Stage Left Steak, New Brunswick, NJ:
A Restaurant Review
5 Livingston Ave.
New Brunswick, NJ
732-828-4444
Website
Stage Left Steak: Restaurant Highlights
Fare: New American
Price: Very Expensive
Food Quality: Serves excellent, well executed dry-aged USDA Prime Angus beef, and Japanese Wagyu steaks. Uses fresh "farm to table" local ingredients and sustainable produce.
Service: Professional, well trained, though a bit pretentious.
Decor: Romantic, softly lit atmosphere
Note: Four star Rating System from
1/2 Star = poor to Four stars = Best in Class
Noise Level: Moderate
Dress: Upscale Casual
Recommended For: Diners who enjoy high end steaks with "fresh farm to table ingredients" and fine dining amenities
Not Recommended For: Budget conscious diners who enjoy casual family dining and comfort food.
Recommended dishes: When available, The 45 Day Dry Aged Prime Tomahawk Chop; The Wagyu Strip Steak; and for lighter fare The Stage Left Burger with grass-fed and dry-aged beef from the wood burning grill.
Liquor: Full service bar service with an exceptional wine list --- Bar scene is vibrant
Restaurant Review
Stage Left Steak, located in the heart of the New Brunswick theatre district, is one of New Brunswick's top restaurants.
The restaurant is owned and managed by Mark Pascal, and Francis Schott.
The kitchen is run by Chef Ricky Stevens. Chef Stevens received his formal education at ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) in NYC. He later honed his culinary skills at The Metuchen Inn, and the Mulberry Street Grill in Woodbridge, NJ before joining Stage Left Steak in 2008. Chef Stevens presides over well-prepared food using fresh "farm to table" local ingredients and sustainable produce.
Their specialties are the dry-aged USDA Prime Angus beef, domestic and Japanese Wagyu, lamb, and Berkshire pork, prepared and cooked to a smokiness and an atavistic char flavor.
Stage left Steak also makes the best burger in Central New Jersey. Their 11-ounce Angus beef " Stage Left Burger" is cooked with apple-wood over a wood burning grill. It's juicy with a slight hint of a "smokiness".
The restaurant has a romantic atmosphere. The dining rooms are attractive and softly lit. Tables are too closely spaced for intimate conversation.
They offer a full bar and an extensive international wine list, and a wine cellar that is ideal for private parties.
The service is professional, well trained, though a bit pretentious.
They offer several private rooms ideal for parties from 15 to 80. For a larger private function, the whole restaurant can be booked for parties up to 125.
Street parking is limited. Try parking across the street at the Heldrich Hotel valet parking service.
In cooperation with their sister restaurant, Catherine Lombardi, they are serving in the Stage Left Steak Dining Room (both menus available)
(Updated November 2023)
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