Brunch at Elysian Café, Hoboken, NJ

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Going to The Elysian is always a challenge as this popular Hoboken restaurant is always crowded and it is often that a line would form outside on week ends, specifically for brunch. Owned by Joyce and Eugene Finn who also operate Amanda's, another popular spot, it is the oldest continually operated restaurant in the city. The adventure started in 1895, when the restaurant opened as Dillenger & Jeffson's. During the prohibition, it went from a restaurant to an ice cream parlor and hair salon. I am not sure when they took that name that sounds French, but is not. 

I went there for dinner quite a while back and we did not plan to go there for brunch when we passes next to it on a Sunday, a little after 11am. As there seemed to be seats available, we decided to change our plan and eat there. 

I love that place: the decor is antique, with molds on the ceiling, old furniture and vintage chandelier. Their menu is French, but for brunch, it is more American as the concept of brunch is not really known there. 

I started off with a fresh squeeze orange juice that was quite good, not watery  with the taste of orange diluted. 

I admit that I was expecting a bread basket, maybe with muffins while we waited for our food, but it never came...

We just ordered an entrée. Jodi went for the omelette au fromage:

There was definitely a lot of fontina cheese in it, but, unfortunately, the eggs were slightly overcooked and the eggs were dry. 

On my side, I hesitated between the lobster roll and the eggs Benedict. I finally went for the eggs as I wanted a brunch dish. 

It was salmon Benedict in fact, the salmon being on top of an English muffin and topped with a poached egg that was also overcooked. 

At that point I was a bit disappointed as I loved when the yolk is runny and I can dip the salmon and muffin in it, while it mixes with the Hollandaise sauce, creating an interesting combination. 

With our dishes, we decided to order French fries over Lyonnaise potatoes. And I have to say that they were pretty good, not too greasy and a bit crispy.

I have mixed feelings about this place after this brunch: they have a nice menu, with good prices, but the execution was not there that day. I doubt that it was because of the number of orders coming at the same time as it was not that crowded at the time we went. Who knows...

Would I go back? Maybe for the burger or croque Madame...

Enjoy (I did)!

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Verde Vita Toscana in Hoboken, NJ

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When Choco-Pain opened downtown Hoboken, it was like bringing a bit of France to the city: delicious bread, pastries and viennoiseries, made traditionally and tasting like it should. I hate when I buy a croissant and it is not buttery! So, we were wondering when they would open Uptown. But no, it did not happen yet. Instead, Verde Vita Toscana, an Italian café opened few month ago, replacing a beauty salon, with the great idea to get its bread from Choco-Pain!

It is a great place with a very European feel and a relaxed atmosphere: ceramic tables, brick walls and a long counter where one can sip a delicious espresso with a croissant. 

Besides this, they sell different olive oil

As well as pasta

Cheese

Jam, honey, etc. You might want in fact to enjoy some samples that they setup during the day for the pleasure of their customers. 

We only went there for breakfast and met each time with one of the owners who is very welcoming. The second time we went was when my cousin Sandrine was visiting us. 

There, we tried:

The espresso and tea. 

I liked the fact that they serve the espresso like in Italy, with a glass of sparkling water. 

The chocolate croissant (well, you know what I think about Choco-Pain at this point). 

The tartine avec du beurre et de la confiture or bread with butter and jam. 

The jam was an Italian fig jam that was sublime: not too sweet and really tastes of the fruit. I, of course, loved the fact that they put lots of butter...and, again, the baguette was from Choco-Pain, so I will not comment how good it was (I guess I just did...). 

Verde Vita Toscana is a great place to relax and enjoy some delicious food in a decor that will make you think, for a moment, that you are in Italy. I can't wait to go back and try some of their lunch items. 

Enjoy (I did)!

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The Brick Pizzeria in Hoboken, NJ

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We decided to try The Brick, a new pizza place uptown Hoboken. I am sure the stakes are high for The Brick considering the number of pizza places in Hoboken, such as Benny Tudino's, Johnny Pepperonni or Basile's. So I was curious to see what would make it stand out.

The decor has nothing fancy, but there is a bit of warmth from the bricks on the walls.

I decided to try their homemade mint lemonade.

It was delicious, not too sweet, with the right amount of mint, making this drink quite refreshing.


With it, they brought us some olive oil with basil, where they added a nice amount of parmesan.

We ate it with some bread.

Looking at the menu, they have interesting dishes such as their own version of chicken wings, made with siracha sauce. They also have salad, pasta and pizza.

For the appetizer, we went for their caprese bruschetta:

I was surprised to see 4 pieces of it.

It was composed of grilled eggplant, fresh tomato, basil, garlic, red onions, kalamata olives, fresh mozzarella and parmigiano cheese, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. I really liked it, the bread being soft and not too chewy and I loved the mix of flavors that made each bite unique.

Then, we ordered the margherita pizza:

It was made of tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil, drizzled with olive oil. This pizza being quite common, this is the perfect choice to compare to other pizzeria.

I liked it: the tomato sauce was good and the crust deliciously crispy, although I would have liked a bit more cheese.

The second pizza we tried was The Brick pizza:

This is not your regular pizza: it is made of prosciutto, pear, fresh mozzarella and Gorgonzola cheese on a white crust.

This was even better: there was a nice amount of gorgonzola that paired perfectly with the pear that added a delicious sweetness to the pizza, counterbalancing with the saltiness of the prosciutto. I would definitely reorder it!

I liked my dinner at The Brick and I am looking forward to go back there to try some other dishes.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Rosticeria Da Gigi in Hoboken, NJ

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Rosticeria Da Gigi, located uptown Hoboken, is the kind of small joint where you would go to grab a quick bite: nothing fancy, but comforting.

It is a small place that probably sits 16 people.

So we sat at one of the tables and went through the menu. It consists of standard breakfast dishes like eggs, pancakes...as well as panini, sandwiches or items from their rotisserie.

Jodi decided to try their croque-monsieur:

When the plate arrived, we were a bit surprised as it did not look like a croque-monsieur, but more like a panini.

There was for sure a decent amount of ham and cheese, but the brioche bread was too thick and unbalanced the proportion of bread / ham / cheese. It was also a bit dry.

On my side, I went for half roasted chicken:

It was definitely a nice piece of chicken and I really liked it: the chicken was moist and the skin crispy.

With it, I could pick two sides and decided to go for the meatballs with tomato sauce and the rice balls with tomato sauce.

It came in one plate as the tomato sauce was the same for both sides. The meatballs were good, but I really did not like the rice balls that were missing flavors. Even with the tomato sauce, the only thing I could taste was some overcooked rice.

Besides the chicken, the meal was ok. I would probably go back to try some other dishes, their menu being so diverse. Although maybe it is the issue: too many things on the menu. I am still unsure about that place...

Enjoy (...)!



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Brunch at City Bistro in Hoboken, NJ

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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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