SPRING PLANS FOR GREAT MEALS, GREAT PROGRAMS, AND MORE "IN THE WORKS"

I'm looking out my window this morning as the sun rose, and happily started my day knowing that the weather reports are predicting a beautiful spring day today.  We're ready for it!

There's been such a buzz at The National Hotel, awaiting the release of our new spring menu, that we just can't wait for the final proof to arrive from our designer.  Here's a little sneak peak of some of the new items that will be included in addition to our other Restaurant faves:

Spinach & Arugula Salad

Spinach, Arugula, Sliced Red Onion, Candied Pecans, Smoked Blue Cheese, Orange Champagne Vinaigrette

Conch Chowder   

Diced Conch in a Spicy Bacon, Corn, & Tomato Broth, Fresh Herbs

Spicy Tuna with Lotus Chips 

Sashimi Grade Ahi Tuna, Creamy Wasabi Dressing, Crispy Lotus Chips

Hummus Club   

House-Made Hummus, Oven Dried Tomatoes, Pea Sprouts & Avocado Crème, 7-Grain Bread   

Available as a wrap with paratha bread

Chicken Seekh Wrap  

Minced Chicken with Indian Spices, Mint-Yogurt Chutney, Greens, Sliced Cucumber, Red Onion, Paratha Bread

Eggplant Rollatini    (Vegan)

Marinated, Grilled Eggplant Slabs Stuffed with a House-Made Macadamia Nut & Herb-Cheese, Melted Spinach, Smoked Tomato Jus

Grilled Salmon    

Grilled over a Gingered Sweet Pea Purée, Lime & Cilantro Gremolata 

Looking ahead as to the other items that have kept us huddled around our planning table, we are so pleased to be open special hours to help our patrons enjoy an Easter celebration that will fit their schedule.  We'll be open from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. on Sunday, April 24th, serving a special Easter Brunch Menu in the Main Bar and Restaurant.  And the week after that, you can look forward to a special Vietnamese-inspired Ethnic Food Weekend starting on the 29th.

Luckily for us, we continue to count on the wonderful area residents who trust our establishment to be the "right" venue for their artistic expression, whether that be participating in our weekly Thursday Open Mic Night (oh yes...tonight starting at 9 p.m. to closing) in our Rathskeller Pub & Lounge, our recent addition bi-weekly Tuesday Trivia night (8:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.), our Saturday Night Live Music series (9 - 11 p.m.), our Sunday Musical Afternoon series (5 - 7 p.m.), or our 3rd Sunday of the month People's Poetry (2 - 4 p.m.)--which by the way, was just amazing last month!  We had participants getting up and reading, crossing generations.  There were young children as well as those who proudly announced they had already lived a lifetime, sharing their poems and beautiful works.  It's just such a joy to be able to attend these monthly sessions.  I hope you'll be able to join us this weekend for the April installment of the People's Poetry.  Here's a just a glimpse at what we heard last month:

For those of you already trying to make plans for Mother's Day, don't worry, we've got that covered too...We've planned a special and distinctive brunch menu for that special woman in your life, and we'll honor her by also establishing special hours for the day where you'll be able to plan the day on your terms:  10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

There will be a few other things planned for May, but I'll leave that for another blogpost.  In the meantime, mark your calendars for Saturday, June 4th:  We're thrilled to announce that we'll be hosting our 2nd Anuual music festival, The National Palooza, 4 p.m. - 2 a.m. the next day.  I'll write more about this in upcoming blogposts, but you can always get details of our events on our website, or by following us on facebook, twitter, and even by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

If there are other ideas or events that you would like to bring to our attention, please feel free to contact me directly at marie@thenationalhotelnj.com or by posting a comment here.  As always, Pete and I are incredibly grateful for your patronage and continuous support.  We couldn't create these events or programs without your help and encouragement.  Thank you!