House of 'Que is a new BBQ restaurant that just opened two weeks ago in Hoboken, replacing 3 Thirty Grill that closed earlier this year. Overlooking the New York skyline, this place is fairly big and has a concept, BBQ, that is not that widespread in the mile square city, the only true competitor in that category being The Smoking' Barrel, located uptown.
TriBeCa has this reputation to be the place where the rich and celebrities live, with its high end restaurants and amazing lofts. In the last two years, I have been discovering this area and I definitely found places that you would probably not expect if you never went there and just been mesmerized by the sight of this neighborhood in TV shows or movies. Square Diner is one of them.
We passed in front of Edward's so many times , seeing that place crowded as well as the poster from Time Out saying it is one of the 50 best brunch places in New York, that we decided to go for dinner on a Friday night. Not surprisingly, we got our table in this place that had a bistro feel. Yes it was crowded and noisy, especially around the bar area. Menu wise, it looked like a mix of cuisines, that is never an issue if executed well.
When I went to Pho Nomenon in January 2014, I was not that thrilled and even said:
I have mixed feelings about that place: it was cheap and decent, but the food was not to the point where I would want to go back quickly.
What convinced me to go back was their Banh Mi sandwich. I love a good banh mi that I discovered at Banh Mi Saigon in Little Italy few years back. Cheap and tasty, I love the sweet and savory taste of this sandwich, that is even better when the baguette has a slight crispiness.
STK is definitely not your usual steakhouse, getting away from the manly atmosphere classic steak joints sometimes have. No, it is modern and combines not only a restaurant, but also a lounge, like Mastro's does. So, there, the noise level is quadruple, the music from the DJ forcing people to scream to get heard.
We were looking forward to having brunch with our friends Jen and Gary and I was in charge of finding a place in the city. Knowing that Gary was, like me, a fan of burgers, I looked for a restaurant with an extensive menu. That is how we ended up at The Ainsworth. I mean, just seeing their mac and cheese burger made me drool and I could not wait to try it.
Bangkok City is a Thai restaurant located on the main street, Washington, in Hoboken. It is a fairly big place, and they offer a basic Thai menu, if it was not for the frog legs that I had there from time to time...Yes, not that many French restaurants serve them, but Thai restaurants often do (I think they call it Kha Gob). But, also often, you can taste that they have been frozen as they get this fishy taste that is so recognizable.
I was really looking forward to going to Ruth's Chris in Weehawken for two reasons: first I love Ruth's Chris that I consider one of the best steakhouses I ever been to (and trust me: I went to many); second because somebody told me one time that the Midtown location was good, but not the others. So, it was a way to see if this place was consistent across locations.
After trying the chocolate Babka at Breads, near Union Square, I kept dreaming about what else they could have that would be as delicious. We went few times back and tried different things that convinced me that it is one of the best bakeries in New York. I know: it is a big statement, but I stick to it.
Lobster roll might be the almighty sandwich for me. Seriously, who got such an idea to make a sandwich with lobster? Well, in fact I do not care that much about that and surely care about where to find a delicious roll. I believe the first time I tried a lobster roll was at The Red Hook Lobster Pound truck during a food truck festival at South Street Seaport.
It has been a while since I wanted to try The Chicken Factory in Hoboken. It is a small place that serves Korean dishes besides their own version of wings and drumsticks, smothered either with a soy and garlic sauce or a sweet and spicy sauce. For instance, they have bibimbap, bulgogi, japchae or Haemul Pa Jeon that is a seafood scallion pancake. Then, if you are vegetarian, they do have few options for you: vegetarian bibimbap, garden salad, coleslaw, kimchi, etc.
Far from K-Town, Kori is a Korean restaurant that is a true finding in Tribeca. I like their statement:
In Korean, KORI means “connection,” which represents our vision of connecting healthy Korean cuisine with New Yorkers in the finest way possible.
Yes, it is an elegant Korean restaurant with an elevated menu. Not a big place for sure and you'd better have a reservation.
I admit that we hesitated before going for lunch at Casual Thai in Hoboken, a delivery few years ago going wrong from the time it took to get our food to the food itself not being good. But I was thinking that sometimes, deliveries do not give justice to restaurants; for instance, pizza is not as good when delivered as it usually steams in the box. Same for burgers or hot sandwiches.
If there is something for which Sarabeth's is known for, it is its brunch. Believe it or not, but I never went there and only tried some of their jam that you can find in some supermarkets. So, we decided to go to the one in TriBeCa on a Sunday. We had of course a reservation as the place was packed.
How did I end up at Dallas BBQ in Times Square? I simply wanted to eat BBQ and my favorite, Southern Hospitality, was full. I think I should have gone to Brother Jimmy's, although it was not really in the area where I was...I mean, the service at Dallas BBQ was very good, being courteous and efficient, but the food did not meet my expectations and I kind of left me still craving some delicious ribs...
Meaning everything is fine in French, Tout Va Bien is a family restaurant that has been serving a classic French bistro menu since 1948. It is a small place with a decor quite cluttered iwith so many French artifacts all over, from photos to littles statues, to soccer club flags, as well as the French songs playing in the background (Charles Aznavour when I went there), creating definitely a certain atmosphere close to what you would find in some restaurants in France.
I was thrilled when I heard that Del Frisco's Grille would open in Hoboken end of September 2015. We decided to go there for brunch and then dinner to check it out. It is a fairly big place, with a view to the kitchen and pass that is in the back, a view that I always find interesting, especially in that place, where you could see the staff lining up, waiting for the dishes to be ready and giving the last touch, like the brush of mix of salt, pepper and butter on the steaks.
Eating at Tikka Indian Grill is like traveling far away from the trendy Williamsburg neighborhood. The food there is amazing, especially if you like spices and discovering flavors and aromas that will astonish you during the entire meal. There, owner and Executive Chef Mallika Khan, who is from Bangladesh, crafted a menu inspired from her mother's recipes, covering many parts of India.
