Watch The Chefs In Action At Closter's Stern And Bow

CLOSTER, NJ – Stern and Bow, a new casual eatery from local restaurateur Russell Stern, opened Monday in Closter, offering up wood-fired pizza, fresh raw food and a bit of a show.

The 155-seat restaurant features a menu filled with “eclectic, regional dishes, accented with seafood specialties” and three separate bar areas – a raw bar, pizza bar and full service liquor bar.

Stern, the former owner of Harvest Bistro, said, “I wanted a restaurant where the theater is as exciting as the food – the type of theater involving watching chefs in action, in a beautiful but relaxed setting.”

At the pizza bar, patrons can take a seat and watch as the pizzaiolo turns out piping out Neapolitan pies and oven-roasted dishes, such as wood-roasted oysters, head-on prawns and roasted chicken.

Over at the raw bar, an icy trove showcases an array of premiere shellfish, raw and cooked, oysters, clams, lobster, shrimp and crab legs. Guests can also relax while they watch the shucker in action, as he prepares dishes.

“I’m a food fanatic and love to travel and get to know the culture of a people through their local food. At Stern and Bow, we’ve recreated interesting, regional cuisine from some of my favorite destinations, using great, seasonal ingredients and expert execution.”

Stern’s new menu includes custom-blend burgers, dry-aged steaks and seafood specialties, along with artisanal pastas, wood-fired pizza and house-made desserts.

According to Stern, some of the signature dishes include:

• Housemade baked provola pansotti with smoked mozzarella and wood-fired tomato sauce
• Big easy prawns with stone ground grits, wild spinach and smoked chilies
• Dry-aged ribeye with wood-fired peppers & tomatoes, anchovy toast

To assist in menu development, Stern worked with Stern and Bow's executive chef Pasquale Frola, consulting chef Paul Gerard and restaurateur Joe Castelo, co-owners of Hoboken’s Antique Bar & Bakery. Oyster-expert Kevin Joseph of Empire Oysters and co-founder of New York Oyster Week, worked on the restaurant’s raw bar program.

Stern and Bow is located at 171 Schraalenburgh Road in Closter and will be open nightly for dinner, from 5 to 11 p.m. Later this fall, the restaurant will be open daily for lunch and on Sundays for brunch.

Call 201-750-3350 or visit sternandbowrestaurant.com for more information or to make reservations.