Business & Tech
For Some, Restaurant Week is Not Over!
Some Bloomfield restaurant owners extended the event another week, saying Restaurant Week was so successful, they want to do it all over again.
The first Bloomfield Patch heard that some restaurant owners were extending Restaurant Week was on Friday night. A local resident who went to the French bistro was told by the owner that he had decided to keep the special prices in effect through the week of March 11-17, because many of his customers couldn’t take advantage of them last week.
“Please come back next week!” said the owner, who ran outside to explain the situation to her. He said his small restaurant couldn’t accommodate the influx of customers and he’d had to turn some away. “We hate to turn anyone away.”
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And he’s not the only one.
Ivolett Bredwood, owner of Taste it Again Jamaican Restaurant at 271 Glenwood Avenue, said she was looking forward to extending the event this week, too. "It was great and I enjoyed totally," she told Patch.
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And Anthony Lauro, owner of on Washington Avenue, sent out the following notice to his online customers:
“We decided to extend our Restaurant Week Prix Fixe menu another week for all of you who couldn’t make it and to those who were here to enjoy their breakfast or lunch,” the note said. “Thank you to everyone who came by during restaurant week to enjoy our prix fixe menu. The response was overwhelming.”
A visit to Anthony’s Cheesecake during the week confirmed this. Customers had formed a line in the café, and there was a feeling of cheerful anticipation in the air. Behind the counter, Lauro was too busy to stop and chat as he usually does.
“This week has been really busy,” marveled co-owner Phil Byrnes, who sat down to take a break after the rush. He said they had put a fresh coat of paint on the walls the weekend before, in honor of Restaurant Week.
Among the customers at Anthony’s that day was Andres Quesada, owner of , who had stopped in with his family to have lunch. He, too, reported an big community response to Restaurant Week.
“Sunday was insane [at Señorita’s],” he grinned. “We had double our average amount of customers. We haven’t had that busy of a Sunday in a year!” When asked if this was due to Restaurant Week, Quesda said, “Most of the customers ordered Restaurant Week specials so that was a dead giveaway.”
Quesda also reported, “I was at Mes Rêves last night. [The owner] told me when he came in on Monday there were 20 reservations waiting.”
Linda Dayrit, a waitress at Mes Rêves, happened to be dining at Anthony’s and overheard the conversation. She agreed with Quesda.
“[Monday] night we were pretty booked,” she said. “It was like a weekend night. Typically it’s not a busy night. There were only two waitresses on, which wasn’t enough. Tonight we’ll have three.”
Among those talking about Restaurant Week that afternoon was Doreen Butler, the secretary to Bloomfield Fire Chief Joseph McCarthy. She was having lunch with Rosemary Brown, secretary to Mayor McCarthy and Lou Venezia, a Bloomfield fire fighter.
“We’re supposed to go to tomorrow night,” said Butler. “I’ve heard good things about them.”
“The Orange Squirrel is good! My family told me about it. That’s how I found out how good it is,” said Brown. “There’s always a waiting list there.”
“We’re going to on Friday,” responded Butler. “Their lunch menu is great. And everything always tastes so fresh. And they’re very sweet people. They always give you a little something extra.”
Venezia joined in, “The fire department is going to the Orange Squirrel.” He added, “ is also phenomenal.”
Brown outlined her own Restaurant Week destinations. “On Wednesday we’re going to Mes Rêves. On Friday we’re going to . On Thursday we’re thinking of going to Momoya.”
Even before Restaurant Week began, Orange Squirrel owner , who hosted the kickoff party, said he was already nearly sold out every night. And that was only March 3.
Palmieri, one of the five members of the Restaurant Week Committee, had spent several months making preparations for the week’s event, doing everything from designing promotional materials to arranging free parking with the township’s Parking Authority. But he said he knew it would be a great week.
“This will be good for everyone,” Palmieri predicted. “I’m ready to go. Restaurants are the vessels to drive commerce into the town.”
Do you know any restaurants that are extending Restaurant Week? If so, email the Editor at Linda@Patch.com, or tell us in the comments section.
Below is the menu at Anthony’s Cheesecake, for the week of March 11-17. Keep in mind that Anthony's is only open from Mon-Fri from 7:00 am - 4:00 pm and on Saturday from 8:00 am-3:00 pm - so go early!
Anthony’s Cheesecake Extended Restaurant Week Menu:
Breakfast
Bacon, Egg & Spinach Flatbread Melt – $4.95
Crisp bacon on toasted flatbread with fresh spinach and over easy egg with melted cheddar and fresh made salsa. Egg whites also available
Belgian Waffles with Cookie Butter – $4.99
Toasted Belgian Waffles with a thin layer of delicious cookie butter, then we add fresh strawberries and bananas with warm maple syrup
Breakfast Burrito – $4.95
Scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, fresh salsa, sour cream & your choice of breakfast meat. Turkey bacon, add 1.25.
Cinnamon Croissant French Toast – $5.95
With fresh berries of the day. • Side of eggs, add $1 • Side of breakfast meat, add $1
Cookie Butter & Fresh Banana Sandwich – $4.50
Delicious Cookie Butter and sliced fresh bananas on grilled multigrain bread
Fresh Bagels – $1.00
With butter or cream cheese, add $.75.
Fresh Baked Apple Turnovers – $2.25
Baked fresh everyday.
Grilled Cheese with Tomato – $3.95
Served on multigrain bread. • With bacon, add $1.00
Grilled PB & J – $3.95
Peanut butter and jelly on grilled multigrain bread
Homemade Muffins – $1.75
Selection changes daily. Try our NEW pistachio muffins!
Meat, Egg, and Cheese – $3.75
Choice of bacon, sausage, or Taylor ham on a roll or bagel. • On a croissant, add $.75 • Turkey bacon, add $1.00 • Substitute egg whites, add $1.00
Quinoa – $3.95
12oz. cup with toasted walnuts and cranberries. This item takes about 15 minutes to prepare, please call ahead with your order to minimize your wait.
Roasted Potato, Egg & Cheddar Breakfast Burrito – $4.95
Seasoned roasted potatoes, melted cheddar, fresh made salsa, scrambled eggs and a touch of sour cream
Lunch
Broccoli Rabe, Chicken Cutlet And Proscuitto$7.95
Saute broccoli rabe with garlic & oil, served with fresh mozzarella, proscuitto and chicken cutlet on italian bread
Carved Turkey Stuffing Wrap$6.95
Carved Turkey with seasoned stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce in a wrap. Thanksgiving Dinner all wrapped up!
Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Parmesan Quiche$5.95
baked on top of our Flaky Pie Crust
Chicken Empanadas$5.95
Fresh made crispy chicken empanadas served with a side of roasted potatos
Chicken Noodle Soup$3.75
Fresh vegetables and chicken in a nicely seasoned chicken broth
Chicken Parmagiana$6.95
Breaded chicken Cutlet with melted Mozzarella & tomato sauce on italian bread
Grilled Ahi Tuna with Fresh Mango Salsa$8.95
served over seasoned black beans and rice with a side mesclun salad
Grilled Vegetable Quiche$4.95
Seasoned Grilled vegetableswith cheddar on top of our Flaky Pie Crust
Homemade Stuffed Meatball Stromboli$5.95
served with small side salad
Oven Baked Chicken over Garlic Mashed$6.95
Pan seared battered chicken baked with a fresh made mushroom cream sauce over garlic mashed potatoes
Portabella, Mozzarella & Hot Italian Pepper Panini$6.95
roasted hot peppers, arugula and fresh mozzarella on grilled ciabatta
Dessert
All items prepared freshly, on premises.
Baked Apple Tart$3.95
Fresh made pastry shell stuffed with saute apples and cinnamon.
Carrot Cupcake$1.75
moist carrot cake with a whipped cream cheese frosting
Devils Food Cupcakes$1.25
topped with chocolate sprinkles
Fresh Baked Apple Pie$2.95
Fresh Apples and cinnamon baked on our Flaky Pie Crust
Fresh Baked Blueberry Pie$2.95
Fresh blueberries cooked slowly with sweet spices baked on our flaky pie crust
Fresh Cherry Pie$2.95
Fresh Cherries with a hint of lemon zest baked on our Flaky Pie Crust
Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownies$1.25
Dark Chocolate Brownies with Chocolate Chips
Homemade Flan$3.95
Fresh custard flan in a caramel sauce
Honey Apple Crumb Cake$2.95
Homemade, served by the slice.
Poppy seed Danish$2.25
Fresh baked flaky danish with toasted poppy seeds and honey
Raspberry Crumb Cake$1.95
moist and buttery with raspberry sauce
Red Velvet Cupcakes$1.75
with cream cheese frosting
Sticky Pecan Buns$2.25
Jumbo Buttery pastry dough loaded with cinnamon and toasted pecans
Cheesecake
Prices are for 3" mini cheesecakes. For our 6", 8", and 10" cheesecakes, see our full cheescake menu.
Black & White$3.95
Chocolate cookie crust topped with a layer of our classic New York Style cheesecake and a layer of chocolate mousse cheesecake.
Red Velvet$3.95
Our red velvet cake and creamy cheesecake make a delicious treat.
Reese’s Peanut Butter$3.95
Our chocolate cookie crust topped with Reese’s Peanut Butter mousse cheesecake and chocolate chips.
Meal for Restaurant Week: Breakfast ($6.95), Lunch ($9.95) 71 Washington Street
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