Upstream Grille brings American fusion to Lake Hopatcong

Phyllis and Mike Castiglia of Sparta have a boat docked at the marina next door to Upstream Grille, a new restaurant in Lake Hopatcong. They enjoy many of the dishes, including the Spinach Artichoke Dip with crispy tortillas. "We will wind up being regulars here," said Phyllis. "We know they will do well."

"You can tell everything is homemade," Mike added. "They put extra care in while making the food."

"We want this to be a place people remember," said Ken Salmon, chef and co-owner of Upstream Grille. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, he has worked from New York City (Gigino Trattoria) to New Orleans (Commander's Palace) and even spent some time cooking in his family's hometown of Positano in the Amalfi Coast region of Italy. "In Italy, they use good natural flavors to bring out the true taste of the food," he said.

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Salmon has applied all of these combined experiences to create his new venture. On July 7, Salmon, along with co-owner John Song, opened the Upstream Grille, which has taken over the previous restaurant space of Warehouse Grill in Lake Hopatcong.

"We focus on three areas," Song says, "high quality, great service and reasonable prices." Everything is made from scratch including tortilla chips, the focaccia bread and marina sauce which cooks for eight hours. Even the pickles, which accompany the sandwiches, are homemade.

Salmon and Song are both from the area and wanted to establish a restaurant locally; Salmon lives in Sussex County, Song is from Morris County.

"We have been in this area most of our lives," said Song. "We know the lake, we know the area, we know the people in the community that we live in. This is the area where we wanted to bring our restaurant. Plus, it's on the lake, which is nice."

Both Salmon and Song want all of their customers to enjoy their experience and leave happy.

One memorable feature is to watch the operations of the kitchen staff in the open kitchen. Most of the team working have been together for years at previous restaurants and operate like a family. Salmon says, "We know what each other needs without even saying a word."

Appetizers range from the traditional to the unique including steamers with lemon garlic beer broth ($13); applewood-smoked bacon-wrapped scallops with blue cheese coleslaw and a balsamic drizzle ($12); and lobster and cream cheese spring rolls with Maibu mango dipping sauce ($12).

One of the signature dishes on the menu is the sweet Cajun charred ribeye with smoked bacon potato salad ($25), snap peas and Chimichurri sauce. The mixture of the spiciness along with the sweetness makes this steak unlike your typical ribeye. Another crowd favorite is the Berkshire pork chop with fresh rosemary mustard crust, roasted potato and browned garlic broccoli rabe ($18). The blackened salmon with saffron jasmine rice, snap peas and mango salsa ($21) is a great option for seafood.

Keeping with the homemade theme, the desserts are a "must have." Individual black iron skillets filled with seasonal fruit come to the table piping hot, including the blueberry crumb black skillet with vanilla ice cream ($10). The cheesecake with graham cracker crumb, whipped mascarpone and macerated strawberries ($9) is served as an individual cheesecake, which is great for sharing.

In addition to the fine cuisine, one can enjoy live entertainment in the bar area which hosts local artist such as Shed Band, JB Kline with Boom Boom Bobby, Cardon, Frank & Glen and Paul Miller. Performance dates and details can be found on their Facebook page.

For those who like to have their toes in the sand, a cocktail or food can be enjoyed at the outdoor seating area with a few tables on a sanded beach area. There are plans in the future to expand this into a larger space.

For boaters, Song said on the weekends, there is usually an attendant on the dock, plus additional assigned dock space at The Prospect Point Boat Yards. For more information, visit www.upstream grille.com or call 973-663-2222.

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FOR MORE INFO:

Upstream Grille

Address: 161 Route 181, Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849

Tel: 973-663-2222

Website:http://www.upstreamgrille.com

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/upstreamgrille

Prices: Appetizers $8 to $13; salads $4.50 to $11.00; pastas $13 to $19; pizzas $8 to $12; entrees $15 to $2; desserts $8 to $10. Kids menu available.

Special requests: Vegetarian, vegan and special dietary needs. Gluten-free options are noted in the menu.

Credit cards accepted: Visa/Mastercard/Discover/Amex

Cuisine: American Fusion

Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Seating: 205

Parking: Free parking lot and boat parking; assigned dock space at The Prospect Point Boat Yards