March 10
...serving up your daily dish.
Or actually, owner Dominick Restaino, who passed this on to me, via a friend (Dominick admits he does not have a computer). Seems his side of the story really didn't come across completely here. You have to get the past the whole Emerald City reference, but here's what Dom has to say...
Cuban Pete's finally speaks! To all my friends and family in Emerald City. I am the owner of Cuban Pete's and the previous owned Mexicali Rose which I have owned for 10 years. I sold it 1 and 1/2 years ago in Sept 2004 to move to Florida. I wanted to open a Cuban Pete's there but due the consecutive hurricanes which hit south FL we knew it was a sign to come back home to Emerald City and open Cuban Pete's here in Montclair. It took 8 months to get approved by the state of NJ for my NJ wine license. Two days before opening Jim from the NJ winery calls me and says he cannot sell me the wine from the winery. Why are you bailing out on me now after all this hard work I asked?
Jim says, Dominick.....you beat the system. I.E., you took the wine license and made it into a sangria concept and therefore I can't sell wine to you because the law states you're not allowed to sell NJ wine by the glass. You must sell the wine to the customers by the bottle as if buying it at a store. Meanwhile Jim sells the winery's sangria wine by the bottle so I asked him why can't I buy the bottles of sangria your winery offers? He says, it's just like selling a bottle of wine. It has to go into a glass by itself with no other ingredients. So what do I do? I spend my life savings opening my dream place and plan on serving sangria and now I'm told I can't two days before opening. And also after erecting the two sangria signs which I was approved to have by the town of Montclair. At the age of 39, and being in the business for 31 years I went back to the old school way of cooking the wine and the fruit for presentation purposes, and for the customers to enjoy eating the fruit and at the same bringing the alcohol level down to abide by the laws of NJ. The ABC knew this and they insist upon making me take my sangria sign down. They told me that to serve sangria you need a liquor license. Apparently the ABC doesn't know the definition of Sangria. Websters dictionary states Sangria means...a usually iced punch made of red wine, fruit juice, and soda water. Bottom line is, wine + fruit = sangria. And in my opinion it is like cooking vodka with penne, or chicken with marsala, shrimp with cognac sauce. All these contain a much higher alcohol level than which was found in the sangria cooked at Cuban Pete's. You can still bring in wine and beer, and even brandy. When the ABC came and took samples of my sangria on the day I was arrested, they found 29 cases of wine that has only 9% alcohol. Keep in mind that after the cooking process it was also diluted with all the other ingredients such as fruit, fruit juice, ice and other various ingredients which make Cuban Pete's sangria taste so authentic reducing the alcohol level to the requirements of the state of NJ ABC laws.
I have been drinking sangria since I'm 5 years old, and being 1/2 Spanish I believe this is the real sangria at Cuban Pete's. I'm offended by all the other places in NJ that sell sangria, because they sell the sangria with vodka, whiskey, cognac, and hard liquor and those don't belong in sangria. So I agree with Jim from the winery that I did beat the system. I think the ABC, the state of NJ, and the Montclair police department and all the writers that supported me, helped me to create more sangrias and offer 20 different tropical flavors of sangria. The real Sangria!!! All the supporters of Cuban Pete's must realize that my arrest comes with ignorance of what sangria really is, and the correct definition of it. So I applaud them for doing their job and thinking that I was breaking the law. I am willing cooperate with the ABC even if it means taking my sangria sign down because I do have the highest respect for the law. As a family man with two children I would never want them to be served alcohol under the age of 21. When I am found not guilty there will be a celebration at Cuban Pete's by holding special events which will be geared towards raising money for organizations like MADD and DARE, and various other local organizations which work towards enlightening people on the laws against drunk driving. And as they say in Emerald City, there's no place like home. God Bless.
March 10, 2006 in Controversy | Permalink
I applaud Dominick's stand. Low alcohol punch and low alcohol beer, should be in a different class than hard liquor. We have wine and beer at home, but nothing harder. I get annoyed with the DARE crowd, because cultures that server wine with meals and give a tiny glass to the children, have less alcoholism than in the US, where students line up shot glasses at the bar. My Irish father believed that people should learn how to drink at home, and not go wild when exposed to alcohol in college.
Posted by: mary mac | Mar 10, 2006 3:05:02 PM
"Pete," both your legal and your personal cases have been much better served without this statement. (I also know of no place in NJ that sells sangria with hard spirits of any kind, despite that cookbook recipes often include brandy as an optional ingredient.) Did you run it by your lawyer? It also wasn't too swift to brag that you've been imbibing "the real thing" yourself since you were 5. People are going to say that it shows.
Now, too, despite my initial resistance to the idea, I do suspect you are the village idiot.
Posted by: cathar | Mar 10, 2006 3:11:03 PM
PS: mary mac, you may "applaud" Mr. Restaino's stand all you wish, but it is also tantamount to a confession of purposeful legality. And according to him a reflection of his having learned to drink at home. This one is going to be a slam dunk for the prosecution, unless they somehow take pity on him for being such an obstinate nitwit.
Posted by: cathar | Mar 10, 2006 3:15:23 PM
Wasn't there a bunch of posters here two weeks ago who reported feeling "tipsy" after drinking Pete's Sangria? I don't think Dom's statement really helped his case at all.
Posted by: My Two Cents | Mar 10, 2006 3:20:13 PM
If you go to Chevy's in Clifton, they have delicious "Sangrita" - which is Sangria and Margarita mixed. It's really yummy - BUT, they have a liquor license to serve both liquor and wine!
That's the difference.
And, yes, I've gone in large parties to Cuban Pete's and ordered lots of sangria and friends have felt too tipsy to drive.
This letter from Dominick doesn't really clear anything up for me. Just that he really loves sangria and disagrees with the law - not that he didnt violate it.
Posted by: Butch | Mar 10, 2006 3:31:15 PM
Yeah, and Barry Bonds thought he was using flaxseed oil. Bush should hire Dominic as a damage control aide if he gets Montclair to drink this pitcher of Cool Aid.
Posted by: YeahRight | Mar 10, 2006 3:31:29 PM
Is it wise to issue such communiques pending a criminal hearing?
Posted by: Right of Center™ | Mar 10, 2006 3:32:23 PM
Dom: Don't mind the village bullies here. They shout a lot, but I doubt they speak for the whole village. Your nightly receipts will be the final word. Good luck! And if things don't work out well for you in Montclair, I think Key West would welcome your concept with open arms!
Posted by: Jim | Mar 10, 2006 3:33:09 PM
"The ABC knew this and they insist upon making me take my sangria sign down. They told me that to serve sangria you need a liquor license. Apparently the ABC doesn't know the definition of Sangria. Websters dictionary states Sangria means...a usually iced punch made of red wine, fruit juice, and soda water. Bottom line is, wine + fruit = sangria."
Apparently they DO - you don't have a license to serve wine by the glass. You have to have a liquor license to serve wine. You dont. Therefore you can't advertise that you're selling a product with wine in it.
Posted by: Butch | Mar 10, 2006 3:33:18 PM
I don't get the Emerald City. Is that a term often used to describe Montclair?
Posted by: anonymous | Mar 10, 2006 3:36:50 PM
" Your nightly receipts will be the final word."
That seems doubtful.
Posted by: Right of Center™ | Mar 10, 2006 3:38:08 PM
That Jim is your sole true supporter here, "Pete," speaks volumes. And he comes from some sort of weird position that indicates absolutely no understanding of liquor laws. (The "bullying" part is also ridiculous, people are simply trying to remind Pete of how the laws work in this state since he seems to stubbornly refuse to check them out himself, whereas "Robin Hood Jim" is trying to....do exactly what?.)
You may indeed, Mr. Restaino, be better off moving to Key West, if only because the weather is usually better. But if and when you do, please be advised that, however attractive Jim finds your "concept," you'll still need some sort of license before you open. That noted, why, you might even wish to go into partnership with your defender Jim.
Posted by: cathar | Mar 10, 2006 3:39:55 PM
BTW, unrelated, but newsworthy - I was at the VIP party at RED CHEETAH (aka RASCAL'S) last night, and all I can say is - WOW! What a turnaround. The place looks absolutely stunning - the entire upstairs has been converted into a very swanky ultra-hip nightclub, with gorgeous bars, lighting, dance floor, etc. The downstairs is still a bar, with the brilliant addition of a sushi bar! And Rascal's comedy club is now on the lower level in a much cozier spot.
Kudos to all involved in this renovation.
Tonight's the grand opening, and tomorrow night they have world famous DJ SKRIBBLES on hand. Should be quite the scene.
Posted by: sandy | Mar 10, 2006 3:41:23 PM
Emerald City is the place that Dominic goes to after a pitcher of his sangria and a few good bong hits.
Posted by: helltoupee | Mar 10, 2006 3:42:08 PM
Now that's what I'm talking about.
You go Dominick!!!
Seems to me like those ABC agents are really the Tinman, the Lion and the Scare Crow lacking brains, heart and courage by the way they conducted that investigation and you are the Wizard of Oz.
Good luck on winning your court hearing. I doubt there will even be one once the facts are presented.
After all, there's no place like home. And it sounds like a home run for Cuban Pete's. Or as they say in court, case dismissed! Good Luck!
PS, When cather learns how to spell, people may actually listen. Who's the nitwit now? I can't make heads or tails out her sentences. She sounds more like the village idiot every time she writes in to correct her own mistakes, then apologize for making them. Can anyone say spell check? Maybe she's been hitting the Nyquil? Stick with the sangria at Cuban Pete's. There is less alcohol in it than that hard stuff from the pharmacy. Are you sure you aren't Dorothy and you are just so dizzy you can't find your glass slipper to drink from??
Don't go away mad cather, just go away. Nobody cares what you have say. Dianetics proves that people are good by nature. What happened in your case? Maybe you should see the Wizard and ask him for common sense?
LOL
Posted by: Top Banana | Mar 10, 2006 3:42:21 PM
BTW, unrelated, but newsworthy - I was at the VIP party at RED CHEETAH (aka RASCAL'S) last night, and all I can say is - WOW! What a turnaround. The place looks absolutely stunning - the entire upstairs has been converted into a very swanky ultra-hip nightclub, with gorgeous bars, lighting, dance floor, etc. The downstairs is still a bar, with the brilliant addition of a sushi bar! And Rascal's comedy club is now on the lower level in a much cozier spot.
Kudos to all involved in this renovation.
Tonight's the grand opening, and tomorrow night they have world famous DJ SKRIBBLES on hand. Should be quite the scene.
Posted by: sandy | Mar 10, 2006 3:43:40 PM
Thank you ever so much for your corrective efforts, Top Banana. But I'd go a little easier on the vanilla extract now that you've had your, oh, let's be generous and say thirty seconds of patter here.
Posted by: cathar | Mar 10, 2006 3:44:45 PM
How did my response end up before the post responded to?)
Anyway responding to Sandy:
(and now, back to the show...)
Posted by: Right of Center™ | Mar 10, 2006 3:45:15 PM
Why does it seem that members of the Red Cheetah organization are planting buzz messages?
Posted by: Jim | Mar 10, 2006 3:47:36 PM
DJ Skribbles, "Cuban Pete" Restaino, Top Banana, even Jim - you hang around someplace long enough and seemingly everybody shows up. Worse, they probably make sense to each other.
And what does one have to do or be to get invited to "VIP Night" at the Red Cheetah? (Which keeps getting free advertising here despite the vow of its management never to run paid advertising here.)
Posted by: cathar | Mar 10, 2006 3:49:18 PM
