After 3 Years, Traditional Cuban Dishes Are Back in Downtown JC

By Sally Deering

 Its been three years since Cuban cuisine-lovers could duck into the Hard Grove Café in Jersey City for a traditional Cuban sandwich. Well, good news!  On June 26, Hard Grove opened its new restaurant & bar on First Street off Newark Ave, and so far, customers are stopping by for Hard Groveâ€s traditional Cuban fare and a freshly mulled Hemingway Mojito. 

“June 26^th was our ‘soft†opening,” owner Evelyn Padin says, “In this industry, itâ€s not smart to rush into a grand opening.”

 An attorney with a passion for cooking, Padin and her partner Carmen Mendiola co-owned Hard Grove Café when it was the go-to corner bistro on Grove Street.  When the duo moved Hard Grove to its First Street digs, they brought with them Hard Groveâ€s original chef Rafael Valdespino, bartender Julie Cordero and floor captain Mario Lin.

“Theyâ€re like our family,” Padin says. “Three years we waited to open, and so far, weâ€ve been blessed. We have old customers that already came in and a lot of new customers that are dropping by.”

Hard Groveâ€s menu features traditional Cuban Empanadas, and the very traditional Ropa Vieja (shredded beef). Thereâ€s Pueblo-Style Guacamole & Plantain Strips, the Hard Grove Burger, Calle Ocho Salad with Cilantro Dressing, Hemingway Skirt Steak & Eggs, Huevos Rancheros, Eggs Benedict and, of course, the Cuban Sandwich.

Ropa Vieja

“We have the best Cuban sandwich on the strip,” Padin says. “Weâ€re known for our pork; we roast our pork.”

Starters feature Golden Empanadas (2), the Crispy Taco Trio, Codfish Fritters, Fried Calamari, Stuffed Plantain Cups, and the Hemingway Sampler. Entrees include Lemon Salsa Chicken, Citrus Grilled Chicken, Hemingway Churrassco Steak, and Salmon Filet & Shrimp in Lemon Sauce.

And then there are the drinks. Mojitos are the star of the show and served several ways like the Classic with crushed mint & sugar cane, the Desperate Housewives topped with champagne; the Electric made with Bacardi & Blue Curacao, the Diablo mixed with Tequila & Crème de Cassis, and the Cacapa made with premium aged rum.

On Saturday & Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm, Hard Grove serves a special brunch menu with dishes like the Lucy & Ricky French Toast stuffed with guava and cream cheese, drizzled with guava sauce and served with a choice of chorizo sausage or smoked bacon, the Belgium Waffle, and the Breakfast Burrito. For a little fizz to the brunch menu, Padin offers a Bloody Mary/Mimosa special: two hours of a “bottomless” glass of your choice for $15.

“Thatâ€s a bargain these days,” Padin says. “We have a great brunch. “Our French toast stuffed with guava & cream cheese with a guava drizzle is amazing. We have jumbo waffles with fruit compote. I have a chef I hired just for this.”

Hard Groveâ€s been open less than a month and already certain dishes are turning one-time customers into regulars. The Mofongo is a hugely popular dish, Padin says, made with fried green plantains that are mashed like a potato and served with pork cubes that are marinated in garlic and fried. Its served with jumbo shrimp in a creole sauce.

“Iâ€m passionate about food,” Padin says, “and I love the restaurant industry. I get so much joy out of it. The creative part comes out of me, its creativity that it offers. Not to mention, I know how to cook. Itâ€s always been my passion – and Iâ€m successful at that too.”

Day-by-day, Padin, Mendiola and their staff at Hard Grove continue to build on the restaurantâ€s successful return to the downtown Jersey City community. It takes hard work and commitment, Padin says. Future Hard Grove plans include entertainment and special cigar nights. Padin is bringing in a cigar roller and along with the freshly-rolled cigars, a special scotch menu will be on hand.  And donâ€t forget to try out the Patio and dine al fresco alongside the hand-painted mural.

“Weâ€re happy weâ€re back home,” Padin says. “We may be in a different place, but weâ€re happy weâ€re here. Weâ€re minority-owned and LGBTQ-friendly. We feel that makes us a special place.”

If you go

Hard Grove

284 First St, JC

201-659-6100

www.hardgrove.com

The post  THE COMEBACK KID- Hard Grove Café Re-Hangs Its Cuban Star on First Street first appeared on River View Observer.

 By Sally Deering

 When the Hard Grove Caféâ€s original owner Domenic Santana opened the Jersey City restaurant  on Grove Street in the early 1990s, the neighborhood was not as affluent as it is today and Santana offered locals more of a diner menu where you could get a peanut butter & jelly sandwich for a buck ninety-nine.

Times have changed and the restaurant has changed hands a couple times. In 2005, Evelyn Padin and Carmen Mendiola—two practicing lawyers and Jersey City residents – decided to try their hand at running a restaurant and purchased the Hard Grove Café. They kept on Chef Rafael Valdespino and the trio created a menu of Modern Latin Cuisine that is refined and delicious. Instead of the soupy beans and sticky yellow rice typically found at many local eateries, the Hard Grove Caféâ€s beans are light, the rice is fluffy and both dishes are seasoned gently.

“Carmen is Cuban-American and Iâ€m Puerto Rican and we were looking for something,” Padin says. “When we saw this place, Carmen didnâ€t want it closing down. Like everybody in the neighborhood, weâ€d known Domenic for years. So Carmen said letâ€s give it a go.”

And they did. Similar to how they run their law practices, Padin and Mendiola oversee every detail of the restaurant while working double-duty at their law offices.

“Every place has its checks and balances,” Padin says. “You have to hire the right people.”

The food has to be great, too, Padin says, and Hard Grove Café has definitely raised the bar with a menu that features Starters, Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, Burgers and Entrees. Soups are the Cuban Black Bean and Grandmaâ€s Chicken Soup; salads include the Shrimp, Chicken, Mango-Avocado Salad with cilantro dressing; the Crazy Hemingway Skirt Steak Salad; and the Gloria Estefan Salad of romaine lettuce, sweet plantains, grilled chicken, and melted cheddar cheese with creamy lime & cilantro dressing.

 For entrees, customers can choose Chicken, Beef or Seafood dishes like the Lemon Salsa Chicken; the Herb-Roasted Chicken with Chimmichuri Sauce; the Crispy Fish Tacos;  Seafood Paella; and Ropa Vieja, slowly- braised shredded beef with onions, red and green peppers and Latin herbs. Thereâ€s a vegetarian menu and a kids†menu, too.

“We offer vegetarian dishes with a Latin twist and a kids†menu because no matter how messy they can be, kids are always welcome here,” Padin, who is also the mother of a four year-old, says. “Everything is fresh. When customers sit down, we give chips and salsa, and our salsa is made from scratch every day. We make our own chips fresh every day, too.”

The Cocktail menu features a section of Skinny Drinks all under 200 calories like the Coconut Strawberry Daiquiri. Hard Grove Caféâ€s Signature Drink is the Mojito with Bacardi Rum. This Mojito is refreshingly tasty because the mint is muddled and the lime juice is freshly-squeezed and not a store-bought mix. The drink comes with a real stick of sugar cane and itâ€s likely one of the best Mojitos youâ€ll ever taste.

“We thought how are we going to brand this restaurant? It has to be the Mojitos,†Padin says. “The public knows these Mojitos are banging.”

To spice things up, a salsa band entertains on Friday nights and Hard Grove Café hosts a weekend brunch where for $20 customers can enjoy unlimited Mimosas and Bloody Marys when they purchase an entrée. The thought-process behind Hard Grove Caféâ€s Latin Menu, stellar service and hip atmosphere is to give customers something theyâ€re not going to get somewhere else, Padin says.

“Food has to be original and creative and it has to be sexy,” Padin says. “Ultimately, when youâ€re in the restaurant business itâ€s all about the service. I can go home and cook a burger myself, but I come to a restaurant because I want service.”

If you go:

Hard Grove Café

319 Grove St

Jersey City

201-451-1853

www.hardgrovecafe.com

Open Daily: Mon-Wed, 11 am – 11 pm

Thurs and Fri, 11 am to 1 am

Sat 10 am to 1 am

Sun 10 am to midnight

The post HARD GROVE CAFÉ IN JERSEY CITY RAISES THE BAR first appeared on River View Observer.