A night of comfort food, music and art
Last Fall, my friends John Beret and Yvonne Parker took over the reigns a popular neighborhood restaurant but I never seemed to be able to visit the place. Having heard great things, I felt guilty. So when my friend Tara and I thought about where to go for dinner, I remembered that there would be music and art at Beret’s Simple Cafe (174 Coles St, Jersey City). Just the kick in the butt I needed.
This is a cozy place. Warm wood and iron rails set up in multiple layers brings extra dimensions to the space. Adding to the decor tonight were paintings of Hoboken bar scenes by David Ribyat of the band Las Vandelays. Fascinating pieces created mainly on found material. David joked that, at this point in his artistic development, he had not figured out how to do faces. I of course just kept trying to find myself in one (or more) of the images.
Dinner was tasty plates of comfort. I ordered the meatloaf for one main reason. You see, Yvonne always said that the meatloaf at Maxwell’s was her favorite. So It only seemed fair that I compared Beret’s dish. I’m happy to say that it held up nicely. Delicious gravy, crisp fresh greens and butter mashed potatoes warmed my belly. Tara got the Chicken Marsala which was equally as comforting.
The night ended with the cool samba rhythms of Las Vandelays and several rounds of cocktails. At various points in the set,s o many facts were being revealed about the band that it felt like ‘Las Vandelays Trivial Pursuit’. As fate would have it, I don’t remember any of them. A sign of a good night for sure.
Oh and be sure to look for the good luck voodoo doll when you’re there.
See Also:
Las Vandelays
