On this page, you'll find a handful of the many reviews that we've received
since we've opened. We're thrilled with the feedback of each reviewer, and
we urge you to read the entire article. However, if you're a "just the important
stuff" kind of person, we've also excerpted each article right on top of the page.
Click the link to each article if you do want to read the entire review. They are
all on this page. Enjoy!

Click on the TITLE of any article to read the entire review.

STAR-LEDGER (2009)
Whatever you choose, you'll be well-satisfied by what you've eaten and the care you receive.

ZAGAT 2009/2010
The "inventive" Northern Italian food is "spot on" at this Hoboken BYO.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
A chef who knows his ingredients and loves them just the way they are; every meal here is layered with vigorous, straightforward tastes and textures. The welcome is warm and the service attentive.

THE RECORD
A restaurant with an unpretentious charm and welcoming spirit. Pino has a penchant for simple, clean flavors.

NEW JERSEY MONTHLY
We also order the only pasta starter, rabbit ravioli with chanterelles and pecorino, and are immensely happy we did.

PAPER MAGAZINE
With The Dining Room, a cozy, elegant 60-seater with attractive young locals, the world of eating in this square mile of Jersey has reached new heights.

SPOTLIGHT
The dining operation was launched this year by Chef/owner Anthony Pino,
who has an alluring lineup of enticements.

STAR-LEDGER
For originality and charm, head for The Dining Room at Anthony David's. It will be an evening you'll remember.

THE STAR-LEDGER (2009 review)
The Dining Room at Anthony David's is a welcome oasis of calm on the often-frantic streets of Hoboken. After walking past bars, bars and more bars on the main drag, it's nice to turn a corner and head toward the refuge of this quaint little restaurant for grown-ups.

A gourmet market by day, the place takes on a different character during the evening. In the main dining room, white cloths drape tables set with votive candles against the market backdrop: Barrels of coffee beans with their enticing scent; shelves of crackers, spreads and bottled water and glass display cases.

It's an intimate space with room for just 30 or so, though the restaurant expands in warm weather with outdoor dining. The drama at Anthony David's is provided by the high-style food, beautifully prepared and plated, delivered with top-notch, intelligent service. The contrast with its humble yet charming environs offers a unique experience.

Chef/owner Anthony Pino has added a French influence to the largely Italian cuisine he offers, which is the basis of the restaurant he started seven years ago. The menu is one of those rare finds on which everything looks good. Close your eyes, point a finger and order -- it will be terrific, I promise you. That also might be a good tactic for those who have trouble seeing in dim light and aren't carrying a handy little flashlight.

You can't go wrong starting with the mussels ($13), made glorious with the addition of orange,Pernod, fennel and cream. It's a brilliant combination that remakes these bivalves into glamorous creatures. The orange and fennel play off each other to heighten the excitement; the cream and Pernod, echoing the fennel, smooth it out.

The warm potato tart ($9) is personal pizzaesque in its size and shape, but much more sophisticated, topped with prosciutto and microgreens. Those who want something lighter but tasty won't be disappointed by the salad of golden and red beets ($10), given a focal point with goat cheese, dressed with a wild berry vinaigrette and trimmed with walnuts. Grilled octopus ($14) gets the full treatment with cannelini beans, fennel, tomatoes and garlic. It all goes well with the crusty Italian bread and addictive white bean spread.

There are always a few specials worth trying. Grilled mahi-mahi ($29), for instance, was smartly layered with a fennel/corn salsa dotted with red peppers, red onions and cilantro. The warm/cool juxtaposition added to the allure of this dish, which got another texture from the addition of microgreens.

On the regular menu, eight pastas and risottos vie for attention. Each has character, whether it's the pumpkin tortellini ($23) with candied walnuts, sage and Pecorino for a savory touch, or rock shrimp risotto ($23) with oven-dried tomatoes and peas.

Other main courses are hearty without being too heavy. Crispy duck breast ($25) in a cherry demi-glace comes with pumpkin polenta and wilted arugula. Polenta serves as the foundation for lamb osso bucco and braised vegetables ($28). Creamed corn and micro arugula artfully set off seared sea scallops ($24).

The pastry-wrapped cardamom baked apple ($10) takes the fruit to a new level. Plain old baked apple is fine, but this is art, especially with the application of a maple bourbon glaze. The vanilla gelato adds another sensory note to a perfect package.

An unusual parfait of mascarpone, challah crumbs and strawberries in a Chianti reduction ($8) takes a bit of getting used to, since it's so different, but after the first few mouthfuls, you'll get into it. Although I'm not a fan of fried bananas, this restaurant's version ($8) is lightly fried, which is another, happier story, especially when they frame gelato and are sprinkled with Chianti cherries and candied walnuts. A favorite from brunch, house-made bourbon-glazed donuts, gets carried over to dinner ($8) if you're looking for a simpler ending to the meal.

And then there's the option of a cheese plate. The choice from Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands and California is intriguingly vast, with three selections for $17, four for $22 and five for $26.

After sniffing the wafting aroma of those coffee beans all night, you probably can't resist a cup ($3.50), a cappucino ($4) or perhaps espresso with steamed milk and chocolate ($4).

Whatever you choose, you'll be well-satisfied by what you've eaten and the care you receive. Even though we weren't from the neighborhood, we were as well-treated as if we had been regulars.

Tuesdays through Thursdays, The Dining Room offers a five-course tasting menu for $35. Dinner reservations are taken for any size party Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sundays, but on Fridays and Saturdays, they're restricted to groups of 10 or more. There really isn't any place for walk-ins to wait on those nights, so staffers will take your cell phone number, send you off for a drink elsewhere (there are, as I pointed out, plenty of bars from which to choose) and give you a ring when your table is ready.

Parking is difficult to find in the city, but there are garages on 11th Street and 14th Street, not far from the restaurant. An alternative is taking the PATH or a train and catching a cab to Anthony David's from the station on the other side of town. It's worth the trip.

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ZAGAT 2009/2010

26-19-22-$43

The "inventive" Northern Italian food is "spot on" at this "revamped", "intimate" (some say "cramped") Hoboken BYO with "efficient, smiley service", where seating options include the more "formal" dining room, a "casual bistro setting" (in the storefront gourmet market) or sidewalk tables; it's "always a hit" for brunch (served daily), and you're advised to "save room" for its "heavenly dessert donuts."

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THE NEW YORK TIMES
Sunday, February 22, 2004

The Real Deal
A Jersey Guy Cooks Italian at a Little Place in Hoboken

By David Corcoran

HOBOKEN
Despite his fancy triple-barreled name, Anthony David Pino is a Jersey guy to the soles of his feet. He grew up in Medford Lakes, in the Pine Barrens, he and his grade-school buddies keeping a wary eye out for the jersey Devil. His father was a jack-of-all-trades, his mother an accomplished home cook.

Now, 34, Mr. Pino says he knew from an early age that he wanted to run a restaurant. Small wonder that when he opened one it was in Hoboken, a town that would be utterly out of place in any other state. (Hoboken, Conn.? Hoboken, Ohio? Please.) A compact, outgoing man with an all-purpose Jersey accent and a morning-to-midnight work ethic, he took an old corner store on a gentrifying brownstone block and turned its mission from shoes to food — first as a deli and then, in September 2002, as a full-fledged restaurant.

It is a stage set of a place, with just 34 seats in two rooms. (The number more than doubles in warm weather, when tables sprout outdoors.) The entrance gives onto the deli, a burnished turn-of-the century grocery store with ancient dark-wood shelves, a ceiling of pressed tin, barrels of coffee beans, great glass jars of olives and, in the front window, iron Doric columns. A refrigerated display case of
cheeses hums contentedly. Diners sit at tables arrayed along the walls.

An open kitchen occupies one corner, and off to the left is the namesake dining room, a mirrored candlelit space with pillowed banquettes. Quiet and pleasant as it is, it lacks the visual energy of the deli. In either room, though, the welcome is
warm and the service attentive.

As the restaurant’s name and setting lead you to expect, the cooking is Italian, at least in its foundations and many of its components. But like many young American chefs, Mr. Pino, a culinary graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., ranges widely. For example, his mother’s specialty is cassoulet, and this archetypal French casserole has a proud place on the menu. It is terrific, a simmering crock of white beans studded with rabbit, veal, pheasant and Mr. Pino’s own spiced sausage. A crust of browned bread crumbs gives it crunch, and garlic and wine give it depth.Not everything is as triumphant as the cassoulet. But like
that dish, every meal here is layered with vigorous, straightforward tastes and textures. Even the green, peppery olive oil that comes with the breadbasket is exceptional; so are the black and green olives that the server presented on our arrival. (She didn’t mention the $4 price tag.) One arctic Saturday night in January, the giveaway amuse-bouche was a cup of deep-flavored lobster consommé with toasted corn — a kind of liquid poultice for the cold.

Two showpiece appetizers are turned out with full respect for their high-end ingredients. A grilled Maine lobster tail, chewy and full of character, comes on a pillow of cream polenta with wild mushrooms. A crescent of Hudson Valley foie
gras is perfectly seared, and stewed cherries, a grilled cipollini onion and Chianti sauce keep its richness in check. My only complaint about these appetizers is that they are almost too much food; even less ambitious ones, like roasted beet salad and warm walnut-ricotta salad, tend to be rich with cheeses and nuts. Flawless mussels are heady with orange, fennel and Pernod; I could do with less cream in the sauce.

Pastas, available in half portions or as main courses, are generous and beautifully done. Homemade ravioli are stuffed with rabbit and ricotta salata and perfumed
with sage. Wild boar, a bit dry but vigorously gamy, comes with narrow tagliatelle noodles, a creamy sauce and a delicious overlay of truffle oil. Wild-mushroom ragout over fettuccine and spinach is earthy and comforting, but it needs less salt.

Aside from cassoulet, the most satisfying main course is grilled pheasant with
wilted greens and mashed potatoes — four generous pieces of bird, surprisingly tender and mild, their flavor enhanced by pepper. Lamb osso buco was just as rewarding, but just a bit salty and slightly dry.

A thick, mild fillet of roasted sea bass is enlivened by brussels sprouts and the elegant prosciutto called Speck. Sea scallops, cooked perhaps 30 seconds too long, are nevertheless well mated with crunchy kernels or creamed corn. But seared, peppered Ahi tuna is oddly chilly inside.Desserts are uniformly fine. Mr. Pino makes some of the planet’s best doughnuts, frying them to order and serving them with a wicked aged-bourbon sauce and miniature cinnamon-sugar beignets. Chocolate ganache cake is light and eggy, lushly encased in chocolate frosting. A little seckel pear conceals a welcome surprise: blue cheese. Somehow this combination works well with vanilla ice cream and flowery Tupelo honey. Baked apple is irresistible in a pastry crust with a ramekin of cinnamon gelato. And lemon panna cotta is not custardy but dense, alongside cherries in a thick red-wine sauce a great, elemental combination.

Then there are the cheeses. Describing them in a phone interview, Mr. Pino
swelled audibly with pride, like the coach of a dream team: potent, creamy Explorateur; grainy aged Gouda; fruity, semisoft Mahón; Manchego and Idiazábal, the sheep’s-milk twins from Spain. Just one of these babies would keep the Jersey Devil at bay for a week. They are fully mature, well handled and ripe for sharing the gift of a chef who knows his ingredients and loves them just the way they are.

VERY GOOD
ATMOSPHERE A former deli successfully converted into a high-end restaurant; small but not cramped.

SERVICE Engaging and attentive

SMOKING Not allowed

WINE LIST Bring your own, or order from a short list of bottles delivered from a nearby store.

RECOMMENDED DISHES Mussels, foie gras, grilled lobster; rabbit ravioli, pasta with wild boar; grilled pheasant, pan-roasted sea bass,
cassoulet; doughnuts, poached seckel pear, baked apple, chocolate ganache
cake, lemon panna cotta, cheese course.

PRICE RANGE Dinner: appetizers, $9 to $17; entrees, $21; desserts, $8; cheese course, $11 and up. Five-course tasting menus: $29 (Tuesday through Thursday only) and $54. Brunch entrees average $9.
HOURS Closed Monday. Dinner: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 5 to 10:30 p.m. Brunch: Tuesdays through Sundays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

CREDIT CARDS American Express, Mastercard, Visa.

RESERVATIONS Recommended

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS Fully accessible

REVIEWED February 22, 2004

IF YOU GO The restaurant is at 10th and Bloomfield Streets in downtown
Hoboken, a mile north of the PATH station and the light-rail stop. On-street parking places are rare and jealously guarded; the nearest lot is at 14th and Washington.

RATINGS Poor, Fair, Satisfactory, Good, Very Good, Excellent, Extraordinary. Ratings reflect the reviewer’s reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.
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THE RECORD
10/24/03

At The Dining Room at Anthony David’s

By David Bloom
Restaurant Reviewer

It’s really a destination restaurant disguised as a neighborhood place. By night Anthony David’s is transformed into a white tablecloth restaurant with an unpretentious charm and welcoming spirit.

A little more than a year ago, chef Anthony David Pino added a jewel to his successful, six-year old market and catering business, when his landlord offered him a adjacent space. Pino cut an opening in the wall and with a little help renovated the cozy exposed brick and wooden bench-lined space that is now half
of The Dining Room at Anthony David’s. The other half, not counting the seasonal outdoor seating, is in the market, nestled among the display cases of assorted specialty food and cheese. When the lights are dimmed and the sounds of soft jazz fill the rooms beneath an antique tin ceiling, the surroundings become comforting.

Service was good, although a few minor glitches did pop up. Water glasses were rarely refilled the tables were not wiped after the entrée course, so we had dessert on a crumb-covered table. An occasional ambience problem, perhaps a byproduct of having an open kitchen, was hearing each ticket called when the restaurant got busy. We also were well within earshot when tensions mounted in the kitchen. These heated conversations are best not heard by diners.

Pino’s presence helps create the welcoming atmosphere at The Dining Room. When not in the kitchen, Pino keeps busy delivering plates, chatting with diners,
and showing his appreciation for their patronage.

Our waiter explained that there was a cheese menu, a special tasting menu, and
the regular menu. We were offered slices of sesame pane Pugliese – rustic bread from Apulia – and ciabatta – a light Italian bread so named because it resembles a slipper. The breads came with a smooth white bean purée spread with a hint of rosemary, and a ramekin of slightly peppery extra virgin olive oil. As we began to relax, our waiter returned with an amuse bouche of warm ratatouille with pesto, basil oil, and grissini, the thin Italian bread sticks. The individual flavors of eggplant, zucchini, red bell peppers, and tomato came through nicely but still worked as one. Pino has a penchant for simple, clean flavors. Consider his roasted beet salad ($11), a veritable showcase for outstanding ingredients. Presented in a circle, the salad was composed of diced red and golden beets lightly tossed with 25-year-old red wine vinegar. A thin disk of goat cheese was placed against the colorful vegetable. The sweetness of the beets played well against the creamy tang of the cheese. A garnish of micro gree tossed with a berry vinaigrette added a bit of earthiness and candied walnuts some textural crunch.

Grilled Maine lobster ($15) starter with guacamole and butter lettuce was a tasty twist on lobster salad. A generous portion of lobster meat was served with a healthy mound of smooth, spicy guacamole studded with bits of onion and cilantro. This
was set atop a small pile of tender butter lettuce. The stars, however, were the grilled tail and the crispy, panko-coated, deep-fried claw meat that added some sweetness an temperature contrast.

Seared Hudson Valley foie gras ($17) was a thick, crosshatched slice of rich duck liver with a crisp exterior and a mouth-melting, warm center topped with a light sprinkle of coarse sea salt. On the side were two thick,grilled slices of brioche and
a disappointingly sweet pile of poached cherries in a merlot syrup. A
raspberry-blueberry gastrique on the plate was similarly too sweet.

One of our favorite dishes was pan-roasted black sea bass ($27). Two skin-on
fillets were sautéed to a crisp, served with a classic French beurre blanc and set atop a helping of freshly made creamed corn studded with crisp kernels, and an earthy white bean and asparagus ragout.

Grilled free-range pheasant ($23) featured wilted butter lettuce, a nod to European style by the chef. The very mild, delicately flavored pheasant as more like the best grilled chicken I’ve ever eaten than a game bird. Two frenched breasts (wings
left on) and two whole legs with crisp skin were moist and juicy. They rested on
well-seasoned mashed potatoes that soaked up the browned demi-glace. Sautéed cherries rounded out the dish.

Not for the faint of heart (or minors) are the warm bourbonglazed doughnuts ($8). Three large doughnuts, with a beignetlike texture, were coated in a silky sugar glaze and surrounded by three to four smaller doughnuts that had been rolled in cinnamon sugar. A bite of the glazed doughnuts revealed a surprisingly strong kick of bourbon that played wonderfully against the sugar glaze. The tiny doughnuts were a good but less remarkable addition.

Another seasonal dessert of grilled figs were gorgonzola, vanilla gelato, and
Tupelo honey ($8) was also a winner. The cheese was warm an melted over the
hot figs. A drizzle of honey was just enough to compensate for the saltiness of
the blue cheese. The gelato was nice but extraneous.

*** (3 STARS)

Fare: Contemporary American
Prices: Appetizers $9 to $17; entrées $16 to $28.
Credit cards: AE, MC, V
Reservations: Recommended Thursday through Saturday.
Days closed: None.
Liquor, Wine: No
Smoking: Designated area.
Atmosphere: Charming, warm and hip.
Dress: Business casual.

Rated by The Record: October 24, 2003

Restaurants are rated on the quality of their food, atmosphere, service and value. Halves are given when a restaurant surpasses a level in food, service, or ambience. Reviewers make at least two anonymous visits to a restaurant, and The Record always pays the tab. Price range reflects menu items; specials may be higher.

• = Poor
* = Fair
** = Good
*** = Excellent
**** = Outstanding
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NEW JERSEY MONTHLY

2 1/2 Stars

February 2003

Food: Modern Italian
Ambience: Comfy-cozy
Service: Young professionals
Wine list: BYO
Price value: Very reasonable

I'm thrilled to hear that Chef Anthony Pino has opened the Dining Room in back
of his Anthony David Gourmet in Hoboken, because I've long been a fan of the shop's wonderful takeout food. Through a stroke of real-estate luck, Pino was able to break through the shop's rear wall and set up an intimate, 30-seat room bathed
in warm light and appointed with cozy banquettes lined with plump pillows. To get there, one must pass through the store, which sets my stomach growling as soon
as I see the young, fresh cheeses on display in the partially open kitchen.

Pino's short, focused menu is divided into appetizers, pastas, and entrées, with pastas priced pretty close to the entrées. We begin with two tarts, both of which I
like very much: one a crisp potato tart filled with prosciutto and caramelized onions that's moist and tasty, the other a roasted-tomato tart accompanied by a block of Taleggio, a rich, pungent, semisoft cheese from Italy's Lombardy region. Mussels take on bright flavor when steamed with orange juice, cream, Pernod, and fresh fennel, and a lemon-chili marmalade adds a brilliant dimension of citrus heat to salmon carpaccio. We also order the only pasta starter, rabbit ravioli with chanterelles and pecorino cheese, and are immensely happy we did.

The braised rabbit with tomatoes and saffron is tender and balanced in flavor.
The grilled rack of lamb chops with an artichoke and mushroom ragoût is tasty and well prepared. But I'm far more intrigued by the tenderloin of pork stuffed with dry sausage and Asiago cheese; the combination of tender pork, spicy-sweet sausage and salty cheese forms a wonderful trio of flavors.

Desserts include Pino's absolutely fabulous and addictive bourbon-glazed donuts, served piping hot. I also like the cardamom-scented baked apple in pastry, and the vanilla panna cotta with cherry sauce, whose sweetness is balanced by gentle acidity. Coffee service, too, is exemplary, with excellent American coffee, properly prepared espresso, and a bevy of other concoctions that would put those trendy coffeehouses to shame. —A. G.
(Excerpted)
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PAPER Magazine

Dec/Jan 2003

Andrea Strong

When Anthony Pino’s gourmet takeout shop Anthony David’s opened in 1998, Hoboken residents let out a collective sigh of relief. Finally, a place to pick up an Italian meal that wasn’t doused in red sauce. With The Dining Room, a cozy, elegant 60-seater packed with attractive young locals, the world of eating in this
one square mile of Jersey has reached new heights.

Pino’s modern take on classic Italian fare includes a warm potato tart ($8)–a thin, crisp, golden potato pancake topped with sheer, pink slices of prosciutto, a sweet tangle of caramelized onions and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar. It is divine
and almost as good as the crispy taleggio ($9), a deep-fried, panko-crusted rectangle of creamy, gooey, Italian cows-milk cheese, served with a miniature,
slow-roasted tomato tart–a playful take on a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich.

Pino makes his pastas from scratch, and all are terrific. Ribbons of pappardelle are tossed with homemade spicy lamb sausage, tomato and arugula ($16); percatelli
is loaded with plump, grilled littlenecks, diced pancetta, crushed tomatoes and chiles ($16.) Rabbit comes two ways: braised until buttery in a stew of tomatoes
and saffron ($23) and in a savory filling for fat, square ravioli that is topped with chanterelles and shaved pecorino. ($11)

And just so you know you’re not in Kansas anymore, Pino offers an impressive international cheese selection to conclude the meal (3 for $9). Make a liquor run before you go, it’s BYO.
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SPOTLIGHT
A Star-Ledger Publication

December 29, 2002

TOP TEN of 2002

The Dining Room is an adorable place, an adjunct to a store that sells takeout
and offers catering. The dining operation was launched this year by chef/owner Anthony Pino, who has an alluring lineup of enticement at this BYOW. Start with mussels ($10) with a hint of orange, touched with cream and pernod, and teamed with fennel. But whatever you do, order the potato gnocchi ($19) mixed with
chunks of lobster, chanterelles and a scattering of sweet corn.
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STAR-LEDGER (Our first review)

Sunday, October 20, 2002

By Cody Kendall

*** (3 STARS)

I walked right by The Dining Room at Anthony David's. That's easy to do, because from the outside, this cute little store doesn't look like a restaurant. But it's a place you don't want to pass by, and I'm awfully glad I doubled back. The establishment
is funky and fun, with interesting food and tip-top service.

You'll spend a very different evening at Anthony David's, best known as a
catering-take-out business. Management decided to broaden inhouse dining beyond Sunday brunch after expanding into a former antiques shop next door
and doing a major renovation.

The dinner-daily brunch operation launched last month. At the entrance, you still see cases full of appealing take-out, but turn left and there's a comfortable room
with an antique chandelier, banquettes, and plush pillows. You might prefer to eat
in the main room, however, where you can have the novel experience of shopping while you dine.

Pick up a tin of biscotti or a bottle of imported olive oil from the wooden shelves within reach of your table. How convenient to browse through boxes of chocolate bars or sniff barrels of coffee beans while waiting for your meal to be delivered.

You'll be in a good mood anticipating the delights that chef-owner Anthony Pino,
a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, has designed for you. The menu is compact and enticing. Don't fill up on the fresh, chewy bread and white bean spread, tempting as they may be. You should have not only an appetizer, entree and dessert, but also a pasta course. I couldn't find room for the cheese course,
but when you see the array offered, you'll want to indulge.

In fact, if I could offer one word of advice here, that would be it. Forget the diet and just order away.

For starters, my favorite was the fabulous warm potato tart ($8) layered with prosciutto and sweet caramelized onions and topped with micro greens for
contrast. Or you could have the soup of the day ($6), like the hearty squash we
tried, nearly sweet enough to be dessert and topped with a spider web of
crème frache.

And then there are mussels ($10) with a hint of orange, touched with cream and Pernod and teamed with fennel. The ravioli ($11) is rabbit, gussied up with chantarelles, herb broth, and sharp pecorino. The pastas all have a touch or more
of originality. Pappardelle ($16) is very interesting when spicy lamb sausage
and arugula are added in an herb and tomato sauce. Perciatelli ($16) takes on
a sudden intensity in a mix with grilled littlenecks, pancetta, crushed tomatoes
and chili.

Potato gnocchi ($19), the best I've ever had, could easily stand alone and be
called delectable. But mixed with chunks of lobster, chantarelles and a scattering
of sweet corn, its rating goes up a level. There's enough here for two, though you'll want it all for yourself.

Other pastas include a well-crafted wild mushroom tortellini with prosciutto and herbs, tender peas and asparagus and just enough cream and Parmesan. If the cheese in a dish isn't sufficient for you, the waiters are always coming by offering
to grate more. After all this, those seeking a simpler entree should go with the peppered ahi tuna ($19). The peppering is light, the fish is lovely in a chardonnay sauce, and mashed potatoes don't cause any controversy.

All the accompaniments are perfectly planned. An artichoke and mushroom ragout is the kind of earthy backdrop that won't fade beneath grilled lamb chops ($25). Rabbit ($23) reappears braised with tomato and saffron over a potato galette.
Prime sirloin ($24) has a pungent sidekick in roasted cipollinions served with pecorino potatoes. A hard-boiled quail's egg decorates the pan-roasted halibut ($21) brightened with olives and a Dijon vinaigrette that doesn't overwhelm the
fish. Carrots, zucchini and browned, sliced potatoes are on the side.

Take time to think about what cheeses you want from the long and interesting list. Selections run $9 for three, $12 for four, $15 for five. Italy and France have the greatest representation here, but there are also options from Holland (aged
Gouda), Spain ( idia zabal ), Portugal (serra da es trela) and Britain (Stilton). If you're unfamiliar with the choices, you can rely on the descriptions. Vento
d'estate, cow's milk cheese from Italy, is "semi-firm, aged in hay and herbs." That's intriguing.

Don't skip dessert. If you really are full, take a bite of the homemade
bourbon-glazed doughnuts ($8) and bring the rest home for breakfast. For those who still have an appetite, try the round, unfrosted chocolate cake ($8) with pistachio gelato or the apple baked in pastry ($8) with a hint of cardamon and cinnamon gelato. Traditionalists could try the vanilla panna cotta with cherry
sauce ($8).

A word of caution if you've never dined in Hoboken. Parking is notoriously scarce, particularly on a weekend. Budget an extra 15 minutes or more to find a space, which I can practically guarantee will be nowhere near the restaurant. You can travel to Hoboken via the train or PATH, but be aware that Anthony David's is about 12 blocks from the station.

This place is worth a trip and some parking agita . If you prefer an air of
formality and sweeping vistas, go find a hotel dining room somewhere. But for originality and charm, head for Anthony David's. It will be an evening you'll remember.
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