jon777

Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken has beautiful looking cakes -- and very creative. They usually have 2 or 3 in their window at any given time. Very creative... I've never tasted one, but their pasteries (traditional Italian) are very good. http://www.carlosbakery.com/

We had a wonderful day trip to Monhegan Island duing our recent Maine vacation. A really nice 1 hour ferry ride from Port Clyde. Unfortunately, I don't have much to add on the Monhegan/Port Clyde food front, as we were staying in Rockland (20 minutes away) and just brought some snacks for hiking. Our 2 principal meals in the area were at Red's (WOW!) and Primo (fine dining in Rockland - although unfortunately we didn't have the greatest experience - there's a whole thread for Primo). The hiking in Monhegan was beautiful, and not overly challenging (things that were labled "Difficult/Challeging" on the hiking map, were in reality, on the lower end of moderate). Some beautiful views from the high cliffs on the back side of the mountain. REALLY wanted to try the Fish and Chips from Hot Fat (they looked/smelled unbelievably good), but we had dinner reservations at Primo that night, so it was not to be. Definitely a nice day trip or overnight at the Island Inn.

Had a wonderful meal Saturday night at Country (upstairs in the dining rooom). I echo many of the comments of sneakeater and Oakapple in that while not overly inventive or avant-guarde, this was a very elegant, upscale meal, with wonderful, fresh ingredients that were extremely well prepared. If you are looking for a restauarnt to challenge and expand your horizons, Country is not going to meet your expectations. If you are looking for very good food, well prepared with excellent service in an upscale setting, you are in for a treat. Food: Everything we had, was excellent. Very fresh, well prepared, interesting seasonings, nicely presented. As above, the Amuses were similar -- a trio of bites to start, a Mille Feuille with Caviar that was outstanding, a Cheese Gougere that was creamy, crisp and nearly perfect, and a Bacon wrapped mushroom with Fleur du Sel, that was a little too chewy, but nicely flavored. This was followed by the Frog's Leg coated in Begnet dough and fried with a garlic cream sauce. Wow! I never expected a frog's leg to melt in your mouth, and a beautiful presentation in the Silver Lillypad (complete with frog). Great start. Parker House rolls -- damn, those are good! There were two different tasting menu's ($85 and $110) - each with 3 courses + dessert. In addition there was a special chef's tasting menu, with the most interesting item being a Peking duck presented tableside. We ordered from the 2 regular menus. My wife had the Heirloom tomato salad, seared scallop in fig leaf and Striped Bass wrapped in Bacon. The tomatos were unbelievable (this was clearly the right time to order this!) bursting with garden fresh taste. The scallop w/Fig was perfectly seared (allthough might have expected more than 1 scallop at an $85 price point) and she felt her striped bass was a little overwhelmed by the smokiness of the bacon. I had the poached shrimp with remoulade, which came surrounded by peeled, roasted yellow, purple and red tomatos which had absolutely huge flavor. The shrimp, were briny and cooked perfectly, although only 3 very small shrimp in the dish. The remoulade was drizzled over the plate, and didn't add much to the dish. The tomatos actually stole the show in this dish -- should have been called roasted tomato medly with shrimp! Second course was Salmon with Dill and Potatoes. Nothing inventive here, just perfectly cooked (medium rare) Wild Salmon -- nice surpise was a healthy portion of Salmon Roe in the sauce that burst with flavor. Finally, the pepper cruston Bison fillet, was cooked perfectly rare (as requested), and actually milder than expected. Wonderfully tender with a rich cognac and whipped cream sauce served on the side. Dinner was followed by the offering of a cheese course in which we sampled a wonderful Triple Cream cheese. I'm guessing this is included in the price of the meal, as there was never a mention of a charge (although there wasn't a mention of it being included on the menu either). Regardless, there wasn't a charge for this on the bill. I forget what the dessert amuse was, but it was a nice pallette cleanser (something chocolate, with little sorbet if memory serves) For dessert my wife had the Pithivier with Whiskey Sauce and Vanilla ice cream and I had a Chilled Chocolate with Lemon and Honey. The Pithivier was the clear winner here (the Chocolate was good, but nothing to write home about). After dinner was followed by some candy, brittle and nuts brought to the table, and a nice surprise (a la Grammercy Tavern), a wrapped breakfast muffin on the way out. It's a beautiful space, we were seated in one of the alcoves, which is very intimate (there was only one other table in the alcove and keeps the noise level low). Cocktails were excllent and the wine list is extensive at all price points about 8 each whites and reds available by the glass. Service was extremely attentive -- very formal, but still friendly and the pacing was good. It seemed a little fast at times, but we were there over three hours, so couldn't have been that fast! Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed Country and would recommend it highly -- as long as you go in with the proper expectations! Solid, fresh food, great service, beautiful setting. If you want innovative cuisine that will challenge your pallette, go someplace else. At first blush, I thought it was going to be feel overpriced, but with everything factored in (4 amuses, parker house rolls, dessert amuse, cheese course, post dessert, muffin), I thought it was very fair for the service, quantity and quality of the meal. We left full, sated and happy...

Hi Brian - I do frequent the local independent specialty shops whenever possible. In Hoboken, that's great for Italian cheeses, but unfortunately not much else currently on the Cheese front. Am happy to learn about other places nearby and will be tuning into the thread with curiousity. Usually with no options locally, I usually get cheeses in Whole Foods or Fresh Direct (if I'm not in NYC) for my cheeses -- however, will definitely keep the places you mention in mind for the future in case I'm in the area.

Whole Foods in Edgewater has a nice selection. If you are going to buy it up here and bring it down, you may want to put it in a cooler for the drive...

On our trip from Portland to Bar Harbor, we stayed in Rockland and were very excited about our Sunday night reservation at Primo based on all of the reviews we had seen -- even though some here had some recent dissapointments. We went in anticipating a great night. Unfortunately, not everything turns out as you anticipate. We arrived a few minutes late for our 8:00 PM reservation, and were told, "Your table isn't ready yet". No worries, as it was a beautiful night, and we sat out on the porch, as both the bar area and waiting area were filled. 20 minutes later, we were finally seated (would have been nice to have been offered a drink, or at least a glass of water while we waited, but no such luck -- still, nothing to dampen the atmosphere). Looking out at the huge garden, we figured we were in for a treat. When seated I ordered a cocktail, my wife a glass of wine while we perused the menu. In hearing about the specials, I was particularly interested in the double-cut, molasses brined organic pork chop. And was told if that's what I wanted, we should order quickly as there were only a few left. I was surprised when the waitress had to read the specials off of her notepad -- I would expect at the restaurant of this caliber, the staff would know the specials. But onward... We order the Fluke special appetizer, my wife orders the Duck and I order the Pork Chop. The waitress quickly runs to the kitchen to make sure they have it -- and lets me know I got the last one. Yea! I order it medium-rare. Our amuse comes out, and it's fresh garden cucumber with tuna tar-tar. Fresh, clean and delicious. The cucumber is absolutely beautiful, and you can tell it was just picked. Wonderful. The fluke appetizer come out, which is very good as well -- prepared almost as sashimi over watermelon salad and fresh herbs and micro greens. The fluke was a little tough, but the flavors were delicious, and it came with a shot glass of watermelon soup which was very fun. A server brought dinner, and before we were able to sample our food, the waitress showed up asking if everything was to our liking. Looking down at our food, everything looked good until I noticed a bug crawling in the garden greens on my plate. I pointed it out, and handed her the offending leaf (with bug on it). She takes it, apologizes and walks away. Doesn't offer to take the plate back and re-garnish the dish. Just leaves and we don't see her for a solid 15 minutes. In the meantime, we start eating. My wifes duck is wonderful and a perfect Med Rare as recommended by the chef. In sticking my fork into the pork chop, it's clear it's WAAAAY over cooked. Rock hard, not tender at all. Biting into it, it's bone dry, not a hint of pink or juicinness. Considering this was a brined pork chop, this is definitely cooked well done. Ugh. And it's the last one. While waiting for the waitress to come back, I nibble some bites around the bone, sample the side dish and my wife's duck. By the time the waitress finally gets back to us, my wife is pretty much finished with her meal. I explain that the pork is overcooked and realize it's the last one. She offers to bring me something else, but at this point my wife has already eaten and I don't want to wait another 15 minutes for my meal. She takes the porkchop back into the kitchen and comes back, saying that she showed it to the chef, the they agreed that it was overcooked so they are removing it from the bill. Gee, thanks -- my say so apparently wasn't enough, they had to confirm the mistake with the chef. Very nice Dessert was outstanding, a peach and cherry combination plate with a peach/cherry tart, cherry creme brule, and some kind of cherry cocktail. Absolutely delicious -- the highlight of the meal. Overall, when the food was right (which it was besides the pork chop), it was delicious. The service we had was awful (late to be seated, plate with a bug not removed, non-attentive service, and overcooked meal). Nothing was done to apologize, make up for the poor service outside of complemented the entree that was sent back when it was "confirmed" by the chef. Not what I would expect of a restaurant of that caliber. It could have been a great meal, and the pork chop mistake could have easily been remedied by attentive service. I would imagine most people would have a very nice meal there, and odds are that if we ate there again, it would be a very good meal. However, although we had some very good things, we left very dissapointed.

Just back from a Portland -> Bar Harbor vacation and got to sample several fine examples of Maine fried clams. Thanks to this thread (and other local threads) for the invaluable advice. Here's the results: - First night, we had planned to go to 2 Lights (outside Portland in Cape Elizabeth), but since our flight was delayed 4 hours, we were limited to a few places that would seat us around 10 PM in Portland. After the travel hastles, we wanted to keep it simple, so went to Gilbert's Chowder House for some fried clams and chowder. These were probably the lowest ranked of the ones on this trip -- what would be very good elsewhere, were just mediocre compared to the two stars (see below). They were full belly clams, although a bit on the smaller side, and were a little bit more chewy than they should of been. Batter was good and crunchy. A nice way to start the trip, especially since it's been years since I've had good belly clams. But did not compare to the 2 later stops. - Thirsty Whale in Bar Harbor. This place was mentioned over and over as the best fried clams in the area in the BH threads, so it was our first stop in BH. It did not dissapoint. Perfectly battered, meaty and tender. Mmmm, mmmm, good. And it's in a local bar, so lots of good beer to be had, and priced reasonably. - Chases in Winter Harbor. Travelled over to the Schoodic peninsula to see Schoodic Point. The see was calm so the point was a little bit dissapointing, but Chase's was not. Had a clam roll ($7.95) which was a bigger serving than most full dinner servings of clams. And they were big, meaty, tender and crunchy. I basically had an appetizer sized portion of clams before I even got to the clam roll. Served with a big pile of good french fries (or sweet potatoe pies). Definitely off the beaten path, but if you're in that area, it's a must do. (The Fried Fish sandwich was also excellent, but that's not for discussion in this thread...)

Just back from a week in Maine (Portland through Bar Harbor) and sampled several well known Lobster rolls (thanks to this forum and this thread for great info!) Here's my $0.02 on the subject (which ran from 11.95 - $14)... First roll was at Red's (wanted to make it to Two Lights upon our arrival in Portland, but had a 4 hour flight delay). All I can say is "Wow!". First of all, getting into Wiccaset we had about 20 minutes of traffic. Discussing with our B&B owners in Rockland, she says all the traffic in Wicasset is from Red's and people crossing in the crosswalk to get there which forces cars to stop. One year they paid for a cop to direct traffic (which apparently worked well). Another year, they installed a poorly timed traffic light which was a disaster. Oh well -- the wait to get into town was well worth it. A couple points on Red's: - They don't sell beer. We went next door and got a couple and brought in (which we were told was frowned on, so we bought bottled waters at Reds). - Your seated right next to the road -- the seating at the two places across the street (one restaurant and another shack on the pier), are much nicer -- I don't think there's anything preventing you from getting your role "to go" and heading out to the pier. - We went closer to dinner time -- the line is apparently much shorter then (was about 5 people at 6 PM on a Saturday) than at lunch/afternoon. - On to the lobster roll itself. It did not dissapoint. Large chunks of claw and tail meat, exceptionally sweet on a perfectly cooked bun. There was minimal (if any) dressing on the meat and no lettuce/celery or anything to distract you from the lobster. Came with a choice of drawn butter or mayo on the side. A dash of either just enhanced the richness, although it certainly didn't need it. Pure lobster goodness. - Cole slaw was very dissapointing -- don't bother -- probably out of a jug -- overprocessed and flavorless. Onion rings were so/so, not bad, but coating was too "doughy". - I believe rolls were about $14 -- very reasonable for the amount of lobster. Next lobster role was at a place in Camden -- nothing special, not on a hot dog bun. Too heavily dressed and lobster overly processed. Would have been a treat here in NJ, not worth discussing in Maine. I'll look up the name of the place later and edit the post. Most of the rest of the trip we were consuming whole lobsters and fried clams, but did manage a stop at Harkaskeet (outside Freeport) on our return trip. 15 minute wait at 3 PM (not bad!) on a Saturday. Lobster roll ($14 w/o fries, $15 with) was very good, with nice size chunks of lobster, very sweet and lightly dressed on a perfectly cooked hot dog bun. Not an overabundance of lobster (actually seemed a little small for $14) and had lettuce (which was easily removed). Onion rings were EXCELLENT -- best of the trip. Overall, very tasty, nice setting, not a bargain. I wouldn't make a special trip, but only 5 minutes off of 295, worth a quick detour.

Just back from a weeks stay in Maine, starting in Portland and working are way up to Bar Harbor/Acadia. First, thanks to this forum for many great suggestions -- most of the places we ate along the way were recommendations found here. I'll post about other places in other threads (best lobster rolls, best fried clams, Bar Harbor, Primo, ...), but below is my Portland experiences. My grand plan for our first night (we were scheduled to arrive in Portland around 5:30 PM) was to get our stuff, get settled, and head out to Two Lights for Lobsters to start our trip off right. Unfortunately, those plans were quashed when our flight from Newark was delayed four hours due to crappy weather all over the east coast. We landed around 9 PM, and just wanted something casual and quick (but yummy) at that point. After reviewing what was open, we decided to do a quick jaunt to Gilberts Chowder House. We each had chowders (me - clam, she - seafood) which were both good, not extraordinary. Both very thick (possibly too thick) and could have used a little more clams/seafood. Good hint of smokey flavor, which made the soup. Fried clams were good (and hit the spot), but were surpassed later in the trip. Clams were whole belly and crunchy -- but on the whole were a little on the scrawny side and slightly tough. But all in all, after our travels a good start to our trip. The next morning we went to Cape Elizabeth, hiked around two lights park and had brunch at The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth. Excellent homemade corned beef hash for me, and my wife really enjoyed her blueberry crepes. All the food looked good there -- definitely a "recommend" for brunch if your in the area, although not a desitination. On the way out of town, stopped at Duckfat for Fries. These are not to be missed, and have not been oversold. Outstanding, addictive and dangerous. The sauces were very good as well. We would have had more there (all the food looked/sounded delicious), but were heading out to Wicasset to Red's for the lobster roll!

A chop house would be a nice addition if done right (and certainly they got the Jefferson right, so I would certainly be excited...) Right now, Frankie and Johnies is the only Hoboken place to go for a good steak. Although, to be honest, I haven't been there in several years. At their price point, I'll tend to go to NY either to Lugers or Sparks. Or save a few $$, grab some great meat and grill myself...

Drove by The Jefferson last night and it was completely dark. Am sorry to say that it looks like the rumors are true and that it's closed (unless they're on summer vacation or something). Sad loss for Hoboken... Really enjoyed it on the occasions we went (last time was for Father's Day)... Don't know if the previous rumors that it was sold to the owners of Sushi Lounge are true -- hope it doesn't turn into another Sushi place -- unless it's truly outstanding -- we've got plenty of Sushi in town...

Joe's Prime Meats in Hoboken makes very good homemade sausages -- but more traditionally Italian style than German Wursts.

Agree that it's a nice addition, they did a very nice job refurb'ing the place and I nice little outdoor patio to eat/drink on as well. Your lobster roll review intrigues me -- the best local lobster roll that I've had by far is Pearl in NYC. Does this compare?

I went there shortly after it opened (around 6 weeks or so) and was dissapointed. I remember the crab cake being particularly dissapointing -- no lump meat and much too much filler. And everything else was just OK, nothing special. Considering the prices (not expensive, but not cheap eats either) and the heritage (Amanda's) I had expected much more. However, I have heard good things since by people I trust -- just haven't gotten around to going back. Amanda's brunch is consistently excellent, so I wouldn't be surprised if Elysian's was good...

According to Trader Joe's website, Paramus is in the "Coming Soon" section. Doesn't provide the exact location, but sounds like we can expect one in the near future...

I believe the Hoboken farmers market begins tomorrow!

Took my dad to The Jefferson (Hoboken). Outstanding as always -- Mussels and Sausage (great broth) appetizer split by the table. Entrees: Dad - Pepper crusted tuna (perfectly seared on the outside, cool and rare inside) Mom - Rack of Lamb (a special) with mashed potatoes and greens Sis - Hangar Steak and mushroom Calzone (could feed a small army with this) Me - Short Ribs -- perfectly tender and wonderfully seasoned. Desserts: Chocolate 3 ways and Bread Pudding "Bruschetta" -- both yummy. Great atmosphere -- great food. Too hot to eat in the garden, however...

Fresh Direct (which delivers to Hoboken and Jersey City) has the following: Wild Copper River King Salmon Steak, Fresh from Alaska $28.99/lb Wild Copper River King Salmon Fillet, Fresh from Alaska $32.99/lb Wild Copper River Sockeye Salmon Steak, Fresh from Alaska $9.99/lb Wild Copper River Sockeye Salmon Fillet, Fresh from Alaska $12.99/lb

How is Biggie's? It's one of those places I've been meaning to go to for years, and for whatever reason have never gotten to?

We were there last September and it was wonderful. Stayed at the El Dorado -- good location (4-5 blocks off the plaza), very nice rooms and amenities. Also, it's an Amex Platinum property, so if you happen to have the card, make sure to ask for a room upgrade. We didn't eat at the Old House, but the menu looked very interesting. Did have desserts and listened to some good local music in the El Dorado. For dining, Tomasita's was very good for "true" New Mexican food -- when they say spicy they mean it. The Shed was a great New Mexican lunch. For our "fine dining" meal, we went to Geronimo and definitely enjoyed it. It wasn't a 5 star meal -- but was very good with creative use of local flavors/ingredients. It definitely was more of the high end "art scene" dining then the rest of our time in Santa Fe.

Edgewater / Binghampton would be great! I've been hoping for a Hoboken location (probably would have be in the more newly developed area (e.g. 10th and Madison) so that sufficient parking would be available, but given the success of the Shop Rite back there, think they'd do great. I'll happily take Edgewater though -- if they open joint Whole Foods / TJs runs would become a routine for me. Although I like TJs -- currently not worth it to make the 30+ minute trip to the current NJ TJs.

Everytime I've been there (or been past there) the place has been busy -- am very surprised (and dissapointed) that they're moving out. As a 15 year resident of Hoboken and someone who eats out somewhat regularly, I can safely say that Hoboken is definitely a mix of demographics. You have a very large 21-29 set, who are more interested in the "scene" than the food. You find many of them across the street at Madison's across the street (same owners as the Jeff -- pretty good food as well, but a big bar with a happening scene). The 30+ set in Hoboken, does have good disposable income, but often either go into NYC for their more high-moderate/upscale dining or have young children and don't get to Jefferson enough. I've been in Hoboken the past 13 years and have scene it change (mostly for the better) in many ways, especially in terms of good restuarants. When I first moved here, outside of Italian food and a steak (F&Js or Arthurs for low budget) there wasn't much of anything that was particularly noteworthy. This past 5 years have seen a variety of very good places -- it will be a shame to lose Jefferson, as it was unique, with excellent food, and fit well in Hoboken. Venue (another recent casualty), I'm not surprised is closed, as it was never busy on a walk by, despite very positive press. Too avant-guarde for Hoboken and our visitors unfortunately. And very few things draw the NYers who would appreciate it to hop on the PATH and experience it. And as well, I blame myself, as it's a place I've always meant to go, but never got around to it. Blame me -- however, I can't take the blame for the Jeff...