NJ Monthly Restaurant Poll
Catherine Lombardi Named Best Italian Restaurant
Hello you wonderful people. Thanks to all of you who voted in the New Jersey Monthly Magazine Readers’ Choice Poll.
Catherine Lombardi (not yet having reached its first birthday) has been named:
- BEST NEW RESTAURANT
- BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT
www.catherinelombardi.com 732.296.9463 (reservations)
For those of you oustide New Jersey, not familiar with this poll, this is the most comprehensive of its kind. New Jersey often gets overlooked by the national press and even the regional press in New York and Philadelphia. Well, we have great dining here and this poll focuses on it and helps identify the best dining experiences.
We’ve always tried to be culinary leaders in the NJ and we’ve always had faith in the good taste of the Garden State diner, and here’s the good news:
We swept almost all the relevant categories in Central Jersey. Stage Left took six awards and Catherine Lombardi took two. This poll has been going on for more than 20 years and that’s more than any restaurant ever (except of course when Stage Left took six categories in 2004).
It’s nice to see it in print. But you guys knew it all along. You, our guests, made it possible. Without you, we are nothing.
Why not make a reservation? We get better every day. Come help us celebrate at your favorite restaurants.
Now we thought it would be interesting to mention most of the categories we did not win:
- Family Dining (not really our bag unless you have very sophisticated kids)
- Raw Bar (we don’t have one)
- Brunch (we don’t offer it because Mark and I don’t get up that early)
- Lunch (not open for lunch except for Fridays – Catherine Lombardi will be open for lunch in October)
- Caribbean (no mon, we don’t got dat kind of ting, but I make a mean curried goat!)
- French (weren’t they all supposed to be re-named “freedom restaurants” anyway)
- Indian (we love curry but…)
- Chinese (we still have some MSG from the old Szechwan Gourmet)
- Spanish/Portuguese (Lou makes a mean Paella but he won’t give us the recipe)
- Japanese (we sold sake once)
- Southeast Asian/Thai (Mark can’t handle the spice)
- South American/Mexican (we have great Tequila!)
- Deli (some day!!!)
- Barbecue (too much smoke for the New Brunswick’s Fire Department)
So while we won six of many categories, we took almost all the ones we care most about, and the ones you care most about. Thank you for your continued patronage. Thank you for your support over the years. If it weren’t for our sophisticated, intelligent and supportive guests we could not do what we do. It’s particularly gratifying to us, and in fact we’re shocked and delighted that Catherine Lombardi has taken BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT, as well as BEST NEW RESTAURANT in its first year out of the gate. There is a place for garlic in the world.
Make a reservation tonight! We’re harvesting local corn and tomatoes! There is nothing like a vine ripe Jersey Tomato in summer!
Thanks again.
Francis, Mark and Lou