Yikes. I have been super delinquent with my blog recently and I apologize. I know I have hundreds, maybe thousands of eager fans waiting with baited breath for each new piece of C O N T E N T. However, it has been brought to my attention that many people somehow think that food blogging is my full time job. Not only is that not the case, it’s not a job at all. It’s a hobby. I’m not sure how you could get that impression when I only put out maybe 4-5 pieces of content a year. I don’t get paid for anything food related at all actually, which keeps me unbiased, honest, and relatively scathing in my reviews and commentary.

I am the founder and digital marketing consultant at Engage Social Media Solutions, which has been keeping me very busy. And I will soon be starting as the Director of Marketing & Business Development for Topology, a Newark-based urban planning firm and current client. Anyway, I’ve been pretty burned out the last few months and I’m sure it will only get worse come February, so expect even fewer blog posts in 2020. It is what it is.

Anyway on to the important shit. Even though I’m not in the industry nor have I ever been (unless you count being a mediocre food blogger or my short stint as a Quiznos sandwich engineer back in 2004), I’m pretty keyed into the Central Jersey bar and restaurant scene thanks to my many evenings spent at New Brunswick bars. I’d been hearing rumors about Due Mari’s potential shuttering for several months, which took me by surprise. This high-end, award-winning, seafood-centric Italian establishment has been a staple of the New Brunswick culinary scene for a decade now. You’ve probably seen a myriad of posts on my Instagram and Facebook highlighting their exquisite food and service, though I’ve never felt the need to do a formal write-up on them here. They simply didn’t need it. They were acclaimed enough.

The calm before the storm at the Due Mari bar.

You’d find me at the Due Mari bar at least once a month, noshing on some small plates, some oysters, maybe some pasta, and always accompanied by a wine from their impressive cellar. A member of Michelin-starred Chef Michael White’s Altamarea Group, a global seafood and Italian restaurant conglomerate with locations from New York to Dubai, Due Mari always seemed to be the forgotten step child of the restaurant empire. I got the impression that White didn’t make the trip down the Turnpike all that often. Regardless, it didn’t seem to affect the quality, or popularity. Every time I’ve been in there over the past year or so, it’s consistently busy regardless of the day of the week. And I’ve rarely had complaints. The interior may have been a little dated by 2019 standards, but since my first visit over half a decade ago, everything has been top notch time after time. Largely due to the skills of Chef di Cuisine Cesar Ramos and their expert pastry chef who’s name I can no longer find (sorry!).

My theory is that the New Brunswick overhead just didn’t justify keeping the restaurant open any longer. I’ve heard reports that the rent for their space on the corner of Albany and Neilson Streets was in the neighborhood of $15,000 a month. That’s a lot of garganelli. With Altamarea locations in New York City that most likely cleared much greater profit, and similar locations in Bernardsville and Long Island with much lower overhead, this Hub City restaurant was probably doomed. Plus, the opening of the superb Salt Seafood & Oyster Bar right around the corner in late 2018 certainly did not help. Trust me, I could go on a rant about New Brunswick real estate and rent prices destroying the downtown and beginning to reverse decades of progress, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Due Mari

Photo Credit: New Jersey Leisure Guide

Once the rumors of Due Mari’s closing were confirmed and that the downtown staple would be closing its doors on December 22nd, 2019, Stephanie and I knew what needed to be done. I got on Open Table and made a resy for the final week. We needed to send Due Mari off with a grand bacchanal. And eat and drink we did.

We made sure to make the reservation for the Wednesday before, as they were offering half price bottles of any wine left in the cellar from Sunday through Thursday. We ate, we drank. We laughed, we cried. We said goodbye to bartenders and chefs that we may never see again. We closed down the damn place. Literally. After a masterful two and a half hour meal we were the last table left standing.

A huge thanks to the entire staff and especially to Chef di Cuisine Cesar Ramos who took very good care of us. The kitchen sent us so many plates we almost had to turn them back. Almost. Everything came fast and furious, and I managed to grab photos of almost everything.

2013 Moccagatta Bric Balin Barbaresco

Alaskan King Crab Legs

Alaskan King Crab Legs

Trout Rillete

Burrata with roasted acorn squash, brown butter vinaigrette, aged balsamic

Tuna Crudo with sushi grade tuna, kalamata olives, pickled butternut squash, anchoïade

Tuna Crudo with sushi grade tuna, kalamata olives, pickled butternut squash, anchoïade

Garganelli with 18-month aged prosciutto, mushrooms, cream, black truffle butter

Garganelli with 18-month aged prosciutto, mushrooms, cream, black truffle butter

And these photos don’t even include the wildly delicious carpaccio with dry-aged beef, baby watercress, 62° egg, anchovy crema, capers, and shaved parmesan or the bomboloni: warm citrus-scented ricotta doughnuts served with honey-caramel sauce that will be sorely missed. The only leftovers were a bit of pasta, which I had planned to keep in the freezer like Bobby Baccala’s late wife Karen’s ziti, but it didn’t last long.

“That’s Karen’s ziti…”

So it is with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to one of my favorite Central Jersey restaurants. I’ve enjoyed many, MANY exquisite dinners at their tables and even more quiet, contemplative meals at their beautiful bar. Thank you to Chef Michael White, Chef di Cuisine Cesar Ramos, and the entire staff for the warm hospitality and many fond memories. You will be missed.

Cuzin’s Seafood Clam Bar reportedly will be taking over the space and they have some big shoes to fill. I wish them the best of luck.

Due Mari (Now Closed)

$$$

78 Albany St, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

(732) 296-1600

Website: http://www.duemarinj.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duemarinj/

Foursquare: https://foursquare.com/v/due-mari/4ac7d656f964a52008ba20e3