Viv & Jules is the last exciting place we tried recently. Hoboken: great food and service in a relaxed atmosphere is how I would describe it in few words. The first time we went for brunch, I was surprised to see the place mostly empty. And then, I realized it was the 4th of July and so, many people were away. That first brunch made us want to go back for another one and then dinner. They have a full bar, where people seem to be more dining than just drinking and I tried few of their cocktails. For brunch, the Irish coffee ($15) is a good choice, but I also liked the orange crush ($15), made with tequila and a fresh squeezed orange juice, giving you the vitamins you need for the day (good excuse, no?). For dinner, I went for the Champs-Elysees ($15), a cocktail made with cognac, Benedictine and lemon juice. If you prefer mocktails, the coconut kiss ($12), composed of coconut puree, pineapple juice, orange juice and lemon juice, is a very good option, close to a pina colada.

Although cocktails were great, it is the food that excites me the most. For brunch, you can go fairly classic with their mushroom omelet ($14), made with spinach, Gouda, and of course mushrooms, accompanied with sourdough bread and a salad, or the dry aged Gruyère burger ($25), that is served with tallow fries. Classic but delicious: the omelet had lots of mushrooms and cheese, and the burger, was perfectly cooked, juicy, with enough cheese (is there really such a thing as enough cheese?), and some caramelized onions that added a nice sweetness to the whole thing. Cheese seems to be a big thing there in fact. For instance, their endive and gem salad ($17) is topped with a nice amount of Gouda, but for sure I would not ignore the stuffed gougères ($16) that are phenomenal, stuffed with a cheddar sauce and chopped truffle (very subtle) and topped with shaved Parmesan. This is a rich and decadent appetizer perfect to share. Their avocado croissant ($15) looks also amazing: with a nice amount of shaved Parmesan on top, a buttery and slightly crispy croissant encased avocado and arugula, giving an elegant French twist to the now classic avocado toast. Talking about toast, their tiramisu French toast ($19) is amazing: taking inspiration from the classic Italian dessert, this indulgent brunch creation delivered all the flavors we love in tiramisu while bringing the comforting richness of French toast to the table. But, what I was looking forward to try though is their prime Delmonico steak ($85), a 16oz ribeye that was topped with beurre maitre d'hotel, a classic butter compound made with butter, parsley, lemon, salt and pepper. I was surprised that for the price it only came with a bit of salad and so, I ordered their aligot potatoes ($14), a French classic that is mashed potatoes made with lots of cheese and cream (that is the way we ate mashed potatoes when I was a kid). This was delicious: the steak was render and juicy, while the aligot was creamy and cheesy (although I should point out that aligo has even more cheese).

For dessert, we got their sticky toffee pudding that was served with a caramel sauce, but I admit that I was full at that point. Still, it was delightfully sweet, rich with a deep caramel flavor.

So, we did not have one bad dish at Viv & Jules: everything we had was good, some dishes were exciting and the service there was always on point. This is definitely on my list of favorite places to eat in Hoboken.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Viv & Jules - 400 Adams Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Viv & Jules in Hoboken, NJ

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