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Chris, i'm in strong agreement with you on Margheritas... excellent comfort food as you always know what you'll get. Have you tried La Isla? This is our new weekly stop now that Saffron (4th and Bloomfield) has sold to the Karma owners and the food has gone from amazing to awful. I think if you like Zafra you will love La Isla... i think one of the best restaurants in town (don't be fooled by the decor... or the lack of it!) Is also BYOB! BTW, with Zafra being BYOB and making frozen drinks if you bring the liquor... i recall reading on their menu they charge like $5 for that... hardly a BYOB advantage in my book. Since you mentioned tapas have you been to Lola's on 14th? We went once when they first opened and the food was very good. We live more downtown so just haven't had a chance to get up that way again recently (and when we do we usually end up at the Baja for the 'special'). Maybe we'll re-visit now that the weather is starting to get warmer it'll make going for a walk uptown more of a possibility. I've never had Malaysian food but as my wife just returned from Malaysia and loved the food there we will soon try Satay... glad to hear a good review about it. Speaking of Satay, we also enjoy Sri Thai as an easy place to pop-in on a Saturday nite without a wait. Last nite we ate at Zac's Oak Bar and i'm always happy when i leave there... food is on the inexpensive side and is good. Staff is very welcoming and friendly and somehow makes you feel very at home.

$27 Jersey City Hyatt

How far is that from the Hyatt in Jersey City? Even though my wife and i live in Hoboken we will be staying at the Hyatt in a couple of weeks since we got a great rate ($27) and figured it would be nice to be a tourist in our local area. If we don't head into NYC for dinner i figured we'd try the Baja's new JC location for dinner, but maybe we'll try this Cuban place for lunch so we can make the comparison to La Isla. Please update with the address and if it's walkable from the Hyatt.

Now that Saffron (the Indian restaurant) has gone from excellent to horrible due to new owners, La Isla is our new weekly restaurant. Truly one of the best in town... except for the wait! La Isla Website

And the verdict is still out as to which tastes better... the pizza or a manhole cover!

TJ's Ribs?

This is the problem i have with Amanda's. Admittedly i am a fussy eater and there are lots of things i don't eat, but as a result i find it hard to find anything i want to eat on their menu.

Steakas, If you 'travel for pizza' as i do, i'd suggest giving the white pie at Denino's in Staten Island a try. Their regular pie is great too, but if you're a garlic lover, the white pie is unlike any other white pie i've seen... rioctta, mozzarella, olive oil and GARLIC! I think they have the best pizza in the tri-state area (white or otherwise).

I thought of you in particular because i know you enjoy oysters, but as i said in my review, i'd be in no hurry to get ther as they do have quite a few kinks to work out (but maybe some oysters at the bar would be a good idea?)

They opened 5 weeks ago. Lola's Tapas 153 14th St, Hoboken, New Jersey ( NJ ) 07030 (201) 798-2371 Hope i didn't come across as cranky with my lack of comments on 3 Forty Grill, it's just that i expected some sort of reply given i know this board's tastes regarding seafood and raw bars and the lack of this type of restaurant in this area. I'm not upset by it, i was just surprised by it. Also, running a message board myself, i know how it's not easy to add a reply to every post... so i don't need nor expect any hand-holding in the future. This is still the best restaurant board on the web and i continue to look forward to adding my reviews and opinions!

Based upon the kudos received on this board about this restaurant (Anthony David's) i chose it as a belated birthday dinner. Although the menu has a lot of fish dishes on it (and i'm not such a seafood fan) it's not a menu that i would drool over, but one that i order something by default. With that said, it's also one of those places that no matter what you order it will likely be fantastic, as "whatever they do... they do right". Appetizers ordered were a potato pastry which was described as a 'potato pizza' and it was an upscale version of Uno's Pizza Skins (this comparison does it no justice, but it's the closest thing i could think of, and it was GREAT!) and two salads. Entrees were lobster risotto, sirloin steak, and scallops. All were fantastic and received rave reviews from everyone (although entree size was a bit on the small side). Dessert was a chocolate ganache cake and the donuts i have heard so much about. I'm not a donut fan but these were amazing!! and more like light zeppoles (without the powdered sugar) than donuts. This is a higher-end restaurant in a casual atmosphere and am so glad i was turned onto this place as Hoboken needs more good restaurants. For those that have read other reviews of mine i often will comment about value, and this is an example of how value is not only dependent upon cost... it's cost vs. enjoyment. Although this restaurant is not the cheapest in town (nor the most expensive), and is on the pricier side of things for Hoboken, yet provides an excellent value as the quality and overall enjoyment of our meals ranked very highly by everyone in our group (and typically tough crowd).

As my last review of a new restaurant (3 Forty Grill) received no replies, i was hesitant to add this one, but here it goes anyway.... We arrived at about 8:30 on a Friday nite and was informed the wait would be "...at least an hour." I'm not fond of waiting that long but since we had walked 15 minutes to get there i agreed to wait. The bar area was already very crowded so we left and went to another bar in the area where we could sit down and have a drink for an hour or so. Arrived back after an hour and was told it would be another 10 minutes or so... this turned out to be another 30 minutes and we were finally seated at 10:00. The atmosphere is GREAT (if not a bit ketchy, but it's done well). They try to give an outdoor patio environment and one side wall of the restaurant is designed as the side of a house, complete with cellar doors and rooftop overhand. The bar is absolutely beutiful, with lots of natural wood, wine racks, and cut wine barrels. Incidentally, the tabels in the restaurant are wine barrels with a table top placed on top. After dinner we wondered downstairs (my wife said i should see it after she returned from a bathroom trip) and they have done a nice job with some cellar space down there too! It's currently not in use, but houses some vinatage wine bottle (behind a locked iron gate) and i think future plans are to expand the seating area. This section would also make a great private party space. As the name implies it's a Tapas place so we ordered 4 dishes for the two of us: jumbo shrimp in garlic, filet mignon in white pepper sauce, marinated mushrooms, and chicken in mustard sauce. Most tapas are about $9, while the shrimp and steak tapas going for slightly more. There is also a 'volcano filet mignon' ($16) which looks somewhat like a chinese restaurant pu-pu platter. There is a flame in the middle of a 'foil' mound with slices of steak (4 or 6 pieces?) surrounding the metal base. A small pitcher of sangria was $13 and served 4 glasses. Overall the food was VERY good. The jumbo shrimp dish were 2 shrimp served in their shell but they looked more like baby lobsters.... probably close to 10 inches from tail to head. I was disappointed to see the chicken dish was served on the bone (i like boneless chicken) and only consisted of 3 'chunks', but the chicken was extremely tender and fell off the bone easily. The steak was a little disappointing as it was a bit tough (next time i'd try the volcano steak as they seemed to serve a lot of it, but if that wasn't good i'd stay away from the steak selections) and the mushrooms were delicious. Service was very friendly, although a bit rushed which i didn't mind since we were very hungry by this point, but the table behind us complained to the waitress to 'slow it down' as they're "not in a race to leave". Bottom line is that the food was very good and this restaurant is a welcomed addition to Hoboken. Prices are a little expensive for serving sizes and there are better values for this type of food in the area (Tapas de Espana in North Bergen as well as most places in Newark) but we'll return here when i don't feel like driving. Not worth the 90 minute wait (or the inaccurate guess), but worth maybe 30 minutes or so when i want to eat locally. We were told the wait during the week is usually non-existant or 10-15 minutes at the most. The one big downside (IMO, maybe some see as a perk) is there is smoking allowed everywhere, and given the European feel/scene i think they attract a greater than average smoking crowd. The bar was still crowded when we left with patrons still waiting for tables. The music had been turned up a bit and a discussion with an employee downstairs disclosed that the place gets 'wild late at nite' and the party continues until late into the morning. For those of you familiar with Hoboken, you wouldn't believe the business the uptown restaurants/bars are doing since the new condos went up in the area!! Lola's Tapa 14th Streeet (between Garden and Park) Hoboken, NJ

Any relation to Papillon in Nutley?

I don't think they took over La Scala, as i drove by tonite i only got a glimpse of the outside of Lola's, but i noticed the La Scala sign still lit up and hanging above a doorway. A quick phone directory check indicates La Scala's address as 159 14th St, while Lola's address is correct above at 153 14th St... so i think they're La Scala's newest neighbor. I'm amazed by that whole area... what a difference a few years makes!!

My Favorites: Pizza in New Jersey (mods, how about merging threads?)

Marvis, I went to Piccininni's today for a sandwich... the only think i was disappointed in was that i haven't known about this place sooner! Actually, sandwich was excellent, although my sandwich was wrapped up before i had time to ask for lettuce, tomato, and onion (my fauilt, should have asked when ordered... next time!) I look forward to many more visits.... no line hassles and a great value to boot. Thanks again for the recomendation.... so where should i go next?

... and it was early, maybe only 8:00 or so. I didn't mean to imply that he was drunk or anything like that, he (and his wife) just needed to be the center of attention and wanted everyone around to know that he was a regular there.

If you drink wine (or other liquors, but especially wine) you MUST stop at Total Wines (135 Kinkderkamack Rd, River Edge) which is about 1 mile or so from Fink's place. My wife and I drink a lot of rieslings, and our favorite is from Chte. St. Michelle. It sells for about $9 or $9.50 here at Sparrow, but Total Wine has it for $7.50/bottle.... buy a case and get 10% off. For $6.75/bottle it's a steal. Anyways, it really is a wine supermarket and if you're into wine it's definately worth a stop to pick up some assorted varieties and try some new bottles. Their website doesn't do it justice as it is a little cluttered and doesn't have nearly all the brands they carry, but here is is anyway: Total Wine. Speaking of Fink, he's one of the nicer restauranteurs you'll meet. I have a friend in town who is as big of a pizza fan as i am and he raves about Margherita's pizza, but i find it a bit oily (but agree on the excellent crisp crust). Delfino's is on 5th and Jefferson (closed Sun and Mon i think). If going there for a slice try a square.... they have the crust pre-baked and once you order a slice they add the sauce and cheese so you get somewhat of a 'fresh' slice that doesn't taste like re-heated cheese. I've had square slices from Torna a few times and it always looks better than it ends up tasting... is a 'regular' slice the thing to get there? I know they basically make a pan pizza variety, right? The place on 4th and Washington is Fillipo's and IMO their pizza has NO flavor what-so-ever. I have to pass right by that place to get from my house to Benny's and i have no problem doing so. If pizza could be boiled that's how i describe their slice. I also haven't been to the new(er) pizza place on 14th Street, but my wife tells me that Artie from the Howard Stern show says it's great. It's a trek for me to get to 14th st. from my apartment and although i've passed it many times and thought about going in, they never seem busy and the pies look like they've been sitting behind the glass display for awhile. Regarding other restaurants... i get to Three A's a 2 times a year or so and have enjoyed my meals there, O'Neails is a once a year stop for us and is good but a bit pricey for Hoboken. Gaslight i went to once for dinner before going to a New Year's party and the owner made a bad business decision which prevents me from going back. Our table was also next to a 'regular' of the restaurant and his personality really rubbed us the wrong way (he was loud, flamboyant, and abnoxious so it was hard to avoid him) so although this guest may not be representative of the rest of their clientele, he is what i think of when i think of the crowd there and it just reinforces our decision not to go back.

Tommy - no fois gras as of yet , but i've eaten a lot chicken sandwiches (and other basic food) since then! Marvis - PIZZA Benny Tudino's - best slice in town IF (and it's a big IF) you can time it just right. Get a pie that is fresh out of the oven (a rarity these days as they're constantly keeping a great number of pies under the counter) and have it be cooked enough and there is none better. If these two characteristics are missing you'd wish you'd gone someplace else. Delfino's - decent sicilian slice but their regular pie needs a better quality of cheese... too much translucent orange goop on top Grimaldi's - gets too soggy too quick (the downfall of all varieties of this style) Although i don't give rave reviews to any of the above, they're what i consider to be the better places in town. Lately i've been heading mostly to Benny's and asking them to heat it up (they inevitably tell me it's hot and just came out but i ask them to heat it up anyway and that makes it MUCH better... just got to be prepared for the counter guy not being happy with me ruining his day by asking him to heat up a slice ) For the best pizza i head to Denino's in Staten Island or Sac's in Astoria (for the best square slice ever) I've lived in town for nearly 13 years and as i've never tried some of the places you've mentioned (a few i'll admit i hadn't heard of) so i'd be interested in hearing your pizza thoughts.... maybe you can turn me onto something that i don't know exists. I will be trying a Piccinini sandwich soon, i assume a turkey and mutz will be fine there and i won't be told, "you didn't order the right thing". Does Pasquale's make sandwiches as well or just mozzarella and then you need to go get the other ingredients on your own. Here's a thread i started long ago about Pizza in the tri-state area that you may want to read in your leisure time: PIZZA THREAD

Mavis, I must admit i've never been in Piccinini's. When it comes to 'subs' i'm almost exclusively a Turkey and 'Mutz' guy. I think Fiore's has the best mozzarella in town and makes a great sandwich (and on Thursday and Saturday i get that with some Roast Beef gravey on it ). Vito's seems to get top marks from most people for their sandwiches, and i would never let one in front of me go uneaten, but i don't rave about them as others do. I've eaten my share of them, but think Lisa's makes one just as good if not better. M&P Biancomano also makes a great sandwich and offers the best value in that caliber of sandwich (read: it's cheap relative to the others). The problem with them though is they use a MUCH lower grade of turkey breast then the other delis, but their mozzarella is just as good and they PILE it on! I don't know if i mentioned it in a prior post but i think Margheritas is one of the better restaurants in town, although it's a bit 'immature' for some tastes on this board. We used to be at the Baja 2-3 times per month but now is more like 5-6 times per year. I don't understand the big deal with the Madison... room is beautiful but they should serve some legitimate food. If we really want to open a can of worms we could talk Hoboken pizza (my favorite food, but i travel to Queens or Staten Island when i really need a fix). Tommy, You know by now i'm not the tasting menu type... i didn't want anythng to do with that fois gras you were trying to force on me!

Mavis, Haven't heard about the new tapas place but, like you, am a big fan of La Isla and Mission Burritos (what do they feed the 'kid' that works there... he grows like a weed) Haven't been to Les Bisous, have heard it's good but PRICEY (good, but not necessarily worth the price!) I think a lot of our tastes are similar, because when i tell people i live in Hoboken they usually so, "Oh, you have a lot of good restaurants there" to which i reply, "No, we just have a lot of restaurants". In the last few months i've been eating bar pies and meatball subs at Leo's, i was never a fan but now i'm hooked on them. I've also been an advocate of the 'special' at The Baja (not worth ordering anything except that) but the quality, as with many other things in town, has been hit or miss over the last few years. I also think that, for what it is, Oddfellow's puts out some pretty good bar food (they're burgers are great... as are the burgers at Arthur's). I have a belated Birthday dinner coming up and i think we're going to try Anthony Davids as it gets good reviews from the posters here that have been. The above probably sums of the merchants on my credit card bills the last few months

Mavis, I always thought the owner was the guy who always sat on a stool behind the counter. He actually came into the restaurant on Saturday nite when we were there, stayed about 10 minutes but then left. I think his wife(?) may be the woman you're refering to and she occaisionally waitressed. This restaurant actually had promise, unlike the Dockyard which i never saw anyone buy anything from (the sign in the window when they closed said they were moving to Edgewater or something like that, no?) Funny you mentioned the wait for appetizes and entrees there as it was always hit or miss. From another thread on Egullet i had the following comments on Saffron: You are correct that Karma and India on the Hudson have the same owners... neither of which i'm impressed with. Do you live in Hoboken? Where else do you like to eat in/around town?

I am sad to report that my most recent addition to my "favorite restaurant list" has taken a turn for the worse... In business for just over a year, my neighborhood restaurant had built a loyal following and was noticably busier week after week. My wife and I enjoyed the food very much and were pleased to see them do well, and we soon became 'regulars'. They had their occaisional problems, but the staff was so friendly and nice, and the food so good, that we had no problem overlooking their sporadic short-comings. On our last few visits over the last 2 months i noticed the owner was absent from his usual perch; as well, each visit revealed waitstaff we had never seen before (this wasn't a total surprise as there was indeed frequent turnover on the front end). Our meal started off poorly and went downhill from there, noticable enough to have me inquire if they're under new ownership and indeed the restaurant was sold. So my question to all of those in the industry... how common is it for a restaurant to sell-out just after their first year of ownership? Although business was good and obviously trending better, i find it odd that an entrepeneur would put so much time and effort into building a business and then sell out in its infancy. From the buyer's perspective, just how much is such a young business worth? (optional reading below): As i'm sure somebody would want to know 'what went wrong with our meal' i'll try to give the lowlights: -we were told we couldn't sit at our table of choice because it was 'reserved' (this isn't a reservation type of place and as i said above, the restaurant was virutally empty). By the time we left, a full 90 minutes after we arrived due to slow service, nobody came to sit at that table -after placing our orders we waited over an hour to get served, while guests that entered after us were served before us (no, we didn't order appetizers or anything that would account for the delay) -when the meals were served, they came out piecemeal, with 5 minute lags between each person's entree. The hot side dish we ordered was cold. -i was served the wrong entree, and when i told them what i had ordered i was told, "yeah, that's what that is" (it wasn't) I approached the new owner to discuss my disatisfaction with the problems of the 'reserved' table and the excessive delay for our meals to get served. He said "he'd take care of it" which he tried to do by offering us a $1.50 order of naan on the house. He also brought us some dessert on the house which we didn't eat because we were already late for our evening plans (due to the terrible service). So the owner did make some sort of an effort, but as we brought an out of town relative here with the expectaion of a good meal, it was such a disappointment that i don't think i'll be returning anytime soon. It's a shame, because this restaurant was a local favorite.

What about Rebecca's? I've never been, but i've heard good things (here and from friends) that it's very good, albeit a bit expensive for Cuban food.

I would lean towards the inconsistent theory. I'd go even further to say that not all of their staff is at the same level of understanding. As i tried to convey, the service at the end of the meal was quite good (or maybe the wine kicked in ). It actually started quite well, with the host/matre 'd being very courteous and pleasant. I think there were two people that dropped the ball: 1) a server that delivered one of our courses (who didn't remember my request for more bread), and 2) i don't know his position, but he wore a suit and when we were seated asked us for if we wanted drinks... this gentleman was the one that had too many other things on his mind to remember our request for the wine list and then also had deaf ears for my request for another roll. Regardless who dropped the ball, at the prices they charge the meal should go relatively flawless, and i'd rather spend my dollars elsewhere.