Mo Butler has a new restaurant

There’s enough politics in this story to briefly invade the Star-Ledger’s turf and talk about a new restaurant opening today in Newark.

Tinjune Downtown, described as an Asian-inspired culinary destination in Newark’s North End, will open today, with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka doing the ribbon cutting.   One of the restaurant’s owners is Democratic powerbroker Mo Butler, the chairman of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and a partner at Mercury, one of the state’s top public affairs firms.

The new restaurant, “where dining meets nightlife,” will be in the same Broad Street building that houses a politically connected law, Genova Burns, and the offices of a hugely influential labor union, 32BJ SEIU.

Butler has been attracting new businesses to Newark since he worked as Mayor Cory Booker’s chief of staff.  He remains one of Booker’s top political advisors and one of New Jersey’s most powerful political insiders.   This is his second restaurant venture.

“I’m thrilled to bring a Black-owned, Asian-inspired restaurant to Essex County,” said Tinjune Downtown partner Tami Brown.  “This restaurant was born out of my desire to bring a cuisine that can be enjoyed by all palettes, and with Tinjune Downtown, we’re doing just that.”

Signature dishes include duck dim sum, tomahawk steak, lobster bao buns, and rum bread pudding.

For more breaking news about other places to get some good rum bread pudding, visit NJ.com.