Skylark on the Hudson

[CeeDub]

Here we go . . .
Brunch Sunday 1300. Plenty of seating, got exactly what we wanted outside with shade.
First impression - lots of employees.  Second impression - not too many professionals.
Brought coffee, filled from an IHoP carafe that wasn't opened - see that little mark you want to line up with the spout, so it doesn't take 30 second to pour a cuppa?  Then, no cream provided or offered - had to ask.
Order was taken and delivered timely, had been told the omelet came with toast so ordered a $4 side of homefries.  Guess what came with the omelet?
Silverware was new, heavy, nice rounded design that was unpossible to rest on the plate without sliding into the marscapone & syrup.  I felt 6 years old again with sticky hands.
Took forever to get a refill on coffee, ran out of the brown sugar and despite the wrappers by my cup, none was brought.  The bus kid (Bill?) did a good job of filling water glasses - I think that was his ONLY job.  He even made sure to refill glasses one only 1/4 empty, the other 1/2, that I'd used to wash my hands - with our paid check sitting on the table.  So I drank both, just to see if he'd chase us thru town square with the funky flip top bottle (wonder what their cleaning regimen is for those?) filled with Booton's finest.
The food? Foncy but not over the top, pretty standard hotel restaurant fare with accompanying prices.  2 coffees, 1 Bloody, veggie omelet, french brioche stuffed with marscapone & blueberries, sides of sausage, applewood bacon and taters. $50 after tax with a Jackson for the 5 diff people that visited our table - $2foreachofyou!
Will we return?  Not likely.  Service needs to improve to match the decor and prices.  Other than location with the hostage population, I don't see the value.
Final rating  3 out of 5            

[shahaggy]

went yesterday to try their famous pancakes and was extremely dissapointed to find they apparently change their menu throughout the day.  We got there around 1 and the lunch menu only has sandwiches and the sort on it.  some diner this is...   so we walked out. 

What really irks me though is that looking at their lunch menu on line, it clearly shows pancakes so I'm not sure why it's not consistent at the restaurant. 

HEY SKYLARK,  I WON'T BE BACK!

[garyg]

They had a good selection of craft brews, I can't quite recall anything particular but the two I had went well with the food.  The wine was served at room temperature and hit the spot.  The specialty cocktails were diverse and flavorful, again I don't remember the name of what we had but it was tasty.

 

I cannot believe it took an entire day to get a response.  You guys are slipping.

[Soshin]

The definition of a diner truly has gone down the toilet.  How are the rondelles d'oignon at this mockery of working class existence? 

[Binky]

They had a good selection of craft brews, I can't quite recall anything particular but the two I had went well with the food.  The wine was served at room temperature and hit the spot.  The specialty cocktails were diverse and flavorful, again I don't remember the name of what we had but it was tasty.

 

[CeeDub]

[garyg]

I ate here for dinner yesterday, it was really good.  It's an up scale diner atmosphere with what I guess is upscale comfort kind of food.

For an App we had a Tarte Flambe which was a pizza on flat bread with melted shallots, cheese(drawing a blank on the type it wasn't too strong though) and bacon.  It was really tasty and a good portion size for an appetizer.  All three of us enjoyed it.

My wife had a California Burger, which was a regular burger with avocado spread and cheese.  It's an above average burger, it was a very good as far as diners go.  It was juicy and the bun was great, I believe they bake them in house.

Our friend had Fusili Bolognese (sp?).  The pasta was fresh, the sauce was light and it had fresh basil and shaved Parmesan cheese.  Really delicious very light for what I believe is a typically heavy dish.

I had the Boneless Short Ribs with some green veggies and potato puree.  It was phenomenal the ribs were tender the potato and veggies were great, I'd get it again. 

For dessert we had some Taramisu which was great it was mild on the Kahula flavor and more marscepon-ie in flavor.  All three of us enjoyed it.

They had a good selection of craft brews, I can't quite recall anything particular but the two I had went well with the food.  The wine was served at room temperature and hit the spot.  The specialty cocktails were diverse and flavorful, again I don't remember the name of what we had but it was tasty.

The service was great our waiter was very attentive, cracked some sarcastic jokes, was prompt with the service, and not overbearing.  The managers were watching over the entire place like a hawks as I suspect that they are working out some kinks, one guy said they had a freezer go on the fritz and they ended up with a bunch of melted stuff.

All in all looks like a fantastic addition to the quickly expanding Jersey City restaurant scene, the menu for dinner was diverse and with both your run of the mill dinerish foods, and some more unique items.  I'm going back for Brunch soon and look forward to trying more items off the menu.  I wish them the best of luck, they are a great addition to the hood.

[Global Chowhound]

Have you guys tried this place yet?  Had dinner there and it was really special. Wasn't expecting the execution to be so strong. The short ribs were fantastic. Friend caught them for lunch on opening day and turned me on that they were open. Must be a pretty gradual opening because I haven't been able to go there for lunch yet. I think they will be open for lunch and maybe breakfast on Monday. My friend had the Croque Monsieur for lunch on opening day and he said it was unbelievable. We so need a place like this in Newport. Very excited. Also seems like a good place for after work drinks. Anyone been?  Good scene?

[jehu]

Imagine what you can do to those waffles.

Pretty swanky chef for a diner. I'll probably throw it in without blinking.

PS - Here's a review from when he started at the original Skylark a few years ago: Fine Dinering, Anyone? Shelton at the Skylark 2.

[MCA™]

Pretty swanky chef for a diner. I'll probably throw it in without blinking.

PS - Here's a review from when he started at the original Skylark a few years ago: Fine Dinering, Anyone? Shelton at the Skylark 2.

[Hairy Potter]

I'm not voting for Fulop because -

1. He did not turn up to the opening of this diner.
2. I am not a US citizen.

[jehu]

No Fulop? No Richardson? Brennan shows up? This is why Healy will win again. Or where they there and the JJ only gave credit to Brennan.

The owners of the Skylark diner in Edison cut the ribbon this morning on a sophisticated new offshoot -- the Skylark on the Hudson in Jersey City's Newport neighborhood.
Owner Constantine Katsifis was joined at 11 a.m. by City Council President Peter Brennan and other officials to open the doors to the new eatery at 25 River Drive South, previous home of the South City Grill.
Skylark, now open, serves more than 150 dishes, including more "flavor-forward" diner fare like Blueberry & Mascarpone-stuffed French Toast and Slow Braised Boneless Short Ribs as well as classic sandwiches, burgers and salads, all turned out by a massive, environmentally friendly kitchen and bakery.
Overseeing that kitchen, dining room and outdoor space are partnering chef Craig Shelton -- best known as a James Beard award winner for his Ryland Inn in Whitehouse -- and executive chef Leonardo Marino, whose resume includes the Michelin-starred Le Bernardin, Jean-Georges and Bouley.
"I spent the first 10 years of my professional career at the other side of the river, at a place called Bouley, which at the time was the No. 1 restaurant in America," Shelton recalled before the ribbon cutting. "And I kept noticing a high proportion of my best clients were from here, from the other side of the river, in New Jersey. I became curious, and I learned more about it -- the Garden State -- today I am so proud to find myself in New Jersey again."
Skylark on the Hudson is the fourth of five much anticipated dining destinations to open in Jersey City this spring -- the others being Thirty Acres, Modern American Eatery, Cake Lush, and the forthcoming VB3 in the nearby Monaco building.
And while their concepts range from farm to fork to fish tacos, cake lollipops to artisanal pizzas, comfort food with local, quality ingredients at a reasonable price is their common trait, which Katsifis and Shelton place a premium on in this current economy.
"This concept is something Constantine and I collaborated on for a while, and it was to take all the friendliness, all of the ease of a traditional American diner, and update the concept with New Jersey fresh products and high culinary techniques," Shelton added, "to try to give our guests a service that is correct for such a time as this."

By Adam Robb/For The Jersey Journal

[shahaggy]

The owners of the Skylark diner in Edison cut the ribbon this morning on a sophisticated new offshoot -- the Skylark on the Hudson in Jersey City's Newport neighborhood.
Owner Constantine Katsifis was joined at 11 a.m. by City Council President Peter Brennan and other officials to open the doors to the new eatery at 25 River Drive South, previous home of the South City Grill.
Skylark, now open, serves more than 150 dishes, including more "flavor-forward" diner fare like Blueberry & Mascarpone-stuffed French Toast and Slow Braised Boneless Short Ribs as well as classic sandwiches, burgers and salads, all turned out by a massive, environmentally friendly kitchen and bakery.
Overseeing that kitchen, dining room and outdoor space are partnering chef Craig Shelton -- best known as a James Beard award winner for his Ryland Inn in Whitehouse -- and executive chef Leonardo Marino, whose resume includes the Michelin-starred Le Bernardin, Jean-Georges and Bouley.
"I spent the first 10 years of my professional career at the other side of the river, at a place called Bouley, which at the time was the No. 1 restaurant in America," Shelton recalled before the ribbon cutting. "And I kept noticing a high proportion of my best clients were from here, from the other side of the river, in New Jersey. I became curious, and I learned more about it -- the Garden State -- today I am so proud to find myself in New Jersey again."
Skylark on the Hudson is the fourth of five much anticipated dining destinations to open in Jersey City this spring -- the others being Thirty Acres, Modern American Eatery, Cake Lush, and the forthcoming VB3 in the nearby Monaco building.
And while their concepts range from farm to fork to fish tacos, cake lollipops to artisanal pizzas, comfort food with local, quality ingredients at a reasonable price is their common trait, which Katsifis and Shelton place a premium on in this current economy.
"This concept is something Constantine and I collaborated on for a while, and it was to take all the friendliness, all of the ease of a traditional American diner, and update the concept with New Jersey fresh products and high culinary techniques," Shelton added, "to try to give our guests a service that is correct for such a time as this."

By Adam Robb/For The Jersey Journal

[MCA™]

It looks like the owners of the Skylark Diner in Edison are opening a place at the former South City Grill space.

Skylark on the Hudson
70 Town Square Place
Jersey City, NJ 07310

Here's a blogpost:

NEW RESTAURANT TO OFFER BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER
by ADMIN on OCTOBER 6, 2011

Later this year Americana Hospitality Group will open a new casual dining restaurant at 70 Town Square Place, overlooking Town Square. The new 8,000-square foot, 280-seat Skylark on the Hudson restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Among its bountiful offerings will be its famous small batch fluffy pancakes, hand formed Steak House Burger, and delectable Crab and Avocado Stack. New dishes like mouth-watering Wood Grilled Rib-Eye and Barolo Braised Short Ribs and freshly baked artisanal bread also will be on the menu.

Open from 7am to 1am Monday through Sunday, the restaurant will have a full bar, including a cruvinet, a counter overlooking Town Square, and a designated take-out area to meet the demands of the busy lifestyles of local residents. Diners also will be able to order online and from smart phones. The lounge area will provide a convenient location for business cocktail parties or family events. Owner Constantine Katsifis says, “Jersey City – and Newport particularly – are great areas offering excitement and growth. We want to be part of that.”

Skylark on the Hudson is an extension of Mr. Katsifis’ Americana Hospitality Group based in Central Jersey. Skylark in Edison received a “Don’t Miss” Rating from the New York Times and a 4-Star rating from the Star Ledger. Commenting about his goals for the restaurant’s soon to be patrons, Mr. Katsifis says, “We are not casual about casual dining. We say ‘Our Effort is Our Distinction’ and believe guests will recognize our efforts towards high quality dishes at a great value that are served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

• Tweet