The Brass Rail is a popular restaurant located downtown Hoboken, in the historic part of the city. This place, built in the turn of the twentieth century is not only known for its New American cuisine, but also for its paranormal activity. It is said that the staff witnessed the apparition of a bride and groom who passed away there. In 1904, on her wedding day, the bride tripped on top of the spiral staircase, fell and broke her neck. The groom, heartbroken, drunk and, devastated by the loss of his new wife, hung himself in a room adjacent to the staircase, leaving a note saying:
"Now that my wife has been taken from me, there is no reason for me to live".

Other paranormal activity includes trays falling on the floor, an activity that only occurs late at night.

I like the place: the decor is fantastic, with its etched glass doors, red velvet banquettes and 1900s drawings.

Menu wise, as I mentioned before, they serve New American cuisine and their brunch, that we tried, offers a good deal: for $19 you get an appetizer (not just a salad as you will see) and an entrée. For $11 more, you get an alcoholic beverage, unlimited, such as a beer or a mimosa. As my drink of choice for brunch is either coffee or fresh squeezed juice, I went for the first option, similar to Jodi.

Unfortunately, they did not have any fresh squeezed orange juice, so I went for a double espresso that was a bit bitter.

They then brought us some chocolate chip muffins:

For appetizer, Jodi ordered the gazpacho:

It was made with tomatoes and cucumber. It was very refreshing and you could definitely taste the cucumber that gave an added cooling effect.

On my side, I ordered the falafel bites:

There were three regular size falafel (when I read bites, I thought it would be small), that have been cooked in the oven, rather than fried. Because of the cooking process, they were not as crispy as I am used too, but in fact they were very good: soft and not dry inside.

Then, Jodi got a goat cheese omelet.

The omelet was good, well cooked as the eggs were not dry, but I would have liked more cheese as it was mainly on one side.

I ordered the chicken and waffles.

I admit that when it came, I did not find the dish appetizing as the chicken had this grayish color. I also noticed that I got three quarters of the waffle and was wondering where the fourth one went. Anyway, the waffle was not good at all: dense, dry with an off taste. I mentioned it to the manager who saw that I barely touched it and she apologized and offered the cost of the double espresso as a compensation as I did not want a replacement. As for the chicken, it was ok, the crust being overcooked, but the chicken being moist inside.

Although I did not like the waffle, I enjoyed the brunch at The Brass Rail. Would I go back? Probably, but I'll pass on the chicken and waffles!

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!