HudsonRW: Hoboken Gourmet Company

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It’s a tiny place, so call ahead.

But the portions do not mirror the square footage of Hoboken Gourmet Company. The Hudson Restaurant Week $38 prix-fixe dishes were generous in size and in comfort. The limited options did create a repetition of flavors and ingredients, but still offered a singular selection of the regular menu.

Two thick slabs of chewy salty bacon overlapped and stretched the length of the colossal plate. Stripes of sweet and piquant barbeque sauce smoothed the salt and brought on a little heat, while caramelized onions highlighted the sweetness, creamy avocado added luxury and acidic grape tomatoes cut the decadence.

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Thick and warm, the cream of broccoli soup was heavy and hearty, resembling soft mashed potatoes. The flavor was enjoyable, but the texture was dense and almost unrelenting. A few bites were like happiness, an escape from the sting of the winter evening.

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The winter salad was small and overrun by a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. Wiling mixed greens leaves succumbed to dressing, insurmountable pungent feta and green apples, which added already overpowering tartness of the combination. Sweet candy coated pecans created diversity in taste.

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A thick cut pork chop paired with thinly slice sautéed green apples kissing a pool of velvety mashed potatoes verged on classic. The tart apples and the rich pork played together well as any age-old combination would.

Some of the regular menu items had a different flare than those on the restaurant week menu, like the shrimp in garlic tapas or Spanish steak entrée.

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Those shrimp in garlic felt rustic and foreign but familiar at the same time. The fresh, tender shrimp were swimming in a bath of garlic, oil and broth, brine and charm. Garlicky crusty bread rested atop in the tiny cast iron skillet, longing to sop up the flavorful juices.

And the tender steak drowning in is braising liquid, a thick sauce founded on a sofrito, Spanish spices and time, topped out of place mashed potatoes. Its accompanying rice was fragrant and complimented its Latin roots.

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The caramel cone rounded out the prix fixe dinner, singing a sweet note. The chewy caramel cone was filled with the silky cream that was thick with an uncertain tang. It was rich and luscious, with nutty caramel notes and a mysterious hum of cream and cream cheese.

Limited seating, palpable ambiance and humble charm add hefty appeal to Hoboken Gourmet Company. The tiny kitchen, overheard orders and tight space make the eatery unique and an adventure. The food is comfortable and welcoming, classic and expected but it’s the experience that captivates.

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1.30.15

RER 1.30.15

HUDSON Restaurant Week: Winter 2015

Dino & Harry's

Yup, we were “snowed-in” just yesterday and #Snowmageddon2015 was not all cracked up to be, but it’s time to brave the cold weather and snow because Hudson Restaurant Week is here! The lovely prix-fixe meals started this Monday and will carry on through February 6^th. This year is the largest Hudson Restaurant Week featuring more than 50 restaurants, showcasing the gastronomic culture of Hudson County.

Light Horse Tavern

Take a peek at some of my previous Hudson Restaurant experiences; it might help to narrow down the list!

A&W Steakhouse, Bayonne

Bistro La Source, Jersey City

Brass Rail, Hoboken

Clinton Social, Hoboken

Dino & Harry's, Hoboken

Elysian, Hoboken

Hamilton Inn, Jersey City

Haven Riverfront Restaurant, Edgewater

Light Horse, Jersey City

The Madison, Hoboken

Maritime Parc, Jersey City

Skylark on The Hudson, Jersey City

The Stewed Cow, Hoboken

Sushi Lounge, Hoboken

A&W Steakhouse, Skylark on the Hudson
 

Check out the Hudson Restaurant Week website or facebook page to see restaurant listings and menus.

The Madison

Stay tuned on facebook, twitter and instagram for my restaurant week updates and adventures! So excited to dig in.

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1.28.14

Clinton Social

HUDSON Restaurant Week: Summer 2014

Summer is most definitely in full swing— it’s hot, muggy, sunny and almost uncomfortable.  Every year it seems like everything goes downhill after the Fourth of July, but the summer Hudson Restaurant Week is just in time to turn the summer around.  The food and restaurant celebration begins next week on July 28 and runs through August 8, spanning Hudson County with participating restaurants in Hoboken, Jersey City, Weehawken, Edgewater, Bayonne and West New York. It’s perfect for any foodie on a budget with seriously discounted prix fixe meals: lunch starting at just $13 and dinner beginning at $23. The restaurants offering the tasty deals present a diverse range of flavors and cuisines, but are unified by Hudson County’s rich community.

Take a look at my previous Hudson Restaurant Week experiences to see what restaurants have offered in the past and maybe even for a little inspiration:

3Forty Grill, Hoboken

A&W Steakhouse, Bayonne

Bistro La Source, Jersey City

Brass Rail, Hoboken

Clinton Social, Hoboken

Dino & Harry's, Hoboken

Elysian, Hoboken

Hamilton Inn, Jersey City

Haven Riverfront Restaurant, Edgewater

Las Olas, Hoboken

Light Horse, Jersey City

The Madison, Hoboken

Maritime Parc, Jersey City

Marty O’Brien’s, Hoboken

Sabores, Hoboken

Skylark on The Hudson, Jersey City

The Stewed Cow, Hoboken

Sushi Lounge, Hoboken

Check out the Hudson Restaurant Week website to get all the juicy details— the restaurants, their menus and pricing. Don’t forget to follow along on facebook, twitter and instagram for my restaurant week updates and adventures. Stay tuned, delicious Hudson Restaurant Week moments to come! 

*Note all images are from hudsonrestaurantweek.com

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7.23.14

HUDSON Restaurant Week: Winter 2014

Oh yes! It’s practically here and I can taste it! Hudson Restaurant Week is here and celebrating its 10^th year!! The deals and steals start on Monday, January 13 and run until January 26. The restaurant week features over 40 local restaurants in Hoboken, Jersey City, Bayonne, and Weehawken. Each restaurant offers special pre-fixe menus for lunch and/or dinner. With ten new additions this year, Hudson Restaurant Week is growing and continues to showcase the diversity and gastronomic culture of the county. But wait, there’s more. Some of the restaurants are participating in the event’s Super Week from January 27 until February 2! Check out the Hudson Restaurant Week website or their facebook page to see restaurant listings and menus.

These are the restaurants I went to check out during past Hudson Restaurant Weeks:

3Forty Grill, Hoboken

Brass Rail, Hoboken

Clinton Social, Hoboken

Dino & Harry's, Hoboken

Elysian, Hoboken

Hamilton Inn, Jersey City

Las Olas, Hoboken

Light Horse, Jersey City

The Madison, Hoboken

Maritime Parc, Jersey City

Sabores, Hoboken

Sushi Lounge, Hoboken

I am super excited (as always) and ready to chow down (as always). Stay tuned for photos, impressions, and stories about my Hudson Restaurant Week adventures! Which restaurants will you try? Now, who wants to eat with me?

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1.10.14

 *Note all images are from hudsonrestaurantweek.com

HudsonRW: Satis Bistro

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Entering Satis Bistro, in the quiet neighborhood of Paulus Hook, Jersey City, is like entering a portal that shifts time and transports to somewhere else. The space is a maze of minute details, like a museum, but it is still breathing, alive with the movement of time, people and food. There are pictures in frames hung purposefully on a small wall, and a tall communal table under a giant chalk board with latin scrawled in a rainbow of colors, and there are green hanging plants seated in the high windows, drawing the eye up to the very tall ceilings and eventually to a second lofted dining area. Even the powder room felt aged and lived in. But a visible kitchen, where some appetizers and cheese plates are prepared, is its own space, completely different than the rest, and thrown further back in time, underlined by rustic touches of benches for seating and rough pillows throughout the venue. 

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RER 8.6.13

The restaurant has a definite atmosphere, a kind of allure like the scent of fatty short ribs, gnocchi pillows, and red wine vibrato. Somehow there is a swirling of place and time, until neither is quite distinguishable, but the flavors reign and solid technique soars. Either through the super chilled avocado vichyssoise, with almost enough charred corn, summer tomatoes and watercress coulis, floating just so in the middle of the creamy and rich soup. Or the cheese plate appetizer with its haphazard elegance of apricot chutney, hot with mustard seeds, or the red ribbon of prosciutto and fat, and crusty bread.

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RER 8.6.13

Even what seems as straightforward as meat and potatoes or simple pasta, was elevated to something luxurious and comfortable at the same time. The short ribs, tender with time and seasoning, were fatty and surrounded by a bold peppery sauce, which balanced the richness, and enlivened the starch of the tangy goat cheese mashed potatoes. An addition of tiny cubes of chorizo, pushed the dish further. The mixture of  varied textures created a pieced together harmony, much like the décor of the restaurant.

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This play on the expected and the unexpected puzzle continued with the surprising gnocchi. There were not the little dots of doughy dumplings that are asssumed; but these were like little biscuits, pillows of ricotta with the essence of citrus and browned. The six fluffy dumplings were highlighted by a creamy sauce, gently wilted escarole, firm white beans and sweet roasted garlic. The dish was rich and reminiscent of home, comfort and familiarity, but the quality and technique equated refinement.

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RER 8.6.13

The sundaes, however, were an easy way out, strikingly contrasting the effort put into every other detail. There were not the careful and pristine elements constructed into the melty moments of chocolate and vanilla ice cream drenched in caramel and dashed in toasted coconut and meaty nuts, or the round balls of unnatural strawberry and vanilla disguising a dense sweet corn pound cake, as in other facets of the restaurant.  They were easy and effortless though, like the amalgamation of flavors and the mixed aesthetic. The sundaes did not transport across sea and continent, but rather, back in time to childhood and midnight concoctions.

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Every element of Satis is orchestrated, creating an experience that does not stop at the food— it is an atmosphere, a transformation of a small space into an anonymous bistro in another part of the world. Its European roots are demonstrated through charcuterie, pastas, meats and fishes, a blend of the old and new and near and far.

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8.6.13

RER 8.6.13

HudsonRW: Sabores

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It was a double date for Hudson Restaurant Week, and we were headed to a place that none of us had ever gone too, so we were excited to try out Sabores for their $30 prix fixe.

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Amuse Bouche

Guacamole

The plate of bold green guacamole came decorated with a few colorful tortilla chips and hot red peppers, almost as if they were an indicator. It initially seemed like a lot of guacamole, almost too much for the number of mildly stale colorful chips, but in the end it was devoured. The guacamole was very spicy and flavorful, drowning out the stale after moment of the chips. It was creamy and just enough to hold us over for the coming dishes.

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First

Ensalada de Sandia

Watermelon, papaya, tomatillo and cucumber salad

This watermelon salad sounded light and refreshing, delicious and different, but we all ignored something in the item description, the orange-mezcal vinaigrette. And I wish I hadn’t. The appetizer would have been all of those things I wished for, if it hadn’t been for the smokiness of the mezcal that plagued the fresh fruit. It made everything taste like tar and thick, just my palate found it less than appetizing.

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Quinoa

The quinoa starter was alive with vegetables and encircled with a cilantro jalapeno salsa, but this too was spicy. The quinoa grains were smaller and wetter than I was used to, and the serving was just a sampling, but it was pretty good, hearty and a nice start.

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Gazpacho de Nopal

Unlike the gazpacho I am used to, this appetizer was green and served in a fancy drink glass. The summer soup was made with cactus, tomatillo cucumber, bell peppers and a beautiful dash of color, with the cherry tomato. The surface of the thick cold soup was dotted with oil and two halves of cherry tomatoes. It was pretty to look at, but thick and viscous, kind of salty in a soy sauce kind of way, but definitely edible.

Second

Pescado

Fish tacos

Now the fish tacos were not a part of the prix fixe menu, but they were absolutely delicious. The ratios were just right; a thick piece of seasoned and lightly fried fish nestled in double corn tortillas, topped with a bright pico de gallo. The flavors married well, the spicy, and sweet, and the almost dry tortilla.

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Lomo de Cerdo

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Two of our party got the lomo, and unfortunately that was a moment where we saw inconsistency in the pretty new restaurant. One of the thin pieces of pork was far more well done than the other, resulting in a completely different experience. The sweet potato puree and honey chipotle glaze played to the affinity pork has for sweetness, adding moisture and texture, while the seasonal veggies almost blended in with the other elements, colorful but forgettable.

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Costillas en cacao

Short ribs

The plump piece of  short rib sat on a little bed of mashed potatoes and was surrounded by a dark meaty cacao demi glaze, and nestled by a  patch of dressed salad greens. The meat was super tender, decadent and delicious, everything you really want in the texture of a short rib, though the flavor was kind of muted, and dulled further by the dense, startchy potatoes. The greens not only made the plate look more balanced, but it lightened the dish, and added a little brightness.

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Third

Nieve de Horchata

Horchata sorbet with spicy pecans

The rice milk based drink, Horchata, was transformed into an icy and almost watery sorbet, encapsulating spicy cinnamon and warmth. The flavor was really nice of the sorbet, arousing almost contradicting memories of spicy fall and refreshing summer. It was super light, but the texture was a little chalky, and almost dense, missing a smoothness to unite the taste.

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Natilla de Maracuya

Passion fruit crème brulee

This crème brulee looked like any other, yellowish custard in a ramekin, browned and crisp on the top, and even the decorative strawberries recalled other crème brulees. This time, however, the smooth and creamy custard was infused with tangy sweet passion fruit. There were no pieces of the fruit throughout the custard, which maintained the expected texture, with the surprising flavor.

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Overall, there were delicious moments to our dinner, mainly with our mains. The portions were not too large which made three courses easier, but in the end it may not have been enough. The service was a little slow, especially in getting the bill and paying (oddly enough), and the atmosphere got to be a little draining with loud music and bad acoustics. I would go again, but maybe on taco Tuesday.

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8.2.13

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HudsonRW: Las Olas

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It was about 7/7:30 on Thursday during Hudson Restaurant Week, and Las Olas was not that busy. Most of the occupants were sitting at the bar, chatting and eating and drinking there, next to the neon glow of the enormous fish tanks. I went to sit further in the restaurant, passed the squeezed space of the bar, where a fuller sitting area was.  And it gave me a perfect view of the fish tanks, colorful and exotic. 
 

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Our server was super nice, and gave my fickle mind suggestions as to what to eat on the $35 prix fixe menu, and I went with almost everything she suggested, except for the flan. We each ordered one drink, though all were tempting and with fun names and alcohol. I got the pineapple cilantro margarita, which only tasted like tang and tequila until the bottom where the pineapple chunks and sprigs of green cilantro were hiding. My friend ordered the bright pink strawberry jalapeno margarita, which was hot and sweet at the same time, just like summer.

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My friend opted out of the prix fixe, but indulged in guacamole three ways; each way was a tiny bowl of bright green and mild guac, topped with seasoned shrimp, salty bacon, or strong gorgonzola. The guacamole was just chunky enough to feel authentic, and the toppings made the avocado come alive.

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She also went for the spicy tuna dumplings, recommended highly and frequently by one of her friends. Each dumpling was a wanton stuffed with spicy tuna (like the sushi roll), fried and served on a bed of guacamole, garnished with a little samba sauce. These badboys were surprisingly delicious, with a wild variety of textures, hot and cold temperatures, and a range of flavors. Each dumpling was one and a half bites of fun and surprise.

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RER 8.1.13

For my first course, on the recommendation of our lovely server, I got the salmon kani poppers in lieu of the asian style wings and the guacamole starter. These bites consisted of kani salad wrapped in salmon sashimi and finished with a hot hot wasabi yusu sauce. The textures were raw and unsettling in a way, kind of slimy and wet, but that is what raw fish generally feels like. It was light and fresh, and most certainly, delicious. 

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RER 8.1.13

Despite the rave reviews of the fish tacos from friends and reviews alike, I sided with my server and got the tiger roll, which is soy bean paper filled with spicy crab, shrimp tempura and avocado, topped with a little chipotle sauce. The rice was cooked nicely, tender and almost buttery, and each grain felt separate. The crab, shrimp tempura, and avocado each offered a different texture— stringy, crunchy and smooth and creamy— while the chipotle brought a smoky flavor to the sushi roll.

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For dessert I had the mochi, the ambiguous and mildly contradicting ice cream wrapped in rice paper dessert. I got strawberry flavored mochi, and my plate was an abstract play of strawberry and chocolate syrup, three tiny balls of mochi, and far too much whipped cream. But it was delightful. These mochi were fresh; the rice paper was like thin stretchy dough, sweet and chewy, preventing the melting ice cream from becoming a giant mess on the plate.

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The food was pretty good and the service was prompt and friendly, but unfortunately, I do not feel that the dinner prix fixe was the best deal. My only regret was going for dinner instead of lunch, as the menus were exactly the same according to the website, but lunch was half expensive. I also did not leave as satiated as I wanted to. It was nice to have a light meal, but the price was not right.

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I will be back, though, to try the fish tacos everyone is talking about.

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8.1.13

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