eats

A Piece Of Waldwick Lives In Amster’s Prospect Tavern

By Kevin Czerwinski

It would be difficult to imagine Waldwick without Amster’s Prospect Tavern.

It would be difficult to fathom Amster’s Prospect Tavern without owner Norman Levine or general manager Deb Fearon greeting customers and telling stories to the North Jersey patrons who frequent the popular eatery.

It would be difficult to picture Levine and Fearon without Jessica Shinnick-Guerrieri standing alongside them, providing the glue as the restaurant’s figurative adopted daughter, helping to keep it running smoothly with her bright smile and charm.

It would be, well, you get the idea. There are a lot of layers to Amster’s and we haven’t even gotten to the food. The warmth and inviting atmosphere of the nearly 100-year-old establishment has made Amster’s one of the most popular restaurants, not only in Waldwick, but in all of North Jersey. That dining there feels like you’re having a Sunday dinner with family isn’t a coincidence. It’s simply part of the experience created by Levine and his team.

“This place gives people a sense of home,” said Shinnick-Guerrieri, who began working there as a waitress while she was in college some 15 years ago and has filled a variety of roles since. She currently works as a director of sales for Stew Leonard Wines but continues to contribute at Amster’s whenever possible.

“A lot of the people in Waldwick don’t leave or if they do, they come back. We see a lot of patrons who were in here as kids come back now along with the people who never left Waldwick,” she continued. “This place always

“Amster’s is a business that has been alive and thriving since 1926.”

feels like it’s your house. It’s a personal thing and we’re on a first name basis with most of the customers. There has been a lot of Warrior [the nickname of the town’s high school] pride here. People are vested in the local businesses and keeping them alive.”

Amster’s is a business that has been alive and thriving since 1926. It started as a grocery store and remained as such until Prohibition was repealed in 1933. It remains one of the oldest establishments in North Jersey and has gone through some changes over the last nine decades but essentially has remained the place that Waldwick residents proudly call their own.

It’s also been called Sadie’s [after Levine’s grandmother], Ruthie’s [after his aunt], Norm’s or simply The Tavern, reflecting which member of Levine’s family owned and operated it at the time. And if you look carefully at the stonework on the front of the building, you’ll notice that it says it was built in 1927. That’s because the mason didn’t know how to make a six so he simply made 1927 the building’s birthdate.

While Levine, 66, grew up in nearby Suffern, N.Y., where his father owned the local pharmacy, he spent countless hours in Waldwick and ultimately came to take over Amster’s when it was still just a bar. That was more than four decades ago and he shows no signs of slowing down. He first added a back patio to the bar and later enclosed it, making it a dining room.

Levine also recently switched to an electronic register system after Amster’s simply used pen and paper for more than 90 years.

“I just enjoy each day,” he said. “It’s a lot of work here but it’s a labor of love. It’s something where I wake up every day and I enjoy doing it. We have met a lot of great people here.”

One of the great people that Levine and Co. have met is Chef Joseph Grecco, who recently joined the staff and has helped transform Amster’s menu. The flair and lusciousness of his cuisine has taken helped the menu graduate from just bar food to a full-blown restaurant, which include specials such as Coq Au Vin, Seared Day Boat

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Scallops and Gulf Shrimp, Veal Scaloppini and Black Sea community, having raised more than a $250,000 for the Bass Picante. Waldwick’s Special Olympics Team, The Bergen County

His desserts, which include delicious homemade beig- Wildcats. He hosts an annual golf outing, which is a nets, moist and tasty Italian cheesecake and apple cobbler, several-day affair that has grown from a few buddies to a are the perfect way to end off a meal. massive beefsteak dinner at The Brownstone in Paterson.

Don’t worry if you’re looking for more traditional pub “We started off with eight of us playing golf and we just fare. Amster’s has that, too. The perfect cheeseburger can got bigger and bigger,” Levine said. “We have been able be had or simply fill up on the incredible cheesesteak egg- to raise a good amount of money for them to help them roll appetizers [with chipotle aioli] or Deb’s Famous Duo continue their programs for the year. The money helped [mozzarella bites and cheesesteak egg rolls]. them buy a bus, uniforms and have social functions.”

Levine buys all of his meats, fish and produce locally, Dr. Michael Gross is the founder and director of Ac It’s all part of what makes Levine and Amster’s an tive Orthopedic and Sports Medicine. He is the supporting the local business in North Jersey the way section chief of sports medicine and the orth ensack University Medical Center. Dr. Gross opedic has wr integral part of Waldwick’s fabric, a part that would be director of the Center for Sports Medicine at Hackitten numerous articles and book chapters on sports his patrons support him. He also is very active in the injuries. He has taken care of some of Bergen County ’ s difficult to imagine not being there.■finest athletes – weekend warriors to professional athletes. Dr. Gross can be reached by email at drgross@activeorthopedic.com.

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