Brunch at City Bistro in Hoboken, NJ

If you come to Hoboken, there is one thing that you cannot miss: the number of bars in the mile square city. City Bistro, located uptown, is one the popular ones that has a big advantage over the others: its rooftop. Not that it is very useful in the winter, but in the summer, it is definitely the place to be and they sometimes even ask bands to come perform there. 

It was not our first time there, being there for drinks, but also a dinner few years ago, that I hated, not because of the food, but because of the noise level that very loud, not allowing me to understand a word of the conversation. So, this time, we decided to go for brunch, thinking that it was probably quieter. I am sure that there would be a game, it would have been a madhouse though...

It is a bar, so the decor is pretty standard: wooden floor, bricks, high and low tables. The first time we went, I noticed all the strollers at the entrance and a large number of families inside.

I had hopes for the brunch, because a lot of time, bars are proposing great comforting dishes. Their menu offers the classic choices you get for brunch, as well as their own dishes. The first time, Jodi went for the salade Niçoise, a French specialty made of tomatoes, hard boiled eggs and tuna.

The tuna, in the original recipe, is canned. At City Bistro, they made the salad using fresh seared tuna that made the dish more elegant. The tuna had this nice grill taste on the outside and the flavor was enhanced with some coarse salt. What I liked also is that they added their own twist by putting on the very top some fried onions.

I ordered the short rib grilled cheese:

For the side, I had the choice between fries and a salad. I went with fries of course!

The grilled cheese sandwich was made of short ribs, gruyere, baby arugula, caramelized onion on a country white bread. I liked it although the short ribs were a bit dry. Fortunately there was the cheese (a bit more would have even be better and would have balanced the sandwich) and the caramelized onions that gave a nice sweetness to the dish. 

The second time we went, Jodi ordered the crunchy French toast:

What made this French toast different from any other is that it was battered in corn flakes, giving it a nice crunch. The bread was also properly soaked in the batter. If you like French toast, this is definitely one I would not miss.

On my side, I wanted to try the burger. I hesitated between the Bistro burger (10oz. ground sirloin, lettuce, tomato, vidalia onion, choice of cheddar, swiss, bleu cheese) and the Hoboken burger (ground beef, fried egg, seared ham). I decided to go for the Hoboken burger, with cheese (they charged me for it).

The meat had a nice char and was juicy (I asked for medium).

I liked the egg on top, the yolk being runny and making the use of ketchup or mayo useless. With the ham, this was definitely a heart attack on a plate!

I really enjoyed the brunch at City Bistro: the menu is classic, but they were able to put some interesting dishes on it that will satisfy all palates.

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!