Amanda’s – Hoboken

From history and ambience to wine, appetizers, entrées and dessert, the experience at this Hoboken brownstone is top notch.

By: Kate and Tom O’Neill

Amanda’s

908 Washington St.

Hoboken

(201) 798-0101
Food: Excellent

Service: Warm and professional

Prices: Moderately expensive

Cuisine: American continental

Ambiance: Elegant

Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m.; Sun. 5-9 p.m.; Specially priced early dinner for two ($25) served Mon.-Sat. 5-5:45 p.m.; Brunch: Sat.-Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Essentials: Major credit cards accepted; liquor license; no smoking; reservations recommended.

Directions

   Forget your preconceptions about Hoboken; it is not the one you remember from On the Waterfront. Boasting a breathtaking panorama of Manhattan, Hoboken is a multicultural gem. The square-mile little city jumps with interesting residents and visitors and is filled with galleries, music clubs and fine dining. Among the top restaurant choices is Amanda’s, a converted brownstone that could serve as a stage set for The Heiress.
   Entering Amanda’s, you step into the former parlor, where high ceilings and a toasty fireplace set the tone. Now serving as the bar, the room has a European feel and, in addition to comfortable armchairs and a banquette, it offers windowside tables for drinks or dining. Kate felt fortunate to be the first to arrive, since a warm greeting was followed by an invitation either to wait by the fire or settle in at our table. Hearthside won, (cold) hands down.
   During the lull, she enjoyed a fine glass of dry Qupé Marsanne from California’s Santa Ynez region ($8). Her curiosity about the large portrait opposite the bar elicited a bit of Amanda’s history from Doug, the maitre d’. Seven years ago, David Roberts, now Hoboken’s mayor, launched the restaurant and named it for his daughter. In 1999, the restaurant’s managers, Joyce and Eugene Flinn, bought Amanda’s. They later expanded seating from 50 to 125 by acquiring and remodeling an adjacent dry-cleaning shop. Menus, wine list and décor reached new heights, but the Flinns hung on to Amanda’s well-known name. (Visitors often guess that the charming portrait must be of Amanda and her children, but it is Joyce and the two little Flinns.)

Entering Amanda’s, you step into the former parlor, where high ceilings and a toasty fireplace set the tone. Now serving as the bar, the room has a European feel and offers windowside tables for drinks or dining. "Front
TimeOFF photos/Frank Wojciechowski
Our


reserved table,

tucked in the corner of the brownstone’s original dining room, overlooked a small courtyard through tall French doors.

"Interior

   We were joined for dinner by our friend Garfield, a Hoboken resident and former server at Amanda’s. Our reserved table, tucked in the corner of the brownstone’s original dining room, overlooked a small courtyard through tall French doors. (Amanda’s backs onto a residential block, and in deference to its neighbors, there is no outside dining.) Brass chandeliers and wallpaper depicting shelves of well-worn leather-bound books add to the elegant but friendly atmosphere.
   Our happy server, Ereni, an opera student, carefully reviewed the extensive menu with us. Selections are a challenge. Almost every item sounds like just what you want that night. While we deliberated, Ereni brought us a delightful amuse bouche, concocted by sous-chef George Middleton, who was running the kitchen that Sunday night: seared lamb with an apple coulis perched on a sweet potato purée.
   Doug offered us two wine lists, the regular and the reserve. The reserve list, not just for big spenders, includes choices for which only a few bottles remain in the cellar. From that list we chose a Rex Hill ’98 Reserve ($62) that was refined, rich and fruity. It complemented all our menu choices, including the seafood, and proved a particularly good match for Tom’s hearty, essence-of-winter appetizer, a charcuterie of venison and wild-boar sausage with white-bean salad and whole-grain mustard ($12). Kate’s chicken and prosciutto ravioli with shaved Parmesan and aromatic broth ($9) might have won first prize for the night had it not been for a slightly heavy pasta. But Garfield’s experience with the menu served him (and us) well: He ordered creamy polenta with tomato Provençal and three-cheese sauce ($6) — a rich, savory appetizer. With a red-pepper coulis, buttery Asiago and fresh basil, it was a perfect marriage of textures and flavors.
   Tom’s entrée was a perfectly cooked pan-roasted sea bass with baby clams, chorizo and romesco ($22). It arrived in a wide soup bowl, generous enough to contain the romesco sauce (based on tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and almonds) along with accompanying sautéed spinach, potatoes and peppers. The sauce, spicy sausage and accompanying vegetables harmonized well. Kate, too, chose seafood: pan-roasted cod with cauliflower purée and spinach, accompanied by an almond-coconut sauce ($26). Seared then roasted, the cod’s crispy exterior kept the fish moist and flaky and was enhanced by the fresh, natural flavors of the sauce. Garfield’s sautéed duck breast ($24) came sliced thin and ruby rare under a port sour cherry sauce. With broccoli rabe, carrots and parsnip purée, it was another ideal winter dish.
   Desserts ($7) are made in the kitchen and proved too tempting to resist. From half a dozen offerings, we chose an apple crisp, a pear tart and molten chocolate cake. All came with ice cream, and all earned plaudits, but among the three Garfield’s warm apple crisp stood out.
   We completed this extraordinary meal with large cups of espresso ($2.50) and could have lingered longer over one of Amanda’s long list of after-dinner drinks, including at least 20 different single-malt scotches.
   A word to drivers: Hoboken is popular, and parking can be difficult. On-street parking is usually restricted to residents. After 6 p.m., Amanda’s offers dinner guests free parking in a lot about three blocks away. (Ask directions when you call for reservations.) On a wintry night, with a wind off the river, the walk felt good as satisfying memories kept us warm on the trek back to the car.
For directions to Amanda’s, click here.