Restaurant hours: 6pm-11pm, every day.
Bar hours: 6pm-1:30am (last call), Sunday to Thursday. 6pm-2:30am (last call) Friday & Saturday. Review Date: 6/26/00 City Bistro is a new restaurant, located at the up-and-coming section of Hoboken - 14th Street. You can see a lot of new construction all over Hoboken, but even more so at the other edge of town, and if City Bistro is an indication, it says: That things are looking good. Opened in January of 2000, by John Avoletta, this restaurant is both casual and upscale at the same time, which is a difficult combination so near to a city like New York. The decor is black and dark, using light brown hues, along with exposed brick, giving the dining area a quiet cool feel. Even the wait staff are dressed in all-black, and look more like they are about to go clubbing in the city than take your order. The atmosphere of the restaurant and bar is perhaps one of the best that Hoboken has to offer at present (The restaurant Rodeo tries to be this cool, but just doesn't cut it). On this night out, I was joined by John and Sarah, to review the restart in a very busy Monday night. The menu of City Bistro is quite good, offering a wide variety of meals for every taste by Francis X. Falivene, the Chef de Cuisine. I would say the menu is also vegetarian-friendly, with three seafood Entrees available also. John decided to have as an appetizer, the Jamaican Jerk Wings ($7.00), which were a zesty alternative to the traditional Buffalo Wings commonly found. Sarah had the Cornmeal Crusted Fried Calamari ($10.00), which was served with a spicy aioli sauce. She was disappointed in the calamari, finding it a bit too rubbery. I decided to have the Shrimp Gumbo ($8.00), which was delicious, but unfortunately a bit more gumbo than shrimp. For the most part we found the appetizers very good, with the exception of Sarah. Those lingering doubts were soon dispelled upon the serving of our entrees. First, you can see the care taken into the presentation of the meals, which are all more like works of art than food. Francis X. Falivene gets high marks for running such a wonderful kitchen, and taking his craft to the next level. I wasn't sure if I was eating in Hoboken anymore, for the food preparation and presentation would easily match that of New York. John ordered the Grilled Pork Medallions ($17.00), which were served with mashed yak, ma sauce and fried plantain chips. He was very impressed with his main course, and gave it a high 8 out of 10. Sarah ordered the Roast Breast of Chicken ($18.00), with toasted garlic risotto cake, sautéed spinach, and mushroom-thyme aujus. She found the chicken marvelous, but was let down by the dryness of the risotto cake. Nevertheless, she gave her meal a 8 out of 10, and said that if it was based on the chicken alone would have given it a 9 out of 10. I decided to go with an old favorite, Roast Filet Mignon, with fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, glazed spring vegetables and a Bordelaise sauce. My meal was the best ever in Hoboken, from the juicy steak to the delicious sauce. I gave it a 10 out of 10, and will most certainly order that again! Overall, the entrees were excellent, and could be the best Hoboken has to offer at this present time (don't worry other restaurants I will review you all in good time!). Now some people are dessert people and some people are not. My one advice to you would be: Leave room for dessert! City Bistro has an impressive dessert menu, which was tended to by Louis D'Ambrosio, the Pastry Chef (or is that Chef de Pastry?). The menu itself has a good list to choose from, and all at the same price: $8.00. Well worth it, trust me. So now for the wrap up. For service, City Bistro has the most attentive wait staff I have ever seen. You don't just get one, you get all of them. From what was described to me, is that they all work together and pool the tips so that you, the diner, can get the best service possible. I give these guys a perfect 10 out of 10. The meals were unbelievable. If you have guests coming from out of town or are going on that first date - bring them to City Bistro. The entrees get a 9 out of 10, I truly believe this restaurant could be one of the best in Hoboken. The entire meal was $120 (without tip), so I would say that for what we got it was not expensive. I give the cost a 7 out of 10, because I feel the meal was worth every penny but too expensive to eat like this too often. Overall rating: 9 out of 10Sean Iaquinto