Years ago brothers Demetri and Kosta Rexinis were kings of Middlesex County nightlife.
The former Branchburg residents co-owned Club Abyss and Deko Lounge in Sayreville, where beats pumped and liquor flowed from the 1990s into the 2000s.
They’ve since expanded their hospitality prowess to Monmouth County, co-owning Over Easy Kitchen in Marlboro, Holmdel and Fair Haven alongside restaurateur Frank Brusco. They also own The Gramercy at Lakeside Manor in Hazlet and The Bar in Sayreville.
But now they’re home and with a new restaurant co-owned with Brusco that pays homage to where they came from, how they’ve evolved and the town of their new venture.
After two years of conceptualization and construction, Madison Modern Social, a 200-seat contemporary American restaurant, opened April 3 in the Shoppes at Old Bridge, 3801 Route 9.
Until 1975 Old Bridge was known as Madison Township.
“It’s a tribute to Old Bridge and people who have been there for a long time,” Demetri said. “People appreciate that we are paying homage to what the area was called. It’s a little nod to the town saying, ‘We didn’t forget you.’“
They didn’t forget their own pasts, either. Knowing ambiance is everything, Madison Modern Social features a modern and sleek supper club vibe that includes black-and-white flooring, a sexy red-lit bar, oversized chandeliers and plush emerald seating.
“Nightclubs have become the new restaurants,” Demetri said. “Madison Modern Social is staying true to vibe dining. We want our guests to feel, ‘I’m in Old Bridge, New Jersey, but when I come through these doors I feel like I’m sipping on a cocktail on the Mediterranean.’“
And of course that includes the music, which reflects the co-owners' Mediterranean backgrounds − the Rexinis’ are first-generation Greek and Brusco is first-generation Italian – as well as the Rexinis’ storied nightclub experience.
“We are playing everything from new disco to jazzy house to Mediterranean vibes,” Demetri said. “It’s a little of everything and we want to take our guests on a bit of a ride.”
Mediterranean culture, as well as creative global fare, is on the menu, too.
Items include housemade pastas like spicy lumache with spicy mezcal sauce, n'duja sausage, stracciatella, chili crisp and shiso; raw bar items like oysters with rotating mignonette; and small plates like house bacon with maple caramel and popcorn creme as well as fried rice arancini with pickled carrots, edamame, romesco and spicy chili crisp.
Large plates include steaks, beef wellington, eggplant caponata, chicken Parmesan and Korean half-chicken. A sushi menu, with rolls like coconut shrimp and lobster surf & turf, is also available.
Hours are noon to 11 p.m. daily and after Easter Sunday brunch with live music will be offered.
Seeing the restaurant come to life has been the pinnacle of Demetri's career.
“It’s probably the best decision that we have made,” he said. “We wanted to do something different and more elevated and put our best foot forward. This restaurant benefits from our experience − the good, bad and the ugly − and that’s what we’re excited about.”
Go: 3801 Route 9, Old Bridge, at the Shoppes at Old Bridge; 732-242-9392, madisonmodernsocial.com.
Contact: [email protected]
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, although she's a lifetime Jersey girl who considers herself an expert in everything from the Jersey Shore to the Garden State's buzzing downtowns. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.