I love a good Irish Pub as much as I love conch shacks and cured pork. St. James Gate Publick House, 167 Maplewood Avenue, is everything an Irish Pub should be and a wee bit more.
St. James exudes the quintessence of an Irish Pub; it s warm, inviting, convivial, comfortable, and just a little bit dark.
The story behind the restaurant is just as authentic as the floor boards, which were sourced from Guinness vats in Dublin, Ireland.
The tale goes something like this: Irishman, John Meade, spent thirty years as a beer salesman. He did well, but yearned to become a Publickan. In 2003, he did just that and transformed the location on Maplewood Avenue from a men s clothing store into St. James Gate Publick House, taking the very name from the bottle of Guinness. To make his pub as authentic as possible, Mr. Meade imported furniture from Ireland, and even integrated wood from the Guinness vats into the wooden bar floor.
Last month Hot From The Kettle visited Market, now located at 12 Church Street, Montclair, to experience their new Church Street digs, and their new executive chef, Tre Ghoshal.
Chef Tre joined Market in November 2010. Chef Tre, who is of East Indian descent, has been cooking since he was thirteen. "It's all I know," he says.
And cooking is all he needs to know; he's a natural. Chef Tre is imaginative, passionate, artistic, and intuitive. He prepares his dishes with confidence and moves about the open air kitchen with fluidity and focus.
The owners of Market, Joshua Cedarbaum and Adi Hecht are committed to using local, organic and sustainable product. Cedarbaum and Hecht have transformed the physical space of Market to be just as wholesome and unique as their fare. The use of string lights and picket fence create an atmosphere reminiscent of a backyard on a summer evening, not to mention the olfactory enhancement courtesy of the open air kitchen.
Much to the dismay of Baristanet’s hyper-local die hards, Hot From The Kettle left Baristaville city limits, and drove north on the Parkway to the retail hub of Bergen County – Paramus, NJ. Our destination was Chakra, 144 West State Route 4, Paramus, approximately 11 miles from the geographical center Montclair.
Some restaurants are romantic, but Chakra is more than that – - it’s unabashedly hot. With soaring ceilings, cushy, plush “bungalow” banquettes, and cocktails like “Tantric Lemonade,” “Gin Sin” and “Pama Sutra”, Chakra is decadent, hedonistic, and sexy beyond good behavior.
Thomas Ciszak, owner and executive chef of Chakra in Paramus prepares Fettuccine Carbonara with homemade Fettuccine and house cured Pancetta from Mangaliza.
I love a good Irish Pub as much as I love conch shacks and cured pork. St. James Gate Publick House, 167 Maplewood Avenue, is everything an Irish Pub should be and a wee bit more.
