Craft Beer & Cocktails Bar/Steakhouse opens in Hoboken

   Father & Son Owners duplicate successful Haledon Eatery in Mile Square City

 

By Sally Deering

 Joe and Chris Schiavo may be new to Hoboken, but theyâ€re not new to the restaurant biz. The successful father & son team own The Shepherd & The Knucklehead craft beer bar and steakhouse in Haledon and itâ€s so successful, they branched out here in Hudson.

They just opened “The Shep” a little more than a week ago on Willow Avenue between 13 & 14 Streets. A huge space – it seats 125 – with 23 flatscreen TVs all turned to a sports channel lining the walls. The bar is long with 60 taps and a flatscreen above that has the latest crafts available.  Cocktails are crafty, too, Joe Schiavo says, because the bartenders squeeze fresh juices and make all the syrups from scratch.

Joe Schiavo describes The Shep as a craft beer bar that loves sports.

“I play sports,” Joe Schiavo, 25, says, “baseball, basketball, and flag football.”

On a recent Wednesday, baseball and sports talk shows filled every screen and a steady flow of customers sailed through the front doors.  Word is out—thereâ€s a new pub in the neighborhood.  Even Mayor Dawn Zimmer stopped in to welcome them to the Mile Square City.

“Weâ€ve been wanting to come to Hoboken for three-to-four years now,” Joe says. “It has a dense population of young urban professionals who appreciate quality food, beer, and experience. Weâ€re in a great neighborhood.”

Chef Alejandro Urena executes the menu designed by Joe and Chris Schiavo. It features hearty bar food and entrees; with an emphasis on meat dishes like the 24-ounce Porterhouse Steak and the Pork Poutine, a Canadian style dish featuring braised pork shoulder with cheddar and mozzarella over French fries or nachos.

Starters & Bar Bites; Burgers, Sliders & Sandwiches; Entrée Salads Tacos, Quesadillas, and Wraps; and Entrees – the menu has a lot to choose from. Starting with Starts & Bar Bites, thereâ€s Knucklehead Wings served either Buffalo style or Asian style ($$6.95 for 6; $12.95 for 12); a Giant German Pretzel with house-made mustard dipping sauce ($8.95); Beer Mussels; Spicy Honey-Glazed Kielbasa; Mozzarella Wedges Jalapeno Poppers, and Spring Rolls with Chicken, Buffalo Chicken, Philly Cheeseburger, or Veggie ($6.95-$7.95);

The Shepâ€s Pork Poutine, a different take on the Canadian classic. Served over hand-cut fries or nachos, it features braised pork shoulder, shallots, mozzarella, and cheddar; ($12.95-$13.95). Soups & Chili are Lobster Bisque, Spring Vegetable Soup and Mile-High Chili ($6.95-$9.95) The Shep serves Mac ‘n†Cheese by the cup ($6.95) and bowl ($8.95).

Entrée salads include the Chicken Caesar, Mediterranean, Ahi Tuna and the Black & Blue with blackened skirt steak and crumbled blue cheese over mixed greens ($9.95-$17.95). Burgers, Sliders & Sandwiches feature the Angus Sliders, Grilled Chicken Sliders, BBQ Pork Sliders; and Half-Pound Angus Burgers like the Shep Classic, BBQ Burger, Mushroom & Swiss, Buffalo Burger, Veggie Burger and the Breakfast Burger which is Bacon and cheddar, topped with a fried egg are popular choices ($10.95-$12.95). Tacos, Quesadillas, and Wraps include the Chorizo Street Tacos, Poutine Tacos, Veggie Tacos, and Ahi Tuna Tacos ($1095-$13.95). And the quesadillas are Cheese, Chicken, Beef, Slicked NY Strip Steak and Bacon & Cheese ($9.95-$12.95). There are Steaks and Pastas, too, like a Pesto ala Shep, linguine tossed with house-made pesto sauce ($11.95) and the 12-ounce USDA Prime NY Strip ($35.95). There are seafood dishes and sides, too!

The Schiavos feel a certain commitment to the neighborhood, already, Joe Schiavo says. Since they opened their first pub in 1998, The Shepherd and The Knucklehead has been “redistributing profits to help clothe, feed, and house the poor, both locally and abroad.” According to the website, the Schiavos fed 231 Ethiopian families, purchased an ambulance for a German Lutheran missionary, and provide ongoing support for the Father McGhee food pantry in Paterson.

“Giving back is important,” Joe says “Weâ€re blessed to be in this position. How can you not give back?”

And although theyâ€re the “new kid on the block” the Schiavos already feel a connection to Hoboken

“The people at City Hall, the Police, and Hoboken Councilmen have gone out of their way to welcome us,” Joe says. “And I like the people that are coming in.”

 If you go

The Shepherd & The Knucklehead

1313 Washington St, HOB

(210) 714-4222

www.shepjc.com

Hours:  Mon-Thurs, 3 pm-2 am

Fri, 3 pm-3 am

Sat, 11 am-3 am

Sun, 11 am-2 am

The post THE SHEPHERD & THE KNUCKLEHEAD first appeared on River View Observer.

 Like Sinatra, Maxwellâ€s Tavern is synonymous with Hoboken and goes back to the 1940s when the city was more working class and employees at the Maxwell House coffee plant would stop in for a brew and a bite. Although the bar looks very much like it did back in the day, General Manager Jay Donnelly says new changes came with the new owners back in March. You can now enter right on Washington Street (instead of using the side door on 11^th) and thereâ€s some beautiful art work throughout the bar area that flows all the way through to the back room where bands and other acts perform. The menu has changed, too.

The bar area, with Maxwellâ€s original bar, features high-top tables and chairs; intimate seating along the perimeter and a back room with four-tops facing a small stage.

Along with the bands and extensive beer and wine selection, Maxwellâ€s offers a menu thatâ€s bar-friendly with an array of Starters, Salads, Burgers, Sandwiches, Thin Crust Pizzas, and Entrees.  For Starters, Maxwellâ€s signature Classic French Onion Soup continues to be a menu highlight along with Buffalo Chicken Wings, Fried Calamari, Momâ€s Italian Style Meatballs and Crab Cake Sliders ($7-$13). Thin Crust Pizzas, also a big draw, are served in several variations including White, Margherita, Chicken Pesto, Hoboken BBQ and Sausage Lasagna ($14-$15).

Burgers are Bleu, Black Bean, Turkey, and Traditional – all served with fries or chips ($11-$14).  Sandwiches are the Grilled Chicken, Pulled Pork and Philly Cheesesteak ($11-$13).  Entrees feature Shepherdâ€s Pie, Chicken Parmigiana, Vegetable Lasagna, Chicken Carbonara, Blackened Salmon, Grilled French Cut Pork Chop, and Grilled Angus Cowboy Steak ($16-$32).

Although there are several TVs in the bar area, Donnelly says the owners are trying to go back to Maxwellâ€s roots.

“Weâ€re trying not to be too much of a sports bar,” Donnelly says. “Originally it was Maxwellâ€s Tavern. When Maxwellâ€s had the plant down the street, they worked three shifts and the workers would come here. We wanted to bring it back to a tavern with a good dining experience: good quality food at a reasonable price.”

Back in the day, Maxwellâ€s was known for serving comfort foods like meat loaf, fried chicken and chicken pot pies. These days, there are several signature dishes customers keep coming back for, Donnelly says, including the 14-ounce Premium Reserve pork chop entrée, the French onion soup, thin crust pizzas and Buffalo wings. There are daily specials, too.

Half-price Happy Hour happens Mon-Fri from 5-7 pm, and Sun, 6 pm till closing (bar area only). On Thursdays, the bar serves $5 Martinis; on Sundays, its 50 cent wings and $3 Miller Lites or PBR Drafts. Since the bar is just a block or so from Stevenâ€s Institute of Technology, Maxwellâ€s offers SIT students 25% off their food orders with a school ID (drinks not included).

Art is everywhere at Maxwellâ€s with exhibitions curated by local artist Steven Vizena.  The current exhibit is “Body Mind-Spirit” and Vizena says it explores “artists imaginings or aspects of experience that move beyond physical constraints.”

Artist Ibou Ndoye of Jersey City is one of several artists whose works can be seen on Maxwellâ€s walls. About his art, Ndoye says: “My message is social in the sense that it deals with the social and moral ethics of modern and traditional life. My inspirations come from the unseen, neglected, or discarded things from our social and daily life. The traditions of my homeland, Senegal, have a great impact on my work and storytelling through my art.”

Bands will always be a huge highlight at Maxwellâ€s. Performing Fri, Dec. 12 at 9:30 pm is the Eric R. Durham & Top Groove Band. (Admission $10). The back room where the bands perform can also be booked for private parties for up to 125 people.

“Todayâ€s Maxwellâ€s respects both its music and neighborhood roots while layering in new thinking about what is fun, exceptional and unique to Hoboken in terms of food, drink, music, arts and atmosphere,” Donnelly says.

If you go:

Maxwellâ€s Tavern

1039 Washington St

Hoboken

(201) 653-7777

www.maxwellsnj.com

Hours:

Mon – Wed:      5 pm – midnight
Thurs & Fri:      5 pm – 2 am
Sat:                      10 am –2 am

Sun:                     10 am – midnight

 

The post Maxwell’s Tavern in Hoboken Still Hip after All These Years first appeared on River View Observer.