Parkside Social in Verona to open this month from the team behind Barrow House and more

Esther Davidowitz, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

Thomas and Dean Maroulakos, the brothers behind five gastropubs in North Jersey, will open The Parkside Social — their sixth spot — on April 20 in the space that used to house Ariane Kitchen & Bar in Verona. The restaurant will serve New American cuisine as well as classic cocktails, specialty cocktails, wine and beer.

The brothers, who own Cowan's Public in Nutley, The Barrow House in Clifton, The Vanguard in Harrison, Franklin Social in Jersey City and Gus' Last Word in Wood-Ridge, bought the place from Ariane and Michael Duarte in the fall of last year. The Duartes, who moved from Verona to Brick, today own a catering service called CulinAriane, the name of their first restaurant in Montclair.

Brothers Dean Maroulakos and Thomas Maroulakos, of Skopos Hospitality Group, pose inside Gus' Last Word, one of the restaurants they own. Shown in Wood-Ridge, NJ on Thursday September 30, 2021.
Brothers Dean Maroulakos and Thomas Maroulakos, of Skopos Hospitality Group, pose inside Gus' Last Word, one of the restaurants they own. Shown in Wood-Ridge, NJ on Thursday September 30, 2021.

"We mostly made cosmetic changes," Thomas said. While the layout hasn't been changed, he said, the brothers have installed paneling, a new back bar, a corked ceiling and a stone fireplace in a side 30-seat dining room, dubbed The Oak Room. "It has a really welcoming rustic feel to it," Thomas said.

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The menu, which, Thomas said, will try to maintain the types of dishes Duarte served, will include more burgers than AKB had as well as sandwiches and dishes from "each of our establishments," he said.

Will it feature Duarte's pork chop — a thick juniper-cured chop that was so popular she could never take off the menu? "No," he said, "but we will have a 16-ounce pork chop."

The Parkside Social will also offer a margarita, the most popular cocktail by far that the Duartes served. "We are finalizing the recipe," he said.

The chef is Rob Stephan, who joined the team soon after the company opened The Barrow House in 2016 and today serves as Skopos' culinary director.

Esther Davidowitz is the food editor for NorthJersey.com. For more on where to dine and drink, please subscribe today and sign up for our North Jersey Eats newsletter.

Email: davidowitz@northjersey.com

Twitter: @estherdavido

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Parkside Social in Verona, from Barrow House team, opening soon