Amanda's — Restaurant in Hoboken

I never knew I liked truffle so much until Amanda's. For me, truffle was just another mushroom: basic AF. But their Truffle Fusilli pasta has opened my eyes to a whole new world. I felt like I was riding on a magic carpet when I ate it. But I'll get to that a bit later.

My BF, his parents, and I arrived at around 8 on a Friday but we were seated almost immediately. The place is small. I'm not sure if they accept ressos but if they do, it would be a good idea to make them.

A lot of the appetizers appealed to us, but not so much the entrees. So we decided to just order a bunch of appetizers, and a pasta, and share everything. This is what we ordered:

Grilled Octopus with chorizo, fingerling potatoes, salsa verde, sorrel ($16) - both the octopus and the chorizo were very chewy. I wouldn't recommend this.

Creamy Polenta with sausage ragu, shaved parmesan ($10) - the flavor was okay but the texture was definitely not what I was expecting. I don't know if I would call this 'creamy polenta'. A block of polenta would be more accurate.

Chef's Charcuterie Board (cured meats, aged cheese, pickled vegetables, crackers, spread - $16) - the spread is some kind of bacon jam (?) Not exactly sure what it was but it was amazing. That paired with either of the cheeses it came with, was perfect. The cured meats were just okay. Maybe cured meats is just not their forte.

Lamb Meatballs (special of the day) - I didn't taste any of the gaminess of the lamb, which either meant it was really good, or it was just a bunch of leftover ground mystery meat. Either way, this was pretty basic.

And last, but certainly not least - the star of the show: Truffle Fusilli Pasta with roasted woodland mushrooms, sage, parmesan cheese, mushroom reduction ($24). This was everyone's favorite. They don't skimp on the pasta, and more importantly, they don't skimp on the truffle. I would most definitely come back just for this pasta. It's a tad pricy but truffle tends to be, and it's worth every penny.

Overall, the appetizers were okay, but the pasta is what made me give Amanda's the 4 stars. Next time, I'll skip the apps and go straight for that pasta. Their brunch menu also sounds pretty good, and their prix fixe early dinner menu seems like a great deal. Can't wait to come back!

Tip - drinks are reasonably priced - the cheapest bottle of wine you...

I’m writing this now, so many years later, because it never occurred to me to post on Google. This is my review about Amanda’s, which aside from the trauma I was experiencing with my mother, the place itself was just as traumatizing. Picture this… December 23, 1998, around 6pm. It was very cold and sleeting outside and I had walked from St. Mary’s Hospital to Washington Street to get something warm to eat. The nurses had mentioned “Amanda’s”, so I decided to go. My mother was in the operating room, having her leg amputated after 4 months of hospital neglect in Florida. We were flown out of Miami Beach on a private ambulatory jet and taken to Hoboken, because her primary doctor worked out of St. Mary’s. So I walked in the rainy snow because I didn’t have a car at the time. Nor did I have an umbrella. I walked up Washington and go into Amanda’s, and some people looked at me as if I was going in there to ask for money. The staff completely ignored me. I wanted to sit at a table to eat. Since no one helped me at the time, I sat at the bar. I sat there for at least 10 minutes and I tried to get the bartender’s attention. No luck, so I moved to the other side of the bar. Still no luck. So I finally walked out. Never mind the fact that this was a horrible time for me, and that it was Christmastime, but to ignore someone because they “looked like” they “don’t belong there” was extremely traumatizing, disrespectful, and demeaning, and it is something that I will never forget about Amanda’s. It didn’t even matter that I had enough money to pay for dinner and a bottle of wine, and I had 3 major credit cards. I tried to go there later the following year to speak to someone, but I changed my mind. It’s been 23 years, and yet, that’s one of the things I always remember during Christmas, because it was a bad experience that I will NEVER forget. The elitist, unkind treatment of a human being just because I “appeared” as if I didn’t belong, merely because I was drenched from the wet snow. Luckily for me, I was well received at Frankie and Johnny’s because they remembered me from all the years of dining there before I...

I’m sorry but Amanda’s is so overrated. Yes, the location is beautiful and historic but the main reason to go to a restaurant is the food, and it it always a hit or miss situation: either really bad, or mediocre/ok at best. We’ve come here three times due to invitations, and have been disappointed twice.

When coming in with a party of five, the food was not hot upon serving, and one dish came late. And it wasn’t even busy, it was after 2pm when the main brunch crowd already disappeared.

The lemon pancakes, supposed signature dish, did not only arrive late but were mostly burnt (the 2 black-dark brown BURNED PANCAKES were covered up with a medium-brown one), and the whipped butter on top had been erroneously replaced with savory herb butter, creating an involuntarily unbalanced sweet and savory combination.

The SALMON EGGS BENEDICT tasted fishy - yes, I get that it’s fish but it was fishy in a bad way. I regularly savor salmon in all forms (raw, marinated, baked, sautéed, hot smoked, cold smoked) but this one was really off and briny tasting. The spinach tasted bitter and had soaked up liquid, creating an unpleasantly mushy texture. The eggs were on point but were sadly unseasoned, the potatoes were mushy and flavorless, and the side lettuce was literally undressed.

The LOBSTER PANZANELLA was ok - however panzanella is supposed to be a bread salad, and this one was just topped with a few croutons, which tasted prepackaged. So technically not panzanella (just call it lobster salad).

Finally, the coffees were disappointing, the latte and cappuccino were basically filter coffee with half and half, served in the same mug as the filter coffee, instead of a tall glass, with foamy milk and a dash of cocoa, how it’s supposed to be. I get I’m not at a roastery but it’s a brunch place so I expect the coffee to be good. Why even offer anything but filter coffee if you...