After doing over a semester of reviews, I was surprised to realize that I have never reviewed an Italian restaurant in Hoboken. I guess it’s because most people have been to the many Italian restaurants found on Washington Street already. But on my walk home from work one day, I passed by a restaurant I had neither seen nor heard of before located on Second and Grand Street. It was closed, but it looked like a cute restaurant. I looked up the name of the restaurant, “Leo’s Grandevous,” and my broke college student eyes were shocked. Not completely shocked, but maybe mildly surprised. The entrees ranged from about $10 for a simple pasta dish to over $22 for a fancier pasta dish like penne pesto with chicken and goat cheese.
Upon arriving for dinner, the restaurant was not packed but it was quite full. The walls were also filled, to my surprise, with every variation of a painting or picture of Frank Sinatra’s face. There was also an old jukebox-like music machine. It was also confusing entering because not only were there two doors, but the waiting area was placed in the middle between the entrances, right in front of the bar. I was given the choice between sitting at a regular table or at a high table. I chose the table that was next to a window low enough to be at a similar height to people walking by when seated. It was a weird but cool view at the same time.
The service was pretty average; it was pretty busy so my server ran around between a few other nearby tables as well. We got some bread and butter to start. I guess Restaurant Week two weeks in a row spoiled me because my first thoughts towards the bread were very critical. Honestly, it was just bread. Tasted like you could buy it at ShopRite, slightly too toasted, and just came with normal pads of butter. I ordered the spinach ravioli and prosciutto (priced at $16) and of course I had to try “Leo’s famous mussels,” which I got with the garlic white wine sauce (priced at $14). Wow, that’s already $30 before tax and tip!
Although I probably rank in the the top one percentile for being slow at eating, the food came out pretty fast – before I even finished the bread. First I ate a ravioli from the first plate. Notably, there were only six raviolis, putting each ravioli at a little over $2.50. Am I the only person who calculates stuff like that? I took a bite to see if was worth it, and, I decided that I could have just gone with the cheese ravioli for $13. It did taste pretty great – the skin had a nice soft, but not too soft, pasta texture. The filling was also great, with a bit of a sweetness. Most notably though, the filling visibly had spinach, but I would not have known the difference if I was blindfolded, and the prosciutto didn’t really add to the dish; it seemed like it was just sprinkled on for aesthetics. However, I thought the alfredo sauce that it came in was amazing! It wasn’t very salty, just the way I like it, but it it had a lot of depth and flavor without it.
Next were the famous mussels. Leo’s really hyped up their mussels so I had high expectations. Thankfully, I was not let down. The mussels were amazing. They were presented on a dish, mussels piled on top of each other, with a bed of clear garlic white wine sauce beneath it. On the side was also a lemon, which I squeezed generously throughout the plate. I am not a seafood connoisseur, but I’m from Maryland, so does that count? The mussels were very soft rather than chewy and just had a great texture overall. I’m also so glad the waiter recommended the garlic white wine sauce because I can’t even imagine the mussels with marinara or Fra Diavolo. The sauce was light and just the right amount of savory-salty flavor to compliment the mussels.
Really, the food was good. I shared the meal with someone, and it was the first time I left a restaurant still not full. Although it was probably good in terms of portion control, I could have gone for Vivi’s popcorn chicken after. I think for one person, you’d have some leftovers with both the mussels and ravioli, but let’s take a minute to stop and think about how I just paid $37 for two dishes. Maybe I’m too used to eating cheap food or being broke. I think we can conclude that Leo’s Grandevous, while quite good, would not be a casual place to have a meal, but maybe a good place to go when your parents come to visit (and pay for the bill of course).
Pro Tip: If you’re just looking for some pasta, I’d stick with the classic Geo’s. If you want to see fifty portraits of Frank Sinatra, check out Leo’s.
Cost- $$$/$$$$
I have heard from friends that Italian places like this one usually range at around the same amount for dishes like these. Personally, I’d rather go to ABC Kitchen – that is a three course meal for about the same price. After everything, the bill total was $37.
2/5
Location-
A bit far but not too bad, on Second and Grand Street.
Convenience rating: 4/5
Service/Service Speed-
Service was meh, but definitely not bad. I gave the score an extra point because the food was prepared in quite a timely manner.
Service Rating: 4/5
Food Rating: 4/5
Food was good, prices were death.
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