DINE AMERICANA
By Sally Deering
Photos by Georgi Richardson
Mat Kopec opened his first restaurant when he was still in his 20s; he bought it on Craigslist and turned it into White Star on Brunswick Street. That was two restaurants ago. Today, Kopec runs three eateries, White Star on Brunswick, White Star Warren St and his new place, Mathews Food & Drink on the corner of Bay & Grove – all three in Jersey City.
Mat (short for Mateusz) Kopec designed Mathews’ menu with Chef Jon Mecca and Chef Mike Kedala, formerly of One if by Land, Two if by Sea in Manhattan. The three decided to serve All American cuisine at Mathews that Kopec describes as, sophisticated, but presented in a casual style.
Jersey City Summer Internship Program (JCSI), a youth employment initiative started by the Fulop administration in 2014 that connects Jersey City public high school students to paid internships at the city’s leading companies and institutions while also earning academic credit was announced today by Mayor Steven M. Fulop that the opening of the online application process has begun. JCSI is a part of the city’s broader Jersey City Summer Works initiative, which has provided summer employment and enrichment for more than 3,000 young people in city departments and agencies, corporations and nonprofits since the initiative began.
Meet the new Madame Claude Bis just a few steps off Newark Avenue and down a small stairway where a red curtain beckons hungry city dwellers. Madame Claude Bis’s basement bistro casts low lighting and warm wooden tables and chairs that create a warm and friendly atmosphere. Where Madame Claude’s Café seated 32, the Bis (named for how Paris streets are numbered and not “bistroâ€) seats 80. The Bis also has a wine list and cocktails, unlike the Café’s BYOB policy. And on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7:30 pm, Gustafsson transforms from restaurateur to balladeer when he and his band, Manouche Bag take to the stage to play gypsy jazz a la legendary Jhengo Reinhardt. The songs are in French and Gustafsson writes most of the band’s repertoire.