HobokenFoodCritic

I thought it might be a good idea to post my 5 favorite hangouts. Now, understand, I am not saying that these are the best places in Hoboken, but rather they are the places you would most likely find me when I’m not home. I’m not really into many of the trendy, contemporary quasi-lounges that keep cropping up around town. Instead, I usually tend to gravitate toward establishments that have a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere where you can let your guard down a bit, pound a few good beers, or get a solid, inexpensive meal.

Most of my favorite hangouts are in uptown Hoboken, mainly because of their proximity to where I live, but also because I can only take so much of the just-out-of-college craziness that goes on downtown. That is not to say there aren’t outstanding bars and restaruants downtown–there is definitely a ton of variety down there no matter what type of experience you are in the mood for, and there are plenty of places that I visit frequently. However, not as frequently as the establishments I would call my “favorites”.

So, without further ado, in no particular order, here are my 5 favorite hangouts in Hoboken, with some notes on each:

Maxwell’s ~ Corner of Washington and 11th ~ I’ve eaten here more than any other restaurant in Hoboken, mainly because of the variety of good food, friendly service, generous portions, reasonable prices, and really cool atmosphere. It’s Hoboken’s version of South Street Philly or New York’s CBGB’s, but Maxwell’s is more than just a punkish bar/restaurant–there is also a small (but legendary) concert area in a separate room off to the side that hosts local and emerging artists, and sometimes some bigger acts. Strangely, non-punks like myself need not feel out of place. I’ve only seen one concert there, but this place is a favorite of mine because you can always get a good, inexpensive meal–whether you are in the mood for beer-battered shrimp, a huge chicken sandwich, meatloaf, a huge burrito, a ‘health salad’, or ‘Hoboken’s best quesadillas’. They call it all “comfort food”, and let me tell you, it is comforting.

Helmers’ Cafe ~ Corner of Washington and 11th (opposite Maxwell’s) ~ One of best beer menus in Hoboken, Helmers’ came roaring back to life when it reopened in August 2007 after a fire left it vacant for over a year. This place always seems to be busy, and it’s no surprise–the combination of authentic German food, premium Imported beers, and a classy yet relaxed atmosphere makes this one of the more unique hangouts in town. Expect to pay a little extra on average for their beers, but I’m sure the predominantly 30-something crowd can handle it. I usually just go down the menu and try anything I’ve never had before. Ashley loves Helmers’ because it is the only bar we’ve ever been to where she can get Framboise Lambic (raspberry beer) on tap.

McMahon’s Brownstone Ale House ~ Willow Ave between 10th and 11th ~ My local hole-in-the-wall Irish pub. Some of the friendliest bartenders I’ve come across in Hoboken. It’s the only bar on my favorites list that has a pool table, and sometimes on a slow weeknight, the bartender will challenge you to a game. And by the way, pool is free on Tuesdays. On the weekends, McMahon’s is more lively, and often overtaken by birthday parties or large groups of pub crawlers. Awesome digital jukebox. The owner, Francis (”Fran”), is a super nice guy with an Irish accent who takes pride in his bar and his clientèle. The small, old-school TV’s could use some updating, but they have never taken away from my having a great time at this place.

Liberty Bar ~ 14th Street between Washington and Hudson ~ My favorite place to watch sports, Liberty Bar has about 20 crystal-clear flat screens plus a huge projection screen on the back wall. It’s almost like walking into the TV section of BestBuy. They also have some of the best burgers, sandwiches, fries, appetizers, and salads in town. Very reasonably priced. Try the bleu cheese burger or one of the several filet mignon sandwiches they offer. Beer selection is decent (they have Blue Moon and Sam Adams’ Seasonals), service is friendly. Daily drink and/or food specials. Rumor has it that Artie Lange hangs out there once in a while.

Farside ~ Washington Street between 5th and 6th ~ Casual, good beer menu, good music, good service. Black motif with red light bulbs (gotta love it), and there are about 10 flat screens showing whatever sporting events are on at the time. Darts. Limited outside seating, but if it’s not crowded you can sometimes snag the coveted wicker couch. This place is usually packed on Sundays. Decent bar food….I have not yet tried their fabled ‘Fat Bastard’ burger, which is smothered in a mound of bacon. I’ll post an update when that day comes, if my arteries don’t clog before I get home. Farside is a great place to hang out when you just want to go somewhere and chill, particularly during the week, and it is also a great place to hit for a few drinks to get warmed up for a big weekend night out.

Being not-too-impressed by the produce, deli, and seafood sections of the ShopRite in town (which is where we do most of our grocery shopping), we sometimes take the walk down to Garden of Eden (on Washington St. between 2nd and 3rd) to get the hands-down freshest groceries in town. So, when we wanted to cook a meal that was a bit more daring and exquisite than we are typically used to (we were thinking seafood), we hit up Garden of Eden in search of some fine ingredients.

Garden of Eden is (to stick with the biblical references) like heaven on earth–at least when it comes to specialty food markets. Much like the story of Adam and Eve, one can easily be seduced by the mounds of colorful, perfect fruit arranged outside the front window that seem to beckon you to come inside.

Walking around inside Garden of Eden is as much of a feast for your eyes as it eventually will be for your stomach. It is a relatively small food market, as compared to ShopRite, A&P, and even the Kings’ in town. But the place is impeccable, clean, neatly arranged, and, as I mentioned, colorful and appealing. It’s the kind of place that you walk into and want to buy everything. The fresh fruit and vegetables look so perfect they almost appear to be fake. I couldn’t resist the asparagus.

They even have some unique, reasonably-priced, pre-packaged veggies that can save you some prep time. I found a package of 3 different kinds of sliced zucchini–regular, yellow, and light green (I don’t know the technical names)–which I thought would be a good compliment to seafood, so I grabbed it and threw it in my basket.

Then came the seafood section. Since this would be the main course, this was the toughest decision. The fact that all their seafood looked amazing didn’t help. So, I did what any Hobokenite would do when faced with a buying decision. I splurged. I bought 1 pound of Chilean seabass, 4 huge sea scallops, and a crabcake. Probably enough food for 2 people.

It was difficult to control myself from buying more food as I walked through the hot prepared foods, fresh breads, cheeses, and the deli section (which features meats from Applegate Farms in Montclair). Somehow, I managed to make it through.

The total cost of what I bought was $49. As I left, I couldn’t help but think that we could have dined out, saved ourselves the work, and had a professionally cooked meal for not too much more money than what I spent. But what fun is that?

Actually, you don’t have to empty your wallet like I did to get great stuff at Garden of Eden. As a matter of fact, most of the fruits and vegetables are comparable in price to ShopRite–and MUCH better in terms of quality. However, you do have to be careful, because some stuff can be pricey, so it is best to be an educated consumer. Self-control is also key–you can easily find yourself being lured into stuffing your basket full with as much food as you can carry. Nevertheless, if Garden of Eden sold basic household products such as paper towels, cleaning supplies, and garbage bags, I would probably shop there exclusively. But that might take away from its devilish appeal.

In a town where the Italian restaurant scene appears to be dominated by the celebrity-frequented, high-profile Tutta Pasta and the charming, authentic, always-crowded Margherita’s, it can be easy to overlook some of the less flashy establishments along the Washington Street strip. So, for our anniversary night, we ventured to find an authentic, romantic, inexpensive (we had an expensive weekend planned–more on that in a later post) Italian restaurant that we hadn’t already tried.

We decided upon Trattoria Saporito because it seemed both quaint and elegant, and the menu not only offered the standard Italian fare, but also showed a bit of creativity as well. Since it’s BYOB, we brought a bottle of Cabernet that was left over from our visit to the Brotherhood Winery in upstate New York last winter. We opted to sit inside to escape the slight mugginess, though there were a few people who didn’t seem to mind.

At the door, we were greeted by a friendly paisan who looked and sounded like he belonged in an Italian restaurant. He showed us to our table (there were only two other tables occupied inside) and proceeded to recite by memory a specials list that was quite possibly longer than the actual menu. After a few minutes, I had to hold back from bursting into laughter. When he was finished, I asked him to repeat everything.

It is often said that you can tell a lot about a restaurant by the bread they serve before the meal. The bread we received was a step better than a typical Italian baguette–it was obviously homemade and it was warm, which scores extra bonus points in my book (or on my blog, for that matter).

What really impressed us was that even though we did not order appetizers, our waiter brought us two delicious bruschettas to hold us over until mealtime. Keep in mind, I make it a rule not to tell restaurants that I will be writing about my experience, because I want the real experience, not special treatment. I cannot guarantee they will give all their guests free bruschettas, but I will say that they did it on their own. And while it did seem a little strange that we did not receive salads before our meals (especially at an Italian restaurant), perhaps they serve bruschettas instead. I guess we will have to go back again to find out for sure.

The food arrived to our table in a reasonable amount of time. Ashley had the Bucatini alla Giulia, which was pasta with red sauce, lightly fried eggplant, and shaved ricotta. The pasta was obviously homemade and we both thought her dish was delicious.

I went with one of my favorite Italian dishes–Linguine with white clam sauce. It is a dish that you can find at almost any Italian restaurant and even most pizzerias, but it takes real skill to perfect. For that reason, I feel it is a good dish to use as an assessment of a restaurant’s quality and attention to detail. The dish was very good, though not the best I’ve ever had. I liked the way they topped the linguine with a mound of opened baby clams, though I was a little disappointed to not find little pieces of clams mixed in with the sauce itself (which was a bit soupy). All in all, though, it was a hit.

As we dined into the night, the lighting inside the restaurant was dimmed to create a bit more intimate atmosphere. To our surprise, however, the faint music playing in the background progressed from romantic Italian music, to modern pop, with even some 80’s mixed in (I guess you can’t go anywhere in New Jersey without hearing a little Bon Jovi).

The portions were hefty but not un-appetizingly huge. I managed to finish all of mine (hey, it was good), while Ashley brought the rest of hers home to have for lunch the next day. We were tempted to try dessert but we just didn’t have any room left. I guess we should have planned for dessert earlier.

Perhaps the most satisfying part of the night was that, after having such a great meal, I was amazed to see a check of only $32! At that moment, Trattoria Saporito became not only a solid and authentic Italian restaurant, but also one of the best value restaurants in all of Hoboken. If we had ordered salads, appetizers, and dessert the price would obviously have been higher, but for what we paid we were extremely satified (and full).

By the time we left, around 8:00pm, the restaurant had filled to about half capacity, and the streets outside were lively. I guess Hobokenites eat late. Of course, I had to be the one to carry the doggy bag nine blocks up Washington Street during the busiest time of the night.