Middlesex Boro Restaurant Violated COVID Rules, AG Says

MIDDLESEX, NJ — On Monday, the New Jersey Attorney General announced a round-up of more than 20 restaurants and bars across the state that have been charged with violating orders regarding alcohol-to-go sales during the coronavirus pandemic.

And longtime Middlesex borough restaurant, Vincenzo's Ristorante, on Bound Brook Road, was on the list.

The entire thing was a misunderstanding, said the restaurant's manager, Rui Alves.

"A longtime customer, a woman who has been coming in here for nearly the past thirty years, came in to pick up some food," he said. "And she was laughing and saying she missed our martinis so, so much! So the waiter who was working that day poured cranberry juice into a glass and she took a photo and posted it on Facebook, as a joke."

Alves said he thinks someone reported the photo to the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), and ABC inspectors came in recently to ask him about it.

"The whole thing was a joke, and she felt really bad," he said.

All 20 establishments named on the list face suspension of their liquor licenses for at least 10 days.

But Alves said he's hopeful that doesn't happen, and right now is just waiting to see what the powerful Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control decides.

"I'm really hoping they are understanding, because this is not the time to hurt restaurants," he told Patch.

The restaurants named by the Attorney General for violating the pandemic orders are (It is unknown what their infractions are):

• Alchemist and Barrister in Princeton
• Bask Bar and Grill in Woodland Park
• Buteco Sports Bar in Long Branch
• Core 3 Brewery in Clayton
• Devil's Creek Brewery in Collingswood
• Disabled American Veterans, Clifton Chapter #2 in Clifton
• Lina's Restaurant in Bloomingdale
• Linwood Inn in Linden
• Medina Liquor Store in Elizabeth
• Old Glory Kitchen and Spirits in Keyport
• Quilvio's Tavern in Paterson
• Rail's Steak House in Towaco
• Randolph Diner in Randolph
• Riviera Maya in Branchville
• Riviera Maya in Rockaway
• Tacos El Tio in Medford
• Taphouse 15 in Wharton
• The Sawmill in Seaside Heights
• Vincenzo's Ristorante in Middlesex

These two establishments received fines:

• Juliano's Restaurant in Egg Harbor Township ($500) for offering investigators a beer before they identified themselves.

• The Liquor King in Pennsauken ($750) for violation of face mask requirements

Related: Keyport Eatery Broke Liquor Laws By Selling Homemade Sangria: AG