A very snowy welcome back to everyone, both to campus for the “spring” semester and to Cuisine Corner. Hopefully you’ve come looking for a decent restaurant in Hoboken in which to kick off the semester, so I reached back to another restaurant I somehow had not visited since Freshman year: Margherita’s. Located at 8th and Washington just steps away from campus, it is known primarily for Italian food and has an excellent reputation as a quality dinner destination. I had gotten a small pasta dish several years ago, but a fuller test was warranted.
Last week, a friend and I went for dinner on Friday night for early dinner since Margherita’s, like many Hoboken establishments, can get rather busy on a Friday night. Fortunately, hedging our bet paid off, as the restaurant was nearly empty save for the hostess, waitstaff, and who I presume was the manager looking over some very important spreadsheets in the dining room. Margherita’s isn’t historic by any stretch of the imagination, but it maintains a pretty decent old-world atmosphere — my kind of Italian.
While deciding on an order, in addition to the standard bread and butter you’ll find at many restaurants, our waitress brought out a spot-on plate of bruschetta. Throughout the meal, she would prove to be a valuable asset, knowing when we needed smaller plates for divvying up the entrees, being right there with a full glass of water as soon as we ran out, all without a word of request. I haven’t seen that level of service in quite some time in Hoboken, and while I would attribute that somewhat to the relatively empty dining room, my kudos nonetheless.
For an appetizer, I had been recommended to try the spedini, a large portion of mozzarella cheese, breaded, fried, and served in a sauce with anchovies and capers. Eclectic ingredients aside, it was absolutely phenomenal. The cheese inside was baked perfectly, it was easy to cut up into pieces, and the flavors within the sauce paired perfectly with the cheese.
Next up, a Marchetta personal pizza, which I can only describe as “The Special.” Loaded up with sausage, pepperoni, meatball, peppers, onions, olives, and eggplant, this pizza was quite a handful. Fortunately, the crust held crisp under the threat of sogginess from the meats and cheeses above. The vegetables were also crisp and tasty, and we were blown away (Pro Tip: the Marchetta is only a dollar or two more than the plain pies — worth the splurge).
Next up, the highlight of a meal at Margherita’s, and a personal favorite: the chicken parmigiana. The chicken was thin-sliced, perfect for cutting, but the chefs avoided the potential pitfall of thinner cuts being dry expertly: just the right amount of sauce to not drown the chicken, and the cheese properly portioned. After that description, you’d think I ordered the dish for the chicken; you’d be very wrong. The highlight of the chicken parmigiana dish is, surprisingly, the pasta.
Different entrees at Margherita’s offer different starches, but this dish in particular pairs with the linguine — the homemade linguine. Homemade pasta is one of life’s great joys, and after a long period of consuming commercially made store pasta, homemade is a breath of fresh air. Fresh and delicious, homemade pasta is something in which Margherita’s takes great pride, and is a wonderful treat.
Finally, dessert. Their dessert menu changes daily and isn’t listed on the menu, but looking at the dessert board, my eyes locked on to the homemade tiramisu. My suckerism for homemade bit, and we ordered one to split. This is another statement I don’t take lightly, but the tiramisu was one of the best I’ve ever had. The lady fingers at the bottom were soaked not in espresso, but in coffee liquor (maybe Kahlua). The alcohol makes itself known through smell and taste, but it by no means overpowers the dessert. The cream blended with the cake layers perfectly and not a bite was left on the plate.
I’m a sucker for homemade dishes. Any restaurant can order something premade in bulk, throw it in a sauce, and call it a day. The best restaurant, despite rising food prices, make as much in-house as possible. Margherita’s is one of those places. With excellent waitstaff, semi-reasonable prices (about $25 per person for a three-course meal), and dishes that will blow you away, Margherita’s reminds you of everything you love about Italian cuisine.
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