Ursino temporarily closed for renovations, officials say

Ursino, Kean University’s fine-dining restaurant inside the S.T.E.M. building, has been temporarily closed for renovations, according to the restaurant’s website.

“Starting September 8, 2015, we will be closed while we undergo renovations,” the restaurant’s website homepage reads in big, bold text. “We will reopen late Fall 2015.”

A spokeswoman for the university, Margaret McCorry, did not elaborate on the cost, contractor or type of renovations that are underway inside Ursino.

“Ursino restaurant is closed temporarily for remodeling,” she said in an e mail on Sept. 10. “Further details will be provided when available.”

A trip down to the offices of Gourmet Dining — a contracted vendor that operates some franchises on campus, like Starbucks and the newly installed Jersey Mikes— revealed that renovations were to Ursino’s kitchen, according to the company’s Resident District Manager Susan Rubin.

No additional information was immediately available. Kean University is currently in litigation with Union Township over whether or not property taxes need to be paid on Ursino and the Barnes and Noble bookstore, Union Township Tax Assessor Paul Parsons said on Sept. 11. A judge has not yet ruled on the matter, he said.

Ursino opened in 2012 and received a “worth it” rating from The New York Times. Using a farm-to-table model, the restaurant gets some of its ingredients from the four-acre farm at Liberty Hall nearby.

So what has been on the menu? For starters, you could get handmade cavatelli, priced at $15, with broccoli florets, parmesan bread crumbs, roasted garlic and butter sauce. Moving on to the main course, you could try the Long Island crescent duck for size, which would run you $30.

And finally, clear your palette for some chocolate hazelnut pot de crème, featuring shaved dark chocolate, whipped cream and short bread. That’ll cost you $11.

The restaurant has an extensive wine, beer and cocktail menu, and although alcoholic beverages are not allowed in most

areas on campus, there are certain exemptions for designated areas.

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