The Madison Bar & Grill

The Madison Bar & Grill

The Madison Bar & Grill, 1316 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Notes

Sunday Brunch in Hoboken

51 14th St, Hoboken, NJ 07030

Notes

The return for the Hudson Tavern for Restaurant Week this winter. We stopped here a couple of times a year usually for their ribs on Tuesdays.

The crab cake could have been a little warmer but the crab was prevalent and the taste was wonderful.

The second option for a starter was their spinach and artichoke dip served in a generous portion, with pita wedges for dipping. This was enough that we took half of it home.

The crowd here on Saturday for brunch is interesting. A lot of locals a lot of children. There was one table in the back near us of five couples. Frankly, I think they set sexual equality back about two decades. All of the women and their infant children sat at one end of the table, while the men sat at the other. The boys sitting at their in talking about whatever boys talk about,  and the women at the other end looking like they should be doing their needlepoint while watching the children. Finally, at some point between appetizers and entrees, two or three of the women took their children and plop them with their fathers at the other end of the table.

For an entree, the First Choice was their burger with the option of cheese the options of french fries, sweet potato fries, or onion strings on the side. This was prepared perfectly as we had requested slightly under medium.

The other entree choice, what's a seafood medley of perfectly seared tuna, shrimp, and scallops over a bed of arugula. The arugula was dressed with Wasabi vinaigrette that perfectly offset and went with the tuna as well as the shrimp and scallops.

Late Dinner at Jack's Cabin

We had a meeting with a lawyer this evening.  Who would think signing several forms would take so long?  Going into this meeting we had several plans for what to have for dinner:

First we were going to pick up burgers at Five Guys in Hoboken.  Only one problem:  They've permanently closed.

The next thought was Tony Boloney's... Really, that's their name.

Then we realized Tony's was the wrong way to go home.  Next choice:  Jack's Cabin.  A little restaurant we've passed often & wondered about.  We watched several years as it was pulled down & rebuild.  We wondered what could be on such a small odd shaped lot.

But we would stop ONLY if there was parking available.  There WAS parking, so we stopped.

Monday is Berger and Pint Night; Tuesday is Sliders Night; Thursday is Taco Night; Friday is Something else.  BUT it is Wednesday night, there are no specials.

The inside is nice and roomy:

Tonight Amy chose the Turkey Burger with goat cheese, caramelized onions, and mushrooms, on a brioche with a side of fries and the Departed Soles Coffee Stout.  The burger was good, The goat cheese balanced the sweet caramelized onions very well.  The stout Amy thought was perfect.

I had the Cheese Steak: hanger steak with sauteed red peppers, caramelized onions, and Swiss cheese, on an onion roll and a side of fries.  I had the 902 PATH- PALE ALE TRUE HOBOKEN (Pale ale with a crisp, session-able taste.  Light caramel well complemented with hints of floral, grapefruit, and citrus hop flavors.  5.2% ABV, 38 IBU, Light straw color.)  I enjoyed the PATH ale:  it was was fresh and tasty -  i usually do not think of unfiltered as a beer I like, but I pleasantly surprised.

The hanger steak was prepared perfectly.  Crispy caramelized surfaces and nice red/pink interiors. The same sweet onions with addition of the red peppers was excellent.

Pre-Valentine's Dinner at Augustinos Kitchen and Bar in Hoboken

The wait list here is crazy!  Weekends are booked a year in advance.  Booking here less than a month in advance, be prepared to accept 5:30 or 9:30 as the open slots.  BUT there is an out:  seating at the bar is not reserved, so you can walk in and take your chances.

Bruschetta to start

This is not THIS year's menu, but it is pretty close to what they offered.  

Arugula Salad and Stuffed Artichoke starters:

They divided the salad in the kitchen for us.

Entree of Chicken parm and Sunday Supper:

Chicken Parm

Rigatoni in a red cheese sauce

Meatball, Sausage, and Ribs on the side.

Tartufo for dessert

GFG GREEK FROM GREECE - My Second Opening Day Event Today

Amy sent me a link for a new Greek place next to the W Hotel in Hoboken.  As it is on my way to pick her up I thought I would stop and check it out.

It is big and airy, at 645 pm it was not too crowded.

The Greek from Greece Bakery - also sandwiches and all sorts of things!

They have many things, I hope they were not overly ambitious.

Seating area

Frozen yogurt(?) and toppings

Bread sticks and rings

Savory Pies

Sandwiches

Cakes ready for individual servings

The coffee counter and the bread section

Individual full size desserts - displayed and served from islands in the store

Mini size desserts

Full size cakes. Still in the Isles.

Individual size cakes.

And because I love their photo stylist, here are some of their professional photos.  Sometimes Professional Food Photos do not represent what is being served AT ALL; These are perfect representations:Copyright 2017. Dreamfood 
Crafted with love by humble

A Quick Bite at Hoboken's Newest BBQ: House of 'Cue

This used to be the 3 Forty Grill.  The House of 'Cue opened last weekend with a huge party with sky trackers and fireworks.  Tonight when we drove past, there was a parking space right in front, and the place was empty.

They serve cafeteria style, with an interesting double billing system.  We sat at a table, and had a waitress.  She was responsible for drinks and you pay her only for those.  For the food, we were given a meal ticket, which might be clearer in purpose if the food line were busier.

The meal ticket.

You turn in your ticket at the start of the line and choose your sides.

The Cafeteria Line

As you proceed down the line, you order your meats, they continue to mark up your card.  Look at the great well done crispy surfaces on the brisket!

Slicing the Smoked Beef Brisket 

At the end of the line, you pay for the food portion.  Look at the nice crispy edges, the pink smoked edges on the smoked brisket.

Sliced Brisket Sandwich

The same butcher picked up a hunk of  pork and chopped it for the pulled pork sandwich, then topped with coleslaw.

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Coleslaw

At the table is the sweet Texas 2-Step and the slightly hotter 512 Sauce [it tastes a lot like Thai sweet chili sauce].  Good thing there is Tabasco so there is a source of real heat.

The Sauce choices [pickles and corn pudding]

At 5, the place was pretty empty.  As with most BBQ places, the kitchen to table time is very short, so we were in and out in less thank half an hour.

The Dining Room with the Bar at the end.

This new addition to the waterfront dining in Hoboken is a pretty good barbecue restaurant. We had a pulled pork sandwich and a BBQ brisket sandwich. Both were good. The meat was well prepared with beautiful pink smoke rings and tasty crunchy burnt ends. The variety of side dishes is extensive. They offer cafeteria style food service, while providing waitress service for beverages. This allows for you to end up with multiple checks by the end of the meal. Each trip to the cafeteria line generates a food ticket that you have to pay there. And then the check from the beverage service comes to the table. This seems a bit complicated to me as a customer. Their choice of barbecue sauce is limited . The hotter of the two choices, remind me of Thai sweet chilli sauce, just in a smoother more traditional barbecue presentation. The only option to make it hotter is to use the bottle of Tabasco to add the familiar vinegar heat. Admittedly I was not sitting at the end of the restaurant where the bar is, but I wonder if they have a selection of bar food. I did not see one. If you're sitting at the bar watching the game on their multiple sports screens, do you go to the cafeteria line each time to pick up side dishes to snack on? A nice basket of Hush Puppies would be perfect for that type of snacking, but I did not see that as a choice.