The Restaurant Guys

Get a Jump on Valentine's Day at Catherine Lombardi

Friday February 10 through Monday February 13
Special Price Fix Menus for Two
with Bubbly

Catherine Lombardi Valentine's Day Price-Fix Menu

Includes 2 Glasses of Pertimali Prosecco
$99 per Couple
(you read that right)

First Course

Fried Calamari with Spicy and Sweet Marinara or
House-Made Fresh Mozzarella with Roasted Peppers and Basil or
Pear, Gorgonzola, Pecans, Greens, Honey Vinaigrette

Second Course

Garganelli Truffle Cream, Prosciutto, Asparagus
Manicotti Marinara
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Pork Osso Bucco with Polenta & Spinach
Eggplant Parmesan Sautéed Spinach and Marinara

Dessert

Mrs. Palmisano’s Cookie Plate
Rum Crème Brûlée
Sorbet

Reservations here

Get a Jump on Valentine's Day at Stage Left

Friday February 10 through Monday February 13
Special Price Fix Menus for Two
with Bubbly

Stage Left Valentine's Day Price-Fix Menu

Includes 2 Glasses of Sanger Champagne
$125 per Couple
(you read that right)

First Course

Salad of Shaved Winter Carrots, Pears
Pine Nuts, Black Garlic, Pickled Raisins
Or
BBQ Shrimp
Pickled Cauliflower, Shibumi Mushrooms,Ginger Puree

Second Course

Ricotta & Vegetable Gnocchi
Mushrooms, White Bean Tomato Puree
Kale, Charred Tomatoes, Bay Leaf Oil

Flat Iron Steak
Roasted Cauliflower, Chipotle Jus
Fried Shallots and Corn Bread

Seared Salmon
Bone Marrow and Root Vegetable Gratin,
Brussel Sprouts and Roasted Walnuts

Dessert

Crème Brûlée
Molten Valrhona Chocolate Cake
Sorbet

Reservations here

Stage Left Black Truffle Menu

White Truffle Season Has Passed.Black Truffle Season Is Upon Us.

50 Day Dry Aged Beef, Jamon and Truffle Terrine
Shaved Black Truffles

Truffle-Poached Gulf Shrimp
Truffle Seafood Chowder

Truffled Veal Loin
Anson Mills Polenta
Hen's Egg, Roasted Shibumi Farms Mushrooms

Mascarpone Cheesecake
Figs, Truffle Honey, Truffle Powder

$149
plus tax and service

Available in Stage Left Nightly
Reservations here or 732-828-4444

Stage Left White Truffle Menu

We're bringing back a white truffle tasting menu in Stage Left beginning Sunday, November 20 through Sunday, November 27th. Truffle season started out a little slow this year, but the ones we have in now are pretty fantastic. In addition to the truffle menu at Stage Left, Catherine Lombardi also offers 5 grams of truffles on any of our dishes for $50. Garganelli with Truffle Cream and Prosciutto is my personal favorite.

(We Also Sell Truffles for Home - Great on the Turkey)

Angel Hair
White Truffle

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

$189 per person

[email protected] or 732-828-4444
Nov 20 - 27 (except Thanksgiving)

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

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

The History of the Tomato in Seven Courses

Starts this Sunday, July 31, in Stage Left
Tasting Menu Available through August.

Menu

A Shot of Tomato Soup
and a BLT Amuse
NJ has been known for extraordinary tomato production since The Campbell’s Soup factory in Camden gobbled up as many tomatoes as we could grow in The Garden State...

Sungold Tomatoes and Hamachi
The first tomatoes to reach The Old World were assigned the name “pomo d’oro” by Sienese botanist Pietro Andrea Mattioli. “Pomo d’oro” translates literally as golden apple. We assume they were yellow tomatoes...

Varietal Tasting of Heirloom Tomatoes
House – Made Mozzarella
Roasted Pumpkin Seed Oil
Aged Balsamic Vinegar
The variety of tomatoes available today is breathtaking. This is a direct result of people supporting our local farmers at greenmarkets and demanding better, more interesting, and more local products...

Basil Linguini
Tomatoes, Jersey Corn
Pecorino Romano
The first mention of tomatoes with pasta didn’t occur until 1839 when Ippolito Cavalcanti, Duke of Buonvicino offered a recipe for Vermicelli con le Pommodoro.” The Sauce was the precursor to the modern Neapolitan tomato sauce...

Berhshire Pork Strip Loin
Classical Tomato Sauce a la Carême
The place of the tomato in Italian cuisine cannot be overstated, but its fundamental to French cuisine as well. Antonin Carême and Auguste Escoffier categorized hundreds of sauces that define classical French cuisine. The five “mother” sauces are Béchamel, Velouté, Espagnole, Hollandaise and…you guessed it…Tomato...

Flat Iron Steak
Aztec Sauce
Jalapeno Corn Bread
There aren’t many surviving Aztec recipes, so we’re working from various descriptions. The first western person to write of a sauce including tomatoes was Bernardino de Sahagún, a Franciscan missionary to the Aztecs, who made note of a prepared sauce offered for sale in Tenochtitlán (today’s Mexico City) some time before 1590. He reported that the sauce contained tomatoes, hot peppers and pumpkin seeds. The Aztecs also taught us how to use corn...

Candied Tomato Brûlée
Basil & Black Pepper & Balsamic Ice Cream
A Final Shot of Tomato Soup
We end our dinner story firmly in the present and with an eye to the future. American chefs are informed by the past but are not bound by it. The tomato’s balance of texture, sweetness and acidity and its existence in the middle-grounds between savory and sweet, between fruit and vegetable, provide chefs with an exciting area to explore, delight and surprise us in ways rarely considered. Witness the Candied Tomato Brûlée with Three Ice Creams...

Tasting Menu $79
Available Starting Sunday and Through August

For reservations, click here or [email protected]

German Wine Dinner with Johannes Selbach: Monday, June 13

Wine Expresses a Sense of Place. Click Image for Video of This Place

I cannot overstate the impact of Selbach-Oster wines on my own understanding of wine, not just German wine, but wine. I had always loved German wines. Then I met Johannes Selbach and I understood German wines. So many of them operate like a Shakespearean play. That touch of sweetness and friendly fruit makes them pleasant for the novice or casual drinker. The deep minerality and profound expressions of terroir and their ability to age for decades, conspire to reward the serious and thoughtful drinker and collector of German wines.

Johannes and Paul Hobbs. For a long time, the only thing they had in common was Stage Left, but they are now working on a project together in Upstate New York!

One of the most thoughtful producers of Riesling on the planet is Mr. Johannes Selbach. His family has been producing wines in the picturesque Mosel region for more than 400 years. His wines have been on our list for the last two decades. When I teach classes on Riesling, I always use Selbach-Oster wines as a benchmark. They are textbook examples of what they are supposed to be and also some of the most beautiful and nuanced expressions of their type.

I first met Mr. Selbach at a luncheon he invited me to in New York, circa 1994. He had with him some very old Rieslings from his cellar. It was then my own passion for collecting and aging Riesling was born. Did you know that some Rieslings that seem slightly sweet when young, seem to dry as they age? Did you know that Riesling is the most soil conductive white grape? Did you know that Riesling from The Mosel can have a distinctive slate character that reminds one of being on a flagstone patio after a rainstorm, particularly an electrical storm? Did you know that, even though Riesling changes dramatically in the bottle from year to year, it can age for decades?

If you would like put a toe in the water of German Riesling, we probably have one of the best German and Austrian wine lists on the East Coast. Come in any time. They are also exceedingly reasonably priced.

Please come meet our friend Johannes Selbach on June 13. The menu is below. [email protected] or 732-828-4444

Selbach Oster Dinner
June 13, 2016
Hors d'Oeuvres 6:30 Dinner at 7

Hors d’Oeuvres
A Walk-Around Tasting of New Releases

Soft Shell Crab
Riesling Kabinett “Zeltinger Sonnenuhr” 2014
Riesling Kabinett “Wehlener Sonnenuhr” 1992

Chicken and Rabbit Roulade
Pistachio, Vanilla, Carrots and Rabbit Mousse
Riesling “Anrecht” 2014
Riesling “Schmitt” 2014

Braised Short Rib and Roasted Maitake Mushroom
Australian Black Truffles and Marrow
Riesling Auslese “Bernkastler Badstubbe” 2014

Pistachio and Local Strawberry Tart
Riesling Auslese “Zeltinger Himmelreich” 2006

$139 per person
plus tax and service

[email protected] or 732-828-4444

Chimay Beer Dinner: Wednesday, June 1

Chimay is Brewed by Trappist Monks
The Profits Support the Abbey and The Rest Go To Charity

There is no more iconic Belgian beer than Chimay. It is first among Trappist Breweries, of which there are only eleven in the world. To be called Trappist, beers must be brewed by Trappist monks on the grounds of their monastery. Chimay has been brewed in the Notre-Dame de Scourmont Abbey in the the town of Chimay since 1862. The beer is just extraordinary.

Many people don't realize that many Belgian Beer age remarkably well. At Stage Left and Catherine Lombardi we have always aged beer and now we have one of the finest aged beer selections in the country. We're going to dig deep into our own cellar for this dinner, and also include some beers that are available nowhere else in NJ, and one rare bird that was only produced in 2012.

• Chimay Première (Red) is a dark brown colour dubbel with a sweet, fruity aroma.
• Chimay Grande Réserve (Blue) is considered "the classic" Chimay ale, it's deeply fruity and peppery with a creamy head.
• Chimay Spéciale Cent Cinquante (White) is an extremely rare bottling of Chimay Triple, brewed only one time, specifically for the 150th anniversary of the monastery. We've had a few cases in our cellar since 2012, resting patiently for three years, waiting for you to drink it at this dinner. It's brewed at 10% alcohol rather than the traditional 8% and has a unique spice profile.
• Chimay Dorée (Gold) is brewed from similar ingredients as the Red, but paler and spiced differently. It is a patersbier, intended only to be drunk at the Abbey. The monks themselves drink this variety rather than the stronger three. It is unusual for bottles of the Chimay Dorée to be available outside the Abbey. It's a rare indeed, but we'll have it there June 1.

Bobo Van Mechelen from Chimay (The man who brought Chimay to The United States) will be in attendance.

Chimay Dinner
June 1, 2016
6:30 Hors d'Oeuvres 7 PM Dinner

Hors d’Oeuvres
Chimay “Doree Single”
Drink like a monk!

Mussels with Garlic and Beer
Chimay Cinq Cents (White) 2016

Griggstown Quail, Stuffed with Foie Gras and Shibumi Farm Mushrooms
Chimay Premiere (Red) 2016
Chimay Premiere (Red) 2012

Stage Left Burger with Frites New Brunswicaine
Chimay Grand Reserve (Blue) 2016
Chimay Grand Reserve (Blue) 2012

Chimay Spéciale 150 Anniversary 2012 (3 oz)

Crème Brulee

$99 per person
plus tax and service

[email protected] or 732-828-4444

A Cult Winemaker of The Highest Order

Maggie Harrison: Some of The Best Wines in California

I would like to introduce you to an extraordinary winemaker. Maggie Harrison is making tiny quantities of some of the most exciting wines in America. They're hard to get. They're not cheap. They're worth every penny and more.

In the past, we've introduced you to winemakers like Paul Hobbs and George Hendry. When each of those quite famous winemakers first did a dinner in NJ, it was here; and few of our guests knew their names. This is another one of those moments.

Maggie just doesn't do dinners and her wines are very hard to come-by. We've been working on making this happen, since we had the great good fortune to meet her last year. It's late notice, but we prevailed upon her to come host a dinner on Monday, April 11. It will be an intimate and exclusive affair due to the late notice (and very little wine available).

Maggie was assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non for eight years before striking out on her own. She and her husband MIchael have made quite a name for themselves with the purchase of their own Antica Terra Pinot Noir in The Dundee Hills of Oregon.

The secret sauce however is the teeny tiny quantities of Lillian wine they produce from some of the best vineyards in California. Mark and I are beside ourselves with admiration for these wines. Lillian Roussanne is clearly the best Roussanne I have had from outside Hermitage in France, where it goes to make the rare, age-worthy and long-lived Hermitage Blanc. It is as good as a great white Hermitage. I know of no other white wine that can lay that claim.

Her Syrah and Reserve Syrah are equally mind-bending. They are at once lush and rich and soft, while being meaty and spicy with abundant soft tannin and great acidity. The finish on these wines goes on for a long long time. They are astounding. The Syrah is from the White Hawk Vineyard (56%), the Bien Nacido Vineyard (27%) in the Santa Maria Valley and Stolpman Vineyard (17%) in the Santa Ynez Valley.

I'll give you Lillian Cabernet Sauvignon in Maggie's own words: "sourced from the True Vineyard, which lies on a bench a few hundred feet below the summit of Howell Mountain. It was planted by Frank Dotzler in the late-90’s. The site is nine acres and was literally carved out of volcanic bedrock. It presents an entirely different feeling than the endless rows of vines that carpet the valley floor and lower hillsides... We harvested into tiny baskets and hauled the fruit up to the winery in a refrigerated truck. After sorting the fruit twice by hand and filling headless barriques with the whole, unbroken berries, I stood with Nate next to the fermenters. The fruit was so beautiful; the flavors so precise. It was completely unlike what we had been told to expect. No dehydration, no amelioration... Rich with violets, truffle and tobacco, the wine maintains a levity and energy that surprise us again and again. This wine found great harmony; with cascading aromatics and wild complexity, in a multi-vintage blend. Racked only twice, raised (like all of our wines) with minimal sulfite additions and bottled unfined and unfiltered.”

These wines are rare and they are not inexpensive, ranging from just under $100 per bottle to over $200 per bottle. They are worth every penny. We're going to offer this dinner at $199. That's actually less than you might pay retail for one bottle. It's just important for us to show these wines with dinner and for you to meet Maggie and for Maggie to meet you. This is precisely the kind of wine we love to discover and to represent and deliver to our guests. The menu is awesome.

[email protected] or 732-828-4444

Monday, April 11
Hors d'Oeuvres at 6:30
Dinner at 7 PM

Hors d’Oeuvres
Syrah 2012

Silverfin with Mushroom Dumplings, Mirin, Soy, Potato and Pepino
Roussanne 2012

Wild Boar with Trumpet Royal Mushrooms, Roasted Cippolini Onions and Polenta
Gold Series Syrah No. 1 2011
Gold Series Syrah No. 2 2011

Cabernet Sauvignon “Howell Mountain”
Selected Soft Cheeses

Pumpkinseed Malted Milk Shake
With Cookies and Pumpkinseed Brickle

We will also be sampling the next vintage of many of these wines.

Feel free to email me directly if you have any questions about this winery. It's a top pick