Cask 171

This place has closed down. I guess it couldn’t survive.

2/28/2014…Friday 8pm. Walked in and no one even said hello. We sat ourselves. After 10 minutes the bartender yelled that someone would be with us soon. 20 minutes later we got up and left. Another patron told my wife we made a smart move. Too bad because we enjoyed the old Paulies.

My friends and I went to this restaurant for what apparently was their first comedy show. We get there only to find out we could only order from a very limited menu. Had we known that we would have eaten elsewhere and only gone to the comedy show. The food was pretty bad, The comedy show started very late. It became quite apparent that this was their first show. They didn’t know how to seat people, and people that arrived later for food and show never even got their food! I would NOT go back.

Brian is an awesome bartender and great recommender of food! A really good guy! The drinks are great. The food is fabulous, (awesome cook)!! And atmosphere great!

Occasion: Dinner
Food: D. Had a burger that I probably should not have eaten due to the odd smell of which appeared to be masked with a heavy amount of worcestershire sauce. It was one of the worst burgers I ever had. (I had eaten a burger there when it first opened and the burger along with the presentation was very good. I don’t know what happened since).
Service: A. Server was great and extremely attentive.
Cost: B. $ 12 for a burger and fries is normal.
Atmosphere: C. I don’t know what it is with this place. They spent a ton of money putting in this beautiful bar but everything else is just drab. Bar Rescue would have a field day with this place. If you actually are able to find the sign in front of the place you’ll have to pull over just to try and read the name for one. If I did not live nearby I would have no clue if this place is even open for business let alone what type of business it is. The dining room looks like something out of the 80’s and they had all chairs stacked up along the wall as if they were preparing for a wedding. The bathroom was dirty. Finally, anytime I drive past this place, nights, days, weekends, the lot is basically empty. I should have taken the clue when my wife and I were the only table in the bar area at 6pm on a Friday night eating. Aside from us, there were maybe 6 people at the bar having drinks.
Verdict: I would go for a drink, but as far as eating there again, banned.

Suggestion: Call Robert Irvine from «Restaurant Impossible» and save yourselves, Cask.
The place has deteriorated since switching from Paulie’s to Cask 171. The atmosphere is just awkward now and we’re usually the only people in the dining room. During one of our recent visits the man at the reception counter was yelling loudly at someone on the phone. It was bizarre and unprofessional.
Felt bad for the waiter/​bartender who had to fend for himself this evening.
The food tonight was fine. They used to have great dinner rolls, but that was replaced by a cold loaf of French bread. Meh.
It was better than the last time we went here when I ask for a Sauvignon Blanc and got a Cabernet Sauvignon because the waitress thought they were the same thing.

Went at a strange time between lunch and dinner.
Place was pretty much empty.
We ordered the broccoli rabe with sausage and garlic (amazing)
And split a thin crust bar pie (pretty good)
We both had soda so our bill was pretty cheap — $ 23
We will be back!

Terrible place — sat down at a table for a beer and lite dinner — ignored for 15 minutes — at 7 on a Friday night — ordered two overpriced beers at the bar and left to go to Grant St — can’t comment on sit down part. Nice atmosphere — terrible service — didn’t stay long enough to taste food but menu looked pretty boring. Too many good places in the area for me to waste my time coming back here.

Cask 171 is a great place to grab a beer and a snack in Closter.
I’ve dined here several times, always at the bar. The bartenders are nice here, and very attentive.
I’ve enjoyed their craft beer selection, it is very tasty. A decent selection to choose from.
As far as the food goes, I have enjoyed the appetizers and late night bar menu more than the regular restaurant menu.

Great place — I once dined here and saw Ashley Mitchell eating at another table! I was too nervous to go over and say hi, but it was a thrill anyway! He was sippin on Grey Goose — what a player!

Just ok. For a wine place, I didn’t think the wine was that great. Have to give it another try.

Me likey. There is a shortage of decent pub grub and beer joints around here.
This place could use better decorating, to improve the pub atmosphere — it’s all very 90’s-ish varnished light wood and frosted/​etched glass panels inside — pretty ugly. But the bar is big and well stocked. About 20 different craft beers on tap, which is REALLY awesome — there’s nothing else like that nearby.
The menu is large and solid — pasta, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, a few steaks and chicken plates, etc. Lots of tables, service was fine, the food was solid. I especially liked the grilled short-​rib-​and-​cheese sandwich. The martinis were LARGE, which seems like a good thing… at first… :)
In short, it’s not a destination restaurant, but it’s exactly the kind of neighborhood hangout that we’ve been desperately needing in this neck of Bergen County. I’ll be back, a lot.

First time back at the restaurant since it changed names/​owners. Gone is the fabulous $ 7.50 martini list replaced with a bulky yet uninspired wine and beer list. We started off with calamari which was chewy and bland. The accompanying marinara was pretty solid. Salads and rolls remain the high point of the meal. One of the best house dressings I’ve ever had. Moving on to the main course. My fish, while perfectly cooked had absolutely no taste. The same goes for the sauce. Someone should really introduce the chef to salt and pepper. It appears absolutely nothing is seasoned. Mashed potatoes were the best thing on the plate. Veggies were undercooked and hard. Very disappointing meal at an old favorite. Will not be back anytime soon.

Veal was tasty. Friends had pizza, calamri, and quesadilla, and the steak sandwich. No complaints from them and it looked filling. The beers on draft are tasty.

Paulie’s (now on Unilocal) in Closter has been taken over by Kevin Roche, the owner of Queen Anne Wine and Spirit Emporium. Roche has renamed Paulie’s as «Cask 171», though the signage might take awhile to catch up. It is still not there as of tonight. «Cask because they will offer many choices of draft beer and wines. 171 is the street address.
When my wife and I entered we immediately noticed the total redesign of the bar area, which moved the bar from the center to the rear side. This allows for better and more seating. The bar has been nicely updated with many flat screen LCD HDTVs including two of which were 55-​inch displays. The rest were at least 40-​inch displays.
When aksed to be seated in the new bar area. When we were seated we received the original Paulie’s menu, which retains all of Paulie’s family-​friendly options, but we also received two other new Cask 171 menus, a draft beer menu, and a wine menu. So many choices, which we loved. One menu had the daily Cask 171 specials. The other had veal specials. They will also add more upscale options such as bone-​in rib eye steaks, Colorado lamb chops, halibut, crab legs, etc.
In the next month, he plans to complete an ambitious revamp of the restaurant, with a major focus on draft beer, wine, and spirits. Cask 171 will have 300 wines by the bottle, including what Roche says are some major deals on the high end. There are currently 24 beers on tap, which I especially loved and enjoyed. I ordered the Long Trail, which they ran out of tonight, but, Kevin was quick to replenish the keg and get it back on tap within minutes. The bar is wired for up to 40 draft beers. Then, there will be vast selection of spirits: 80 to 100 single-​malt scotches, 40 to 45 types of bourbon and tequila, 60 vodkas, 10 gins, and so on.
I ordered the spaghetti carbonara and my wife ordered the gluten free pasta with her shrimp dish, which we both enjoyed immensely, but, could not finish. So much for doggy bags. Both dishes included salads with gorgonzola cheese. My dish was only $ 15, which I thought was a great value.
We subsequently learned the chef is the same chef from Paulie’s and our waitress was also from the former Paulies. We both enjoyed the new ownership here, the variety and quality of the choices here and the service.
We WILL return for more.