The Restaurant Guys

Labor Day Weekend Cookout: Sunday, September 4

Though Labor Day is just around the corner, it's not gone yet! Stage Left's Sidewalk Cafe seems to be where everyone wants to eat this summer. The produce of the season is in full swing. We're canning Catherine Lombardi's year's supply of tomatoes and the History of The Tomato tasting menu is offered every night in Stage Left to great acclaim. Make a reservation any night in Stage Left to literally eat your way through 400 years of tomato history.

We are going to punctuate the end of the official summer season with our annual LABOR DAY WEEKEND COOKOUT on Sunday, September 4.

Food (Seating 2:30 - 9PM)

On the sidewalk (and in Stage Left), we'll be serving our Famous Burger, Lobster Rolls, Soft Shell Crab Sandwiches, Wild Salmon, Grilled Giant Prawns, Wild-Boar-Chili-Cheese Dogs, St. Louis Ribs, our entire Steak Menu, and a Mixed-Grill for those who can't decide! It won't be exclusively a meat-fest, as tomatoes and corn are at the height of their season.

Music (4-7 PM)

We'll have live music on the street from 4 to 7 PM, provided by The New Brunswick Jazz Project (NBJP.org).

Bourbon (Timeless, but the bottle engraver will be here from 4-6)

Woodford Bourbon is sponsoring this event. Woodford is a lovely sipping bourbon in its own right, and it makes a particularly sophisticated Julep. We'll offer an array of cocktails, particularly suited to Woodford (including the last juleps of the season). Several different marks of Woodford will be available to try.

Engraved Bottles (4-6 PM)

You can see above, just how cool an engraved bottle of Woodford can be (even if you're not a Kentucky Wildcat fan). You can purchase a Woodford bottle and we'll have an engraver on-site to personalize as many bottles as you like. This is a great way to get some Christmas shopping done early. I have given out personalized bottles of Woodford and they are very very much appreciated.

Reservations here or at 732-828-4444

Stage Left Butcher Shop is Open For Labor Day Weekend

If you're cooking at home on Labor Day weekend, you may as well cook with the finest. At Stage Left, we get the finest. As we often do on these Holiday Weekends, we are offering a selection of our meats for your home grilling.

21-28 Day Dry Aged Prime Angus ~ 3 Lb Porterhouse	$90
Dry-Aged, Bone-In Filet Mignon ~ 1 LB	$45
Whole Flatiron Steak (25 to 37 oz.)	$15	/LB
Berkshire Pork Porterhouse Chops (12-14 oz)	$12
Nature Veal Porterhouse Chop 15/16 ozv$25
Stage Left Burger 10/11oz with 3-yr Cheddar, Roll, Chipotle	$10	/ each
Amish Bacon	$8	/LB
Wild Boar Chili	$15	/LB
Pulled Pork	$15	/LB
Wagyu Flatiron Steak (~7 oz)	$25
45 - Day Dry-Aged Prime Tomahawk (36 - 42 oz)	$90

Place order [email protected] or by calling 732-828-4444.

Please order by Thursday 9/1 by 5 PM to ensure availability.

Newsflash for Wild Salmon Lovers

We are scheduled to get a shipment of Taku River Salmon on Saturday.

Might be a good night to come in for dinner.

Click the Image for a Great Video

The Spirits Project: Port Dundas 42 Year Scotch by Duncan Taylor

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

• Suggested retail price: $499 (only 42 BOTTLES produced!)
• Thursday, August 25 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring one ounce for $15

This is an extremely rare and very unusual bottling. It is one of only 42 bottles produced and it is a ghost whisky (meaning that the distillery is closed). For years, Dundas produced wheat whisky (as opposed to malted whisky) for the likes of Johnnie Walker, Black & White and other good commercial brands. Some of the best stock was kept aside, but rarely released. Here, the fellows over at Duncan Taylor have bottled a rare bird indeed. It was distilled in 1973, probably by a Scotsman wearing bell bottoms, and bottled by DT in 2015. Rarely do we get to see a single-barrel wheat whisky with any significant age on it, never mind 42 years. I look forward to opening it.

In an effort to tempt you in over the weekend (for our tomato menu or our radio play or our dinner and a movie), we're going to offer it at cost ($15) through the weekend, as long as the supply lasts.

We will open one bottle of each at precisely 6:30 PM. When it's gone, it's gone. I hope to see you there.

Next Week in The Spirits Project:
"Five Lions" Burnside Distillery, Scotland

Gaslight: A Staged Radio Play, at Stage Left

Why would anyone go see a radio play? Because it's a super amount of fun. That's why.

Our friends at Raconteur Radio return to present a live radio play.

Raconteur Radio Presents
Gaslight: A Staged Radio Play

with Laurence Mintz, Jason Jackson, and Danielle Illario
at Stage Left Restaurant
Sunday, August 28 - 7 PM

Why does the flame go down? No one in the house has lit any other lamps, and yet it dims. Then brightens. And what about the footsteps overhead, seemingly from the sealed attic? Something is slowly driving Paula Alquist mad. Is it the house? Where Paula's aunt, a famous and beautiful concert singer, was murdered ten years before, her lifeless body discovered by the young Paula herself? Or is it her new husband, an older man she met in Italy who convinces her to return to the murder scene and make it their home? What does he do for a living? Why does he go out every night and leave her alone to fret and worry? These are the questions that Scotland Yard detective Brian Cameron seeks to answer before Paula is driven completely and utterly insane. Theatrical lighting! Period costumes! Golden Age radio equipment! Vintage commercials!

This is just a super fun, throwback of an evening.
Show $15 & Two Drink Minimum
or Complimentary with Dinner

[email protected] or 732-828-4444

Raconteur Radio stages theatrical presentations of vintage radio plays, classic works of literature, and pop culture parodies for live audiences throughout the Tri-State area. They've been called "family friendly guerrilla theater" by the New York Times, one of "the 7 best things to do in NJ" by the Newark Star-Ledger, "Epic!" by Lev Grossman (of Time Magazine) Utterly unique!" by Kyle Hartzell (of NPR), "Dazzling!" by Megan Ryan (of WNYC), "Spellbinding!" by Tom Lynch (of Theatre World), "Thrilling!" by Barry Monush (of the Museum of Television & Radio), "innovative & entertaining" by MyCentralJersey.com, and "Outstanding!" by Lee Pfeiffer (of Cinema Retro Magazine). For more info visit, www.RaconteurRadio.com

Dinner and a Movie: Chef!

Eater.com says Chef is one of the top 13 movie chefs of all time!

On Friday, August 26, we will show Chef in the private screening room of The Heldrich Hotel, right across the street. Afterwards, we will offer communal seating for a special tasting menu in Stage Left, inspired by the film. Of course, if you would like to just see the film and dine with us a la carte, that works too.

The screening is complimentary with dinner either way.

Chef: Dinner

Grilled Cheese
Humboldt Fog and 3yr Aged Vermont Cheddar

Cuban Sandwich
Pork Belly and Jamon Iberico de Bellota
House-made Pickles

50-Day Dry Aged Ribeye Steak
Yucca Fries
Plantain Sauce

Dessert
Berries with Sweet Cream
Molten Lava Cake

$79

Blue Crab and Spaghetti Dinner - Jersey Italian Style - Sunday, August 21

Crabs in Marinara with Spaghetti, Clams, Garlic Mussels, Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms and wine!

As this is a meal that screams to be enjoyed al fresco, Catherine Lombardi is going to take over The Stage Left's Sidewalk Cafe Sunday, August 21. You can dine in Catherine Lombardi's dining room or out on the sidewalk. In a joyous summer tradition of the Lombardi family, blue crabs will be tossed in marinara and served over spaghetti. We'll have great Italian wines from the Perusini Family, our favorite producers in the Oltrepo Pavese region of Italy.

Spaghetti with Crabs and Marinara will be $24.95
For those not inclined to work at the hard-shelled crabs, we will also offer spaghetti and soft shell crabs for $34.95.
Rain or shine, we will be eating crabs from 4 - 9 PM. Reserve here or call 732-296-9463.

Art Sale: Sunday, August 21

We're changing all the artwork. These are licensed reproductions and all beautifully framed. So if you would like to have some beautiful artwork, that is also a bit of Stage Left history on your walls, now is your chance. We will have a wine reception and art sale. Sunday, August 21 from 4-7 PM. We will serve wine and light hors d'oeuvres. Please rsvp in advance if you would like to come. [email protected].

Wines by Perusini and Light Hors d'Oeuvres

We will also have a striking, large, hand-crafted, antique teak desk that needs a new home.

The Spirits Project: Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year

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

It retails for $1,800 per bottle...IF you can find it

Thursday, August 18, we're pouring one ounce for $25

Pappy Van Winkle: Simply, the most in-demand bourbon in the world. Very hard to find. 

We will open one bottle of each at precisely 6:30 PM
When it's gone, it's gone. I hope to see you there.

Next Week in The Spirits Project:
"Five Lions" Burnside Distillery, Scotland

NJ Monthly Magazine Readers' Choice Poll

The results are in:

• Catherine Lombardi was named Best Italian Restaurant and
• Stage Left was named for Best Burger.

While you knew that all along, we're grateful you helped us spread the word.

Thank you!