|
Home > What's New > Ninety Grand Grille
 Email this feature to a friend
Ninety Grand Grille
Still Smokin' in the Garden State
Posted: Thursday, April 06, 2006
By Alejandro Benes
OK, by now you know that I live in New Jersey and that I am happy not to have to go to New York City every time I want to have a great dinner. On top of that, I could usually follow that meal with a cigar at many, if not most, restaurants, at least in the bar or lounge. Then the New Jersey state legislature went and passed that antismoking ordinance that takes effect April 15. Still, unlike the relatively draconian measures implemented in other states, New Jersey is allowing many cigar bars to remain open. (There are some fine points involved here, mainly creating a separate space, but I'm more interested in telling you where you can still enjoy that stogie.)
One such location is Ninety Grand Grille in Englewood, so named because its address is 90 Grand Avenue and, I'm guessing, it has a grill. It's just a short ride from Manhattan across the George Washington Bridge into Bergen County. The 90 Below Wine & Cigar Bar has a separate entrance from the restaurant, which can be a bit inconvenient on an inclement night, but you'll discover it's a small price to pay. The requisite single malts, small-batch Bourbons and Ports are available in this cozy room full of leather and wood. Put 30 people in there and it might feel a bit crowded. This night, the lounge is comfortable and everyone is relaxed and able to converse without fear of being overheard or interrupted. Everyone is smoking and the ventilation system is doing what it's supposed to do.
The balanced cigar menu divides the smokes according to strength. It could probably be more refined, but it's moving in the right direction. Ida Martin, Ninety Grand's manager, is eager to make sure that cigar smokers can find what they want in the lounge. Lockers are available and there are some good incentives like discounts on accessories and cigars and "first priority to purchase special, hard-to-find cigars." Don't hold your breath for that OpusX Double Corona shipment just yet, but select from a list that offers Padrón Aniversarios, Ashtons, C.A.O.s and Flor de Florezes. The 90 Below can be a great stop on the way home, but don't leave before you eat upstairs.
Justin Figueroa, the recently arrived executive chef, is whipping up "New American" cuisine at Ninety Grand Grille. Judging by the size of the short ribs ($29) I had, the entrée is taking cues from "The Flintstones." That, by the way, is a good thing on a cold night…or a warm night…any night, really. The braised meat is fork-tender and ample. The ribs rest on red wine barley "risotto" teeming with parmesan cheese. This is comfort taken to a welcome extreme. The problem is that I have just had an appetizer, the warm goat cheese tart with caramelized onions and herbs ($9), which was tasty, but had a phyllo-like crust that broke apart too easily. So I'm a little slow in consuming the ribs and simply unable to finish the barley.
 |
My dining companions start with salads, a good call in terms of balancing the meal. The Caesar ($8) is a little bland and no fresh-ground pepper was offered. The arugula salad is fresh and crisp. Honey and spice roasted chicken with curried vegetables and a cucumber raita ($23) and a roast duck lacquered with chili and apricot and accompanied by sweet potato hash, spinach and candied pecans ($27) round out our order. Both are very good and a little more reasonably sized.
Desserts are fittingly sweet and the execution of a special raspberry panna cotta impresses us. For my taste, you can't do better than the fresh fruit platter. On the wine side, you won't have any trouble finding a bottle you like from a massive list, but given the diversity of the dinner menu, wines by the glass could use an expansion. The shiraz I order is good, but has little competition that night from other reds available by the glass. (The restaurant also serves lunch Monday through Friday; a three-course prix-fixe ($18) menu is available.)
Look around the room and you get the feeling that most of the diners think Ninety Grand Grille is a steak house, but its more ambitious dishes succeed. Truth be told, though, I was really tempted by the wild boar sausage starter ($11) and could easily have followed that with either the hangar steak or the 24-ounce lollipop rib eye. Testament to the menu's diversity is the wine-marinated ostrich, something to keep in mind, but maybe just to say you had it once in your life. And for something truly different, you can always try the $34 grappa (Jacopo Poli, Grappa di Sassicaia). Just keep it away from an open flame as you light up after dinner.
Ninety Grand Grille
90 Grand Avenue
Englewood, NJ
Phone: 201-568-5959
www.ninetygrandgrille.com
Lunch:
Monday to Friday, Noon to 3 p.m.
Dinner:
Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m.
Monday to Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m.
90 Below Wine & Cigar Bar
Tuesday to Friday, 1 to 11 p.m.
Saturday, 5 p.m. to Midnight
Go to Cigar Bar Central.
Back to top
|
Cigar Aficionado RSS Feed