When it comes to sequels, you want to make sure that the 2nd time around lives up to how great the first one was. For Albie & Chris Manzo, stars of "Manzo'd With Children" on Bravo, it ultimately comes down to a take two in their journey to create the perfect restaurant all in the same location it began in- Hoboken, New Jersey. This particular restaurant I am referring to is the brand new Little Town Social, which just opened up a mere three weeks ago in the heart of Hoboken, New Jersey.
I was privy and very excited when I reviewed their first restaurant in this area, Little Town, a little over a year ago. After giving the original location fantastic reviews, I was equally as excited to try this particular restaurant as the first one lived up to its name when it came to decor, customer service and of course taste. I took myself and my friend Jessica, who went with me to the first review, there a couple of nights ago and to be quite honest we had just as great of a time as we did last year with Little Town.
Little Town Social is smaller in size compared to its original location and bit darker in my opinion. That might be due to the fact that the original Little Town overlooked the beautiful water in Hoboken so you had that added shine, however I didn't mind that this location felt a little homier and had a bit more of a bar feeling to it than the first one. The restaurant specializes in farm to table fare and source ingredients locally as well as surrounding states. The culinary experience is led by Executive Chef Sarah Sproule, who also founded Urban Sproule- the first sea salt ever produced in a salthouse on a Midtown rooftop. As a salt fiend myself, i was delighted to see that the majority of the menu was pro-salt, and the way that Sarah made each dish really exemplified showcasing that particular ingredient in the best way possible.
The food itself I described as elevated bar food that has a ton of quality and doesn't have that "turnaround, rushed" taste and feel to it. They have a fabulous raw bar that you can start out with featuring delectables from the ocean ranging in shrimp, oysters, clams and more. For their snacks, I would recommend the Soft Pretzel with Everything Sea Salt and Duck Fat Popcorn with rooftop cheddar sea salt. Please focus on the following words- Duck Fat, and Soft Pretzel. I don't need to say more here.
So for the main courses, Little Town Social really recommends sharable plates as the atmosphere itself inside calls for a community type feel. That being said, this is what I would recommend you trying when heading there. If you are staying on the healthy side, a great dish would be the Social Salad, with rooftop salt and farmers market & rooftop source ingredients. I am not the biggest fan on a lot of greenery, however the variety of ingredients in it made the salad taste quite delicious. Other great options were the Fish Tacos (catch of the day, Avocado, red cabbage-pineapple slaw, cotija, crema) and Lobster Rolls with Apple-Fennel Slaw as both are great and light options to enjoy now that the warmer weather is here. The Kimchee Buns were my star standout, with brisket and kewpie mayo stuffed inside the warm bun. Big fan of Kimchee and Sarah did it justice here. Hands down though, the best thing both me and my friend had on the menu was their #yamwich. Containing Roasted Yams, Feta, Cilantro, Pickled Red Onion, Aioli, and Tomato, the Yamwich really is a freaking explosion of flavor in your mouth and I would never imagine Yam on a sandwich to be this colorful or diverse. Definitely if there is one dish you should get while at Little Town Social, it is this.
Try their homemade chocolate chip cookies as a great end for the dessert. The salt inside really sticks out on top of the ooey gooey chocolate chips and the cookie overall is baked to perfection. Sarah and the team really did a great job here, and I hope the next time you are in Hoboken you give Little Town Social a shot.
For more information on Little Town Social, check out their official site. Happy eating everyone!
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