The Connections Bridgewater Somerville Edition Feb 2020

PAGE 30 Dining Out 7 days a week 3pm-7pm at the bar 1pm-7pm Fridays $2 drafts (select list) • $2 domestic bottled beers • $6 bar bites $4 glass house wines • $4 mixed drinks (house brands) $6 margaritas, bloody mary & martini house brands Stoney Brook Grille North Branch • 908-725-0011 With coupon. Not valid with other o.ers, Sunday Brunch, Happy Hour Specials or on Holidays. Expires 4/15/20. 1285 Rt. 28 (Easton Turnpike) • Branchburg, NJ 908-725-0011 www.stoneybrookgrille.com Open 7 Days Lunch • Dinner HAPPY HOUR “THE BEST OF THE BEST” ENTIRE BILL of $50 or more $ 5 OFF Stoney Brook Grille North Branch • 908-725-0011 With coupon. Not valid with other o.ers, Sunday Brunch, Happy Hour Specials or on Holidays. Expires 4/15/20. ENTIRE BILL of $75 or more $ 10 OFF Sunday Brunch 10am-3pm Specializing in Exceptional Food & Extraordinary Service Party Room available for up to 80 people to Celebrate Your Next Special Event - Weddings, Baby & Bridal Showers, Engagements, Anniversaries, Birthdays, Communions & Christenings MAKE YOUR VALENTINE’S DAY & EASTER SUNDAY BRUNCH RESERVATIONS NOW! Lunch Sushi Bar & Kitchen $ 15 95 Mon.-Sat. 11am - 3pm Order all you want but eat all you order Dinner Sushi Bar & Kitchen Order all you want but eat all you order (Up to 60 Persons) 908-252-1777 Fax 908-252-1778 69 West Main St., Somerville, NJ 08876 $ 22 95 Mon.-Thurs. $ 24 95 Fri.-Sun. Business Hours: 15% Off Lunch or Dinner Excludes All You Can Eat Sushi and Lunch & Dinner Specials 1285 Rt. 28 (Easton Turnpike) Branchburg, NJ 908-725-0011 stoneybrookgrille.com By: Greg Waxberg One aspect of Stoney Brook Grille will change each time you visit: the specials. However, one aspect that will never change: great customer service. Co-owner Simos (SEE-mohs) Kontos has been dedicat- ed to outstanding service ever since the restaurant opened in January 2009. Beginning its 12th year, Stoney Brook Grille is intended to be “Manhattan in Branchburg” with its décor and cuisine, yet a neighbor- hood restaurant where every patron is treated like family. The restaurant is even run by a family; Mr. Kontos’ daughters Ioanna and Katina work with him. Extremely focused on his clientele, Mr. Kontos seeks to give them top- notch service. “I’m here every day, 100 hours a week, to make sure the customers are taken care of and that my employees have everything they need to succeed. I don’t leave things to chance.” By extension, he ensures his employees have the right atti- tude. “Valuing each customer for who they are is very important. A lot of our staff is younger, so I teach them about doing the right thing for our customers.” Mr. Kontos attended Stevens Insti- tute of Technology and worked for AT&T for 22 years before following the family tradition of working in the restaurant industry. He purchased, renovated, and changed the name of what was New Orleans Family Restaurant. To do so, he consulted a map of the area, wanting “some- thing that would relate to Branch- burg.” The name of a nearby street, Stoney Brook Road, was appealing: “Stoney” for its implication of sturdi- ness, strength, and being unbreak- able; “Brook” for the reference to water, renewal, and freshness. He is proud of the restaurant’s scratch kitchen, overseen by Chef Felipe Calyeca. “We also cook a dish only when a customer orders it,” Mr. Kontos states. The kitchen offers dif- ferent specials every night. “I have a European background, but I didn’t want to open an ethnic restaurant. We have American cuisine with a European and Southwestern fusion. This lets us be creative. I like to change things and keep things inter- esting for our customers to give them a different experience every time.” The main menu changes every few months to rotate seasonal dish- es. Popular items include Jambalaya, French Dip (roast prime rib with caramelized onions and provolone cheese), Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad, and Mediterranean Chopped Salad. Among the soups, customers gravitate toward Egg-Lemon, Crab Meat and Corn Chowder, and French Onion (the latter prepared with Swiss, provolone, and parmesan cheeses). The kitchen uses only certi- fied Angus beef. Along with its main menu, Stoney Brook Grille presents Prime Rib Wednesdays and an award-win- ning Sunday Brunch that, depending on when you dine, could feature Greek, Asian, European, or South American cuisine. Happy Hour is a daily occurrence (for several hours), and children eat free for dinner Sun- day-Thursday (one free meal for each adult entrée). The restaurant also caters, and can host your next party – you can choose or customize a pack- age to meet your budget. “We rec- ognize that every customer’s situa- tion is different,” Mr. Kontos says, “and we’re all about the customer.” Greg Waxberg, a writer and mag- azine editor for The Pingry School, is also an award-winning freelance writer. theconnectionsnj.com