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In setting his four-star cuisine in an informal yet elegant atmosphere, Chef Nicholas takes the bar concept to new heights

by Laura D. C. Kolnoski

Rare is the intimate, elegant bar where you can also enjoy a menu of artful small plates, entrees, and at least eight luscious desserts prepared by an expert in-house pastry chef. Red Bank’s Restaurant Nicholas has been known for its top Zagat-rated dining since 2000, but the addition of Bar N in 2006 has taken the establishment’s acclaim to a wider, thirstier audience.

With its high ceilings, shimmering terrazzo bar flecked with recycled glass, red accents, and bay window, Bar N has become the area setting of choice for after-work drinks, intimate meetings, and meals in under an hour for those with limited time but discerning tastes. Executive Chef/Owner Nicholas Harary believes there is a significant difference between dining and eating; reflected in the subtle differences between Restaurant Nicholas and its bar brand extension.

“I designed Restaurant Nicholas for those who wanted a dining experience, which can be a transporting and an elongated event,” said Harary, who operates the establishment with his wife Melissa. “Eating can also be a shorter, more casual thing, too, of course, but that doesn’t mean you should have a lesser quality of food.”

Bar N’s menu includes soups, salads, and shellfish, including seared foie gras with strawberry and black pepper marmalade accompanied by a citrus corn cake, Parisienne gnocchi, and the restaurant’s house-made rabbit sausage, for which locally sourced ingredients are used as much as possible. Warm weather offerings include abundant seafood and Jersey corn soup, along with other traditionally popular dishes.

Large plates pose luscious choices, among them lobster, salmon, halibut, and trout, plus pork chops, lamb, and suckling pig, and chicken or filet mignon. Leave room for desserts like Toasted Macadamia Torte, Lemon Poppy Genoise, Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta, Rhubarb Soufflé, and sorbets. Drinks, including signature martinis, are given special attention. Being a chef, Nicholas was creating food-based tipples long before the current cocktail craze exploded. This summer, Bar N is offering fresh-squeezed cantaloupe martinis with Zyr vodka and strawberry basil mojitos muddled with Brinley’s Shipwreck Rum from St. Kitts. A major focus is placed upon wine tasting flights; part of Restaurant Nicholas’s operation includes in-house premier wine purchases and an online retail wine store.

“With all my relationships and knowledge of wine, I’m able to select those that go best with the evening’s courses,” he said. “The quality is very high and selections change nightly.” Bartenders train long and hard for the privilege. (One was recently elevated to the post after six years at the restaurant.)

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“I am aware that people think of Restaurant Nicholas as an extravagant place,” Harary said. “Bar N is priced like other area restaurants and is less expensive than some, especially with our three-course option. Some people come for that four nights per week.” The bar’s rotating three-course $35 tasting menu changes daily, and reservations are not required there.

Harary designed the bar’s layout, the rest created by restaurant specialists the Riscala Agnese Design Group of New York. With unobstructed views, patrons can see and converse with each other across the open, airy room featuring seven tables and 20 barstools.

Bar N @ Restaurant Nicholas
160 Route 35 South
732.345.9977 / restaurantnicholas.com