Jamie Knott, owner and executive chef of New Jersey’s Saddle River Inn (whose background includes stints at Manhattan’s Artisanal, China Grill, Asia de Cuba and the BLT Group), and business partner Robert Palmer will be opening Cellar 335 at 335 Newark Avenue, Jersey City (201-222-1422) next week.
Knott and chef de cuisine Jared Bane have created a progressive American menu with Asian accents and tiki-style cocktails crafted by mixologists Joshua Fossitt (The Harrison, The NoMad) and Guillermo Bravo (The NoMad, Featherweight).
Chef Knott’s menu is based on sharing. Dishes include bao beef cheek with truffle pea purée, pickled ginger, crispy shallots, pea shoots and wasabi peas; spaghetti Nero with octopus, sunchoke, sweet potato, garlic, saffron and pimenton; avocado rice with carrot, celery, ginger, mushroom and jalapeno; and black sea bass with Asian greens, lemongrass, shallots and green tea.
Cocktails such as Dry Tongue Therapy (Ford’s Gin, Pedro Ximenez, grapefruit, cinnamon and absinthe); Aloha Daddy (Plantation and El Dorado Rums, gardenia, Velvet Falernum, orange and lime); and Surfing Suze-y (Hayman’s Royal Dock and Old Tom gins, Orgeat, Suze, grapefruit and peach) are served in quirky vessels such as large glass pineapples, fish-shaped tumblers, an octopus cup and a tiki tumbler with a cobra head staring at the drinker.
The edgy, industrial dining room and bar/lounge has wall murals by local graffiti artist Mustart. There is a living wall with exotic plants, a hand-carved teak bar and reclaimed church pews.
The restaurant is open Tuesday through Friday from 5 PM; Saturday from 11 AM to 2 AM and Sunday from 11 AM to 9 PM; closed Monday.
Asian Style Hummus
Photo courtesy of Jamie Knott
OTHER NJ RESTAURANT OPENINGS
103 Prime at Valentino’s, a modern Italian steakhouse and seafood restaurant has opened at 103 Spring Valley Road, Park Ridge (201-391-2220).
Cold bubble teas, smoothies, sparkling drinks, frozen yogurts, Panini sandwiches and much more are offered at Café Moncher, 86 Allendale Avenue, Allendale.
Small batch, fresh pasta is sold at LoRe Pasta, 9 Major Road, Monmouth Junction (908-705-2335). Open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 4:30 PM.
The Station Restaurant, 45 Mine Brook Road, Bernardsville, which closed due to a fire in January, has reopened with a new menu and new look (908-204-1227). They have a “Reconnect With Family” promotion that offers five percent off of the food bill if you do not use your cell phone throughout your meal. Valid for a family of four with the purchase of $50 or more.
Please send press releases and restaurant news, including information on staff changes, wine tastings, and cooking classes, to [email protected].