Thursday, January 15, 2009

Uptown Pizzeria

54 14th Street

The best to date. The store front was small, but more attractive than the others. I ordered a slice of mushroom pizza and a bottle of diet coke--total $5. There is no seating, so I took my slice and perched along the side counter. The slice was not huge, but large enough and extremely flavorful and fresh. The light crust was just phenomenal; it was equal parts thin and soft, with a perfect light crunch at the bottom of the crust. The tomato sauce was flavored well--not too sweet and not too chunky. The mushrooms were sautéed beforehand and added to the overall appeal of the slice. Needless to say, I will be a repeat customer. Well done, Uptown pizzeria pizza makers.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Dining Room at Anthony David's

953 Bloomfield Street

Wow. I live just a few blocks from this place and have been walking by, swearing to try it for six months. Finally, I found a reason to celebrate and ventured in for dinner with Chelsea (who so often makes repeat guest appearances in these reviews :) ) last night. In addition to being a BYO, the restaurant offers a $35 5-course tasting menu Tuesday-Thursday, which is the route we decided to go (with much hesitation I must add because we wanted to order everything on the menu). The dining room is very cozy, with plush seating, an intimate setting, soft lighting and a homey, but upscale feel. It doesn’t try to be trendy or modern which I appreciated. Great spot for groups, romantic dinners, or just a good ol' amazing dinner.

We were floored. To start we had bread that we dipped in a smooth, slightly thick white bean and olive oil spread. Was delicious. First course: a hearty lentil soup with carrots and smoked chicken. The portions were small, but appropriate for a dinner of five courses. The soup was homey and warm, perfect for a cold day in winter. Second course: very gourmet bruchetta. The toasted bread was topped with a mild white cheese, sautéed, sweet red pepper and hardboiled egg yolks. The flavors complemented each other perfectly and were heightened with the dash of balsamic vinaigrette on the side. Third course: a light pasta dish comprised of delicate shell noodles wrapped up like penne, fresh crab and spinach. The dish was small and although I don’t particularly care for crab--I found myself really enjoying this dish. Fourth course: a small shrimp atop sautéed spinach and sweet corn. The best dish by far. So sweet, with flavors that did wonders together--all in all an amazing bite, I loved it. Final, fifth course: a tender duck breast with blue cheese mashed potatoes with a red wine sauce with cooked cherries. Amazing duck, very juicy and flavorful, cooked perfection.

In all the five courses, brought flawlessly from the kitchen provided plenty of food and really impressed us. The flavors were refreshing plays off classics and transitioned perfectly as the courses moved on. Though the menu is very pricy, the $35 tasting menu and BYO policy allow everybody to experience the food and ambience for a bargain. I can't wait to return.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Mario’s Classic Pizza

742 Garden Street

Not Good.  I ordered a slice of cheese pizza (total $2.68) to go at this little corner shop and though it was livelier than others, with a TV playing sports and a few people dining in, the pizza itself was pretty horrible.  The crust was flaky—not exactly crispy, but flaky like a pot pie crust—and the inner crust was still a bit gooey and undercooked.  The tomato sauce wasn’t very noticeable and the cheese was the sort of translucent, greasy cheese that doesn’t really melt like normal, but gets a funny, runny consistency.  All in all, this pizza was a big disappointment…I didn’t even finish my slice (which is truly a remarkable thing) even though the slice was significantly smaller than most of the others I’ve had.

 

Sunday, January 4, 2009

7 Star Pizza

7 Star Pizza

342 Garden Street

Good pizza.  Though this will not be considered the best, I think it’s a solid contender and stand up well to the competition.  As the first official stop on my pizza tour, I entered the small, undistinguished store front very hungry (which also might be a reason that the pizza was as good as it was…) and ordered one slice of mushroom pizza and a can of diet coke.  Total $4.25.  The pizza slice was huge—larger than the paper plate—and had a nice crispy crust, yet wasn’t too thin for my taste. My gripes: the tomato sauce was quite sweet and the mushrooms were canned.  All in all, the pizza crust was perfect, not too thin and yet still very crispy, but the pizza was a bit sweet for my liking.  On to the next…

Saturday, January 3, 2009

It's on

As my search for the best pad thai has met fruition, I am now moving on and devoting myself full time to finding the best pizza in Hoboken.  In the few months that I have been in Hoboken I have had some good pizza—Grimaldis & Benny Tudinos—but I haven’t moved much further.  And while satisfied with these places, I know that there are other spots that I must try.  So I am pushing on with you, my fellow readers, and together we will embark on an expedition that will span from the depths of 14th Street to the foothills of Newark Street.   Though I know that there will be tough times, and moments that I will have to use the core of my strength to push myself—I know that together, well, “YES WE CAN!!”

 

Off we go…moving around the city of Hoboken in no particular order…