by Sean Ruppert, Staff Writer
Eat local, drink global.
That’s the motto of Eno Terra, South Brunswick’s newest restaurant on Route 27 in Kingston.
It’s more than just an empty slogan, though. It’s a philosophy that the owners apply to every aspect of the dinning experience, right down to the ingredients.
”It is a place not just to fill the hunger in our bellies, but to fill our souls and our spirits as well,” executive chef Christopher Albrecht said.
Local artists’ works adorn the walls, and the restaurant is located in the renovated former home of the Fisk Grocery, a 19th century general store, and more recently the Wine Press.
In another unique feature, Eno Terra plans to draw a large portion of its beef, poultry, fish and vegetables from local farmers.
Co-owner Carlos Momo, of Terra Momo Restaurant Group, said that up to half of the menu at anytime will come from ingredients grown within 50 miles of the restaurant.
”The idea for this restaurant goes back for sometime,” Carlos Momo said. “A few years ago this would have been really hard to do. No one was raising beef around here. Now there are organic farmers. It is small scale, but they are there.”
Mr. Momo, along with his brother, Raoul Momo, co-founded Terra Momo, which also owns the Teresa Caffe, Mediterra and Witherspoon Bread Co. restaurants in Princeton.
”I’ve fallen in love with Kingston,” Raoul Momo said.
The food at Eno Terra’s menu will feature Italian dishes, and an extensive wine list from around the world. The restaurant will keep between 7,500 and 10,000 bottles on hand at all times, including some from New Jersey vineyards. They will also offer a private label Cava wine made exclusively by Castellroig Terroir Wines in Spain.
The building was renovated and expanded to 8,300 square feet, but features much of the original 19th century wood in the original part of the building, which now serves as a 1,100-square-foot wine bar.
”I always liked the setting, I thought it was well situated,” Mr. Momo said. “Even though the road is heavily traveled, you are in the world, not of it.”
The restaurant also has a 2,000-square-foot main dining room as well as a 2,000-square-foot private dining room on the second level. The wine is stored both upstairs and in the basement at various temperatures, depending on the type.
Most of the cooking will be done on a wood burning grill.
The kitchen will be run by Mr. Albrecht who, like the ingredients, was also raised in central New Jersey. Mr. Albrecht grew up along the Jersey Shore before attending college at the University of Southern California. He returned home, working at Mulberry Street Café and Cranbury Station in South Brunswick.
Mr. Albrecht went on to attend Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and has worked in various restaurants in New York. Mr. Albrecht went on to become the executive chef at CraftSteak Las Vegas, where he guided the restaurant to various awards, including being named “Best steakhouse in North America,” by Travel and Leisure magazine.
For more information on Eno Terra, visit www.enoterra.com.

