The Restaurant Guys

Jacqui Naylor will return to Catherine Lombardi Sunday, November 27th

Long time readers of this email will recall that the night I met Jacqui Naylor, our favorite jazz singer, involved a rare and unusual bullfight in Madrid, an accidental invitation to dinner with The Marqués de Griñón, Spanish brandy, aged Cuban cigars and a beautiful Jazz singer. If you would like the details, click here (that link is an entry from a prior performance - disregard those dates). Jacqui has since gone on to release ten albums and tour all over the world to great critical acclaim. Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than smart. I'm cognizant of my own great good fortune in meeting Jacqui early on, and glad I can spread that good fortune to you by bringing this amazing Jazz singer to New Brunswick.

Jacqui Naylor will return to Catherine Lombardi Sunday, November 27th.

That's a perfect way to top off Thanksgiving weekend. Jacqui and her quartet will perform at 7:15 in the dining room. We will seat for dinner until 6:15 so that you can enjoy dinner before the show. We will serve cocktails through the performance and after.

Jacqui's album have made the “top ten” lists of USA Today, Jazziz & Washington Post.

"Naylor remains one of the most superbly arresting vocalists around. " — JazzTimes

"Naylor excels as a sensitive song interpreter with unerring intonation. " — DownBeat

"Jacqui has a sumptuous voice, knack for scratchiness, and an ability to sweeten those bluesy bent notes. " — Village Voice

Tickets to see Jacqui are $39 with a 2-drink minimum (or equivalent).
With dinner, tickets to the show are just $25!

[email protected] or 732-296-9463

We will feature wine by The Marqués de Griñón and The Jacqui Naylor Cocktail, a smoky affair involving scotch, orange juice and fine old vermouth.

The Spirits Project: Lock Stock & Barrel Rye 16 Year

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

• Suggested retail price: $159
• Thursday, October 27 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring one ounce for $5

Let me tell you about an extraordinary man named Rob Cooper. I didn't know Rob well. I first met him when he launched his signature product St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur circa 2007, a product that is now behind almost every bar in America. It is very very good and Rob brought it to market against all odds and great skepticism. That product was a result of this one man's dogged determination. He was the little elderflower-powered engine that could. After its great success, Rob went on to recreate and bring to market historical products that had fallen out of production. Bartenders around the world rejoiced at his resurrection of Creme Yvette and who could not be pleased with the whimsical Slow 'n Low Rock 'n Rye.

On our second meeting a year or two later, he was surprised and a little dismayed to learn that we weren't carrying St. Germain behind our bars. You see Mark and I have long loved the elderflower flavor in cocktails. Since 1995, we have been using a traditional a non-alcoholic elderflower syrup from the Austrian winery, Nikolaihof. When I explained that to Rob, he gave me a pass. It seems elderflower syrup like the 'hollarblutendsirup' from Nikoliahof were the inspiration for St. Germain.

I did get an email from him when Creme Yvette was launched. He wanted to be sure we weren't using some traditional old violet syrup he didn't know about. It was funny, and of course, we've carried the Creme Yvette since it's launch. In short, Rob was a peach. Both he and his products had great integrity and great taste.

Rob passed away this April at the much too young age of 39.

He had turned his attention to whisky. While his contributions on the liqueur front impacted bartending worldwide, I can only imagine what his impact would have been on the whiskey game. He had acquired some stock of old rye, which he continued to age in barrel. Shortly before his passing, Rob completed what will be his last project, Lock, Stock and Barrel 13 year American Rye whiskey. I am not at all surprised that it is just freaking extraordinary. It reminds me of old bottles of pre-Prohibition Pennsylvania rye that I've been lucky enough to try. The world has certainly missed out on the extraordinary things Rob would have done in the whisky world. We will be pouring Rob's last product, at cost, Thursday. I will raise my glass with my ounce to him. Down to the last drop, here's a guy who made a difference.

Next Week in The Spirits Project
Auchroisk 25 Year Scotch

New Stage Left Bar Menu!

To Coincide with the Newly Renovated Stage Left, We've Launched a New Bar Menu
Available at The Bar and Bar Tables

Snacks
Cashew Caramel Corn 6

Roasted Nuts 6
Olive Oil, Garlic, Chipotle

Charcuterie
Country Pate 10

Lamb and Bacon Terrine 12

50 day Dry aged Beef & Jamon Terrine 19

Charcuterie’s Friends
Pickle Plate 9
Eggs, Beets, Ramps, Corn, Red Onion, Fennel, Cucumber

A Category by Itself
The Stage Left Burger 16
Aged Vermont Cheddar & Chipotle Mayonnaise
  …add Amish Bacon 3
  …add Steak Fries 6  

Sandwiches
Grilled Cheese 15
Artisanal Cheese on Brioche with House-made Pickles
Truffle Honey

Chicken Sandwich 17
Wood Grilled with Aged Vermont Cheddar & Amish Bacon

Duck Confit Sandwich 18
General Tso’s, Jalapeno Cole Slaw, Fresh Radish

Open-faced Cuban Sandwich 22
Mojo Pork Belly, Jamon Iberico, Bone Marrow
Nababbo & Vieux Chimay Cheeses

Salads
Spinach Salad 13
Warm Bacon Vinaigrette, Shallots, Hard Boiled Egg

Steak Salad 18
Blue Cheese, Candied Pecans, Shallot Vinaigrette

Tempura
Chicken Tempura 14
Sweet Chili Sauce

Priorat: Modern Wines of Spain

Dinner with Valenti Llagostera of Mas Doix
Thursday, November 10

We're excited to announce a winemaker dinner we've been trying to put in place for over a year. I met Valenti a couple of years back at a professional tasting in New York. His wines just blew me away: Four exhilarating bottles from his Priorat estate, one more profound than the next. Wow. I asked him to come host a dinner on the spot. He is not in the country too often but finally, we've got him committed to a date. I hope you can join us.

Grape vines and olive trees grow where nothing else will. While some of the world's wine regions are quite lush, some of the world's most compelling wines come from hardscrabble places that, in winter, more resemble the moon or some alien landscape. Cote Rotie is one such place. Priorat is another. Priorat is the region in Spain where the innovative and the historic come together with thrilling results.

Cellar Mas Doix is an exciting young winery created by the Doix & Llagostera family in 1998; but it is the modern manifestation of a tradition that began in 1850. It was two generations back when Juan Extrems Doix took gold medals for these vineyards in Paris (1878) and Barcelona (1888). His grandson Juan Doix and Valenti Llagostera are tending those vineyards today, with similarly spectacular results.

The vineyards are planted to Cariñena (114 years old), Garnacha (80 years old), Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot! High altitude, the rugged land and extreme slope of the hillside imbue the grapes with a power that will bring a smile to lovers of New World Cabernet and a brooding earthiness that will delight European traditionalists. They are shockingly good.

We're delighted that Valenti Llagostera of Mas Doix will be here to present his wines at dinner on Thursday, November 10. These are big, bold and beautiful wines, we've created a great dinner to match and there is no better ambassador of the region than Valenti. I hope you can join us.

Hors d'Oeuvres
Bubbles

Chestnut Soup
Grilled Lion's Main Mushrooms
Priorat Les Crestes 2015

Roasted Duck Breast
Braised Winter Vegetables
Priorat Salanques 2013
Priorat Salanques 2008 (from magnum)

Venison Strip Loin with Apples and Foie Gras
or
Beef Strip Steak
Priorat Costers de Vinyes Velles 2012 (from magnum)
Priorat "Cuvee 1902" 2012

Apple and Bourbon-Nectarine Cobbler
With Pecan Streusel

$179 per person
[email protected]
732-828-4444

Duncan Taylor "Rare Auld Scotch" Grain Whisky

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

• Suggested retail price: $459
• Thursday, October 20 (for as long as it lasts), we're pouring one ounce for $13

We've been loving aged grain whisky these days. This week, we offer yet another Duncan Taylor "Rare Auld Scotch" Grain Whisky. Single-grain Scotch whisky is counter intuitively not from a single grain. Go figure. It must be from a single distillery. But it's a combination of malted barley and other cereals, either malted or unmalted. Unlike Single-Malt, it may contain wheat, corn, rye and/or unmalted barley. Single-grain scotch is always unpeated and lighter in style. This distinct style lets the oak speak a little more and provides an entirely different textural experience. Over the years the number of grain distillery have decreased and now there are only 8 left in Scotland.

Girvan is a Lowland distillery owned by William Grant & Sons, the same people behind Balvenie and Glenfiddich. Girvan (opened in 1963) has a massive production, but a few single casks were purchased and set aside for long aging by wine merchants Duncan Taylor. Frankly, we've been amazed at the last two "Rare Auld Grain" bottlings from DT. We're very much looking forward to this bottle, distilled in September of 1974 and bottled in January of 2015.

We will open one bottle on Thursday at 6:30 precisely. I hope you can join us.

Next Week in The Spirits Project
Lock Stock & Barrel Rye 16 Year

The Dining Room Stinks a Little Bit... Oh, Wait... Truffles!

James Beard held that, gastronomically speaking, the white truffle is greatest expression of the land and caviar is the greatest expression of the sea. He was correct, of course.

Alexandre Dumas wrote "The most learned men have been questioned as to the nature of this tuber, and after two thousand years of argument and discussion their answer is the same as it was on the first day: we do not know. The truffles themselves have been interrogated, and have answered simply: eat us and praise the Lord."

The Ancient Romans thought that truffles resulted from lightening strikes.

The point is, that they have always been considered, one of the finest and rarest foods on the planet. White truffle season is upon us. They arrive Thursday and we're putting them right to use with a Truffle Tasting Menu in Stage Left. The menu is carefully crafted to show the truffles at their best. We're standing by to make excellent wine pairings from Burgundy, The Rhone, and The New World. Come join us.

Stage Left White Truffle Menu

White Truffle and Vanilla Poached Giant Prawn

Wagyu Short Rib
with White Truffle Gnocchi

Grilled Veal Loin
with Humbolt Fog Polenta, Egg yolk, White Truffle

Mascarpone Cheesecake
with Truffle Honey, Figs, Truffle Powder

$179 per person

Make a reservation here and just note that you'll be coming for the tasting menu. We'll be offering it Thursday 10/20 through Monday 10/24.

Truffles in Catherine Lombardi and Stage Left

Starting Thursday, you can also order truffles as an add-on over any dish in Stage Left and Catherine Lombardi for 5 grams for $50. They are remarkable over Garganelli with Truffled Cream Sauce, they make a Veal Chop sing and many particularly decadent guests (and one particularly decadent restaurant owner) make a tradition of the Truffled Stage Left Burger! You read that right. don't knock it till you've tried it.

Click here for Stage Left Reservations
Click here for Catherine Lombardi Reservations

A Halloween Weekend Staycation?

We can get you a great rate at The Heldrich Hotel.

Radio Play Friday,

Art Opening and Walkaround Wine Tasting Saturday,

The Heldrich Spa and Pool in-Between.

Stage Left Special Rates from $99
[email protected]

Autumn Walk-Around Wine Tasting: Saturday, October 29, 2:30 - 5PM

Come Meet Paddy Saturday Afternoon, October 29. Concurrently, we will hold our Autumn Walk-Around Wine Tasting. We'll also be presenting fifteen exciting new wines for your sampling pleasure.

The cost of the Reception and Wine Tasting is $25. Which is Applicable to the purchase of your first case of wine.

Reservations are strongly suggested.
[email protected]
or 732-828-4444

The New Stage Left: Restaurant and Gallery Space

As we approach our 25th year on Livingston Avenue, we've entirely remodeled Stage Left.

Opening Reception with Artist Paddy Cohn
Saturday, October 29, 2:30 - 5PM

While there are some finishing touches to be done, the transformation soon will be complete. Don't wait until then to come see us, but do come to the official unveiling on October 30.

While we've created a striking and delicious modern space, we've also returned to some traditions of our opening days. For instance, we are once again an art gallery. We could not be more excited about the first artist to show in our new Stage Left.

Paddy Cohn

Paddy's extended Caribbean family has roots in St Bart’s, St. Thomas and Guadeloupe. Her art has an inherent quality found in objects and materials with patina and soul. “ I love experimenting with color and texture: powerful tools.” After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Paddy worked for many years as a textile designer in Manhattan.

Inspired by her professional work and her origins and life-long connection with the Caribbean, Paddy decided to devote herself full-time to her primary passion, creating beautiful artwork inspired by the islands. From soaring paintings of the natural elements, to abstracts that range from brooding to celebrations of life, the work has been exceedingly well-received.

We consider ourselves lucky to have her paintings all around our restaurant.

Come Meet Paddy Saturday Afternoon, October 30.

Penn & Teller at The State Theater: Thursday, October 27th at 8 PM

They're almost sold out & most good seats are gone but we have just a few premium tickets put aside for our guests. Dine before or after the show.

[email protected]
[email protected]

They won't last.
Tickets are $99 and in limited supply and will sell out.