Weehawken, and in a way, North Hoboken, recently welcomed a new restaurant: Drift, where Chef Bryan Noury crafted a modern American menu that is quite exciting. Well, not fully American as the menu includes sushi that I did not try, always thinking that, if I wanted sushi, I may as well just go to a Japanese restaurant…This place is huge, with a dining area that is stunning, dominated by a 100-feet rectangular bar, brass walls and leather banquettes that give a warm and elegant feel to the place. I should mention their 4,000 feet outdoor space that overlooks the New York skyline and will be awesome when the weather will be warmer. We went a few times there and, for the most part, we had a great meal. Their whipped ricotta is quite good, although the focaccia was a bit dry, but I loved their croquettes that are made surprisingly with cauliflower, gruyere and truffle (oil probably). Crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, they were simply delicious. For entrees, Jodi tried their wild mushroom wood fire flatbread that was very good, made with a generous amount of wild mushrooms and triple cream brie. I recommend it over their Margherita one that was just ok. On my side, my favorite entree was their halibut piccata: the fish was perfectly cooked, flakey, moist, with a crispy skin, bathed in brown butter, with capers and preserved lemon. I highly recommend it! Their bricked heritage chicken is also superb. Served with a cheddar polenta and wild mushrooms, the chicken was also perfectly cooked, the skin being crispy and the meat moist. However, I found their filet mignon disappointing. Very small and overcooked. I had it with jenga fries that were steak fries setup like the jenga game. And if you know me, I prefer skinny fries. They were supposed to be triple fried, but I thought they lacked crispiness. As a side, I preferred their charred forage mushrooms for sure.

With our meals, we tried some of their drinks. Jodi got their pineapple and pink grapefruit soda, while I tried few of their cocktails. The first one was the Slippery Slope, made with Japanese whisky (Toki), Redumption bourbon, Joto yuzu, green apple (definitely came through), matcha and lemon. I then tried their Lock and key, a mix of brown butter washed Great Jones bourbon, demerara, orange oil, Angostura and mole bitters, their take on an old fashioned. But my favorite was the Frequent Flyer, made with Haiken lychee, Ketel One cucumber & mint, fresh lemon, coconut, sour hibiscus, Lychee being one of my favorite flavors.

Of course, we could not leave without trying their desserts. I would pass on the Basque cheesecake that has nothing to do with was that dessert is suppose to be, the one at Drift being very dense and reminding me a gingerbread like cake instead. They nicely switched it for coconut and saffron pudding that was very good (and I am not always a big fan of coconut). We also tried their apple and pear bread pudding that was ok, a bit dry, served with the vanilla ice cream and their nicely buttery caramel. But my favorite is their roasted banana soufflé that was out of this world. Smartly, they served it with a creme anglaise, that let the soufflé shine. A must have, but know that it requires 25 minutes wait, so I suggest you mention it when giving your order.

Drift is a great addition to the Weehawken scene, with an interesting menu, some great food and an exceptional service that makes you feel welcome. At this time they only serve dinner, but I am sure that after some time, they will start serving brunch. I’ll be there…

Enjoy (I did)!

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Drift - 1200 Harbor Blvd, Weehawken Township, NJ 07086

Drift in Weehawken, NJ

I Just Want To Eat!