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Ursino: A Restaurant Grows On Kean University Campus, but Does So Much More....
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 • 11:34pm
You’ve asked about the “NEW” Restaurant located on the Kean University Campus. It goes by the name: URSINO. My good friend, General Manager, Richard Spaulding, shared this info with me. I promise to visit Ursino within the next few weeks. I will then share the menu with our loyal readers. Best for the rest of the month of January. MKB
Twenty miles west of Manhattan, nestled within Kean University's new STEM Science, Technology and Mathematics Building, on Liberty Hall Campus is a restaurant known as Ursino. (1075 Morris Ave., Union NJ 07083 908-249-4099 (www.ursinorestaurant.com) Ursino takes the Farm to Table and Green idioms, deconstructs them, and puts them back together with academia, aesthetics, education, and a zero footprint at the center of the paradigm -- somewhere between the farm and the table.
Ursino is a two-story, 140-seat experimental microcosm and Ursino's menu is expectedly all locally grown, seasonal produce such as tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, string beans and a variety of herbs from a four-acre garden at Liberty Hall; plus products from locals -- meats, cheeses and other dairy products, fish, foraged goods, game and birds. Ursino doesn't skimp on aesthetics and pleasure: its plentiful windows allow plenty of natural light. The bar is quartz. The scent and sight is Ursino's wood burning hearth. There's a wine suite, a second floor bar and lounge. All of this is located under a ceiling that is a sweeping radius designed to resemble a grist mill that formerly operated on these very grounds; then there's dining under the sky during the summer months; and view of the Manhattan sky line. The restaurant is scaled to easily wine and dine the campus's banquets and other large events; and a rooftop area. With its own farm, Ursino puts on exhibit stunning organic decor uniting modern and natural elements, and brings to table its four-acre farm's seasonal products. It even has its own bees. But that's surface buzz...
There's indeed depth here too, as expected of a restaurant conceived by-and-in academia and with a young energetic chef-farmer-forager named Peter Turso whose resume ranges from David Drake's and other notable New Jersey restaurants to a very unique position with Ariake Japan, a prominent Japanese sauce manufacturer, which gave him a global outlook on cuisine. Under the guidance of Chef Turso, the restaurant is aiming to earn Green Restaurant Certification, having made a guarantee that 70% of their food will be local, which they define as sourced within 100 miles.
Within the next couple of weeks, I’ll be visiting Ursino. I will be sure to tell my readers all about my extraordinary, learning and dining experience. Ursino Restaurant is located at 1075 Liberty Hall. Campus, Union: For reservations and information: Call: 908.249.4099.
Come sample the New Sunday Dinner menu at Restaurant Serenade
Appetizers: Lobster Bisque, snap peas, melted leeks, brandy, or Arugula Salad, warm caponata, Parmesan croutons, lemon vinaigrette.
Entrees: Gulf Shrimp, grilled, tomato risotto, baby carrots, green beans, parsley coulis, or
Lamb Shank Spoor Family lamb, boneless, braised, rosemary polenta, roasted baby Brussels sprouts.
Desserts: Cookie Plate; Serenade-made, malted ice cream, or warm Flourless Chocolate Cake, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce.
Do enjoy 3-courses for $39 per person (exclusive of gratuity and tax); No substitutions, please. Restaurant Serenade is open for lunch Monday to Friday from Noon to 2 p.m.
Restaurant Serenade is located at: Six Roosevelt Avenue,Chatham: Call for reservations and information: 973.701.0303.
Winter Events Courtesy of Edible Jersey Magazine
JANUARY 29, 1-4pm
WASSAILNG THE APPLE TREES All are invited to join the Mount Family of Terhune Orchards in this ancient British tradition for protecting the orchards and insuring successful crops next season. Activities include dancing, singing, playing of primitive instruments and re-enactments of old English traditional rituals: toasts of hot cider and placing gifts of cider-soaked bread in the tree branches while chanting the lively words of praise and New Year. Enjoy wagon rides, (weather permitting) and warm yourself next to the bonfire (marshmallows included). Festivities are free and open to the public. For more info, visit the website or call the Farm Store at 609-924-2310. 330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton.
FEBRUARY 1, 6-9pm
CUSTARDS: MORE THAN JUST PUDDING The Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College offers amateur chefs and food enthusiasts alike the opportunity to learn how to prepare classical custard desserts like Crème Brulee, Crème Caramel and the Italian favorite, Panna Cotta. Cost is $65. Visit the Atlantic Cape website for additional dessert workshops and other culinary programs. 5100 Black Horse Pike, Mays Landing.
MKB: Please email Millicent with any restaurant, bakery, or delightful food news: Mkbrody@aol.com