mavis

Sorry Tommy. Guess I'm still a little fuzzy. It's Lola's at 153 14th Street, where La Scala used to be (I didn't even know they closed.) From the outside, it looks like they've done a very nice renovation. thereuare, I saw the word "disappointed" when I first glanced at your post & thought my days on eGullet were numbered! So glad that you liked Piccinini's. It's a really well-maintained store -- very consistent product and the son (who took over the business from his father a year or so ago) is working real hard at keeping it that way. Maybe you should try Tony's next -- 2nd Street, right behind Leo's. And thanks for the steering me towards Total Wine -- I will definitely check it out. I'm too cheap for Sparrow sometimes.

Once again, I'm in total agreement about Benny's. But for a whole pie I do like Grimaldi's if you're eating there. Otherwise it's all Torna on 9th Street! You didn't mention Margherita's for pizza -- it's as good as Grimaldi's, I think, with a nice crisp thin crust. Which is Delfino's? Is that around 4th & Washington? I like that one but can't remember the name. I've started wading through the pizza thread, but my first eGullet-spurred food trip is going to be to Finks Funky this weekend. I'm far more willing to travel for barbecue than pizza these days. Pasquale's makes sandwiches but I hate the bread he uses. He's usually got excellent fresh sausage and cacciacavallo cheese, which, along with the mutz, are what I like him for. A turkey & mutz will be quite fine at Piccinini's. Pick up some of their stuffed cherry peppers while you're at it! And a bottle of bitters, of course.

Sorry to drop the news like that, Tommy. Leo passed away a year or two ago. He had quite a fantastic birthday party a few years before that though with a karaoke machine and burgers & dogs on a grill outside. That's a very fond memory for me (well, what I can remember ... it took a few pints to get me to sing "Son of a Preacher Man..."). Do you remember any details about your tasting menu at the Brass Rail? Oh, and Hoboken needs more foie gras if you ask me. I'm totally with you regarding Vito's, thereuare. I used to live uptown and went to Biancamano's weekly, so I have a soft spot for them too. But I think the guys at Piccinini's have the sandwich market hands down. I actually prefer Pasquale's fresh mozz (as long as you get it the morning it's made and don't refrigerate it) to anybody's. And my brother in law swears by Tony's for cold cuts and sausages. If I don't want to run around all day, I'm totally happy with Fiore's. The last sandwich I bought at Lisa's was a 6 foot party sub -- can't beat it. I can't deal with the crowds at Margherita's but I've never had a bad meal there. If you want to talk pizza, I'm game ...

I'm glad to hear that the Brass Rail is doing some good food. (BTW, it's owned by the families that own La Isla & Sparrow wine.) It's such a great space and has so much potential, but has been sadly mediocre ever since recovering from the fire way back when. thereuare, I looked at the menu at Les Bisous today and it was totally different than what I thought. I didn't realize it was a pasta and chop type of place. Definitely quite pricey too. I know exactly what you mean about Junior at Mision Burrito! He's huge! When he was 10 or so, I used to play basketball with him while waiting for my friends to show up for a (very sloppy) Sunday adults game. He's a sweetheart. Yes, we do have similar tastes. I love Leo's bar pies (and Leo used to make such a gerat martini...) and Oddfellow's burgers, po boys and crab cakes. Haven't been to Baja in a long while. So what's the favorite sandwich in Hoboken? I vote for mozz & sun dried tomatoes at Piccinini's.

thereuare, yes I live in Hoboken. My all time favorite restaurant in town is La Isla. I also like Zafra. For all the restaurants, there really isn't much great eating (but the takeout is great -- Mision Burrito & Sri Thai in particular.) I just saw that there's a new tapas place on 14th St. I wasn't too impressed with the other place (on the corner of 9th & Washington where 9th used to be -- I really miss that restaurant) but a friend has been going regularly recently and says it has improved with the new menu. Have you been to Les Bisous? I haven't tried it yet.

Ahhh. That explains why there were four overflowing trash cans sitting directly in front of the outdoor seating area yesterday. This was while they were open, of course. I enjoyed Saffron very much when they first opened and found the staff and owner/manager quite warm (I thought it was run by a woman, btw) although we had problems with very long waits for apps and entrees. Before opening Saffron Grill, the original owners had an oddball gift shop on Washington St called the Dockyard. As that was open for less than a year, I wonder what their master plan might actually be. I have known of restaurants that were opened and sold at a loss (or just closed down) in order to act as a tax write-off for the owner. Can't say what the plan was for Saffron but it's a real shame that it's a shadow of its former self. My last meal at Karma Kafe was atrocious, and India on the Hudson (same owners as Karma, right) never quite did it for me either.

To be honest, menton, I'm far more interested in the food than the dress code. The people who recommended it to me were actually Edgewater-living hipsters. They mentioned the parking lot too when they described the place.

What's the word on Grissini's in Englewood Cliffs? It was recommended to me some time ago and I forgot all about it until I drove by the other day.

I'm a big believer in talking to your customers -- so even if there's a note about included gratuity for large groups printed in the menu, your server should still remind the guest when the bill is presented. In all fairness, I should have mentioned that our waiter on that occasion was brand new. You're absolutely right, Food67. Can't get cheese grits anywhere else in Hoboken. But while the bacon was perfect the first time, it was greasy and stiff the second. I didn't like the french toast at all (and with their amazing homemade bread, why use panettone???) The homemade breakfast sausage tasted like cardboard and sage. But the deviled eggs were out of this world and there was a very nice spinach salad. My opinion is clearly limited to experience at brunch, I admit. I'll get over there for dinner. I definitely think that Company could be an important addition to Hoboken. For all the restaurants and all the people, it's still pretty dire around here. The newest restaurant is a friggin Wolfgang Puck Express and there's a big place opening on the waterfront that looks like it's aiming to be an after-work meat market. Company could easily become my favorite place in town if it either got more exciting or went whole hog with the comfort theme. As for brunch at this point, I'd rather sit at the counter at La Isla and get their fluffy pancakes and crisp bacon for 1/3 the price. The coffee's way better there too.

Have only gone for brunch a few times. It's good, and the homemade bread is fantastic. Definitely better than most of the brunch options in town. Have had a few problems (cheese in the omelette when I requested they leave it out, tip added to a check without informing us, things that seemed to be freebies magically showing up on the check, practically raw fried onions...) and the vibe isn't quite as warm as I would expect from a place called Company with a comfort food slant. I'm told lunch is quite good and is acceptably priced (as is lunch) but the dinner menu is priced very high and everything is a la carte. I haven't heard any glowing reviews about dinner.