Local Restaurant Owners Want a Seat at the Bar

Prices have not been set for liquor license sales, but local restaurateurs are ready to start the bidding.

Patrons of Ponte Vecchio, the restaurant located in New Providence's Murray Hill Inn, don’t have to travel any further than the inn’s front desk for a bottle of wine to go with dinner. Bill Boyle, owner of Boyle Hotels and Best Western PLUS Murray Hill Inn and Suites, said the inn does have a retail wine license arrangement through Amalthea Cellars, which is a certified New Jersey winery that has won international competitions. While that relationship has worked out well for the inn, Boyle said he would like to expand it by purchasing a liquor license. “We have very much enjoyed that relationship [with Amalthea Cellars]. But to have a license that would allow us to offer our guests a wider array of wine, beer, whatever, that’s obviously a …

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A Town in 'Dire Straits' is Ready for a Change

With the approved referendum that could bring liquor licenses to the borough with council's approval, many business owners would welcome the historic change in New Providence.

During the day, downtown New Providence is a vibrant scene, with local residents busy eating lunch or dinner, shopping for groceries, picking up a few things at CVS, or popping into one of the retail shops to buy some Christmas gifts. But as the sun sets, it's easier to see several “for rent” and “available” signs in open downtown storefronts.  To Bill Ferdinand, co-owner of Ferdinand Jewelers, the empty shopping scene after 5 p.m. is indicative of a town he says is in “dire straits.” He wants to see it thrive and believes that residents, municipal and business leaders have made a decision that will lead to its revitalization. As President of the Downtown Improvement District, Ferdinand is dedicated to fighting for New Providence residents…

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Local Flavor

The Five Minute Tidbit: A Perfect Pair

Patch visited Pairings Palate + Plate in Cranford to talk about market driven food, home made pasta and Julia Child.

Vincent Clyne and Carol Murphy Clyne are partners in more ways than one.  High school sweethearts who ran a catering business for 20 years, they recently jumped into the restaurant business. Pairings Palate + Plate; globally inspired contemporary cooking is a labor of love with Carol at the helm in the kitchen. But, these two have even more on their plate than their restaurant and its piled high with ambition. Patch: You've both been in the food business for a long time.  How did you end up opening a restaurant? Carol: We opened last February after we sold our catering business, which we had for 20 years.  But before that we went to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Me for food, Vincent for wine in Napa Valley. The CIA invited us to…

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