Eleven Clinton/Smothered Blues is a newly opened farm-to-table supper club that, according to its management team, is “smothered” with live jazz performances.
The tall order that is Eleven Clinton is piloted by executive chef Dawn Tyson and general manager Charles Hunter. You can find the home-style, Southern-Cajun-Caribbean dishes prepared by Tyson and the smooth operations of jazz and service engineered by Hunter at the swank space at 11 Clinton Street in Newark.
The dishes on Tyson’s menu are made with organic ingredients, primarily from the organic farm owned by Eleven Clinton’s owner, Paul Profeta. Profeta Farms, located in Readington in Hunterdon County, is Tyson’s source for not only produce, but for animal products that include beef, pork and chicken.
What’s on the menu? Think Cajun-spiced catfish topped with pico de gallo and chipotle mayonnaise as well as catfish tacos; dry-rubbed and slow-cooked baby-back ribs; Southern fried or smothered chicken; and grilled pork chop with buttermilk gravy.
Who’s on the play list? Performers include James Gibbs, the Gene Segal Quartet and Laquin Lay and the Family Tree Band. There’s live jazz Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Eleven Clinton is open Wednesday through Friday for lunch, Wednesday through Saturday for dinner, and Sunday for brunch and supper; it’s closed Monday and Tuesday. 852-234-2269; elevenclinton.com.
Coming soon:
Dennis Foy, who has led restaurant kitchens in Bay Head and Point Pleasant Beach, Lawrenceville and Lambertville, Chatham and points east of the Hudson, plans to open a new restaurant early this summer called Cafe Loret at 128 Broad Street in Red Bank.
The chef, whose menus are marked by locally sourced ingredients handled simply and with attention to the seasons, will serve both lunch and dinner at the new restaurant in the downtown district.
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Also opening this summer is The Edge, at 109 North County Line Road in Jackson. With a specialty bar menu, craft cocktails, wine list and outdoor dining, the modern American dinner spot will be open seven nights a week.
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The Ashford, a large multilevel restaurant with a rooftop open-air kitchen and raw bar, is set to open in May at 145 Newark Avenue in Jersey City. Expect craft cocktails and a vibrant nightlife scene. The Ashford also will offer private event spaces. Jeff Lam, integral at Chinese Tuxedo, which offers a menu fit for its stand-out swank digs in New York City’s Chinatown, is a principal in the new downtown spot.
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We’ve mentioned that chef James Avery is opening Farmly, a fast-casual restaurant serving forth slow-cooked roasted meats and home-style dishes for eat in or take-out at 2100 Route 35 in Sea Girt. The plan now is to open in May. 732-359-6936; eatfarmly.com.
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Mamoun’s, meanwhile, is looking to open another location of its New York-based falafel franchise in May at the Hudson Lights complex, 187 Main Street in Fort Lee. Currently, there are three Mamoun’s outlets in New Jersey: Hoboken, New Brunswick and Princeton. For more information, visit mamouns.com.
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Ani Ramen House, with locations in Montclair and Jersey City, is expanding into Hoboken and Summit. These new branches will serve alcoholic beverages, like their Jersey City sibling. No opening dates yet; aniramen.com.
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Somos, the highly anticipated new restaurant from chef Juan Placencia of Costanera in Montclair, is now hoping to open in June at 185 River Road in North Arlington. The Latin restaurant will sport a cocktail bar that pays tribute to the flavors of Latin America and Spain; somosnj.com.
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Six26, a new LGBTQ destination under construction at 128 Christopher Columbus Drive in Jersey City, is looking to open its lounge later this month and its day/night rooftop space in late spring or early summer; six26.co.