Over spring break (I know– delayed– oops), I went on a very lovely date with my very lovely friend, Maddie! In Hoboken! I had never been to Hoboken before, so I was very excited to see (and taste) all this city has to offer. It’s like a little mini NYC right outside of NYC itself. There are tons of very highly-rated restaurants sprinkled throughout Hoboken. It’s also a city with a view– Hoboken looks out over the Hudson River, and you can see the twinkling NYC skyline when you walk along the pier!

 

After just a couple of near-death experiences… let’s just say I’m not very good at using a walking GPS… we arrived at Panello. This small Italian restaurant definitely felt like an NYC restaurant with its exposed pipes and brick and very cool but rustic vibe. We decided to share a pizza and each get our own entree.

The pizza we shared, which was called Capricciosa, was topped with Fior di Latte (a variation of mozzarella cheese), marinated artichoke hearts, mushrooms, grated Pecorino Romano, and because I don’t eat pork we subbed the sopressata piccante for fresh cherry tomatoes. I especially loved the earthy shiitake mushrooms on the pizza and the brick oven fired crust was crispy and chewy in all the right places. Mmm!

Then, we both ordered…the Four-Cheese Gnocchi. O… M… G. It was actually up there on the list of the best things I’ve ever eaten and you know that I do not take that phrase lightly. It was like the most wonderful mac and cheese of all time… but with chewy, doughy, absolutely delicious gnocchi instead of pasta. And topped with lots of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

I mean, come on. So cheesey. So rich. So beautiful. If you find yourself in Hoboken you must make a beeline for Panello and get this gnocchi. It’s life changing.

Before my visit, I chatted with my mom’s friend, Fran, who lives in Hoboken, to get some tips. She said that I MUST plan my trip to Hoboken around this place called Jaret’s Stuffed Cupcakes. STUFFED. CUPCAKES. I mean, you don’t have to tell me twice to schedule my evening around cupcakes. Because I could only get to Hoboken right before Jaret’s closed, we actually took a detour and went way out of our way so that we could get our cupcakes to go before dinner so we wouldn’t miss out. I will go to extreme lengths for cupcakes.

Look at this store full of wonderful cupcakes!

After dinner, we were stuffed as the cupcakes (ha.. ha..) so I didn’t eat mine until I got home. In the wee hours of the night, craving my longed for late night snack, I tiptoed in the dark to the kitchen. The refrigerator light in that moment was the light of the heavens, and I swear I heard the angels sing as I took out my gorgeous stuffed cupcakes.

Tres Leches: Vanilla cupcake stuffed with tres leches custard and topped with whipped cream and a cherry

Chocolate Chip Cappuccino: Chocolate chip cappuccino cupcake stuffed with espresso mousse and topped with vanilla icing, chocolate chips, and cinnamon.

These sweet, moist, incredibly flavorful stuffed cupcakes definitely lived up to my high expectations. Jaret’s knows what they are doing– they’ve got this cupcake thing down to a science.

Our Hoboken day was definitely a success! I can’t wait to go back and explore the other fantastic restaurants in this city!

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Enjoy! 🙂 Love, The Perky Foodie