FOOD: Brunch at The Stewed Cow [Hoboken, NJ]

In my continuous quest to find amazing brunch spots, I have often found that eateries neatly fall into one of two categories: short cut brunch and crafty brunch. Short cut brunch consists of some classic breakfast items, some sandwiches and a salad option or two compiled into one menu. Crafty brunch provides a menu with items that you can't just order on any old day--these brunch selections play hard to get all week until you can have your way with them on Saturdays and Sundays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Now that you know how much time I spend analyzing/categorizing brunch, then you should be able to comfortably trust me when I say, I had one of the best brunches of all time at The Stewed Cow in Hoboken.

I was initially attracted to The Stewed Cow when I spotted their brunch special on their website. Their self-proclaimed "infamous brunch" includes a muffin and pastry basket, "sumpthin' from the house for the table," two brunch cocktails, and a choice of entreé for only $20 dollars. It seemed almost too good to be true but alas, it was not.

We opted to wait for outdoor seating as it was a gorgeous, sunny Saturday and they promised no more than a five minute wait. We grabbed a mimosa at the bar to kill time but before five minutes could pass our server came to grab us for our table. The service was incredibly friendly and knowledgable from the start by getting us acquainted with the brunch deal and giving some personal recommendations. We decided on a couple Spiked Arnold Palmers to get our brunch cocktails started, which is a mixture of Sweet Tea vodka and fresh lemonade. This drink is so refreshing that it is easy to forget you are sipping on booze.

While enjoying your first cocktail, a basket is brought to the table with your carbohydrate goodies as well as your "sump thin' from the house." Our basket had a tasty fruit pastry and a banana nut muffin--both cut perfectly down the center and ready to share. We also got individual fruit cups with fresh grapes, melon and pineapple.

The entreé options are impressive on paper (and on plate, too). The Stewed Cow is the epitome of crafty brunch because they create special dishes that bring breakfast and lunch foods together on one perfect plate. It was obvious they were off to a good start as I perused the menu, but I was in no way prepared for the delicious overload I was about to experience. The Skirt Steak Sandwich was a melt-in-your-mouth, hope it never ends, I'll never eat another sandwich again, kind of sandwich. The tender skirt is topped with fried eggs, American cheese, fried onion strings, and spicy mayo. Pick up your jaw and cancel Houlihan's with Grandma next Saturday. Right now.

But wait! There's more! I made the extremely intelligent decision of pairing this bad boy of a sandwich with their sweet potato fries. These crispy potato slices of perfection are paired with a honey maple dipping sauce. Our server did try to warn us about the addictive grip of this dipping sauce; we didn't stand a chance against it.

Another original concoction from their menu is the "Mornin' Sunshine." This creation starts with a layer of corn bread, topped with fried eggs, crispy bacon, and finished off with a creamy cheese sauce. The sweet corn bread was the perfect compliment to the salty kick of the bacon and cheese.

Going a step beyond brunch, The Stewed Cow has a lengthy beer, wine and liquor list as well as countless entreé options for lunch and dinner; a few brunch menu stragglers can even be found within the regular menu. They have specials every night of the week, from Whiskey Wednesday flights and pairings to mechanical bull rides and reverse happy hour on Fridays. So even if you aren't sold on brunch (though I did mention CHEESE SAUCE so I can't say I'd understand why), there are six other days with plenty of enticing reasons for you to give The Stewed Cow a chance to impress you. Did I mention the mechanical bull?