
Dry Aged Bone-In Filet Mignon (Amazing) (1 lb)	$45	each
Whole Tenderloin of Beef: Cleaned - Ready-to-Cook (~3 lb)	$125	each
Berkshire Pork Porterhouse Chops (14 ounce)	$12	each
Nature Veal Porterhouse Chops (approx 16 oz.)	$20	each
Stage Left Burger 11oz (w/ 3-yr cheddar, roll, chipotle)	$10	each
Amish Bacon	$8	lb
Wild Boar Chili (Great for Chili Cheese Dogs)	$19	1 qt
Pulled Pork	$15	lb
Wagyu Flatiron	$25	7-8 oz

*All weights are approximate; to order, call 732.828.4444 or email [email protected].

To guarantee delivery, orders must be received by Thursday, May 21 at 5 PM

Memorial Day Weekend

You got to FIGHT for your RIGHT to PAAAARTY! 
(with lobsters and soft shell crabs)

Okay, so I've had more than one glass of that rose; but it's created the perfect mindset to inform you of our plans for the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend. We're ringing in the summer in Stage Left on Sunday, May 24th with Lobster and Soft Shell Crabs. Weather permitting, we'll be seating in the sidewalk cafe; but whatever the weather, crustaceans will abound and the cellar is brimming with the wines of summer.

And that's a picture of a cute lobster-baby...just because.

We'll be seating for dinner from 4-10 PM. We'll be offering a complimentary glass of Bandol rosé (the favorite summer wine of Provence), with any entree, including our Lobster Rolls, Soft Shell Crab sandwiches or even our famous Stage Left burger. Come share in a toast to summer number 2015! Make a reservation here.

Super-Rhone Wine Dinner This Tuesday

As I write, I am drinking a glass of rose...a killer glass of Le Chene Bleu rosé. I know I've written before about this upcoming dinner with Nicole Rolet of the Rhone Valley; however I cannot help but beat this drum one final time before Tuesday's dinner. rosé, white and red, these wines are exceptional and unique in the world. I know that Le Chene Bleu is not well-known (yet), but please recall that neither were the likes of George Hendry nor Paul Hobbs when we first introduced those gentlemen to The Great Garden State.

I believe in these wines and I would like to show them to you and share them with you. We've constructed an extraordinary menu and Nicole herself will be here to contextualize this singular domaine at the intersection of four distinct Rhone Valley appellations. If you can join us, please consider it. View the menu and further details here. Make reservations by emailing me directly or calling 732-828-4444. I hope you can join us. You will not be disappointed!!!

"Like the Super Tuscan producers, they decided to step out of the appellation system...which resulted in wines of stunning grace and freshness...one is going to be hearing a lot more about Chêne Bleu — it could be the world’s first Super Rhône." --The Wall Street Journal

The Spirits Project: Ledaig/Tobermory 13 Year 2001 - Blackadder Raw Cask

Making the experience of super-luxury spirits crazily affordable and accessible!
Read more about the Spirits project.

• Suggested retail price: $159
  
• Thursday, May 14 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring a one-ounce pour for $5

We are continuing our journey through the Blakcadder marks, which have just become available to NJ. We're impressed so far. All Blackadder whiskies are single-barrel bottlings, with no chill-filtering and no color added. Their "Raw Cask" bottlings are bottled at cask strength, passing only through a rough sieve. The bottles even contain flecks of barrel char that are not filtered out.

From Blackadder

Filtering and cold stabilization, also remove many of the natural fats, oils and flavors in the whisky which, in turn, removes a great deal of the individual character of a whisky, as the esters, or flavor congeners, in the spirit tend to gather around these fats. The more a whisky is chilled when filtering, the greater the proportion of fats and esters are removed.

Blackadder was founded by Robin Tucek, co-author of The Malt Whisky File. All Blackadder whiskies are his personal selection.

This week's bottling is from the Tobermory Distillery, founded in 1798 by John Sinclair, under the name Ledaig. Tobermory is the only distillery on the Isle of Mull. It is quite small, producing only about 750,000 liters. The malted barley is shipped from the Port Ellen maltings at the South-East of Islay. The water for the distillery comes from a private loch near to the Mishnish lochs.

They use a traditional copper–domed cast iron mash tun, four washbacks made of Oregon pine, and four spirit stills. The whisky is matured in both former bourbon whiskey and sherry casks.

As the aging warehouse was sold off as flats in one of the many periods of inactivity, aging takes place at the distillery at Deanston.

Crawfish Have Arrived

So you know that we started Stage Left 23 years ago with the idea (revolutionary at the time) that we would feature seasonal and local products. Some locavore restaurants take the locality to an extreme and I admire them for it. We have a different approach. We celebrate what is best locally. We source the best food from our area. There is no reason to buy a tomato from South America when Jersey tomatoes are in season.

However, we do not deny ourselves (nor you) the many wonderful things that are unique to other places. So we do bring in truffles from France, Italy and Australia and we bring you morels from the Pacific Northwest. Another very seasonal American product that is anything but local, is the Louisiana Crawfish. They've arrived. We're serving these little guys in Stage Left as an appetizer.