Place: Court Street Restaurant & Bar
Neighborhood: Hoboken, 61 Sixth St. (between Hudson and Washington)
Mimosa Rating:
Crowded bar
The scoop: This Manhattan gal was meeting a friend in Hoboken for brunch, and Court Street Restaurant & Bar’s drink special and variety of dishes made me want to give this place a shot. The atmosphere at Court Street is like night and day. Once you walk up the stairs and into the restaurant, you automatically step foot into a bar. It was football Sunday around 2 p.m. and the place was already packed with fans watching the game. The place was filled with chatter, but wasn’t unbearably loud.
Dining room
As I walked toward the back of the restaurant, there was a completely different vibe. If I was blindfolded, I wouldn’t believe that this quiet dining area was part of the same place. Luckily, there was no wait at this time and the back was half full. The dining room was on the plain side and reminded me of a restaurant in a no-frills hotel. We were seated in the back corner and were able to comfortably hold a conversation while instrumental music played in the background.
The waitress was nice, very informative when answering my questions, and always available to serve us with whatever we needed. The only thing off about the service is that we weren’t provided with napkins, but the waitress brought them over as soon as we asked.
Bottoms up: Court Street has a “Sunday Funday” special - pitchers of your favorite brunch drinks at decent prices.
Poinsettia
Poinsettia $12 / Just like a mimosa, but with cranberry juice instead of OJ
I enjoy cranberry juice, and since poinsettias aren’t always offered at brunch, I wanted to order this drink. The cranberry taste was good, but unfortunately the drink lacked champagne. I wish there was less ice and more alcohol in the pitcher.
Chew on this:
Fresh fruit
Fresh fruit / Complimentary
An assortment of fruit was placed on our table as soon as we sat down. The presentation was nice, and the fruit was fresh and juicy. It was a nice way to start off brunch.
Homemade Irish soda bread
Homemade Irish soda bread / Complimentary
The bread was crumbly and the raisins added a semisweet flavor. I personally don’t like to add butter to my bread, but my friend thought it tasted great with butter. We each had a slice before our meals, and even though we were full from the food, we managed to eat the remaining pieces because it was delish.
Side salad
Side salad
The menu at the restaurant states all sandwiches are served with french fries or home fries, but the waitress informed us that we could substitute the fries for a salad. I was glad that it was an actual salad, as opposed to just lettuce like at some restaurants. It was a good assortment of your standard salad vegetables and everything was fresh.
California chicken sandwich
California chicken sandwich $ 11 / Grilled boneless breast of chicken topped with avocado, lettuce, tomato and our aioli (garlic-mayonnaise) served on a croissant
My friend did not want a croissant as her bread, so she was able to substitute it for a Kaiser roll. The size of the piece of chicken was generous, as it was bigger than the bun. The sandwich was flavorful, and she enjoyed every bite.
Black Forest Ham, Apples and Brie Croissant
Black Forest Ham, Apples and Brie Croissant $11 / Served with a light mustard dressing
Since it was already late in the day, I wasn’t really craving a breakfast meal. I ordered this entrée because besides the croissant, it was pretty much a lunch dish. The croissant was pretty large, slightly buttery (but not overly greasy) and very flaky. I am not a messy eater, but I managed to get crumbs all over me and the table, so I wouldn’t recommend ordering this dish if you are trying to impress the person you are eating with. The ham was standard slices of deli meat, and it went well with the blocks of brie cheese. The mustard was very light that I barely tasted it, but the thin slices of apples gave the sandwich a slight extra flavor.
Court Street Restaurant & Bar
The final bite: With Court Street’s various brunch dishes, I feel like it is worth a visit if you aren’t sure what you are craving. Although the dining area looks ho-hum, I think Court Street would be a good place for catching up with the girls or even a first date since you can casually converse over a decent low-key brunch and then continue “Sunday Funday” at the bar.
Reviewed by: Victoria
