A s the diverse array of culinary delights at Newport’s "Restaurant Row" continues to grow, the arrival of bar and restaurant 4Fifty5 on the ground floor of the Doubletree Hotel marks a shift in the type of dining experience offered by Jersey City’s burgeoning restaurant district.
The locally owned 4Fifty5 offers a varied yet no-nonsense American cuisine, delivered in a hip yet unpretentious setting that reflects the varied people and tastes of the city itself.
Named after its street address on Washington Boulevard, the restaurant is next to the under-construction Marbella apartment tower and a stone’s throw from the corporate offices at Newport. Owned and operated independently of the Doubletree, the restaurant intends to comfortably accommodate both white and blue collars, restaurant owner and Jersey City native Mark Pica said.
"We wanted people to come in and be comfortable," Pica said Monday, "from corporate America to guys working over at Shop-Rite."
To that end, Executive Chef Jay McDonald has crafted a moderately priced menu that runs the gamut of tastes and appetites. Selections range from signature takes on traditional lunchtime dishes like the classic BLT, to other, more exotic dinner entrée like Ceviche – a lime-infused Peruvian classic with scallops, carrots and radishes marinated in a lemon syrup and accented with toasted almonds.
The menu, which changes seasonally, was also created to reflect the tastes of the restaurant’s patrons. Because North Jersey residents prefer heartier dishes with larger portions and value complexity of flavor over presentation, 4Fifty5’s dishes were created to meet those sensibilities, McDonald said.
The dinner menu is focused heavily on a variety of meat and fish, accompanied by hefty side portions of pasta or potatoes laced with flavorful sauces. Regional staples, both appetizers as well as entrees, are made with twists that bring out the chef’s playfully experimental palate. 4Fifty5’s calamari is lightly fried and eaten with pesto and tomato purees instead of marinara sauce while the restaurant’s filet mignon is presented with a three-onion marmalade.
Specials are currently offered on weekends, with daily specials planned for the near future.
Creative team
McDonald, who was most recently chef de cuisine at Hamilton’s well-known Rat’s Restaurant, makes up one-third of 4Fifty5’s creative team brought on board by Pica and business partner John Sernio, who together own a majority interest in the venture and are its own financiers. Restaurant manager Aurelio Cardoso, who was previously the manager of Westfield’s Brick Oven, is a minority partner along with New Jersey restaurateurs the Lyristis brothers, who own the Red Bank’s acclaimed Bistro.
The space the restaurant occupies was previously an Au Bon Pain, and Charlie Lyristis drew up a design concept that creates a warm space saturated with dark wood tones and deep, vibrant colors. Lyristis limited himself to a palette dominated by earth tones, contrasting the wooden interior with slate facing on the eastern wall and subtle touches of color and texture on the space’s lighting fixtures and seating.
"I wanted to go for a lounge-type of atmosphere with a relaxed, comfortable setting," Lyristis said.
His design succeeds, and the result is a soft, intelligently lit space that affords diners a calming environment for either a casual business lunch or a romantic evening date. In addition, Friday nights feature the bossa nova stylings of Brazilian jazz artist Monika Oliveira, with more regular entertainment options planned for future dates.
4Fifty5’s bar, which boasts a long happy hour from four to eight p.m., is stocked with 30 different martinis, and the establishment’s wine list is expansive and moderately priced.
To celebrate the restaurant’s grand opening, Pica and Sernio will host a party with hors d’oeuvres, live music and an open bar from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The entertainment, which consists of both a DJ and a band named the Symphonics, will take place outside.
4Fifty5 is currently open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Call the restaurant at (201) 798-1114 for more information. q