At the height of the coronavirus outbreak, with New Jersey restaurants offering only takeout and delivery and many completely closed, I often found myself fantasizing about my first post-pandemic dine-in meal.
It would be a celebration, I told foodie friends and restaurant owners, coronating us overcoming COVID-19 and returning to normalcy. Not just a reprieve from delivery and doing dishes, but from the disease that has rocked our world and put much of the dining industry on the brink of collapse.
So it kind of broke my heart that when Gov. Phil Murphy announced indoor dining could return on Friday, my initial response wasn’t excitement. Instead it was anxiety.
I didn’t picture this meal being served between plexiglass protectors, or my order being taken by a waiter wearing a mask. More importantly, I didn’t think I’d have to be concerned for my health as I ate. Naive as it seems now, I thought we’d be celebrating the end of the coronavirus — not still fighting through it.
I’ve felt plenty comfortable eating outdoors for the past two-plus months. The idea of eating inside? It scared me. Studies across the board suggest it’s much easier to spread the disease indoors. But after months of hearing from restaurant owners about how they’re doing everything they can to stay afloat and do so while serving food safely, it would have felt wrong not to go out to dinner Friday night.
Several Jersey City restaurants I tried to make indoor reservations with told me they weren’t opening their dining rooms just yet, and I couldn’t blame them. If this is dangerous for diners, it’s even more so for those working in the service industry. And capping capacity at 25%, while necessary, doesn’t necessarily mean indoor dining is more profitable.
But The Hutton Bar and Grill in the Heights told me they’re welcoming diners inside. It’s not only one of the more under-appreciated restaurants in the city, but its large backyard dining area had me confident they wouldn’t feel pressure to pack people inside on opening night. I figured it was a safe bet.
“Jeremy, party of two, inside?” a friendly host asked as I approached the backyard entrance. It’s wild that something as simple as walking into a restaurant, something I typically do multiple times a week for work, felt foreign — like I was going somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be. Seeing dining tables set inside for the first time in months was oddly reassuring. But the large plexiglass partitions that surrounded nearly every table were a grim and necessary reminder that even if we are back eating indoors, we are far from out of the woods.
We were seated in a corner of the dining room far from any other diners and behind a newly installed plexiglass wall. The table was set for eight people, which put me on edge, but I quickly realized the entire L-shaped booth was for just my roommate and me.
Our table at The Hutton Bar and Grill in Jersey City, which was set for eight but seated only two and was behind plexiglass. (Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
There were four tables set throughout the bar room, and there were never more than eight people eating during our meal. The bar was stool-less, a necessary precaution that nonetheless crushed my dream of having my first beer sitting at an actual bar in months.
Our waiter joked that all the barriers made him feel like a mouse in a maze. For us, it kind of felt like eating dinner in an aquarium, but it absolutely put me at ease. Windows were open. No one was wearing masks at their tables, but we were so spaced out that it didn’t feel unsafe.
I was surprised at how quickly I went from feeling nervous about the meal to enjoying it once we sat down. It was clear that The Hutton took safety precautions seriously. If not for the plexiglass, it could have just been a slow night at a sleepy bar. It honestly kind of felt like we were getting VIP treatment, and not just because our waiter was super friendly.
There probably are people who will go out to eat every night this weekend. I know some people who haven’t eaten outdoors at a restaurant yet. Everyone has different comfort levels. With so much still unknown about the coronavirus, I don’t blame anyone who isn’t comfortable eating in a restaurant 25% filled with strangers. I’m sure some places will be better than others about safety and I won’t hesitate to walk out if I find myself in an uncomfortable situation. I would have Friday night. Luckily, I never felt that way.
Part of me was nervous that I’d be so wrapped up in nerves that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the meal and appreciate the food. But by the time our maple whiskey sours and pork bao appetizers had come to the table, I was no longer looking at the people around me and focused on my plate. We talked with our waiter about all the beers they had on tap — he even brought us over a Departed Soles sour to sample.
We got apple cider cake with graham cracker gelato for dessert — a delicious reminder that fall is almost here and that we missed a whole summer of indoor dining.
It wasn’t quite the celebratory meal I had pictured, but it wasn’t the anxious affair I feared it might be. It kind of just felt like any other night out to dinner, and isn’t that actually what we miss?
I entered the night dubious, like this may be too much too fast. I came away, not entirely convinced, but definitely more optimistic that New Jersey restaurants might just be able to pull this off.
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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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