STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — In the afterglow of a weekend soft opening for friends and family at Violette’s in Woodbridge, you would never guess that hundreds had just passed through the new Italian‑fusion restaurant. On this quiet Monday afternoon, there’s still a sizzle beneath the calm—the phone rings intermittently, salespeople drop in and a porter buffs surfaces to a further shine.
For the restaurant aficionado, every corner of the main lounge serves as eye candy. Between bays of faux windows—arched openings that look out onto illuminated salt blocks covered in trellises—the light casts warm shades of orange, echoed again in the Violette’s glowing purple sign. Nestled between those window bays are empty wine bottles displayed upside down, their labels spanning Stag’s Leap Vineyards, Norton and other, mostly American vintages.
Violette’s color and theme take their name from co‑owner Peter Botros’ late mother.
From Staten Island to New Jersey
The first Violette’s opened on Staten Island, in Peter Botros’ hometown.
Violette’s Cellar officially debuted in Grant City in November 2017. The 300-plus-seat venue followed an intensive friends-and-family soft opening that served as a deliberate stress test for the expansive, subterranean restaurant on Hylan Boulevard. Developed by Botros and partners, the venue introduced an ambitious, multilayered dining concept that blended brunch, small plates, and dinner service with a hidden speakeasy known as The Button Room. Drawing on lessons from Botros’ work at Stone House at Clove Lakes Park—including his restaurant‑within‑a‑restaurant approach and emphasis on brunch—the opening established Violette’s as a statement of scale, creativity, and operational rigor that would later inform its expansion beyond Staten Island…