Listen to how waiter John Horsfield introduced one of the specials at the Gaslight restaurant this past Tuesday night:
“We have a T-bone steak Capriati. It’s our signature dish. It’s 34 ounces before we take it off the bone. It’s quickly seared on the grill, sliced off the bone, put back on the bone, and topped with a light mushroom marsala, parmesan and fresh mozzarella. By the way, we make our own mozzarella. And then we bake [the steak] in the oven. It’s absolutely delicious. It’s my favorite dish they make here.”The restaurant’s owner, Charles “Chaz” Martello, settled into a chair at his intimate Hoboken eatery and commented on Horsfield’s locution. “That’s a prerequisite,” he said. “All the waiters have to know how everything tastes and how it’s prepared so that they can better serve our customers.”
Personal service is important to Martello, who opened the restaurant at Fourth and Adams streets two and a half years ago. He tries to greet and speak with every customer and he gets to know the regulars. “How ’bout near the Christmas tree,” he said Tuesday as he led two young women to a seat in the corner. “But don’t go skimming gifts. We haven’t opened them yet.”
Martello’s other specialty is – well – the specials. His son, executive chef John Martello, takes the regular staples from the menu – chicken, veal, fish, steak and pork chops – and prepares them several different ways so that there is a long roster of special entrees each night.
All are served in the classy, dimly lit restaurant, which has a quiet bar area up front, a dining room in the middle (complete with wooden and brick walls and several wine racks), and a room in the back for private parties. Soft rock music plays, adding to the cozy atmosphere.
Stuffed with ‘mutz’
Gaslight’s salads and appetizers range from $5.95 to $9.75. The least expensive entrees are the pasta dishes, which start at $10.95. The meat and fish dishes go up to $29.95. The most expensive is the lobster tails Fra diavolo (saut