Small plates, clear drinks, and warm company

¡Todo 'stá bien, ceviche! (Ildi_Papp, iStockphoto.com)

Bons vivants in the area who seek a fresh take on solid and liquid refreshment are in luck this week. The stars align on Friday night -- 11/11/11 -- as Highland Park resident Marlon Pando hosts a “pre-launch” party of his plans for a tapas and pisco lounge.

The festivities kick off at 8 p.m. until midnight, at the Lotus Studios, second floor of 431 Raritan Avenue in the borough's downtown.

Among the popular cocktail options with pisco liquor are the legendary pisco sour, blended with lime juice, simple syrup, egg whites, and bitters; and the "Pisco Sunrise" – a twist on the well-known tequila drink.

Tapas plates will include aji de gallina, a creamed chicken spiced with garlic; ceviche classico, a popular Peruvian dish of citrus-marinated seafood; and many others.

Pando, the owner of White Lotus Home on Raritan Avenue, says the yet-to-be-named restaurant arose from conversations with other locals.

"A lot of Highland Park folks will go to New Brunswick or elsewhere to hang out after dinner," he says. “I realized that people really craved a decent place to have an after-dinner cocktail and snack in town.”

Pisco is a clear brandy that originated in Peru in colonial times. According to Pando, its popularity is growing considerably in cosmopolitan cities around the world, thanks to a number of popular cocktails that can be made with the liquor.

Tapas originated in Spain and generally refers to a variety of small appetizers or snacks; the ideal food to serve at a cocktail lounge, Pando says, because people can sit, stand, or mingle as they sample small tastes of various foods.

Téte Bistronomie, the international restaurant and caterer located at 302 Raritan, is providing all the food for Friday night’s event. A second event will feature catering from Highland Park's newest full-service restaurant, The Italian Bistro (441 Raritan Avenue). The date for the second party has not been set yet.

His pre-launch cocktail parties are meant to build local and investor support for opening a permanent tapas and pisco lounge in town. He already has the restaurant’s floor plans drawn up, an interested landlord, and a lot of local interest, Pando says.

“The success of Friday night’s event will be critical to move this project forward and make a cocktail lounge a reality for Highland Park,” he said. Local residents "shouldn’t have to travel long distances for a classy place to have fun in the evenings.”

There’s no entry fee to the event. Drinks are $4 for beer, sangria, and wine; cocktails and some sangria will be $7. Tapas from the international bistro will be $7. For contact information, see the Mirror calendar.