Verjus

Verjus in Maplewood to Close Next Month

After nearly 20 years, chef Charles Tutino and his wife, Jane Witkin, have decided to retire.

Best of luck in the future

Great restaurant and wonderful people.  All the best to them.

I'm sorry to hear this. I would love to go for one last splurge but I guess that's out of the question now.

mrincredible said:

I'm sorry to hear this. I would love to go for one last splurge but I guess that's out of the question now.

 Maybe. Open until end of October. Can anyone confirm that the building was sold as well?

We took out from them about a month ago in the hopes of supporting the place.  Great place, great people.   Sorry to hear.  

It's confirmed and the building has been sold. They'll be missed. We ordered takeout, but it wasn't the same as going and interacting with Jane and having her make a cocktail. 

Must be real sad for them to have to leave that place. I remembered meeting them when they were just getting the place ready to open. They put everything they had into verjus. Literally every thing. their hearts and souls and their money. I feel sad just reading this. 
After Gary’s ribs left that location I had my fears that verjus might be biting off more than they could chew... but the loyal customer is what made it a success. 
best wishes on their retirement.

All the best to Jane and Charles.     

Thanks for the hospitality and many memorable meals!  Verjus will be missed.

Very sad, my fav Maplewood restaurant. Will miss them. Maybe not immediately, but they did want to retire. Maplewood trivia question: Who remembers the first restaurant at that spot, before daddy's ribs? 

Who remembers the first restaurant at that spot, before daddy's ribs?
was it Adam’s ?

Jasmo said:

Very sad, my fav Maplewood restaurant. Will miss them. Maybe not immediately, but they did want to retire. Maplewood trivia question: Who remembers the first restaurant at that spot, before daddy's ribs? 

 Glad to hear they wanted to retire.  Was hoping it was not all Covid.

It was a very quiet and in a sense "uncool" place (old timer crowd) but boy was the service and food consistently good.  

Jaytee said:

Who remembers the first restaurant at that spot, before daddy's ribs?
was it Adam’s ?

 Gary's?

When I moved into a house at the top of Harvard Ave. it was Gary's ... 1961

I recall a diner. Was Gary's a diner?

Gary's was a diner, and did very well for itself.  But before that, for a brief time in the 1950s, there was a burger joint, called something like Hamburger Express.  The burgers were placed on chutes  or model trains, and proceeded down a track to where people were sitting.  The reason I remember this is because they advertised in the Maplewood News Record for people to buy stock in them; and my mother wanted to teach me about investing.  I invested $20 in the restaurant, which promptly went broke within a few months.  Unfortunately, I did not learn my well-taught lesson.

And between Gary's and Verjus, it was briefly a pizzaria (4-8 months?).  They had a shrimp scampi pizza, which I enjoyed several times.

So sorry Verjus will be closing. Loved it, wonderful food, spacious (you could actually hear what people at your table were saying and didn't have to listen to the conversations at adjacent tables) and such hospitable hosts. I am  glad they are closing to enjoy their retirement, but they will be really, really missed.

I'm still missing Churrasco, so I know I will miss Verjus for a long, long time.

Somehow I can't believe they will totally retire. They are too talented at what they do. Charlie is a great  chef.  and Jane is such a people person. Charlie was chef at Le Cote Basque and Capsouto Freres in the city.  Everything was just delicious.

I they still want to cater/prepare foods from home, I'd be happy to patronize them.

The first time I met Charlie and Jane was at a neighbor's Memorial Day potluck cookout when our oldest was in preschool or kindergarten. He brought soft shelled crabs.  I still remember them.
And I got to interact with Jane throughout school years.  

When I worked at St. Joseph's, we would have (occasional) group lunches there.  But I'm going to miss going to Verjus for my special occasions.  We wish them the best in the next phase of life.

galileo said:

Somehow I can't believe they will totally retire. They are too talented at what they do. Charlie is a great  chef.  and Jane is such a people person. Charlie was chef at Le Cote Basque and Capsouto Freres in the city.  Everything was just delicious.

From what I hear, both intend to keep busy, Jane perhaps doing freelance editing or something related, and I can't think of Charlie putting his chef's toque away forever... They're local, so no doubt we'll be hearing from them down the road.

-s.

When I lived in Maplewood and wanted fine dining we often chose Verjus.  I don't recall them having a kid's menu but more often than not they would rustle up some pasta for my very picky eater, despite it not being on the menu.  It was a place where we felt very comfortable bringing our young son (around 3/4 at the time) and I remember Jane bringing him little "wikisticks" to keep him occupied.  Something you expect at Applebees but not fine dining establishments.  It was those little things that made us keep going back.

We also had my second son's Christening lunch there - small gathering but Jane went out of her way to make sure everything was perfect.  The menu they put together was perfect for my family.  I admit, I hadn't been back since his christening but I am glad that they are closing because they chose to.  It is a well deserved break from many years of hard work.

Best of luck in their new endeavors.  

My sons enjoyed many meals with their grandmother at Verjus, where Jane always remembered them warmly (and introduced them to their favorite Sanpelligrino flavor, chinotto) and allowed them to order the burger at dinnertime. They gradually developed a taste for escargot and elegant fish, and one now has a career in the restaurant business. I'm grateful.

I am bumping this thread because discussion of Verjus has crept into the Parkwood Diner thread.

The summary of those comments is that Verjus is still open, and probably will be through the end of the year. It has been sold to a developer who is going to be building a mixed use building with a bar on the first floor. I suppose we can start a new thread when that building begins construction.

I am sad that we are losing this restaurant from our community. My wife and I enjoyed special occasions there from time to time, and my daughter is now the age where I think she would appreciate that kind of fine dining experience. I knew that whenever we went there, the food and service and overall experience would be commensurate with the tab.

From FB:

Lovely food and atmosphere, with a friendly, neighborhood feel.  So sorry to lose them.