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La Tartuferia We had an enjoyable meal. We sat in the upstairs area and you have to walk up some very narrow stairs to get there. The atmosphere was great.... very "open" feeling and laid back atmosphere. For an appetizer, we split an entree size portion of the gnocchi that you recommended as it was on the specials list... but it was made w/ black truffles, not white, don't know if this is how it is normally served. It was good, pretty rich tasting, but nothing i would go wild over for $38 (maybe i'm just not a truffles guy) . Eating this whole plate as an entree would be too rich for me, so splitting it as an appetizer was perfect. I had lobster and asparagus risotto as an entree, while my wife had salmon stuffed with shrimp. We both thought our meals were very good. I try to eat somewhat healthy most of the time, and i think my body was on overload half way thru the meal as the food is just so rich. As a result, we didn't have room to try dessert. Overall i would say it was a nice experience as i really enjoyed the space, and probably a must try if you're into truffles. However, the menu is somewhat limited (if you ever see me order lobster you'll know i couldn't find anything else on the menu) and the food served is not necessarily my 'style', but i'd go back again if i was going out with some people that like that type of food. Two comments to note: upon entering there was a little "tiff" going on between 2 staff members (bartender/hostess and owner/matre d'... not really sure who was who).... it was nothing major but you could tell they were each frustrated with each other, something about a soda sitting there and who was going to do what with it, not something i as a customer needed to see. The other thing was the upstairs room i believe is usually 2 or 3 larger tables, but being Valentine's Day they broke the tables up into 6 or 7 tables of 2. The result was none of the staff knowing what table was to receive what food/drinks. I witnessed at least 6 times food/drink/dessert being brought to the wrong table, those customers saying that they didn't order that, then the server looking puzzled, going to the next table, and repeating the process until the food/drink found its appropriate owner.

I certainly will... actually looking forward to it after your descriptions!

Thanks for the dish recommendations, but to show my food innocence.... what are truffles actually like (i'm the pizza guy of the board). I think i have understanding of the first dish you described, but what's the second dish? Thanks.

I'd like to blame it on the copy/paste, but i was the original poster at the last thread that mispelled it:) GO BLUE!

We're going to try LA Tartuseria Restaurant 1405 Grand Street Hoboken, NJ 07030 201-792-2300 I've heard mixed reviews, although they all seem to agree it's PRICEY!! We're using a gift certificate someone gave us for our wedding.

Due to poor business practices and no response from management, PLEASE don't patronize The Liberty House (NOT to be confused with the Liberty Grille... don't want to bash the wrong place)! We had a problem with them on the catering side and our calls to upper management were ignored and went unreturned.

This chain is known for their bread, which is thin and crunchy. Their sandwiches are good, but not worth the price they charge for them, which run about $8-$11.

Based upon all the recommendations on this restaurant, i REALLY want to try it, but i'm not into "haute food" (ie- duck, rabbit, pheasant, foi gras, quail, etc) and it seems as if this is the variety of food served here (it's for this reason i don't like Amanda's... i can't find anything "simple" on the menu). Has anyone that has eaten here happen to notice if there is a filet mignon on the menu or a BONELESS chicken dish (or even a past without some form of bird in it?). We walked by the restaurant the other nite, while taking an after dinner stroll, but there was a private part going on and the servers were in the process of picking up entrees from the kitchen, so i didn't want to disturb them and go in to ask for a menu. Thanks.

Very much "on topic", although this day occurred in NY, so i'll cross reference it with the equivalent thread on the NY board.... It's the day of Xmas eve and my friend and I decide that today is just as good as any to partake in our "NYC metrocard fun-pass Pizza Tour." The idea being to get an unlimited metrocard and hit a few of the best pizza places in NY, getting a slice at each of them so that we could compare various aspects of them. I had been to each of the stops on the tour before, but my friend (also a die hard pizza fanatic) was virgin to all of them. The stops were: DiFara's (Bklyn), L&B Spumoni Gardens (Bklyn), and Sac's Pizza (Astoria). Unintentionally, it's my belief that each of these places excel in their "square" slice. We lucked out at each location, as we arrived just when fresh pies were coming out of the oven (actually waited outside of L&B for a few scraggly slices to get sold before we went in, just so we could get some fresh slices), so i feel that we tried each location when they were at their best. Let the reviews begin: DiFara's - my third time here, but i left with even more respect for his pie than on my prior trips (even though my prior trips left me with high accolades for his product). When we arrived the place was empty (i'd never seen it like that) but there were no square slices when we arrived. After Dom looked in the oven we were told the proverbial "5 minutes"... but knowing Dom's speed i questioned how long it would really take! It didn't matter as i knew the wait would be worth it, and it gave my friend time to read some of the articles on the wall about the place. It also gave my friend opportunity to point out the fire extinguisher on the wall that, as he put it, was growing hair! This thing has dirt on it that is likely older than the building itself; so much so that my friend commented that if there was a fire, he may consider getting burned alive before he grabbed that thing in an attempt to save himself. Later in the day we refered to it as the fire extinguisher's mustache, but shortly thereafter dubbed it the fire extinguisher's DUSTache (which still makes me laugh). Anways, back to the pizza... better than i remember! As usual the pie came out of the oven with cheese and oil litteraly bubbling on top of the pie. The crust had a nice flavor and was quite crunchy, the cheese slopping on top, and the tomato sauce BURSTING with flavor, with just a touch of sweetness noticed. I inhaled my slice quickly, but my friend had to wait for it to cool down. After he finished, i contemplated another slice but knew i had to pace myself, although my friend opted to try their 'regular' slice as well. He said it was just as flavorful at the square (which from a prior visit, i knew it would be). L&B Spumoni Gardens - i had been to this location once before, and left not paricularly impressed at all. Unfortunately, this time was a similar experience (the journey only 'saved' by the great spumoni). For those not familiar with this place, they're known for their square pizza, which is of the cheese on the bottom variety. The crust was crunchy and buttery, the cheese barely noticable, and the sauce on top piping hot! I really don't have much to say about the pizza here, except that it's unique... almost like a crunchy foccacia(?) with a lot of sauce on it. Regardless, i'm afraid to say it's not worthy of being a "destination pizza place." Although the place has A LOT of character and would be best enjoyed on a spring/summer/fall evening when one could eat and people watch at the picnic tables out front, I don't think i'll be returning to for the food. If i was in the area i MIGHT stop by again, but i'll reserve this place for a fun and inexpensive child's birthday party served at a picnic table out front where the kids could be as noisy and messy as they want. I've heard many people say this is the best square slice they've had, but these comments come from those that haven't been there in many years, so i'm thinking it used to be better in the "old days." This stop was not a total loss, as the Spumoni is EXCELLENT. My friend wasn't going to have any for dessert, but i twisted his arm and he agreed it was sublime. We both had chocolate, it was bursting with flavor, and the finely ground nuts mixed in were like little surprises and provided a nice texture. If you like spumoni (i never knew i liked it until i tried it here) then this is a MUST visit. Sac's Pizza - this is my wife's favorite pizza shop, and i believe her only regret in marrying me (so far) is that she no longer lives across the street from this place! The 'regular' slice here is pretty good in it's own right, but i think their square is at the top of the heap. Their square slice is not cruchy at all (except for the edges) and it's flavorful but "doughy". The best way i can explain it is that you could just about fold this square slice in half (as you would a triangle slice) without cracking/splitting the bottom of the crust. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but expect a little bit more of a bread-like crust than something particularly crunchy. The sauce, drizzled onto the pie rather than spread, has good flavor and is sweet, but the cheese is what makes this slice noteworthy. They use a variety of cheeses which results in a cross between a pie with high quality pizza mozzarella and a pie with 'fresh buffalo mozzarella.' I'm not quite sure how they do it, but the bottom line is they do it well. Although this was our last stop of the pizza tour and we were somewhat full at this point, we both managed to consume two slices apiece here! I hadn't been to this location since my wife and i moved in together, and i had forgotten just how good it is. CONCLUSION: It was a close match for the best slice between DiFara's and Sac's, with L&B being a distant third, but my friend gave the slight edge to DiFara's. However, they are fairly different slices... i think that if you like a crunchy, buttery, crust not overflowing with cheese, then DiFara's is the slice for you; but if you like more of a bready crust, not too buttery, with a lot of cheese coming thru in each bite, you might favor Sac's. Either way, i think they're both slices that are worthy of making a short trip out of your way for, and certainly each is MUCH better than the local neighborhood place. Incidentally, each is within 2 blocks of their closest subway stations, so easy to get to each if you don't have a car (or don't want to drive in NY).

That would be Farrell's... known for their menu item: "the kitchen sink."

Taboni, When was the last time you've eaten at either of the above, as UNFORTUNATELY neither are what they used to be (IMO). I wish it wasn't so, but they've suffered the demise as most other slice places! As an aside, i think Sac's in Astoria has the best square i've EVER had (B'way and 29th).

You want to compound the problem... what if you want a square slice?

Is it me, or has there been a wave of "we'll make the slice pies in the morning" trend in the last few years? I remember when slice pies were made throughout the day, and not until the last slice of the previous pie was gone! I actually had a chat w/ the owner of the best pizza place in town (whose pizza has gone WAY down hill due to them allowing their slice pies to sit around for a bit). Unlike many other pizza places, they don't let their pies sit around too long, but they don't like to reheat their slices, so you could easily get a slice that is simply "luke-warm" instead of hot. To their defense, i DO understand their situation. I live in a big town/small city with a lot of foot traffic, so a lot of their slice sales are "impulse" purchases while walking by. As a result, there is no rhyme or reason as to when this place gets busy... at 5:30 on a given nite there may be a long line at the counter, at other times it can be fairly empty. I've even had many occaisions where i walk in only to have to wait on line, then while i'm eating the place is empty, and by the time i walk out there's a line again. So i'm talking with the owner as i often do and the conversation eventually leads to pizza on this occaision. I delicately explain to him although i think he has the best pizza in town (well, at least it USED to be), that lately it's gone downhill because the slices aren't served hot. He doesn't hear what i'm saying, and goes on to tell me about all the other places in town that have pies sitting around for hours, while all of his are "fresh". I then remind him that at least the 2-3 hour old pizza is reheated and served hot, and the problem is NOT that his pizza isn't fresh, it's that it's often 15 minutes old and therefore not hot anymore. He continues to not listen and goes on to tell me how his sauce is 'the BEST!' I've spoken with a relative of his who says that customers don't want to wait, so if they don't have slices ready, people walk out. So like i said, i understand their situation, but since they're gotten "worse" by having a few too many pies on deck, i've begun a journey for finding better pizza in town. The problem is IF you can get a fresh slice from him, it's one of the best you'll ever have... BUT if it's been sitting around a bit, it's simply less than average. One other thing to note... this place makes 3 size pies, and the largest pie offered (the same as their slice pie) tastes MUCH better than the other 2 sized pies. It's all the same ingredients, but it just doesn't taste the same, i don't understand why, but it's the truth. By the way, i also started to slow down my business there when i went in with a large group and ordered one of their slice sized pies, and rather than make it fresh they re-heated an entire slice pie that had been sitting around for a bit (as the foot traffic must have been slow that 1/2 hour)!!

jhlurie, A few questions/comments about your list: Is Lighthouse off your list b/c of a bad experience, or do you just like the dumpling place THAT much better? I haven't tried the dumpling place yet, but think the Lighthouse is amazing, but if you think the dumpling place is that much better i will certainly give it a try (i ask b/c it would be hard for me to be that close to Lighthouse and not end up there!) I agree on Sagebrush Cantina. I was looking for something different one day and we ended up there (about a 40 minute trip for us) and thought it was quite good, although not worth a 40 minute trip. However, the bathroom was one of the filthiest i've ever seen. Shortly thereafter i read "Kitchen Confidential" where the author states, "I'd never eat in a place that has a dirty bathroom. If they don't keep the bathroom tidey and the customers DO go there, i can only imagine what the kitchen looks like as the customers DON"T go there." This place is also billed as a steakhouse, and i remember asking a question to the waitress who replied, "I don't know, i don't eat meat." (i just found that humorous) Lastly, in Palisades Mall, have you ever tried the Don Pablo's Mexican restaurant there? This is mostly a small southern chain (i know, the dreaded "c" word) of Mexican restaurants, and although i've never eaten at the one at Palisades Mall, the others i've been to have been well above average. I'm not saying you think you were transported to Mexico, but the food was very good, a great value for the money, and MUCH better than their chain restaurant counterparts (ie- Friday's, Houlihans, etc).

Zeman, I remember Manero's where my dad would take us whenever my mom wasn't going to be home to make dinner, AND... i remember Mr. Pizza where i used to bowl on Saturday mornings (circa 1978) where i would get "the special"... 2 slices and a coke for $1.15!! (gosh, i'm old... starting to sound like an old man... "i remember when we used to get ______ for a nickel)

Although not terribly missed, this thread got me thinking... "What was my first restaurant memory?" I remember habitually (especially in the summertime after a day at the town pool) going to the Jade Fountain in Paramus for their smorgasbord (did the word buffet not exist back then)... this was bliss for a young child... "you mean i can eat all the dim sum, wontons, and egg rolls i want? WOW!!"

I know i'm running late, but i'm looking for food related suggestions for holiday gifts to send clients this year (to thank them for their business). In the past, i've typically sent gift baskets, but i'm looking for something somewhat different this time around. I was considering sending from Zingerman's this year (www.zingermans.com), but the minimum $12 shippng charge per client eats into the budget too much this year. Has anybody received brownies, cheesecakes, cookies, etc. that they've thought were absolutely spectacular? If you know of some local store that sells an appropriate item that i could pick up and mail myself that would be great too. Thanks for any suggestions.

Just to add on the hotel comment as i've followed the development fairly closely.... A 165 foot hotel will begin to get built in Hoboken, on the waterfront, between 2nd and 3rd Streets. I believe it will be a Starwood Property, with the city requesting that it be a "W Hotel", but no promises as of yet that this will be the selected brand. There was A LOT of controversy surronding this building... everything from the size of the building to what sort of company should occupy it. Many in the public fought the project, but the city claimed that their hands were tied as per an agreement that was made by a prior administration. I have no objections to a hotel being built in Hoboken, but IMHO fail to see who would want to stay in Hoboken, unless it offered much cheaper rates than Manhattan (and judging by the rates at the new Hyatt in Jersey City, i doubt it will be much cheaper than NYC rates).

Tommy, i too went there a few years ago on Rosie's recommendation, and was certainly pleased. Did you get their cheddar cheese sauce? I usually stay away from the "pre-fabricated melted cheese" type of products, but it seemed liked the thing to get here, and provided a good dip for my steak fries too!

Seems odd that a BYOB place has a bar area.

Been to DiFara's (twice) and it is indeed good, but i still think i prefer Denino's (it's that crust that does it). My friend that went on the SI PIzza Journey with me is as much of a pizza guy as i am, so i've promised to take him to DiFara's so that he could try that as well, so i'm certain i'll be back there soon. DiFara's has just a little too much olive oil on it for my tastes, as it makes the cheese slide all over the slice, although i will add that he does have some of the freshest and highest quality ingredients on any slice i've had. I'd also need about 6 of those baby slices he serves to satify my appetite (and at $2+/slice... ouch!) I've also had his square slices which are a bit more filling, but for square i really enjoy the slice at Sac's Pizza in Astoria. (BTW, when i take my friend to DiFara, our gameplan is to take the train there and then take the train to Astoria for a back-to-back comparison). You should check out our pizza discussion on the NJ board, which covers quite a few NY places as well: NJ Pizza Thread

This is a repost of what i entered in the NY Thread, but i thought it appropriate to add here as well.... My Staten Island Pizza Journey Well, after finally making a trek to Denino's in Staten Island and falling in love with their pizza, i've been hearing stories about "how it doesn't compare to such-and-such a place on SI" or that "it used to be great, but now is only 'ok', and now the GREAT pizza on SI is at ____". Well, i couldn't take it anymore and tonite did what i would call "The Great Pizza Run". Our original plan was to go to Nunzio's, but as i started to search the internet and read reviews in an attempt to get psyched for great pizza, i heard a lot of great things about a hidden, undiscovered, gem called Lee's Tavern... decisions, decisions!! Solution: We'll go to Nunzio's and split a pie, and then head to Lee's and split another one! We make the trip from NJ to Nunzio's and located the place without a problem, but were a bit taken back when we found the place to be empty, there was only one table in the place that had customers seated, and this was at 6:45pm on a Saturday nite! How good could it possibly be if the place wasn't packed, like i'm sure Denino's would be at this hour. We stuck with the basics and had a plain cheese pie. The verdict: good, but it certainly isn't a "destination" pizza place! The crust was the right thickness but lacked flavor and crispiness, the sauce was good, and the cheese was fresh and creamy.... but the whole package didn't blend together. I liked the "no decor" style and the menu painted on the wall, but the pizza was only slightly better than average. We finished the pizza, paid the bill and hoped that our next stop at Lee's Tavern would better. We drove down the road another mile making a few turns along the way courtesy of mapquest found our way to Lee's Tavern (hard to find as there is no sign outside the building announcing the name). Our hopes were raised as the place was pretty crowded, and we arrived at just the right time as a table was just becoming available from a departing family. I will paraphrase what a few others have said about this place which is entirely true and a perfect description, "It's a real neighborhood place, but you know right away it's NOT your neighborhood." We took our seats and waited for the one waitress in the place to take our order of a few drinks and a large pie, and i knew we'd be in for an even longer wait for our pizza as the place was full, yet only one table had any food in front of them! We waited patiently and finally a large (their description) pie was placed in front of us, and it's a good thing we just ate a pizza at the other place and weren't too hungry because i could have easily eaten this one myself. Their pizza is of a the cracker thin crust variety, ok cheese, and a slightly chunky sause on top of the cheese. Not bad, but once again, nothing great, and certainly not worth the bridge toll to get to. We proceed to head home and as we get about 3 blocks from Lee's Tavern we see across the street "Goodfella's Pizza, 'Voted Best Pizza in America". We each talk about our level of stuffedness (<--my word) and figure that if it is indeed the best pizza in America we certainly couldn't pass it up, and we better try it now as we're not likely to be returning to the area for the other two places. We walk in and split a bar pie to go which we ended up eating in the car. Although the pie looks good, it's SEVERELY lacking. It tries to be a Patsy Grimaldi type of pizza, but the pie really had NO FLAVOR whatsoever... except for the runny and slightly too spicey tomato sauce glopped on top which reminded me of the NYC chain "Two Boots" (which i'm not a fan of either). I commented to my friend that i don't believe they have the best pizza in America, to which he said he didn't think they had the best pizza in a 5 block radius. SUMMARY: Staten Island does have some of the best, if not the best, pizza i have ever eaten, but it is only to be found at Denino's, and not at any of these other places that i sometimes hear about that are supposedly "better". Staten Island is not that convenient for me, but Denino's is worth the trip and what i classify as a "destination" pizza place, and worth the hassle to get to. If you find yourself in the area, don't waste your time at any pizza place other than Denino's, as it just isn't worth it. Next big trip for pizza will be to another NY Island... Coney Island, for my first taste of Tontino's, which i've heard rave reviews about. Worse case scenario is that it's bad, and we'll just have to stop at Denino's on the way back home :)

Well, after finally making a trek to Denino's in Staten Island and falling in love with their pizza, i've been hearing stories about "how it doesn't compare to such-and-such a place on SI" or that "it used to be great, but now is only 'ok', and now the GREAT pizza on SI is at ____". Well, i couldn't take it anymore and tonite did what i would call "The Great Pizza Run". Our original plan was to go to Nunzio's, but as i started to search the internet and read reviews in an attempt to get psyched for great pizza, i heard a lot of great things about a hidden, undiscovered, gem called Lee's Tavern... decisions, decisions!! Solution: We'll go to Nunzio's and split a pie, and then head to Lee's and split another one! We make the trip from NJ to Nunzio's and located the place without a problem, but were a bit taken back when we found the place to be empty, there was only one table in the place that had customers seated, and this was at 6:45pm on a Saturday nite! How good could it possibly be if the place wasn't packed, like i'm sure Denino's would be at this hour. We stuck with the basics and had a plain cheese pie. The verdict: good, but it certainly isn't a "destination" pizza place! The crust was the right thickness but lacked flavor and crispiness, the sauce was good, and the cheese was fresh and creamy.... but the whole package didn't blend together. I liked the "no decor" style and the menu painted on the wall, but the pizza was only slightly better than average. We finished the pizza, paid the bill and hoped that our next stop at Lee's Tavern would better. We drove down the road another mile making a few turns along the way courtesy of mapquest found our way to Lee's Tavern (hard to find as there is no sign outside the building announcing the name). Our hopes were raised as the place was pretty crowded, and we arrived at just the right time as a table was just becoming available from a departing family. I will paraphrase what a few others have said about this place which is entirely true and a perfect description, "It's a real neighborhood place, but you know right away it's NOT your neighborhood." We took our seats and waited for the one waitress in the place to take our order of a few drinks and a large pie, and i knew we'd be in for an even longer wait for our pizza as the place was full, yet only one table had any food in front of them! We waited patiently and finally a large (their description) pie was placed in front of us, and it's a good thing we just ate a pizza at the other place and weren't too hungry because i could have easily eaten this one myself. Their pizza is of a the cracker thin crust variety, ok cheese, and a slightly chunky sause on top of the cheese. Not bad, but once again, nothing great, and certainly not worth the bridge toll to get to. We proceed to head home and as we get about 3 blocks from Lee's Tavern we see across the street "Goodfella's Pizza, 'Voted Best Pizza in America". We each talk about our level of stuffedness (<--my word) and figure that if it is indeed the best pizza in America we certainly couldn't pass it up, and we better try it now as we're not likely to be returning to the area for the other two places. We walk in and split a bar pie to go which we ended up eating in the car. Although the pie looks good, it's SEVERELY lacking. It tries to be a Patsy Grimaldi type of pizza, but the pie really had NO FLAVOR whatsoever... except for the runny and slightly too spicey tomato sauce glopped on top which reminded me of the NYC chain "Two Boots" (which i'm not a fan of either). I commented to my friend that i don't believe they have the best pizza in America, to which he said he didn't think they had the best pizza in a 5 block radius. SUMMARY: Staten Island does have some of the best, if not the best, pizza i have ever eaten, but it is only to be found at Denino's, and not at any of these other places that i sometimes hear about that are supposedly "better". Staten Island is not that convenient for me, but Denino's is worth the trip and what i classify as a "destination" pizza place, and worth the hassle to get to. If you find yourself in the area, don't waste your time at any pizza place other than Denino's, as it just isn't worth it. Next big trip for pizza will be to another NY Island... Coney Island, for my first taste of Tontino's, which i've heard rave reviews about. Worse case scenario is that it's bad, and we'll just have to stop at Denino's on the way back home :)

I had one of the best NYC meals i've had in a LOONG time at Brasserie 8 1/2 (you can search for my review, it was about 6 weeks ago). There menu is posted online, and you can save $25 by going to this link: http://www.ra-dineout.com/ra/ (posted here in case one below doesn't work) If you go, you MUST have the bannana thing for dessert, and although not a traditional steak house, my filet mignon was excellent. $25 Discount to Brasserie 8 1/2

That would be $5 with tip, as anywhere within the Hoboken city limits is $3 (and they're usually happy with a $1 tip... unless of course it's late nite and you get sick in the back seat of the cab).