In this blast of cold air, you’re probably looking for a little escape. While we can’t get you on the next plane to Mexico, we can tell you about a great uptown spot that is a bit off-the-beaten-path. Enter Carpe Diem, a pub & restaurant located at 1405 Grand Street in Hoboken. So if this type of view is your thing…
Then you’re definitely in for a treat.
Fireside at Carpe Diem.
Now Carpe Diem’s greatness is two-fold. When you walk in, there’s a cozy bar area which can hold a small party or just a few friends enjoying a casual night out. There are 1/2 price bottles of wine on Thursdays (no time frame), and happy hour nightly until 8pm.
Now on to the even better stuff: FOOD. Not sure if you had heard, but Carpe Diem’s wings won the BEST WINGS IN HOBOKEN this year. Pretty nice accolade if you ask me. We didn’t opt for wings this time, but we went for the grilled shrimp: tossed in a lemon/lime vinaigrette, skewered and served with sweet chili sauce. Quite enjoyable.
We also ordered the “Pasties” — seasoned ground angus and potatoes stuffed in a puff pastry pocket, served with house-made gravy. They were absolutely scrumptious!
For entrees: one of my dinner buddies ordered Claire’s Fave Burger: melted gorgonzola and tumbleweed onions (thin crisp onions). I had a bite {couldn’t resist!} —-soooo yum.
Another entree ordered: Chicken Stir Fry: carrots, peppers, celery, asparagus, onions served over a bed of wild rice with homemade hoisin sauce. Delicious as well. Really, you can’t go wrong with food.
The Shepherd’s Pie is nothing to scoff at, either. Such a comfort food; it’s filled with traditional dish with ground beef, peas, carrots, and mashed potatoes on top. You can never go wrong with meat and potatoes on a cozy evening by the fire, that’s for sure.
A few other delicious entrees {etc} that we’d recommend: The Brie Burger {yes, as good as it sounds}, Pulled Pork Sandwich {you can never go wrong with this}, and The Harvest Salad {can you tell I love brie?}. All excellent. Truly, you can’t go wrong with much on the menu – the food is fantastic.
Like I mentioned earlier, on Thursday nights all wines there are half-priced; since it was a Thursday, we indulged. I must say we loved the malbec {on the right}. Not too dry, not too sweet. Perfect, if you love a good red.
In a few words about Carpe Diem:
The cons: If you’re walking from the PATH on foot, it’s a little tough to get to {it’s next to the movie theater, but there is really not much parking so definitely take a cab/uber} — but this can also be viewed as an off the beaten path pro.
The pros: Delicious food, nice staff, and a cozy ambiance. And like I said, off the beaten path, which makes it a fun visit in general. Not insanely crowded usually, which is nice.
To be honest, was hesitant to share anything about Carpe Diem because we want to keep it all to ourselves! Such a great spot. 🙂
Have you been to Carpe Diem? What did you think?
