VUE

lentils, heirloom carrots, micro mint and some lamb fat to bring fullness to the dish. Elsewhere, Koller's panko- crusted halibut stole the show with varying textures of sugar snap pea greens, Marcona almonds, crispy basil and basil almond milk purée. While the dessert (and dessert wine) options are plentiful, one of the many things that makes Restaurant Nicholas so unique is that they've always pasteurized and flavored their own small-batch ice cream. In fact, the ice cream is so good that Harary is currently opening two creameries in Atlantic Highlands and Fair Haven, NJ. e aptly named Nicholas Creamery will also feature vegan flavors as well as a nut-free so serve. For its bar program, Restaurant Nicholas has picked up on the brown liquor boom, with specialty cocktails like the "New Fashion" (which thankfully includes bourbon and bitters). But aside from their killer cocktails, the wine pairings are always changing with the food menu. Harary, who served as a sommelier to Jean-Georges in the late '90s, also helms an online wine company known as Nicholas Wines (www. nicholaswines.com). Along with the restaurant, these wines are curated by Harary's discerning expertise. "ese are typically wines that I find that you may never have heard of but, instead of giving someone 20 chardonnays to choose from, I might have just two or three from different categories. I've tasted 100 from each category and these are the best ones," Harary said. All of the details at Restaurant Nicholas are what truly add up to a unique, elegant experience. Harary himself believes that he has a duty to stand by his promise to not only cultivate a relaxed environment of elegance and refined taste, but one with its own soul. "In France, restaurants talk about the terroir of a wine, in this case, I'm talking about the terroir of a restaurant that has a soul to it and it's a place for people to come for their special occasions. People have been coming here year aer year for special occasions and we have a responsibility to uphold that experience—you don't want any missteps or wrong orders. I can't take back a wrong order. When that note gets hit wrong in a symphony, you can't go back—the magic is gone." G R A N I T E , S T O N E A N D M A R B L E • B A C K S P L A S H E S • A L L T Y P E S O F R E P A I R S • K I T C H E N S & B A T H R O O M S F R E E E S T I M A T E S C o m m e r c i a l & R e s i d e n t i a l ( 7 3 2 ) 6 1 6 - 3 4 5 9 w w w . t i l e s b y s e m o s . c o m D E P E N D A B L E , P R O F E S S I O N A L & A F F F O R D A B L E T I L E I N S TA L L AT I O N L O N G S H O T C O N S T R U C T I O N V U E N J . C O M 114 DINING

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