PIG OUT AT HAMILTON PORK, JERSEY CITY
It’s all about the meat at this newly opened Texas style with a Mexican flair, BBQ restaurant in Jersey City, where we left oinking with pleasure. Recently opened, this industrial-looking space, with about 70 seats, was once a Vespa dealership, and has a large glass garage door, iron beams, an original brick wall, cement floor, string lights, high ceiling and open kitchen, which all add to the ambiance. In the summer an outdoor patio will seat 100.
All of their meats are smoked daily in house and are served with pickles and pickled onions with prices ranging from $10 to $15 for a three-quarter pound portion. We were invited in for a tasting and started with a colorful salad of greens, tomatoes, onion, roasted corn and half an avocado in a lime vinaigrette. Then we moved on to the serious stuff: tastings of brisket, pork ribs, pulled chicken, pulled pork and pork belly. All were delicious with the thick-cut tender brisket and meaty pork ribs being our favorites. Sides are a la carte and we opted for coleslaw, tangy potato salad, cornbread (would have liked butter or honey with it), smooth mashed sweet potatoes with hints of cinnamon topped with chopped pecans, and roasted cauliflower which was served in a dual handled cast iron skillet. Tacos, sandwiches, baby back ribs, and Kung Pow wings are a few of the other items on the menu. The one dessert offered was a churro ice cream sandwich consisting of cold vanilla ice cream between hot, crispy cinnamon-sugar dusted waffles; a winner that we highly recommend.
Presentations were imaginative. Water was served in a glass milk bottle, food presented on silver cookie trays of varying sizes and the mashed sweet potatoes in an 8-ounce cardboard coffee cup. Silverware, paper napkins and plates were on the table. Service was attentive and the waiter knowledgeable.
Hamilton Pork is now serving brunch from 11 AM to 4 PM on Saturday and Sunday and holidays that fall on Monday. Some menu items include: Huevos Benedictos (brisket, pulled pork or shrimp with an avocado spread, poached eggs, hollandaise and home fries); Chilaquiles (spicy salsa verde, tortilla, two fried eggs and chorizo); and breakfast burrito (shrimp, avocado, rice, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack, burnt-end beans and home fries). Draft beer, cocktails, whiskey, scotch, tequila and non-alcoholic beverages as well as one red and one white wine are available.
We were here very early on a Saturday night and the restaurant was packed, so if possible make a reservation. Owner Michael Gondevas also owns Hamilton Inn which is around the corner on Jersey Avenue.
Hamilton Pork
247 10th St
Jersey City, NJ
(201) 957-7245
Salad, top; pulled chicken and pulled pork.
Churro ice cream sandwich.
Photos courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
OTHER NJ OPENINGS
The Boulevard Seafood Company, 49 W Main Street, Somerville (908-722-3300); BYO.
Conlin’s Cafe and Bakery, 53 W Main Street, Somerville (908-725-1700).
Salsa Metsuyan, a Glatt Kosher Mexican restaurant offering burritos, bowls, tacos and more, has opened at 192 West Englewood Avenue, Teaneck (201-837-8888).
Featuring a seasonal menu with small and large plates from around the world and two bars, Tapa Tapas World Kitchen & Bar has opened at 356 Bergen Boulevard, Fairview (201-840-1846).
CLOSINGS
Rosemary & Sage, 26 Hamburg Turnpike, Riverdale, has closed and will reopen before Mother’s Day with the same owners as Brookside Bistro. The space and menu will be changing.
Please send press releases and restaurant news, including information on staff changes, wine tastings, and cooking classes, to [email protected].