Caio Amici!
You always hear about the Italian restaurant from the Irish partner, but I thought this week, this should come from me. Catherine Lombardi liked Francis quite a bit, but some things you need to hear from the horse's mouth...or...keyboard.
Please join us in celebrating the TENTH ANNIVERSARY of Catherine Lombardi Restaurant! Can you believe it?
When we were building Catherine Lombardi I was sure of a couple of things: The place would be beautiful and you would love the food. Everyone who had my grandmother's food was in love with it! There were two phenomenon I hadn't counted on. The first was how it would make me feel. Some days when I walk up the stairs from Stage Left and I am greeted by the smells of garlic and basil sauteing or meatballs being blackened in the pan it actually feels like walking into her house. I can't explain it better than that but it's a really good feeling. The other thing I hadn't counted on was how it would make many of you feel. Nearly every night someone will stop me and talk about the pictures on the walls and the flavors of the foods bringing them back memories of their grandmother's Sunday dinners. That's a really good feeling too.
Our mission has always been to bring the same level of care and respect to Italian-American cuisine in Catherine Lombardi that we have always brought to the Contemporary American cuisine in Stage Left. We’re glad the idea caught on. A few years after we opened, the very talented guys from Carbone, opened a similar concept in New York and snagged a Michelin star with it. We think that is great.
Catherine Lombardi never ordered a free-ranging, organic chicken. But of course, the chickens she got from her local butcher for most of her life were just that. Catherine Lombardi had it right, and so did her butcher, and so do we. This food done well and with skill and care is positively soul-satisfying. We hope we show that every day. We put up thousands of pounds of local tomatoes every August to make our gravy and marinara all year long. We start to make the mozzarella the moment you order it. We buy great meat and fish and pay attention to all the ingredients. We bake the bread and cookies every day. Pignoli’s are still my favorite. Hopefully it shows in the food and that’s why you all keep coming back.
Of course, we do bring in some elements that Catherine Lombardi would not have touched. Truffles? I think she would smack me if she saw the cost of truffles. While we’re rooted in the past, I think you can see that our specials and some of our dishes incorporate more contemporary flourishes. Our wine selection is a far cry from the gallon jug Grandpa kept at his foot and doled out when he felt it was time for you to have more.
The Cocktail Bar at Catherine Lombardi was the first dedicated craft cocktail bar in the state of New Jersey. Let’s just say it’s been a smashing success. With the help of our good friend Dale DeGroff, Stage Left was the launching point of NJ's craft cocktail movement in 1993. The Cocktail Bar at Catherine Lombardi was New Jersey's first dedicated craft cocktail bar. The last couple of decades has seen the cocktail scene in New Brunswick flourishing and we welcome our new neighbors. But we never lose sight of the fact that it's YOU that makes all of this possible. My family and I thank you.
--Mark Pascal