I've written before in these pages that I'm a foodie who loves to cook, and that though I love to eat out, I don't do it often because, unless it's something that is truly unique that I've never made before, I sometimes find myself thinking that I could do the same thing myself. I don't make many complicated things in my own kitchen, but I do try sometimes, and I appreciate the skill it takes to be a Chef because I know that it takes much more than my own enjoyment of cooking to create meals for exacting customers day after day and to run a kitchen on that kind of high quality, high volume basis. But even though I may admire their skill and enjoy what they prepare, there are very few people whose food I could eat regularly because I enjoy preparing my own. All that changed when I met Chef Paul Gerard. Not only is he one of the nicest people I have ever met, the way he cooks is so sublimely delicious that I could be happy eating in his kitchen any and every day. It is very hard to describe what he does because he is a consummate master of culinary arts. The items he prepares are the perfection of comfort food with that exquisite touch of true brilliance that makes a meal memorable. Using seasonal fresh ingredients in ways that are colorful, fun and accessible, he serves meals that help everyone experience the finest cuisine while still feeling right at home. Squash blossoms, made to order smoked mozzarella, home made pastas with ingredients like nettles - these are all things that in other settings and in other hands have never been so delicious and full of delight because of the pure love he has in cooking and sharing them.
At my first visit for lunch he showed me the menu explaining that some items were named for his and Joe Castelo's children. As he described certain things, I told him that everything sounded like perfection, and though I told him he could choose what he wanted me to have, he said he liked to let people look over the menu to see what things spoke to them. At that point everything was saying yes, please, so we finally decided on a meatball sandwich with tomato sauce made with fresh tomatoes that had been baked in the wonderful oven, topped with a delectable mixture of melted fresh homemade smoked mozzarella and parmesan cheese and served on bread from the original Antique Bakery which has re-located to Jersey City, and a salad that he'd named after his lovely daughter Grace made with roasted chicken, fresh peaches, tomatoes, avocado and goat cheese with the perfect light touch of his own recipe of white balsamic vinegar instead of the heavier usual variety to start. I don't think I've ever seen anyone make a salad with such care - the way he cut the avocado was pure poetry. And the taste of everything was divine, with textures and colors and scents and tastes of so many delectable flavors and spices and herbs all melting together into a glorious whole. I had a lovely slice of cake afterward, and when I asked who made it I was directed to the loveliest of Pastry Chefs who said she was the Assistant to Erick who I then spoke to. He showed me photographs that he had taken of some of the things they had made, and when I saw them they were so beautiful I asked him if he could share them with me which he was kind enough to do so that I could share some with you.
As I was finishing my lunch, Chef Paul and Joe Castelo suggested that I come back for dinner one night. It was an invitation so kind and generous and the meal I'd had was already so wonderful that I knew I'd be experiencing an even lovelier adventure, and it was beyond anything I could have imagined. I invited Chef Allison Fasano from the Urbani Truffle Lab to join me, and when I introduced her to Chef Paul at the beginning of the evening, he had the staff set up a table right in front of his kitchen work space, giving us the opportunity to watch him prepare food all night. I can't tell you how inspiring it is to see him working in that kitchen. He has a wonderful staff, but from everything I see and hear, in addition to their own hard-work and skill, they are as wonderful as they are because they like and admire and respect him so much. I've heard that from everyone I've talked to who works there, and you can see it on everyone's faces. Restaurant work is tiring, exhausting in fact, and so often people can get burned out. But there's something about working with Chef Paul Gerard that keeps people happy, and though they're working hard, he's working even harder right along with them.
That night for dinner, I basked in the warmth of the coal fired oven and enjoyed a meal that was sublime. Everything was cooked to perfection, fresh, hot and so full of flavor that it seemed like the best it could ever be. Hot Oil Shrimp grilled with roasted lemons, that lovely house made smoked mozzarella topped with roasted cherry tomatoes and basil, and Rice Balls Milanese that made any others seem meaningless served with a mushroom and sausage ragu that was unlike anything I've ever tasted in its sweet complexity. Oysters Rockefeller served hot and bubbling from the coals, followed by a pasta course of Roaming Razorback Boar Ragu with Pasta Rags and home made Cavatelle with fresh greens and Preserved Lemon Ricotta, and everything served with that wonderful Antique Bakery bread in great wedges drenched with olive oil and garlic, and in everything some hot peppers or charred lemon wedges to add color, flavor and fun. At that point I thought we'd be finishing up, but we had only just begun. While he had been creating and serving and describing the indescribably delicious foods he had been preparing for us, he had been roasting a 2 pound Rib-Eye. Cut bone to bone and served directly from where it had been resting from its preparation in that magical oven, it arrived with smashed golden potatoes and garlic chimichurri, charred zucchini with romesco and lemon, and roasted french onions. All followed by the most delicious desserts I have had in years if ever, a Frozen Cannoli Sundae and an enormous soft baked peanut buttery cookie topped with chocolate and sweet milk ice cream. It's a dream just to think about that dinner, and to have been there watching him prepare it was a priceless gift.
The fact that Chef Paul is creating that kind of meal every day for so many people is astonishing, and that he took the time to spend with us that evening was so kind and generous that I was amazed even more. And the other owners are as wonderful as he is. Joe Castelo bought the former Antique Bakery with an eye for preserving its history, and with his expertise for great film and wonderful fun, he plans events with his two partners that bring even more life to the party. The menus Chef Paul creates are written in the form of movie scripts, with wonderful Director's notes describing the delicious ingredients, seasonal cocktails, and additional menu items. Monday nights are for Movieoke, a talk along, talk back, sing along extravaganza of some of the most memorable films from years gone by, and Joe invited me to the first of their Silent Disco nights on Halloween, greeting me with a craft cocktail in one of the greatest all time outfits I've ever seen. His lovely wife was with him, and a more wonderful couple as hosts I can't imagine. I had a chance to speak with Rocco Ancarola that night - a legend in New York City nightlife, he has been part of so many esteemed restaurants and nightclubs and his taste is only the best. He told me that when he first met with Joe and Chef Paul, it was the food that won his approval, echoing my own experience and that of so many others who have been blessed to walk through the restaurant doors. I have known some wonderful Chefs in my life, and I come from a family of bakers, with people all over my family who are known for their way in the kitchen, but Chef Paul Gerard has a divine gift when it comes to the art of cooking. He's had many years of experience in some of the top kitchens in New York City, New Orleans and other parts of the world, but there is something that he has within him that goes beyond what anyone can learn - he understands how to bring out the best of the best ingredients and create something truly beautiful with food.
A few weeks after the memorable dinner I'd had, Chef Paul invited me for the Thanksgiving celebration, a holiday meal planned with the additional generous community-minded touch that much of the food would go to local shelters and the proceeds would go to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hoboken. I had the opportunity to watch another unbelievable feat of ingenuity that day - almost a 1/4 ton of local humanely raised turkeys from Fossil Farms cooked in that coal fired porcelain brick oven along with delectable side dishes of fresh turnips, string beans, tobacco onions, carrots, collard greens, mashed potatoes, gravy, oyster stuffing, roasted cranberries, creamed onions and biscuits, and pies and cookies and fresh whipped cream. When he'd set the schedule for the day he'd said the bar would open at noon and that dinner would be served at 3:00pm, and though I have no idea how it is possible, it was exactly 3:00pm when it was served. When I said that later to Chef Paul, he said in his incredibly modest way, "That's from doing this for so many years," and though I understand that a Chef of his caliber and experience would know how to do that in another very differently appointed kitchen, I have no idea how it could possibly be done on that scale in the chambers of that coal burning oven. Everything was of course more than perfect, and I am as I've said before in these pages a snob when it comes to certain things. Though I'll eat it to be polite, I usually don't like anyone's turkey but my own, and my Nana's oyster stuffing recipe I've never known anyone but me and my parents to make the right way. Creamed onions and vegetables I rarely think anyone does right, and my father's biscuits no one could top. But the Thanksgiving dinner Chef Paul Gerard created was above and beyond everything I've ever had and loved. I grew up in a house that was built in 1723, and my favorite place was to sit by the fire. With the design sense, the love for creating community spaces and the hospitality industry experience of the three partners, each place in the space has a wonderful feeling of home, and with the classic favorite songs of my younger years playing, I'd be happy all day long to sit by that coal burning oven, watching and enjoying Chef Paul Gerard's artistry.
Last Friday afternoon I met with the beautiful writer Lucella Campbell at Antique for lunch to talk about a wonderful book she has just published. Sitting in a cozy corner by the windows that look out onto the street, we whiled away the afternoon with delicious delights and craft cocktails. At her first bite of the Antipasto, a combination of cold roasted fennel, apples, turnips, beets, broccoli, prosciutto bread and home made herbed yogurt, she looked at me with the amazement that everyone who eats in that kitchen has and said, "I didn't think it would taste as delicious as this." When I had arrived I had seen Lucille Casulli, a community leader with a heart of gold who is a charter member of the St. Mary Advocates and who has served twice as President of that wonderful organization that runs the Hoboken Thrift Shop that I have written about in these pages before and that does so much in the community. As I was finishing up with the lovely "Stones throw From Manhattan", a luscious craft cocktail made with coal smoked cherries and burnt orange peel, Lucille was on her way out. She is such a busy woman with all of the wonderful things she does that I was surprised to see her still there, and she shared with me that she had stayed much longer than she had anticipated because she and her friends were so busy enjoying so many delicious things. Julie Hartigan was also visiting that afternoon. An amazing Chef I met and wrote about in these pages when she was co-hosting a wonderful tasting and pairing event at Cheese + Wine Hoboken with Tom Kobylarz, she is writing a blog post about Antique Bar & Bakery for Jersey Bites that will be up in a few weeks. These kinds of community connections are part of the experience that Chef Paul Gerard, Joe Castelo and Rocco Ancarola have created and that are daily nurtured in their wonderful space. Karina Gonzalez, the beautiful lead singer for Lip Service, the wonderful band that performed at Thanksgiving, can be found meeting and greeting at the front counter and working as Hostess when she's not making life more beautiful with her lovely voice and presence elsewhere, and the lovely artist, designer and creative force Danielle-Marie Muneca Mullins shares her gorgeous style and beautiful presence as she serves and manages a variety of shifts.
I could have stayed all afternoon on Friday, but I had a gallery opening to attend at Prime Gallery, an amazing space I wrote about a few months ago. Danielle-Marie Muneca Mullens was one of the artists in the group show "Wandering Motion," and Chef Paul and Joe Castelo took time out of their busy schedules to stop by in support of her work and the other artists and the gallery. Their kindhearted spirits added a special touch to the evening, bringing the warmth of the space they have created at Antique out into the community. The motto on their website says "Keep The Fire Burning", and in so many ways and for so many people they do.
Antique Bar & Bakery
122 Willow Avenue
Hoboken, New Jersey
Chef Paul Gerard Preparing The Exquisite Grace Salad
Named For His Lovely Daughter
A Perfectly Crafted Cocktail
With A Perfectly Crafted Salad
Perfection In A Meatball Sandwich
Served On Antique Bakery Bread
With Seasonal Greens
And Melted Fresh Home Made Smoked Mozzarella
Sprinkled With Rich Shavings Of Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Sprinkled With Rich Shavings Of Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Bringing A Little Bit Of The Spirit Of Julia Child
With Every Splash Of Olive Oil
Home Made Sweet And Savory Baked Goods
Made Fresh Daily
To Eat In Or Take Out
Fresh And Healthy Lunch Selections
Available For Delivery Or To Go
Decorative Beauty That Is Part The Restaurant Service
Ingenious Film Script Menu Design
A Perfect Slice Of A Perfect Cake
Served With A Perfect Cappuccino
And A Lovely Amaro Cocktail
Perfection In A Pastry Chef
The Beautiful Endiah Jones With Her Perfect Creation
The Beautiful Endiah Jones With Her Perfect Creation
Beautiful Photos Courtesy Of Pastry Chef Erick
Fresh Lemons Waiting To Be Roasted, Cooked With
And Added As Garnish To Amazing Dishes
And Added As Garnish To Amazing Dishes
The Perfect Hands Of The Perfect Pastry Chef Erick
Creating The Perfect Pie
Filmmaker Joe Castelo With His Lovely Wife
Dressed To The Nines For The Halloween Costume Party
And Silent Disco
And Silent Disco
Dinner With The Amazing Chef Paul Gerard
Oysters Hot And Bubbling From The Oven
Sharing Some Inspiration
With Chef Allison Fasano Of The Urbani Truffle Lab
A Bartender's Choice Craft Cocktail
Made With Misunderstood Whiskey
A Pasta Course That Delights Every Sense
A Steak To Remember
The Perfectly Seasoned 32 Oz. Rib-Eye
The Perfectly Seasoned 32 Oz. Rib-Eye
A Perfect Warm And Soft Peanut Butter Cookie
Served With Chocolate And Fresh Cream Ice Cream
The Perfect Frozen Cannoli Sundae
A Perfect Evening
A Perfect Thanksgiving Dinner
Starting With A Perfect Menu Printed On A Singed Book Leaf
With A Perfect Quote By Charles Bukowski
Preparing The Perfect Pies
And The Perfect Vegetables
With Lots Of Olive Oil
Lots Of Care
And Lots Of Love
Perfectly Basting The Perfect Turkeys
Giving The Perfect Band "Lip Service" Center Stage
Perfect Whipped Cream
Made By The Perfect Staff
In The Perfect Mixer
Thanksgiving Dinner Perfectly Prepared And Perfectly Served
Exactly At 3:00pm
A Perfect Friday Afternoon Lunch
Begun With The Perfect Johnny Friendly
Takes A Moment To Savor The Perfect Antipasto
Made With Bacon And Hard Cider
And Served With The Perfect Spiced Fries
The Perfect "Stones Throw From Manhattan"
The Lovely Danielle-Marie Muneca Mullins
Shares Her Gorgeous Style And Gorgeous Artwork
At Prime Gallery
https://www.facebook.com/primereggallery/
Joe Castelo And Chef Paul Gerard
Taking Some Time To Support Artists In The Community
Keeping The Fire Burning
Blessings,
Jannie Susan
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