Let’s start from the beginning.  When I first started with Elite and Eric Taylor way back in 1993 he had an account set up at The Old Mill Inn in Spring Lake.  Besides their recommendations we also provided music once a month for a social gathering they called Network Night.  Eric and I rotated Network Night’s for a while and then I took them over exclusively.  Playing at The Old Mill Inn so regularly I got to know the owner, a truly classy guy named, Joe Amiel.  He’d usually come over to me early in the night and we’d chat about things: business, personal etc.  And I was always so impressed by the stained glass window in the bar at The Old Mill Inn which welcomed everyone to Joe’s New York Cafe at The Old Mill Inn.  It was an impressive piece of art. 

After Joe sold The Old Mill Inn I had bumped into him a number of times through the years and I was always impressed that he remembered me.  He’d often ask how things were at Elite and how the wedding business was.   So when I heard he opened a new restaurant I had to get there.  As it turned out Mother’s Day was coming up so Joe Amiel’s Bay Pointe Inn in the Highlands was the obvious.

Here’s where the déjà vu comes in.  When we walked into the restaurant it has some amazing views, overlooking the Sandy Hook Bay and even the Manhattan skyline off in the distance.  Being the gentleman I am, I let my wife and her mom face the water and I faced towards the bar.  And that’s where I saw the great, stained glass window that I hadn’t seen in so many years.  Turns out when Joe sold The Old Mill Inn the new owners didn’t want it so they took it down and gave it to Joe.  It’s been sitting in storage all these years waiting for a proper new home.

Well, I can tell you, Joe Amiel’s Bay Pointe Inn is a fitting new home for this impressive art work.  We had an amazing meal and the service was incredible.  And sure enough, when Joe Amiel walked in, he recognized me and remembered me.  It was great to catch up with him and I wish him nothing but the best with his new restaurant!  I highly recommend it.  Go for the food, service and views, but also, make sure you get a good look at that stained glass window.