New Brunswick's Due Mari restaurant to close

Jenna Intersimone | Courier News and Home News Tribune

Show Caption Hide Caption WATCH: Pasta dishes from throughout Italy Food Writer Jenna Intersimone recently traveled to Rome, Florence, Siena, Lucca, Cinque Terre, San Gimignano and Pisa. Here are some of the scrumptious pasta dishes she enjoyed.

NEW BRUNSWICK – After 10 years in the city, Due Mari, a fine dining Italian eatery known for its seafood and housemade pasta, is closing Dec. 22.

The announced closing comes in the wake of a local restaurant group's interest in the space, said Kaitlin Oks, senior brand and marketing manager for Altamarea Group. Altamarea Group owns Due Mari as well as Nicoletta Pizzeria and Osteria Morini in Bernardsville, in addition to 13 other restaurants around the world.

"We as a company are starting to focus on our multi-unit concepts," she said. "We loved Due Mari, but it was a brand we didn't see expanding and it was just time. Plus, we thought a local restaurant group who is interested in the space would make a great addition for the community."

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Oks did not know which local restaurant group inquired into the space or what restaurant could replace it.

While supplies last, Due Mari will hold a "Clear the Cellars" promotion during which they will offer 50 percent off all bottles of wine from Sundays through Thursdays.

Due Mari, which translates to "two seas" in Italian, is currently featuring dishes such as grilled Mediterranean sea bass with sautéed mushrooms and bordelaise sauce; garganelli with aged prosciutto, cream, mushrooms and truffle butter; and budino with caramelized milk chocolate, hazelnut-cocoa nib crumble and sweet cream.

Staff Writer Jenna Intersimone: jintersimone@mycentraljersey