Montclair's Crosby and Fin reborn as Maddox and Musuko restaurants

Montclair’s newest restaurant opening – or openings – is Tuesday, when the Maddox Steakhouse and, under the same roof, a sushi bar called Musuko, will welcome diners to its cavernous, double-wide space at 193 Glenridge Ave., a block from Bloomfield Avenue.

The companion restaurants, owned by Essex Restaurant Group, were formerly the Crosby and Fin restaurants, which had been closed since the pandemic began in March 2020. The side-by-side arrangement permits a liquor license to be shared between the two, a kind of strategic thinking that’s necessary when you pay $1.15 million for a liquor license, as the group did in 2016 to acquire one from South Park restaurant.

Modern style

Owner Greg Dell’Ermo of Essex Restaurant Group said that The Maddox, with its sleek black-and-gold modernist decor, is “our version of a steakhouse for 2023 – modern, artsy, urban, a taste of New York City nightlife.” 

The renovation has preserved the large windowed garage doors facing the street that, pulled up, give an open-air feel, and the trussed, vaulted ceiling designed after a SoHo loft. 

Steakhouse menu

The Maddox menu includes a “butcher” section from which items like Wagyu beef and 55-day dry-aged Porterhouse can be ordered a la carte, and an “entrees” section with dishes like salmon, chicken and pistachio-encrusted lamb chops. 

“Nowadays you can get the best meats easily from anywhere in the world,” he said. “We’re buying the best that’s available.” 

To keep price points reasonable, he said, the restaurant offers smaller sizes (starting at $48 for 8 ounces of Wagyu Flat Iron) and two sizes for the Filet Mignon and Porterhouse.

There is also a raw bar, caviar service and “Tower Hour”--a selection of seafood for the table, either hot or chilled, in three sizes, ranging from $90 to $250. 

Those who eschew meat are not left out. A separate menu offers four vegan dishes, including cauliflower "steak" with carrot harissa puree and chimichurri, and hearts of palm "scallops" with butternut squash pesto and hazelnut corn relish.

The bar

The wine list has more than 60 wines, signature cocktails ($18) and four kinds of espresso martinis ($21).  

The sister restaurant

Musuko, through a door to the right as you enter the Maddox, has the same decor, a bar covering the wall and a menu featuring ramen, sushi and robatayaki. 

Family ties

The Maddox and Musuko are a family affair. The management team is led by Dell’Ermo’s son Remy, niece Alexa and nephew Louis; all are Dell'Ermos and all worked for the Crosby. 

The Crosby was co-owned by Dell’Ermo and Bobby Gaccione; Dell’Ermo later bought out Gaccione to be sole owner.

Gaccione had also partnered with Gerry Cerrigone, who owned Fin, to open Salute in 2010 a few doors down Glenridge Avenue.

(Salute, which closed last year, is also experiencing a rebirth as a new Italian restaurant name Luigino's opening Wednesday by chef Luigi Tripodi.)

If Maddox and Musuko are even half as popular as the Crosby, they will be a smashing success. Crosby regularly served 600 people on a weekend night, which created a quality of life problem for the neighborhood, as young people poured onto the street in nice weather and car valets just couldn’t keep up. 

Parking

The parking, at least, should not be a problem now that the 200-spot parking deck across Glenridge Avenue is open.