PRESIDING OVER AMERICAN CUT BAR & GRILL’S NEWEST LOCATION, THIS BERGENFIELD ’TENDER IS FOCUSED ON PATRON PLEASURE

BY LAURA D.C. KOLNOSKI • PHOTOS BY ROBERT NUZZIE

“We do not call our patrons customers, they are our guests, and it is always a pleasure to serve them,” said this issue’s featured mixologist, Cedrick Guevara, who joined the American Cut Bar & Grill in Englewood Cliffs when it opened earlier this year. “Learning how to manage a full bar and give each individual guest an experience is something learned over time.”

One of six bartenders at the restaurant, Guevara previously tended at Ruby Foo’s in Manhattan and Fire & Oak in Montvale. His time in the industry began when a cousin, a maitre’d at Houston’s in New York, persuaded him to become a service bartender there in 2002. While living in Florida, he helped open the Delray Beach destination eatery Park Tavern, on Atlantic Avenue in the city’s downtown.

“[Its owner] Brian Albe taught me to think outside the box, to use herbs and spices, and to be creative in making drinks using seasonal ingredients unique to each environment,” Guevara said. “This is advice I have taken forward and used many times over.”

Born and raised in Bergenfield and still residing there, surrounded by his extended Filipino-American family, Guevara “leaped at the opportunity” to take American Cut’s intense three-week training program, he said. “Although I feel I am an experienced bartender, I learned a lot about guest satisfaction and the importance of being knowledgeable about all items I’m serving. Bartending is a skill that takes time to cultivate.”

Guevara particularly enjoys crafting special cocktails for guests by asking what spirits they are in the mood for, then

“I was taught to think outside the box, to use herbs and spices…to be creative.”

getting creative. Specialties include drinks with a balance of aromatics, particularly gin-based cocktails with fresh herbs or fruits. Among the libations served at American Cut are a Smoked Old Fashioned, a Garden Daiquiri with red bell pepper juice, and the Calling Card, a concoction using Beefeater gin, cucumber, lime, and sage.

American Cut, owned by Forgione and LDV Hospitality, pays homage to the New York steakhouse dining experience, capturing the glamour of yesteryear and melding it with today’s tastes. It was named #1 in Fox News’ “Top 5 Steakhouses in America.” Forgione’s modern twists on American classics garnered him a two-star review from The New York Times, a placement among Modern Luxury’s “Top 25 Restaurants in NYC,” and was named a Forbes “All Star Eatery, among other accolades.

With locations in Midtown and Tribeca in Manhattan, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Englewood Cliff’s, Forgione’s restaurant plans to expand in time to Atlanta.

Guevara believes consistency, skill, and a positive attitude are essential to becoming a great barman. Being challenged every day by chefs and management at American Cut to be better than the day before and to continue that upward trajectory is what he finds most stimulating.

“Our goal is not to be good, our goal is to be great,” he said. “I love getting to know our diners. Many of my regular guests have lived in the area most of their lives. It’s nice to connect with them. They know their food and drinks, and know what to expect when they sit at the American Cut bar.”

American Cut Bar & Grill
495 Sylvan Ave (9W), Englewood Cliffs / 201.510.4460
americancutsteakhouse.com/englewoodcliffs