It’s an exciting and busy time for Erini restaurant's Chef Nick Fifis and staff as they prepare for another season of outdoor dining at the iconic location in nearby Ewing. From flower planting to menu prep, the countdown to Shangri-La is on.
It starts with a total cleanup and treatment of the grounds to guarantee a “crispy and fresh look” says manager Kyle Hillman. "It’s important to the team the outdoor areas don’t look weather-beaten or aged, but instead bright and new."
The Erini team takes great pride in ensuring each season outdoes the previous. This requires “every year adding a little more; something new to see,” says Chef Nick. It could be a chandelier, lighting or more fans discreetly and strategically placed to keep the area cool.
There are four separate outdoor patios, each with its own function and features. The upper patio, first to open, offers the most sun, something craved by diners after long winters. The others, with the Tiki bar and Tiki garden being focal points, activate shortly after. All the outdoor areas have water attributes, from a waterfall to fountains.
Flowers are abundant and a main characteristic of the restaurant. Erini makes a large investment and plants new flowers in what Chef Nick describes as “the perfect getaway." From the canna lilies to the thousands of other bulbs, the flowers perfectly accent the beautiful place to eat.
The menu gets a seasonal lift with spring items, such as the watermelon feta salad, caprese salad and the highly anticipated “Jersey tomato salad," made exclusively with tomatoes sourced from a specific local farm each year.
The relentless work to prepare the outdoor dining grounds and a conscientiously selected menu make Erini a destination with a resort-like feel. Guests' all-around smiles and photo-taking create the vibe of being on vacation, which is the goal of Erini’s crew, in addition to feeding their loyal customer base.
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"The menu, ambiance, smiles and photo-taking at Erini creates vibe of being on spring vacation."
