jon777

My first visit there on Friday night. A couple of impressions: - Overall, the store is beautiful. And a great location as it's right on the way home from work, making it easy to pick up anything needed for dinner right on the way -- IF things are good and fresh. - Produce looked very nice. Picked up a couple of juicing oranges and a Blood Orange (Sunkist -- who knew they did Blood Oranges???). Overall looked fresher/better than most and cheaper than Sobsey's (I love Sobsey's, but they are EXPENSIVE!). Prices seemed generally comparable or a little less than Whole Foods - Nice deli counter with Boar's Head products -- good for everyday sandwiches -- for specialty items will still go to Fiore's or similar - Fish Counter -- this is what has me the most excited. Hasn't been a place to get fresh fish since Apicella closed last year. Not a huge selection, but enough to be able to pick up something on the way home and make a quick dinner. Prices were again comparable to whole foods (i.e. not cheap, but if the quality is good (and I haven't tried yet, although looked good), will be fairly priced) - Other -- a nice meat counter (they'll cut fresh, and had dry aged meats available). Small D'artagnan section -- as Markk mentions, Shop Rite's is better), and the desserts/pastries looked delicious. Certainly won't be using it for my everyday shopping, but a very nice addition to the Hoboken shopping area, and if the fish and produce are up to par, will get a lot of week night business for me for simple, fresh cooking.

As Tommy references above (and you can see from the menu), Augustino's is nothing like the Jeff. It does old world, traditional Italian fare, and does it well. I've only been once, but everything has been very solid (an excellent veal chop with peppers which I think was a special was the highlight). It definitely is an old world Italian experience (as opposed to the Jeff, which was more creative, Italian influenced, ingredient driven (as Tommy points out) cuisine. Augustino's is more the "red-sauce" traditional Italian style, but does it very well, and it feels like an old-world Italian experience. You do need reservations, as it is quite popular (a lot of "regulars" there). It's worth trying once, if nothing else, for a solid meal at a family run Italian. While you won't have your socks blown off, (it's not fine dining), it is fun and the food is solid and homey. As for Trattoria-Fresca, I don't hold it in quite as high a regard as the Jeff, but the one time I was there, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal -- it was definitely leaning more to the Jefferson style, than to a traditional red-sauce place.

Definitely missing The Jefferson in Hoboken. Augustino's is very good (in fact, I'm well overdue for a return visit). Haven't had much experiences outside Hoboken, but I enjoyed Tratoria Fresco (there's an old thread you can find) in Caldwell very much -- similar in style to the Jeff and BYOB as a bonus...

Called the phone # on the web site -- "Coming Soon... City Place Steakhouse... Please check back with us when we open..." No mention of when that will be, and no indication on the web site...

I haven't had an exceptional one in NY (in fact, I don't see it on very many menus of places where I'd order it). The Prime Rib (originally in B'more -- expanded to DC and Philly) does probably the best one I've had. I've heard Keens can be very good, but never had it. Anxiously awaiting other thoughts, as a great Prime Rib is a true treat...

With Wiley (publishing co.) now established in town and a couple of the bigger office buildings near the PATH, you'd actually get much more of a lunch weekday crowd than in Hoboken's past. Definately, the late night crowd (esp. Thursday - Saturday) would probably warrant the late night hours. Again, lower part of Washington street or near PATH would be preferable. Regardless, it would certainly be a different business model than the Verona store, but if the combination of location, product and service is right, you'll do extremely well. On the other hand, with the exorbitant rents on Washington street, may businesses (usually due to poor decision making) quickly fail.

We have someone looking for places in Hoboken. I understand though, a few hot dog places have tried and failed in Hoboken, but I'm sure they weren't doing what we are doing. Eric ← Hmmm... I've been here 13 years and don't remember any Hot Dog places. If they were here, they were very short lived and certainly not at the AHD level. I'd be happy to talk with you on Hoboken if you get serious about considering it as a location. One of things you'll definately need to consider is delivery -- Hoboken is a big delivery town. With the high rents here, you may need the additional volume generated by delivery to succeed. And with the freshness of your product being so key, will need to work out if this is something you want to handle in-house or through a 3rd party.

Any thought to Hoboken? Plenty of foot traffic, lots of food places, but nothing similar to a Hot Dog shop. There's been a fair amount of turnover lately -- there are definitely some storefronts available on Washington. Probably the three closest things to AHD in town would be Johnny Rockets -- has done huge business since opening 5 or so years ago, a Cheese Steak shop -- which has changed overships once, but is now in business for a couple years (although I don't see many people in there -- actually am surprised they're still around), and a brand new BBQ take out place that has generated a lot of buzz. Think you could do well here... I'm sure the rents are significantly higher than some of the other places you are considering, but the foot traffic is obviously significant.

Just back from Half Moon Bay (and SF and Wine Country). Thanks everyone for the recommendations -- we definitely used them! My thoughts below: - Navio/Ritz: Menu looked good, but VERY expensive. Would have to be in the Top 10 meals I've had to warrant the $$$, and hadn't seen anything saying it was not to be missed, so we didn't bother. Did have lunch in the Conservatory at the Ritz, which has the same view. Lunch was very good, although overpriced, but worthwhile for the setting/atmosphere. - Ate first dinner at Pasta Moon. Very, very good. Risotto appetizer was creamy and delicious, pastas were perfectly al dente, and obviously homemade. Seafood in dishes was fresh and top notch. A home run. Interestly the wine list is 100% Italian -- had a nice glass of Prosecco to start, and a great Barolo with the meal. - Cetrella was our other dinner. Also, very good, although wasn't as "special" as Pasta Moon. Everything we had was very good, and service was solid. Wine list was varied, not definitely lacking in mid-priced ($30-$50) wines. Nice space, open kitchen. - Quick snack at Tres Amigos was a nice change. Salsa and tortillas were very fresh and everything was nicely flavored. Good cheap eats after too many big (and pricey) meals. - On the way back North we stopped at Sam's Chowder House (new). We were debating this and Barbara's (in Princeton) and chose poorly. Food was decent, but nothing special, and the service was horrible (server did not know anything about the menu, and couldn't describe the different oysters -- offered to have us go to the oyster bar and "take a look" LOL -- on the plus side, he did know how to get to the beach of Maverick)... Overall a great trip -- appreciate the advice here!

Been to three classes at ICE (formerly Peter Kump's) in NYC. Both very good -- one was a planned event (birthday party, where the host designed the menu we cooked), and the other two were gifts to instructional classes (one on French Bistro other on Chocolate). Both were a lot of fun. With the recreational classes, there are a variety of skill levels, interests, knowledge, etc., so depending on the makeup of the class, level of interest, etc., you'll get different amounts out of it, but regardless, I've enjoyed all of them. Their web site should have all the details -- they have a huge variety of courses... http://www.iceculinary.com/ I've gotten flyers periodically for Urban Kitchen in Hoboken -- don't know the quality of the programs/instructors, but they have some interesting things -- but I've never tried it. http://www.urbankitchen.biz/Homepage.htm Personally, I think for anyone thats interested in cooking, these make a great gift, and fun to do with a spouse or group of friends!

Thanks for the clarfication/more detail. That does sound good -- will put it back on the list of potentials... Don't discount the interest in Tacquerias -- if we're in the area and need a quick lunch would definitely do it. We'll be out there the Mon-Tues before T-giving. Will definitely report back.

Thanks for the recommedations. We are staying at the Ritz (thanks to Marriot points!). Unfortunately the Navio thread is about 3.5 years old -- unless I hear that it's really worth the $$$$ now, will probably try some other options, as we'll be spending some time in SF and certainly have plenty of 4-star options there to blow our budget on. While Pasta Moon does sound good, we have plenty of very strong Italian in NY/NJ, so probably won't do that. But both the suggestions of Duarte's (looks like a nice drive down the coast to get there) and Cetrella sound right up our alley. As well as the drinks by the bluff-top firepit at the Ritz. Nice to know we've got some good options -- will happily take others!

Spending 2 nights in Half Moon Bay in February and looking for recommendations. Up for anything. Is Navio at the Ritz Carlton worthwhile? Any and all recommendations appreciated!

All within 5 minutes of each other. And you can add Whole Foods to that list as well within the 5 minute range. TJs will be about a mile North of Mitsuwa and the driving range -- it's the Binghamton shopping center. It's on the right (East) as you head North on River road from Mitsuwa. Personally, I hate that driving range. Always packed with people that are there hitting hundreds of balls. Usually have to end up going upstairs where you're not supposed to hit your woods... Too busy!

I drove past the Binghamton shopping center last night, and there is a sign up (visible from River Road) for Trader Joes "coming soon". Nothing up on the TJs web site yet, and I didn't have time to stop in to see how much (if any) progress has been made to date.

Home Depot does generally carry them -- look by the grills. These days, almost anyplace that sells grills has wood chips. Easy to find basic ones (Hickory, Mesquite). If you are looking for something a little more obscure (Applewood, Pecanwood, etc), gourmet stores or the Internet are a better bet. I've also seen, Jack Daniels chips, made out of their barrels that they age bourbon in. What time should I be over for dinner?

The Dining Room at Anthony Davids in Hoboken.

IMO, Precious is the best of the bunch, and our choice for local delivery Chinese. I don't think any of the Chinese in Hoboken is anything special, but Precious is serviceable, consistent and the service (i.e. delivery time, accuracy) is always good. They actually use a computer system for orders (pull up your address based on your phone #), and they have that I always ask for Fresh Mustard (instead of the packets) in my profile. So now, even if I forget to order the fresh mustard, they'll ask me if I want it.

The chef does (or did) post on egullet (screenname: Jasper) as you can see from the Venue thread. According to very end of the Venue thread, he was regrouping and looking for investors for a new restaurant. In the meantime, apparently from this thread he is working as a consultant for a steakhouse opening on Rt 17 in NJ...

Venue closed about 2 months ago. Unfortunatley, the general population of Hoboken is not culinarily adventurous enough to support that type of high-end cuisine. Most NYers (hence "the horror, the horror") have a hard time leaving NYC for a meal and the NJ crowd that comes to Hoboken, is not the type of crowd that goes for that type of cuisine. While Hoboken has some very good restaurants (in varying ethnicities, it's not ready to support something as ambitious as Venue was). As to the earlier comment on Country, I would agree that while an outstanding meal, probably not the type of meal that the OP is looking for. The descriptions I've read of the new menus at 11 MP seem to be on the more creative side than the previous incarnation (I haven't been there in several years) and probably worth taking into consideration.

Today's Daily Candy featured Lonesome Dove. That lobster bacon (above) sounds UNBELIEVABLE... I'm drooling on my keyboard after reading that description!

Hmmm... I'll have to check out the Hoboken store again. Haven't been there in at least a year (maybe 2). How is Kings for fresh fish? That's one thing I don't have a decent source for in Hoboken with Apicella's (the last remaining fish monger in Hoboken) closed earlier in the year.

Had a very nice meal here on Saturday night. Joined some suburban NJ friends at the last minute, who had been recently and raved about the food. I hadn't read about this place (as most of my dining is locally in Hoboken or in NYC) and just knew from the name that it would be Italian. Upon checking out the menu, it was apparent that this was not what I expected (which was a typical NJ red-sauce place). Menu was full of interesting and appealing options. I shared a special salad with Blue Cheese and Roasted Pears and Proscuitto that was very good, with the exception that the pears were very bland (no Pear flavor), but the prosciutto and blue cheese were excellent. Main course was the veal chopped, which was very thick, well seasoned, perfected grilled (med-rare as requested), with a side of arugula in between two large onion rings (almost an arugula sandwich). Excellent. Other apps/entrees (mixed grill app, butternut squash soup, chicken and sweet cherry pepper lasagne, braised veal and shrimp special, lemon sole special, were all proclaimed very good to outstanding by the rest of the table. Deserts were the chocolate trio (pictured in a post above), which had a decadent molten chocolate cake and fried Godiava truffles which were over the top. Service was average -- we were seated promptly (was an early res -- 6:30) and everything moved at the appropriate pace. Only complaint was that they forgot to bring a side order of sweet potato fries which we had ordered for the table. They brought it right out once reminded, but it was the only real dissapointment of the evening -- overly greasy and soggy. I would compare this restaurant to the Jefferson in Hoboken (high priase) which recently (very sadly) closed. I'll happily go back -- with the closing of the Jefferson, there isn't a strong entry locally with this style of Italian cooking, which I very much enjoy...

Had dinner at the new Tasting Room last Friday. I was very excited, although a little aprehensive as the original incarnation was one of my favorite restaurants in the city (as an overall experience food, atmosphere, service, wine...) I had nothing but outstanding experiences at the original and loved the taste/share concept. The ingredients were always outstanding, almost always very well prepared and generally creative. I (purposely) did not read any of the reviews here before going as I did not want them to influence me. Unfortunately, my experience was very similar to what was described by previous posters. Atmosphere/Physical space: With the size of the new restaurant (the bar area is the size of the old restaurant, with about 20 or so tables in the back), it definitely did not have the intimate feel of the old restaurant, although I did like the design (lots of exposed brick, casually but nicely decorated, kind of upscale casual without trying to be overly hip). I would imagine eating at the bar/front room would have a very different feel, and might give a little more of the intimate feel of the original, although obviously you'll have a lot of diners going by you coming in and out. Service: The service was very much the same feel as the original -- knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and unpretentious which was very nice. Good to see some things don't change. Good recommendations/descriptions of various dishes and wines. Additionally, we were a party of 6 and a few of our companions arrived about 20 minutes late for our 6:30 seating (which we were very apologetic as I hate being late). Originally, the host warned us that there was a large party coming at 9 -- not to pressure us, but to find out when our party would arrive. During the meal, he came over and said, not to rush as they were able to rearrange things to accomodate. Overall, the service was excellent and impressive especially since they're about 2 months open. Menu: First thing we noticed, no Taste v. Share. Standard appetizer / entree menu. We asked about it -- response was that with the size of the new restaurant and the larger menu, would be too difficult for the kitchen/service to handle that way. I'm not sure I completely understand that, but whatever. Our server went back to Collin (the chef) and asked if they would be able to do "shares" for us since that was what we wanted. They said "no problem". Interestly, they basically just doubled the size (and price) of each. Price: Appetizers were mostly in the $10-$16 range, entrees $24-30 Bar: Nice selection of cocktails, with homemade sodas and condiments. Had a very yummy (I forget the name) mix with Bourbon, Lime and Mint. Nice addition to have the bar. Wine List: Very similar to the original, very US driven, featuring many smaller producers, with lots of selections in various price ranges. Still a highlight of the restaurant. Lots of good options in the $25-$50 range. And an interesting variety of wines by the glass. In the past, they rotated the by the glass wines -- hopefully they will continue.. Food: Unfortunately, here's where the original restaurant really shined, and the new one fell short. It doesn't fall flat on it's face, but is not up to par with either the smaller version or it's peers. Everything was good, nicely prepared with fresh ingredients, but the combinations were not inspired and nothing made me go "wow". Of the appetizers, a cold pear soup was a little bland and only hinted at pear. Blowfish tails were the winning appetizer (never had blowfish before), pan fried in a catfish style, firm yet moist. On the entrees, the tilefish and striped bass were both nicely cooked, but the preparations were surprisingly bland. Pork shoulder also was uninspried -- almost like large slices of ham steak without anything of interest. Surprisingly no red meat at all on the menu. Desserts weren't anything special -- a decent peach cobbler and chocolate torte, but nothing to write home about. Overall: If it was "just another restaurant" I probably would have enjoyed it more. But coming from the pedigree of the original, I expected much more from the food and it didn't deliver. I'll remain optomistic, that Collin will figure out how to bring back the more interesting combinations of flavors that the original restaurant features on this more traditional style menu and obviously much busier (and larger) kitchen. I'll probably go back (maybe eating in the front room) in a couple of months and give it another whirl -- hopefully the kitchen will be more in stride by then. As of now, a little dissapointing, but not without hope...

Been here a couple of times. While I love a good cheesesteak, and have been to Pat's, Jim's and the like in Philly, I don't consider myself a cheesesteak afficianado. That said, this is a decent rendition of the classic, although I have to say I think I liked the previous incarnation (Jake's) a little better. Better seasoned meat and I thought the bread and fries were better. Current FF are bulk frozen batter dipped -- not bad, but nothing special. Certainly a long ways from fresh hand cut fries. And it's pricey -- about $10 for a steak, fries and coke. I don't know how long they'll be around. They never seem to be particularly busy, although they've obviously got some good margins at those prices. With what the rents on Washington street are these days, I'd think they'd need to sell a lot of steaks to make $$. Anyway, my $0.02 is that it's not a bad place if you need a cheesesteak fix, but not worth going out of your way for.