Catherine Lombardi and Stage Left in New Brunswick to transform into Christmas pop-ups
Catherine Lombardi, an Italian restaurant at 3 Livingston Ave. in New Brunswick, was designed to mimic the living room of co-owner Mark Pascal’s grandmother Catherine Lombardi, with its ruby-red walls, cozy seating, family photos and two fireplaces.
And like any good Italian matriarch, Catherine Lombardi knew how to celebrate Christmas.
Which is why for the fourth year, Catherine Lombardi restaurant, as well as downstairs sister restaurant Stage Left, will transform into Central Jersey’s only Miracle Bar this Christmas season, complete with over-the-top Christmas décor, lighting, cocktails — and even a few visits from Santa Claus.
Although decorations will begin to be displayed on Nov. 20, with additional décor added each day, the full display will be unveiled on Black Friday, Nov. 24, when the restaurants open at 4:30 p.m.
“It’s going to look like the inside of a Christmas snow globe,” said Stage Left and Catherine Lombardi co-owner Francis Schott.
That seasonally-inspired spread will include an upside-down Christmas tree converted into a chandelier, and the real Catherine Lombardi’s own Christmas decor, like her porcelain Christmas trees, ornaments and miniature Santa figurines.
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Christmas cocktails in themed glassware, mugs, cup and shot glasses will hit the menu, like the new Rudolph’s Replacement, The Krampus, and Marshmallows & Unicorns served in Santa’s head or pants. Returning favorites include the Christmapolitan and Christmas Cricket.
All of the nearly 150 Miracle Bar locations throughout the country will offer Christmas-themed cocktails and glassware, but Catherine Lombardi and Stage Left were the first (and still some of the few) to also be restaurants.
“Whatever Miracle Bar you go to, it’s often crowded and hard to get in,” Schott said. “The best way to experience ours is to make a reservation and have dinner.”
Other New Jersey Miracle Bar locations include The Loaded Spoon in Freehold, Cowan’s Public in Nutley, The Parkside Social in Bloomfield, Gus’ Last Word in Wood-Ridge, and Franklin Social in Jersey City.
Catherine Lombardi and Stage Left are twice as busy during the holidays as they are during any other time of the year.
“Our restaurants are very Christmas-friendly and they always have been,” said Pascal. “It’s a very familial kind of place to celebrate in. To be up there and see the snow falling through the big windows, there’s no place like it in New Jersey.”
That view will look even grander this year, as New Brunswick will shut down traffic on part of Livington Avenue from Dec. 1 to 3 to create an outdoor ice skating rink, which will be visible from Catherine Lombardi’s windows, as will the city Christmas tree in Monument Square Park.
Twenty “elves” spend 500 collective hours creating the Miracle Bar display in Catherine Lombardi and Stage Left prior to the grand reveal. The Miracle Bar concept was cooked up by Greg Boehm, a friend of Pascal and Schott’s.
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While Boehm was opening his new East Village cocktail bar Mace in 2014, he realized that construction wouldn’t be completed in time for the busy holiday season. Rather than skip service, he transformed Mace into a pop-up bar serving holiday drinks among over-the-top decorations. Since then, other bars have followed suit, with a flurry of stockings, garland, wrapped gifts and a special cocktail menu.
“Catherine Lombardi would love how the restaurant feels during Christmastime,” said Pascal. “Every once in a while, someone says, ‘Catherine Lombardi looks dated.’ But it is — it’s dated back to her living room in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, and that’s how we want you to feel. It’s like you’re in that cozy space, without the plastic seat covers.”
Go: 3 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick; 732-296-9463, catherinelombardi.com.
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
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