upstairs DOWNSTAIRS

Monroe’s and The Sinatra Room Speakeasy cater to the senses

By Tara Ryazansky

Photos by Max Ryazansky

Amural of Marilyn Monroe in black and white except for her bold, red lips greets you at Monroe’s, even though it was Sinatra who frequented the place when it was the Clam Broth House.

“Frank Sinatra is from Hoboken, and he’s a big icon, but there are already restaurants named after him,” says Yineidy Matos, general manager of the American-Asian fusion restaurant. “From that time period, who was the biggest, baddest bitch? Marilyn. Why not name the restaurant after the biggest, baddest bitch of that time? We put a lot of emphasis on the men, but why aren’t we talking about the women who made a difference?”

“Preach, sis,” says Melanie Carugan, bar manager and cocktail curator.

The pair proved their own bad bitch status by building Monroe’s during a tough year.

Matos was there from the time that it opened

“We opened last year, one month before the pandemic,” Matos says. “We didn’t have a customer-base yet. We didn’t even do delivery or takeout at that time.” Matos moved quickly to provide takeout and used social media to find customers through friends and family. She says, “I had friends that would send food to other friends who were in quarantine and not going out. People would say, ‘Hey let me support you.’ It was just a year of adapting.”

Bootlegger Libations

As restrictions loosened, Monroe’s opened to the public. The restaurant became known for fresh sushi and creative cocktails. “We did guest bartenders over the pandemic, and Melanie was one of them,” Matos says. “I always liked her vibe.”

Matos brought Carugan in to discuss expanding Monroe’s.

“We hit it off,” says Carugan. “When I met her, she said, ‘It’s Yin, pronounced gin, like gin and tonic.’ I just knew I liked her.”

Carugan designed drinks that go far beyond the typical liquor-and-a-splash-ofsoda formula. She has created two menus, one for Monroe’s, upstairs, and one for the Sinatra Room Speakeasy hidden away downstairs.

“Both floors are very different,” Carugan says. “Upstairs has a much more expansive menu.” Downstairs has a, well, speakeasy vibe.

“The backbar is all spirits that maybe you’ve never heard of or you typically wouldn’t find anywhere else,” Carugan says. “They’re more local-based or history-based. I really love that past history of cocktails. I wanted to emulate that by bringing back that bootlegger vibe with an emphasis on libations.”

The Sinatra Room

“A speakeasy was always part of the plan,” Matos says. “I told [Carugan] what I wanted, and she just got it right away.”

The vision for the speakeasy went beyond fabulous drinks and décor. “The room is run only by women,” Carugan says.

Upstairs at Monroe’s, women and men tend bar and wait tables. Matos is manager of the entire operation, and Carugan is cocktail curator for both bars. The owner is a man.

“When this was originally founded as the Clam Broth House, women were literally not allowed inside, while the men were inside enjoying it. It’s like we’re going back to those times, but the times are different. You can still find beauty in the past, but for me that was my timely vision, switching the roles up and empowering women.”

Melanie Carugan & Yineidy Matos

Burlesque performer Lydia Vengeance has a show at the speakeasy every other Thursday. For updates, find her on Instagram @lydiavengeance.

Enjoy a pre-show small plate upstairs at Monroe’s. Try the Rice Krispies. It isn’t a bowl of cereal, it’s spicy tuna and guacamole served on crispy fried rice.

If you’re hungry, go for the Kennedy Burger with a garlic aioli and wine reduction or the Carraway shrimp and bacon pasta. The sushi is fantastic, too.

If you’ve made a speakeasy reservation, you’ll receive a card with a clue that will help you find your way to the Sinatra Room.

Lydia Vengeance

Burlesque with a Vengeance

Lydia Vengeance shimmies and shakes her way down to her bedazzled pasties as she sings, cracks jokes, and introduces a few friends, like New York City performer Puss-N-Boots. She mixes modern music with classics like Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend. “I take a lot of inspiration from Marilyn Monroe,” Vengeance says. “I wanted to kind of tie that in and take the inspiration from upstairs and bring it downstairs. I jokingly call it ‘the breastkept secret in Hoboken,’ and it really is. It’s a place to celebrate burlesque. You’re not going to find a show like this literally anywhere in Hoboken.”

Vengeance loves her workplace.

“These people made a fantastic cocktail menu,” she says. “That’s the best part of a speakeasy. You go to bars, and they make you a quick little tequila soda; it’s nothing. These people do these unique, carefully curated drinks. It really makes the experience. It caters to all your senses. The taste of the drinks, the visual of the room, the aesthetic, even the smell of the place, you can smell the smoked wood from the Old Fashioneds. It lingers with you. People have to come and check out the show for themselves and see what all the fuss is about.”—07030