Sunday, 28 April 2013

Teak on the Hudson, Hoboken: hospitality as offered, so I should not be rude.

Tuesday, 23rd April.
Scheduled as a meet and greet dinner, my host took us to a recommended restaurant in Hoboken, a short light-rail ride away from Jersey City. Hoboken looks and sounds interesting, so I was sorry that the restaurant was only a stone's throw from the station, and I did not get to see the famous bakery nor Frank Sinatra's birthplace. Check out their web site on http://www.teakonthehudson.com/flash.htm
Also check out the comments on TripAdvisor http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g46515-d666347-Reviews-Teak_on_the_Hudson-Hoboken_New_Jersey.html which show that this is a love it or hate it venue. The interior is impressive and much attention has been paid to the atmosphere, which I would imagine would be a draw for the NYC commuters. The thrust is Sushi and American. As I am not a great sushi fan, it was not a good start.
Note that whilst it is light outside, the interior is not, and the lighting was reduced even further. Atmosphere is clearly very important.
The session started with a dish of edamame beans instead of olives. Interesting. I then had a chocolate martini, which tastes far better than it sounds, and was quite potent.
For starter, I had herb crusted Calamari strips- A huge portion
By this time, the lights had been turned down so low, that the visual side of food judgment was lacking but they were somewhat unsubtle in taste, with accompanying sauces. They scored an 8 on the CHOF scale. There was probably too much for a starter portion compared to European standards, but that was the name of the game in all eateries. For main, I had the pepper rubbed skirt steak served with broccoli, mashed potato and a brandy mushroom.(I understand that skirt steak is from the diaphragm of the steer, is coarser, and can be tougher. This was certainly my experience.) I have to say that as this was a meet and greet, the speed of service did not concern me, but when my meal appeared, it was too cold to even contemplate eating, scoring somewhere between a 4 and 5 on the CHOF scale. Despite being with hosts, I rejected the meal untouched and asked for it to be replace by a fresh version which was done, in time, and appeared to be a new version, with no apparent signs of abuse.
By this time, the lights had been turned down so low, that my camera demanded that the flash operate, so the  somewhat harsh appearance is a literal statement of the plate contents. Whilst still not as hot as I would have wanted, I accepted this. Strangely, the vegetables and potatoes were well up to temperature, and I can only imagine that this is some fluke of the way that steaks are prepared and left standing. It was nothing special, and at the time of eating I did not appreciate the special properties of skirt steak and its fuller flavour, which was lost of me. My colleagues who had had sushi and other seafood fared much better. I cannot speak for the cost of the meal as my hosts took care of that. All I can say is that based on the menu prices, it is not cheap. I understand that locals can get half price nights, so that may be the main source of clientele. The place has many on-line reviews and has clearly attracted the need to give opinions. If I went there again, I would focus on the Sushi and Seafood, which seems to be the thing. Apparently the lobster rolls are very good.





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