Chipotle Grill offers fresh “fast food” in Hoboken, NJ

Hoboken411 is generally against most “chain” type operations. Because we feel that “greed” and profits typically get in the way of actually offering something nutritious and without chemical additives, preservatives and GMO ingredients.

But according to the story behind Chipotle Mexican Grill – they seem to want to do things right: “It’s our promise to run our business in a way that doesn’t exploit animals, people or the environment. It is the philosophy that guides every decision we make at Chipotle,” says Founder and CEO Steve Ells.

With that said – I’ll choose to believe (for now) the the products are indeed of a much better quality. Maybe a tour of one of their processing facilities is in order!

Chiptole Mexican Grill lets you customize every meal

The thing I love about this place (have tried it out a few times now) is the fact that the food not only looks and tastes fresh – but is tailored exactly the way you want it.

You can have your chips, tacos and burritos – or if you live the low carb life – just get a salad bowl with delicious fatty meats, cheeses, guacamole and sour cream.

I found the flavor of the meats fairly good, and when mashed all together is quite a satiating meal for around $9 or $10. Turnaround time hovers around 3 minutes on average, which is great for people on the go.

The restaurant has a steady level of customers during the day – even at off-peak times, which is testament to how people perceive the quality and value.

Do you enjoy Chipotle Mexican Grill?

Technorati Tags: 60 second review, Chipotle, Chipotle Grill, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Hoboken, Low Carb, New Jersey, NJ, Review, Salad

Matt & Meera introduces brunch menu in Hoboken, NJ

Back in June – we checked out Matt & Meera (618 Washington St.) and were very pleased with the results of the limited introductory menu.

Well – less than two short months since they opened, Executive Chef Hari Nayak has unveiled a stellar weekend brunch menu. It’s available Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 3pm – and has some of our favorite weekend bites of the year so far! Read on for 60 second review!

(Note that for a very limited time – Matt & Meera is offering 50% off your entire brunch tab – just so you’ll come in and try it!)

Flavorful new Brunch menu at Matt & Meera

We sampled many items for brunch this past weekend:

• Watermelon & Feta Salad ($6) – Chef Nayak surprised us with this phenomenal salad. Watermelon cubes slightly spiced with black salt, and outstanding fresh feta cheese, onions and greens – we polished this salad off in seconds. A perfect summer opener.
• Watermelon Agua Fresca ($3) – Prior to the meal, my girlfriend was parched – and she wanted something refreshing. The squeezed watermelon drink with a hint of lemon was like nothing else you can find in Hoboken. Amazingly thirst-quenching and tasty.
• Garden Vegetable Omelet ($8) – A basic “garden” omelet cooked and spiced to perfection. Even the home fries stood out with just the right ingredients.
• South Indian Dosa (from $6 and up) – I’ve never had a dosa before, which “looks” like a wrap, but it’s very low carb (made mostly with lentils). Add egg or meat, along with some tangy dipping sauces – and you might replace your typical morning breakfast sandwiches with this uniquely presented dish. Very addicting.
• Steak & Eggs ($15) – Quite possibly the most tender and juicy steak I’ve ever had with eggs (which were served over-easy, my favorite).
• Huevos Rancheros ($9) – Lastly – this was another taste sensation (the spiciest of the group). Mouth-watering salsa, and some amazing black beans with Indian Rice (lighter and less dense than traditional rice). It did come with crispy corn tortillas, though (which low-carbers shy away from). Overall a tremendous dish.

We found out that Matt & Meera is building their reputation the way they want – by a slowly growing group of dedicated regulars (foodies) that truly know a good establishment when they see one. We will definitely be back!

Technorati Tags: 201-683-9431, Asian, Brunch, BYOB, Ethnic Cuisine, Fusion, Hari Nayak, Hoboken, indian, Matt, Matt & Meera, Matt and Meera, Meera, New Brunch Menu, New Jersey, NJ, Prashant Prajapati, Restaurant

Lola’s Tapas Bar in Hoboken, NJ is a solid choice!

Last week – we made a brief mention about Lola’s Tapas & Wine Bar on 14th Street in uptown Hoboken – and how we hadn’t been there in thousands of days – and how it looked relatively quiet most of the time.

That prompted curiosity and desire to check it out soon afterward.

We were pleasantly surprised!

Lola’s Tapas offers a quality dining experience in Hoboken, NJ

We have to say – our visit to Lola’s was definitely not bad at all! The food was delicious and the service was good. While we wish it were a Hoboken BYOB establishment, they probably wouldn’t survive without their liquor license. Here’s the quick dish breakdown:

• Opening. Waiter was responsive and not annoying whatsoever. We ordered a bottle of red (I think it was $15), and they served us bread & olive oil. I ended up cheating on the low carb life just a little a bit – and the bread pieces were a bit stale – but nothing to write the BBB about.
• Portobello Mushrooms Osborne. Not sure what “Osborne” means, but these grilled mushrooms in a kind of garlicy gravy were delectable. I typically despise mushrooms (think: human earlobes), but this was a phenomenal dish I couldn’t stop eating. Wonderful!
• Filet with hot peppers. Lola’s loves serving filet mignon tips in various accompaniments. We chose the hot peppers. While it wasn’t tongue-blasting, it was still tender and delicious. A smidgen on the under-flavored side, but better than over. You can always salt to taste. Well done!
• Pork skewers with Avocado. Lastly, we ordered a “special” which looked like it had been the same special for the past 5 years. Some kind of pork skewer that was supposed to come with avocado. We thought “fresh” avocado, but instead it came with guacamole. Nevertheless, it was still fresh and yummy. Worthy.

Overall – Lola’s is a decent place to go for many reasons. One, it’s not packed with riff-raff. Two, it’s quite unique in Hoboken. And three – they offer what we feel are tantalizing dishes that might be off your radar just a bit.

I personally get frustrated by the “barrel table” seating in most of the establishment, which is why we chose to sit outside – which was a much more comfortable choice for tall people. If Lola’s ever decides to renovate – my recommendation would be to get rid of those god-awful tables. It’d probably help increase traffic and revenue.

In the end, though – Lola’s deserves to survive in Hoboken. It’s a fun place to eat and drink, and isn’t under the spotlight like many other places in town. We’re going to bring Lola’s back into the regular rotation for the rest of 2012 at least.

See the Lola’s Tapas Bar Menu in Hoboken here.

What are your thoughts about Lola’s?

Technorati Tags: 60 second review, Hoboken, Hoboken411, Latin, Lola's, Lola's Tapas, Lola's Tapas & Winer Bar, Lola's Tapas Bar, New Jersey, NJ, Outdoor seating, Recommended, Review, Tapas, wine

120 Second Review: Hotel Victor in Hoboken Updated

8/3/2012 Update:

We told you guys earlier this summer – that the “bar food ante” has been upped by Hotel Victor Bar & Grill (77 Hudson Street).

And after our second visit, we still stand by that sentiment.

Hotel Victor Bar & Grill in Hoboken continues to excel

Here’s a beautiful & brief recap of some other offerings from the Hotel Victor Bar & Grill Menu (which now brings our cumulative review time to a whopping 120 seconds!):

1. Mini Meatballs Gratin. A potential low carb dream. Four or five meatballs, marinara sauce, fresh mozz, and some seasoned ricotta cheese. Bada Bing! This was a fabulous dish indeed. Overall it was wonderful. My only criticism is that I felt the meatballs alone could have used some work. A bit too much bread, and slightly lacking in flavor. The rest of the dish more than made up for this shortcoming. Hopefully the meatballs come up to par going forward.
2. Chicken Quesadilla. Holy Hoboken Bargain! I only tried a few bites – but this is a killer dish, that is well worth the $11. Eight pieces stuffed with juicy chicken & cheese, and fresh condiments (salsa, guacamole, and sour cream). My girlfriend could barely put a dent into this. Highly recommended.
3. Buffalo Wings. Last but not least – these are a standard staple at most bars & grills across the country. But a dish so common is often hard to find done well. Hotel Victor did these to perfection. Ideally seasoned, and cooked to exact amount of time necessary for the meal to be enjoyable. To quote my GF – “The best wings I ever had…” That’s saying a lot, but sometimes perfection can be had in simplicity and quality execution. Another highly recommended dish.

Click to see original “60 second review…”

Technorati Tags: 60 second review, 77 Hudson, Au Gratin, Buffalo Wings, Cheeseburger, Chicken Quesadilla, Highly Recommended, Hoboken, Hoboken411, Hobsons Choice, Hotel Victor, Hotel Victor Bar, Hotel Victor Bar & Grill, Meatballs, Nachos, New Jersey, NJ, Restaurant, Review, Tuna Tacos

Matt & Meera opens in Hoboken, NJ

If there was one single restaurant in Hoboken that I’d say “run, don’t walk!” that would be the newly opened Matt & Meera located at 618 Washington Street (201-683-9431).

“Local Favorites. Global Flavors.”

One might call it an Indian restaurant, but while it may have strong Indian representation – it’s far from it. Their story is:

“Come and experience a world of flavor! Matt & Meera is a place where the foods we all enjoy are re-imagined with flavors from around the globe. Chef Hari Nayak has crafted a menu that is as diverse as life in the city and yet as familiar and comforting as home cooking.

Matt & Meera is a place where you can grab a quick lunch in the middle of a busy day, or where you can get together with friends and unwind over a few of our Sharing Plates, or just stop by for a Nan-Pizza.”

►► Click to see food, menu and read first review of Matt & Meera!

Technorati Tags: 201-683-9431, Asian, BYOB, Ethnic Cuisine, Fusion, Hari Nayak, Hoboken, indian, Matt, Matt & Meera, Matt and Meera, Meera, New Jersey, NJ, Prashant Prajapati, Restaurant

Have you been to West Five Supper Club in Hoboken?

A few weeks ago on a nice mid-week evening we decided to venture over to the other side of town to check out the West Five Supper Club (505 Madison St.), since the introduction of their new chef last month.

As we heard it usually is on a Wednesday night, the atmosphere was casual and comfortable. Because we’re not too keen on bright loud dinner experiences, it was especially inviting to walk into a back-lit, metropolitan setting and have a large booth to ourselves. Along with our glasses of wine to start off, we were surprised to get a short martini glass of a delicious mushroom soup, which we learned was “on the house” for all dinner customers.

Tapas style menu at West Five meant for sharing

The menu is organized similar to tapas, with a unique lengthy section entitled “shares” that would be great for a couple or group wanting to order several selections to sample. Because of my low carb choices, though, we ordered separately but each had an excellent meal. The braised short rib sliders (with roquefort cheese and caramelized onions) and basket of fries (with parmesan cheese, garlic, and truffle mayo) were excellent paired together and given a great review.

As for me, the grilled chorizo skewers and mini bison burgers (sans bun) more than satisfied my love of flavorful food and my desire to go low carb. The Thai wings were tangy, seasoned with sweet chili, lemongrass, ginger and Indonesian soy; and the grilled steak skewers were spicy and made with bull horn peppers and Bermuda onions.

Overall we had a great time and agreed that the West Five Supper Club was a welcome change from our usual dinner routine. For us, the 20 minute walk was worth it on a nice evening. For those that live closer, it’s well worth the even shorter trip to check them out for dinner sometime soon! Due to the size of the booths and the way the menu is organized, it seems like a great location for a few friends, a double date, or just a nice place away from crowds for anyone wanting a different atmosphere.

Technorati Tags: 505 Madison Street, 60 second review, Hoboken, New Jersey, NJ, Restaurant Review, Tapas, West 5, West Five Supper Club