Ring in the Holidays with the 'What's Old Is New Again' Menu

Holiday celebrations take on a special meaning this year as Americans cling fast to their traditions and find renewed comfort in the gathering of family and friends. Stage Left restaurant, a landmark on Central Jersey's culinary scene for nine years, will salute holiday celebrations of yesteryear while setting the stage for 2002 with Christmas and New Year's meals.

Stage Left will reinterpret traditional a family-style Christmas Eve Dinner for six or more people for $49 per person. Christmas Eve dinner seatings are from 2 to 7 p.m. and private rooms are also available. The "What's Old is New Again" menu reinterprets classic dishes, turning Beef Wellington into Squab Wellington and Oysters Rockefeller into soup, will also be available a la carte.

Chef Patrick Yves Pierre Jerome's Christmas Eve Dinner features Rabbit Ravioli with Chestnuts, Bacon and Djon Djon (a mixture of small, powerful mushrooms that grow in the Haitian countryside), Brined Goose, Dion Dion Gravy and Amaretto Egg Nog Creme Brulee with Lemon Cookies.

Stage Left will begin celebrating the New Year with pre-theatre dinner seatings from 5 to 6 p.m. At 8 p.m. the Leslie Ford jazz ensemble will perform the tunes of Glen Miller and Artie Shaw at Stage Left's Black Tie New Year's Eve Gala. For $150 per person, celebrants can enjoy a dinner selected from the "What's Old Is New Again" menu, dancing, complimentary Champagne toast and a verse of Auld Lang Syne at the midnight hour. Hosts Francis Schott and Mark Pascal will have a line-up of the best champagnes available for the Black Tie Gala.

Located in the heart of the revitalized downtown New Brunswick, Stage Left has consistently been honored as one of the best restaurants in New Jersey, serving four-star cuisine and offering an innovative, exceptional wine list. Stage Left is at 5 Livingston Avenue. For information, call (732) 828-4444 or visit www.stageleft.com.