venue

[cibo susci]

jasper Iam with you I like your restaurant and wd-50 not so much. D-rock do you cook? Becouse if you do i think I know you.

[Hank]

Finally made it to Venue last evening and was I ever glad. My first reaction was, Hoboken, you have come a long way baby. I remember this town when every other store was a bar.

My comments absolutely mirror both BryanZ and dRock. We had some outstanding food and also loved the presentations with all the different plates. The service was excellent. Whatever question we asked our waiters was immediately answered. They never needed to tell us that they would go in the kitchen and ask the chef. Not the case at WD-50. High points for that, in my book.

As far as enough people in the area to support this restaurant I have little hope. Quite possibly towns like Ridgewood or Montclair, but Hoboken? I don't think so. When we left there was one other couple besides a small private party upstairs.

In conclusion, will we go back. Absolutely. We actually had a lot of fun, enjoyed most of what we ordered (4courses for $65.00 with dessert gratis) and can't wait to bring my family and friends. To say the least, it is special and exciting.

P.S. I ordered the chocolate soup for desert and it was fabulous. Better than anything I ever had at the Soup Nazi. LOL

[Rosie]

Effective immediately, Venue is offering 20% off on Tuesday thru Thursday, as well as Sunday.

[BryanZ]

Interesting...

Good news for us diners, bad news for the restaurant.

[dRock]

I think that is fantastic! At least they are making an attempt to bring in more weekday business. I dont find anything wrong with that. I would very much like to see this place succeed. I think in Hoboken, this will help tremendously.

[tommy]

Interesting...

Good news for us diners, bad news for the restaurant.

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plenty of places run discounts during the week. it could turn out to be good news for the restaurant, assuming they get more business.

really really good news for us diners, though, for sure.

[dRock]

Was there last night and the place was real busy. Lets hope business can pick up during the week.

FYI: Chef James is also featured in the winter issue of art culinaire. The pics look great!

[jasper]

Was there last night and the place was real busy.  Lets hope business can pick up during the week. 

FYI:  Chef James is also featured in the winter issue of art culinaire.  The pics look great!

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Thanks. Our winter menu will be in full swing next week. I am very happy with it.

I think we have taken it to another level with this one.

[M.X.Hassett]

Great you will be one of my first stops when I return home. Look forward to sampling your winter menu. Do you offer extended tastings, i.e. charge a supplement for additional courses, I have done this at a numeber of NY restaurants?

Jasper:

Please guys, lets lose the Venue/WD comparisons. We are two different places with different culinary styles.

Out of curiosity how would you define your cuisine chef?

Thanks

Edited December 21, 2005 by M.X.Hassett (log)

[jasper]

Great you will be one of my first stops when I return home. Look forward to sampling your winter menu. Do you offer extended tastings, i.e. charge a supplement for additional courses, I have done this at a numeber of NY restaurants?

Out of curiosity how would you define your cuisine chef?

Thanks

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Sure. You can go up to as many courses as you like. 15 even if you wish. Keep in mind that you will recieve additional unlisted courses within these tasting menus.

I like to define my cuisine as progressive american. We follow in the tradition of michel bras with a little el bulli thrown in.

[Rail Paul]

Thousand point deal bonus on OpenTable for Saturday night, early seating. That's equivalent to a $10 per table discount, which more than pays for any parking charges.

Venue sounds like an interesting and challenging restaurant, I'm planning to go this weekend.

[Rail Paul]

Dee and I had dinner here on Saturday night.

An amuse of tuna tartare, with a golden beet broth. The broth was wonderful, with hints of lemongrass. The cube of tuna was graced with a mini-green and placed in a small bowl.

cold group

wild salmon. turkish coffee. cocoa nibs. tobacco ice cream This was visually engaging, with a 4 oz piece of salmon, set on a bed of streaked dark coffee, and a thimble scoop of ice cream. Good taste, contrast in the chew, nice after taste.

burnt pears. spiced pecans. celery leaves. english stilton fondant. savory caramel gastrique This one was much less engaging visually, but much more of a sensory overload. Several thimble sized pieces of dark pineapple, topped with the cheese and pecans. Crisp, sweet, slightly bitter, all in one bite

maine lobster. black currant cylinder. eucalyptus aspic This had immediate appeal. A dark currant cylinder, with a filling and overflow of lobster jelly. I wasn't impressed with this, as I found the currant much too sweet, and the lobster flavorless

hudson valley foie gras bon bons. assorted accompaniments ( 5 dollar supplement ) This was a home run in presentation, with three bon-bons of foie gras, each increasing slightly in gaminess. The first had a topping of maple crystals, the second had a topping of mixed berry crystals, the third had a topping of dried cola flakes. The third also marked the first pipette, this one contained cola. I would prefer the foie gras be a bit warmer, this was cold, but I liked the idea. The clunky fork broke the foie gras into pieces, rather than allow a clean separation.

hot

cepe soup. parmesan marshmallow. white truffle air Another very successful delivery. Delivered as divided elements, with a dark brown soup to the right, a mushroom truffle air to the left. A cube of flaked parmesan floated in the liquid. Very fragrant. The bowl was also quite impressive, as it rose to a height of about seven inches on one side, and about four inches on the other. The parabolas nicely accented the line between the liquids

diver scallops. chestnuts. shiitake caps. dry stout Two good sized (U-10) scallops on a large plate. The setting was a brush stroke of dried stout on the white plate and chopped chestnuts alongside.

cervena farms venison saddle. cherry leather. verjus. turnips ( 5 dollar supplement ) Dee found this to be more "gamy" than she would prefer. I found it OK, but not up to the level of other items

braised pork belly. brussels. micro mushrooms. sorel. celery root packages Another laboratory influenced presentation. Five cubes of braised pork, each with a slightly different jus, each topped with a micro-green or mushroom. The presentation was a ten inch long cylinder laid on its side, with five shallow indents. Each contained a cube of pork, its jus, and its topping. Very engaging, although there was no easy way to get to the jus. The server brought a large spoon, on request

Pineapple with seared sesame seeds and a beeker of foamed miso.

dessert

dark chocolate parfait. pistachio. curry ice cream. shaved yogurt. saffron A supersweet piece of chocolate, with a rainbow of tastes from the saffron, yogurt, and curry. This was a very fitting finish to an engaging meal.

The plates were interesting. We saw six or seven different types, and a range of flatware. In most cases, they were tailored to the food presented, although a few, like the pork server, were not suitable for my use.

The service was wonderfully attentive. Items were removed promptly, everything was explained. I noticed that the service and kitchen slowed as the house began to fill and the servers covered more tables. It seems almost churlish to mention two minor flaws. One involved a server stacking Dee's plates on my plates in front of me as she was clearing. That happened later, by which time most items were being delivered / taken by one person. Most service had been two people simultaneously delivering / taking.

The other was the delivery of the check, unrequested, with the coffee. I found that a sour note in an otherwise very high quality service

The noise level ran from OK to very loud, abetted by a large party in the loft. Sound echoed from the loft, across the open space, and back down across the main floor. A few sound baffles, or banners, would make a huge difference.

This is a wonderful restaurant. From the friendly, happy reception person to the servers, to the great food, it hits on so many great notes.

$150 pre-tip. BYO permitted, NJ wines available by the bottle.

Venue

[dRock]

I went back to venue on Saturday night. It had been almost a month since my last visit. They have a new menu and to my astonishment, it almost completely changed. It is now set into 2 categories: Cold and Hot. My dining partner and I both had a 4 course menu.

Amuse Bouche: Fluke sashimi with citrus, beet sorbet and lotus chip. Very good and refreshing way to start the meal

First Course:

Maine Lobster, eucalyptus aspic, black curant cylinder. Great presentation! Lobster was very tender and delicious and the combination of the eucalyptus and black currant compliments the lobster perfectly.

cepe soup, parmasan marshallow and white truffle air. This dish was amazing in concept, presentation, texture and flavor. A bowl of white truffle air is brought to the table. The server then pours in the soup and then drops in a marshmallow that is made only of parmasan cheese. THE BEST SOUP I HAVE EVER HAD ANYWHERE!

Second Course:

Atlantic Salmon, turkish coffee cocoa nibs and tobacco ice cream. Superb! I have never had tobacco ice cream but is was delicious and the subtle turkish coffee flavor combined with the rodust salmon really worked well in this dish. I loved this one.

Hudson Valley Foie Gras bon bons with assorted accompaniments. Beautiful presentation. 3 bon bon shaped molded foie gras with three different flavors for each bon bon. We were advised to start with the one from the left and work our way to the right. The first had preserved clementine zest with a pipette filled with the preserved juices. The second was topped with wild sesame ( wich looks nothing like a normal sesame seed) and freeze dryed pinapple. The third was topped with a goji berry confiture. Ive never seen or heard of a goji berry but I was told it is himalayan. Anyhow it is a red berry that is extremely delicious. Almost tasted like a grain. This was a very interesting way to serve foie gras because it is as if you are having three different preparations in one dish.

Next we were given a large beeker type glass that contained carbonated celery juice with a lme foam. Very cool, nice wat to cleanse the palate.

Third Course

Skate with hot apple gel, fennel and cumin. This dish may have been the favorite of the evening. A piece of poached skate wing sits atop a mass of hot gelatinized green apple gel molded into a large square bowl. A nice piece of braised fennel bulb and a foamed cumin substance complimented the dish. The different textures of the dish with the familiar flavors of apple, fennel and cumin were really enjoyable.

Yeloow fin Tuna "Maki". Its very hard for me to describe this one. This dish probably was the most amazing presentation I have ever seen anywhere. Honesty this dish is a work of art. A piece of yellowfin tuna skeward and mounted on a wood block standing straight up! The tuna is wrapped is a nori flavored cotton candy. I dont know how to explain it! the cotton candy first of all was black, and it wasnt even really sweet. It tasted just like nori. It was amazing. It come with a cloud of sushi rice, edamame, soy aspic and sesame powder. Incredible, creativity. A lot of time, effort and hard work had to go into creating this dish.

Fourth Course

Kobe skirt steak, morels, parsley port and freeze dry corn. Very tender piece of meat served rare with fresh korean parsley and and emulsion of parsley as well. A port syrup and cround freeze dried corn were a good compliment to the dish.

Quail served with its eggs, caramelized apple, chicken livers, and clove powder. The best quail dish we ever had. beautiful presentation. Four sections of quail with one egg place atop each sitting on a bed of clove powder. Great dish.

Dessert Amuse

Frozen deconstructed blueberry pie. Cool creative and great.

Desserts

Frozen chocolate parfait. pistachio, curry ice cream, shaved yogurt and saffron. Very rich great flavors. A little more ice cream would have been good because believe it or not, curry ice cream is delicious.

Caramalized pineapple, sesame crumble, watercress and carbonated miso. Iteresting flavor combinations with this one. And carbonated miso was both sweet and strangely good.

Mignardises.

Lemon flavored "floss"

This was amazing inthe fact that it was candy that looks like string or floss and dissolves the moment it hits the tongue.

Over all I think Venue is not just the best and most creative restaurant in Jersey, It continues to get better. This menu is the most creative I have seen in the tri state area. In my opinion this restaurant will be known as one of the top creastive eateries in the country. It is an amazing place. Besides Mini Bar in Washington DC. or Alinea in Chicago, This is the best restaurant I have ever been to!

[Anonymouze]

Is there on site parking or valet parking or any access to us folks who only drive in and do not take public transportation? I ask because I am mobility impaired and about under 1000 feet is my comfort zone presently. Thank you!

[Curlz]

Your best bet is probably to call the restaurant. Hoboken's tough, so they should know the answer to that one.

[Anonymouze]

Your best bet is probably to call the restaurant.  Hoboken's tough, so they should know the answer to that one.

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Curlz you have great taste in restaurants so far... ever been here? Have you been to any places up by me (northern bergen?) or north of paramus? I'd love to hear your and other's comments on Venue and other fine places. Maybe someone else who "drives" has been there and can advise. Thanks again.

[Peter Conway]

Your best bet is probably to call the restaurant.  Hoboken's tough, so they should know the answer to that one.

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Curlz you have great taste in restaurants so far... ever been here? Have you been to any places up by me (northern bergen?) or north of paramus? I'd love to hear your and other's comments on Venue and other fine places. Maybe someone else who "drives" has been there and can advise. Thanks again.

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Looks pretty slick.

Did you notice the article in Rosie's NJ Monthly Article here:

Restaurant News

"Executive chef/owner James George Sarkar of Venue, 518 Washington Street, Hoboken, rated excellent by New York Times critic David Corcoran, has a new winter menu. The intriguing choices, created with unusual combinations of ingredients, include wild salmon, Turkish coffee, cocoa nibs, and tobacco ice cream; cepe soup with Parmesan marshmallow and white-truffle air; seared sablefish with cinnamon walnuts, puree of rutabaga, milk skin, and Madagascar vanilla-scented veal syrup; and grilled fillet of duck with tomato conserve, emulsion of lettuce, and foamy goat’s milk. Cutting-edge desserts include dark-chocolate-and-pistachio parfait with curry ice cream, shaved yogurt, and saffron; caramelized apples with watercress, sesame crumble, and carbonated miso; and coffee cotton candy with "fizzy" wild berries and beet sorbet. Venue is open Monday through Thursday and Sunday from 6 to 10 PM and Friday and Saturday from 6 to 11 PM. For reservations call 201- 653-6111. BYO."

[Purple Pirate]

Your best bet is probably to call the restaurant.  Hoboken's tough, so they should know the answer to that one.

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Curlz you have great taste in restaurants so far... ever been here? Have you been to any places up by me (northern bergen?) or north of paramus? I'd love to hear your and other's comments on Venue and other fine places. Maybe someone else who "drives" has been there and can advise. Thanks again.

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The restaurant is located right on Washington....parking is horrendous. I don't think it is in close walking distance of any of the parking garages located in Hoboken.

[jasper]

Your best bet is probably to call the restaurant.  Hoboken's tough, so they should know the answer to that one.

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Curlz you have great taste in restaurants so far... ever been here? Have you been to any places up by me (northern bergen?) or north of paramus? I'd love to hear your and other's comments on Venue and other fine places. Maybe someone else who "drives" has been there and can advise. Thanks again.

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The restaurant is located right on Washington....parking is horrendous. I don't think it is in close walking distance of any of the parking garages located in Hoboken.

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There is a garage located on 3rd and Hudson. 3 Blocks away from the restaurant. During the week it is possible to find street parking but on a weekend, you may have some issues.

[xyz123]

I tried going here yesterday at 8 pm it was closed,machine says

they are open on monday, called today at 7 pm answering machine

picked up , anyone know anything

[jasper]

I tried going here yesterday at 8 pm it was closed,machine says

they are open on monday, called today at 7 pm answering machine

picked up , anyone know anything

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Sorry. Had to close monday. My sister went into labor, and there were no reservations for that evening. Tuesday we were open. If the machine picked up, someone will probably return your call early today. to confrim your reservation.

[jasper]

Ill try to post some pics from our new menu

Lobster.....

[jasper]

foie gras bon bons with assorted accompaniments.......

[jasper]

scallops.....

[jasper]

burnt pears.....