A few months ago, we wrote about That Supper Club, a prix fixe set menu at a quirky restaurant with very good food in Park Ridge, New Jersey, a town near us.
They change dishes on a seasonal basis, depending on what’s fresh and good on the market. They let us know that they’re currently featuring an early spring menu and invited us to revisit and taste the new offerings.
So we crossed the railroad tracks to the unassuming entrance with the neon pink sign blazing EMPANADA – the storefront that shares dining space with That Super Club. After our previous dining experience, anticipation ran high to once again taste the culinary artistry of Chef Nick Pescatore, not to mention the warm welcome from joint restaurant owner Tommy Greco and his beautiful hostess wife, Pia.
Again, I was struck by the similarities between the ambiance of the POP physical plant and the high-end experimental quality of the food. The walls are covered by POP posters that once adorned Tommy’s art gallery and are now available for all to enjoy over a meal.
Chef Nick is beyond inventive and not constrained by traditionally accepted and expected combinations of ingredients. Perhaps we should call his offerings “POP gourmet.”
Case in point: their delicious sourdough rolls that are sourced from a bakery just down the street and served to the table with butter seasoned with stinging nettles and Chef Nick’s most unusual version of spiced butter that was good to the last bite.
Or the New Jersey pork roll combined with king crab meat (see more details below), which to our surprise, worked to provide a tasty treat.
Since That Supper Club is a BYOB venue, we brought a bottle of 2024 Domaine Bousquet Gaia Pinot Noir rosé. Based on our previous experience and the descriptions of the new menu, we thought it would be good with our meal. And we weren’t wrong.
This Argentinean organic/biodynamic bottle, even though very young, paired very well with all the dishes and, surprisingly, even added some oomph to the dessert – a pineapple upside down cake!
To start, we had three appetizers on a long, skinny tray brought to the table.
They were the Tigres O Mejilones – stuffed, panko-crusted, PEI Mussels, aji verde, wild cilantro, and fresh lime; the King Crab Toast – Alaska King Crab on toasted milk bread, Taylor ham, roasted tomatillo aioli, and chives; plus Kushiyaki, 50-day dry aged NY strip cubes covered in a heavenly sauce on bamboo skewers.
Next followed the Scallops Crudo. In our humble opinion, this was a Michelin-star level dish! Hokkaido scallops, Crispy rice, Avocado crema, and Maine Uni.
Uni is the South American name for sea urchin eggs and is a coveted ingredient in Chilean or Peruvian ceviche.
Six East Coast Oysters followed that were bathed in fermented Pineberry Mignonette … Barbara’s favorite! The oysters are available at extra cost, but the food is so good that we certainly wanted to taste everything.
To cleanse the palate, a Baby Spinach Salad with roasted scallion vinaigrette, white goat cheese, honey crisp apple sticks, and shallots was brought to the table. And it worked!
Then, we had another Michelin-star level dish! Shrimp Scampi Agnolotti bathed in a scrumptious Yuzu Soy lemony sauce. It was to die for!
Caviar and Uni Toast with paddlefish caviar covering sea urchin eggs on toasted milk bread came next. Yet another yummy tidbit that had Barbara’s eyes rolling. It is also at extra cost and has to be ordered when the reservation is made.
Then, one of my favorite Italian standards was served: Mezzo Rigatoni Amatriciana. I first had this dish as “Bucatini all’ Amatriciana,” and I received the recipe over 40 years ago from the kitchens of Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia, a renowned restaurant in Milan. I’ve been cooking it in my own kitchen ever since. Chef Pescatore’s version was spicier than mine, but it was just as tasty.
We were getting full, but who could resist a 45-day agedFilet Mignon? Certainly not us!
Please note that the filet mignon is also available at extra cost and should be ordered when the reservation is made. Although the menu is pre-set and price fixed, two or three extras are available for those who want a few more taste treats.
Finally, the Pineapple Upside Down Cake was served, and we found rum-soaked cherries on top. Yum!!
With that, we finished our rosé bottle and were happy as clams! (A culinary reference that makes no sense, but next time I have some clams, I will ask them if they are really happy!) To your health!
Barbara Angelakis is one of the founders of LuxuryWeb Magazine and its Senior Travel Writer. She travels the four corners of the world with a thirst for knowledge and a twinkle in her eye, seeking out the history of people and places and sharing her experiences. She specializes in culture and history along with luxury destinations, hotels/resorts/cruises/spas, and most recently Jewish Heritage, exploring the historical connection between Jews and their host countries. She has been recognized for outstanding coverage as “Journalist of the Year” by the Tanzania Tourist Board and is the recipient of the MTA Malta Tourism Press Award, the first American to receive this honor. For the past 25 years, Barbara has written extensively for LuxuryWeb Magazine, and her work can also be found at The Jerusalem Post, Jewish Link, Epoch Times, and Vision Times.
Manos Angelakis is one of the founders, the former Managing Editor for 25 years, the current Managing Editor Emeritus, and Senior Food & Wine Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. He is an accomplished travel writer, photographer, and food and wine critic based in Hackensack, New Jersey. As a travel writer, he has written extensively about numerous cities and countries. Manos has also been certified as a Tuscan Wine Master and has traveled to wine-producing areas in order to evaluate firsthand the product of top-rated vineyards. In the past year, he has visited and written multiple articles about Morocco, Turkey, Quebec City, Switzerland, Antarctica, and most recently the South of France. Articles in other publications include Vision Times and Epoch Times.
0 Comments