[Dinner AND Brunch] Welcome to the neighborhood, Union Hall!

In case you missed it, Union Hall finally opened up its doors last week. I was skeptical going in but very hopeful that I could potentially find here my new favorite spot.

Spoiler alert: it did not disappoint.

The vibe is super chill and all their menu is based on small plates. I didn’t know this going in, but it’s the same owners as Brass Rail and Stewed Cow. The chef was also in Chopped and well, to me that’s pretty cool. Staff was super nice and you can tell they are excited to work there, which is always a plus.

Enough about people, let’s talk food.

Or wait, let’s talk drinks for a second. They have $5 martinis on Wednesdays! Their dirty martini is actually pretty darn good. I would have liked to have some blue cheese inside my olives but that’s ok, I’ll let it pass. They have great specials every day of the week including $2 Union Brew mugs every. single. day.

Ok, now for food, for real.


They may look like hush puppies, but these are actually french onion soup mac and cheese balls! They even come with their own little broth on the side, delicious. Tip: don’t be afraid to embrace the broth! (Did I say these were great?)


They had three sliders that you could order individually, but we decided to go all out and try the 3 of them out: veggie, turkey burger, and lobster. Brian and I both agreed the veggie slider was the best because the sauce was so good.


I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen plenty of pins on Pinterest and videos on Facebook about the wonder that is cauliflower fried rice. I’ve been meaning to cook it at home but I’m always too lazy. Union Hall is the first restaurant I’ve been to that offers cauliflower fried rice as part of their menu. It was probably the best part of the meal. Plus, it comes in this cute little take-out style box so, totally recommend it.

union hall steak

Source: Union Hall

We also got a hanger steak with blue cheese that made me think why I don’t order more steaks with blue cheese. I love blue cheese or any cheese for that matter, I guess.


That may look like a tall shot of something creamy but it’s actually a mini milkshake! The waiter explained how they have different special milkshakes every day and the day we went in it was fruit loops. I must admit I was waiting for a mini version of those Black Tap shakes that can give you diabetes so I was a little disappointed when it didn’t have an actual fruit loop in it, but boy oh boy, it was SO good. It tasted like those last drops of milk from the fruit loop bowl.

Noooooooooooooow… BRUNCH!

First, they have $2 mimosas! Can’t tell you how they were because I didn’t have one (stupid, I know) but I will be back and can update based on the verdict. Again, $2 mimosas!


Breakfast tacos for the win. Get them with bacon, it was actually quite perfectly crisped. I can get picky about bacon and there’s nothing worse than a soft piece of bacon. (That’s what she said? No? Ok, sorry.) Their avocado toast was ok, but not something to die for. (You should never die for an avocado toast, anyways.) It’s a nice side to share but by no means it should be one of your main plates.


Their skillets were actually really good. If I hadn’t been so full with the breakfast taco I would have killed them all but thank goodness I brought Brian along. We had one inspired by eggs Benedict and the other one had goat cheese and some other great stuff.

There’s still so much I want to try over at Union Hall so stay tuned on my Instagram for future posts. I’m determined to try everything on their menu so let’s see how it goes. 

P.S. Their coffee was pretty good too!

 

 

Advertisement

First Time Apple Picking + Fall Sangria

Deamarest FarmsI grew up in a tropical island. The closest I had to apple picking was having a lime tree in my backyard or grabbing a fallen coconut from the beach. You got apples from the super market, that was it. The concept of making it a full day activity to go apple picking, riding on the back of a truck, wearing boots, eating apple cider doughnuts and drinking apple cider was totally foreign to me. To me, it was all fun because it was a new experience. To my friends, it’s a tradition and a moment to relive memories from growing up.

Demarest FarmsSummer is my favorite season but fall comes in second, bringing with it so much beauty… and apples!

I tried out this great sangria recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, it was delicious! I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I did not add the orange slices and I went easy on the club soda. It was a nice twist to my average sangria and it allowed me to use my freshly picked apples in a fun way. I also realized that nothing tastes bad with cinnamon.

This apple picking thing, it’s not bad at all. Next time though, I really need to get one of those famous apple cider doughnut.

Wordless Wednesday: Black & White

A little black & white mystery in the Hoboken scene, hiding imperfections and adding a sense of emptiness and fullness, all at once.

IMG_0122

IMG_0162

Photo & edits by Cristina Nogueras

Hoboken Sunday Stroll With New Camera!

IMG_0090

Christmas came early for me this year thanks to Black Friday, but really thanks to my wonderful parents who got me an awesome new camera! (Pause to reiterate how amazing my parents are) I am now the proud owner of a Canon EOS Rebel T5 1200D with two awesome lenses that I am still figuring out how to handle. I clearly have a passion for photography, but I admit I don’t know much about it. My awesome friend photographer Naty Benitez has guided me through this process and I can’t wait to fully understand what she’s talking about.

Whether you’ve seen my previous pictures or not (iPhone 5), I invite you to come with me in this journey of mastering the ability to capture the beautiful moments in life (chaos and all).

Come walk around Hoboken with me…

IMG_0091

I love Hoboken, that’s nothing new. I do wish the trees had leaves, but it’s still such a nice view.

IMG_0092

View from Pier C park, or how me and my friends call it, the secret park!

IMG_0105

I gave my boyfriend the opportunity to play around with the camera, a little nervous I must admit, but I love his sense of humor and the way he inspires me to be my goofy self.

IMG_0114

It was cold out, which meant almost no people outside and space for me to jump around like a fool. You can also see the One World Trade Center tower in the background.

IMG_0155

Hippies in Hoboken? Who knew?

IMG_0141

I really like this place, which is concerning because their service is not the best, but I always keep coming back.

IMG_0166

The Lackawanna terminal tower clock as seen from Pier A park.

IMG_0188

I have mixed feelings about Carlo’s Bakery. Although I’ve never tried their cakes or pastries myself, I’ve heard they are not that great. There’s always a line of people waiting to go in, which can be annoying when you’re trying to walk past by in a rush (most days). However, I do think that it’s great that people that are not from this area know of Hoboken because of Carlo’s Bakery. Hoboken obviously has so much more to offer, but at least people know where I live.

IMG_0200

Thanks for walking with me, so excited to keep sharing more pictures as I sharpen my skills!

What did you think? Any tips for DSLR beginners?

Otto Strada Brunch

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

It’s been a few weekends since I’ve tried a new brunch place. Ideally, I would love to try a new one every weekend, but that would leave no space for me to return to the ones I already love! Yes, I know, #firstworldproblems.

That’s why I was excited to find out that Hoboken restaurant Otto Strada was introducing a new brunch menu. A place I already visited and liked, together with a new brunch experience? Of course I was in.

I was delighted to see so many options on the menu and I was even more excited to be there with my boyfriend because that meant we could order a few things to try and eat it all together! You know I get very excited for food.

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

I ordered the Frittata di Asparagi, an egg-cake made with potatoes, asparagus, onions and topped with basil pesto and parmesan.

Processed with VSCOcam with c3 preset

I forgot the name of what my boyfriend ordered and the brunch menu is not up yet, but you can see it’s quite a breakfast pizza!

I loooove breakfast pizzas and this one did not disappoint.

 

Otto Strada, New Restaurant in Hoboken

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

A few months ago, Otto Strada opened up its doors in Hoboken. If you are looking for delicious Italian food and good ambiance, this is your place. My personal struggle when visiting an Italian place is that I am never sure if I am going to want pizza or pasta, but Otto Strada had solid choices for both desires.

Another plus? It’s BYOB, bingo!

I also expanded my Italian vocabulary by learning that Otto Strada means Eight Street, which, voila, is where this new spot is located. Ah, the genius.

Although my food comma kept me away from ordering dessert, I was drooling over a gigantic dessert calzone. That’s right, calzone for dessert. I was creeping, but I could not look away from the Nutella drizzling from the inside of this wonderful thing. I recommend you leave room for dessert, highly encouraged.

image (3)

One of the specials for the day: a delicious pesto with roasted tomatoes

image (2)

My boyfriend is trying to learn to take food pictures, he is getting there very slowly, so cut him some slack! – Pollo alla Milanese con Prosciutto: breaded chicken pounded thin, pan seared, topped with prosciutto, homemade mozzarella and tomato bruschetta over a bed of arugula tossed with a lemon vinaigrette

Wordless Wednesday: Convergent Points

Hoboken and Manhattan come together in this shot taken from the Newport boardwalk in Jersey City.

20140219-130325.jpg

Phot and edits by Cristina Nogueras

Wordless Wednesday: Winter Wonder…not

Before there was slush all over and the snow truck practically swept me away with a wave of ice and water… I took this picture.

photo (18)Photo by Cristina Nogueras – Hoboken, New Jersey