+1, although I am surprised about the portion size comment. I would say generally the portion sizes are less than other restaurants, especially the appetizers. However, the quality is always high.

With reference to my post above, I understand they have discontinued the tasting menu.

I love this place...both the food and the bar are great. The menu offers a wide variety of items, and you actaully get a full plate of food. Cozy atmosphere, off the beaten path and service has always been great... waiters and bartenders are so friendly. Can't go wrong with this place!

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In answer to 2. I was told it varies not day to day but week to week.

Actually, I may have answered 1 of my 3 questions by digging around on the Hudson Restaurant Week site.

I just found this:

3-Course Dinner: $30 (excluding tip, tax & drinks -- menu subject to change)

**First Course: (choose one)**

Ox Tail - Pan Fried Polenta, Shallot Jam & Parsley Emulsion
Blue Hubbard Squash Ravioli - Sage Brown Butter
Bibb Lettuce Salad - Roasted Asian Pears, Dried Cherries, Gorgonzola Dolce & Champagne Vinaigrette

**Second Course: (choose one)**

Braised Rabbit Pappardelle - Pearl Onions, Wild Mushrooms, White Wine & Tarragon Creme Fraiche
Cornmeal Crusted Skate - White Bean Puree, Tuscan Kale & Red Wine Reduction
Grilled Flat Iron Steak - Smoked Cippollini Onion Whipped Potatoes & House Steak Sauce

**Third Course: (choose one)**

Chocolate Terrine - Hazelnut Anglaise & Fresh Raspberries
Meyer Lemon Mousse - Cardamom Tuilles & Blackberry Jam

Sounds fantastic -- I'm guessing this July 28 through August 8 tasting menu is the one that they are currently using?

(Or maybe not, given that GrovePath's post mentions a four-course tasting menu and the Hudson Restaurant Week tasting menu only features three courses?)

Still, any feedback from JCListers about their experiences with the tasting menu would definitely be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the tasting menu tip, GrovePath.

Have any JCListers out there tried the Ox tasting menu yet?

If so, what did you think?

Sounds like a great way to sample the restaurant's fare.

Three questions:

1. Is the tasting menu posted online anywhere? (There is no mention of it on the restaurant's website.)

2. Does the tasting menu vary from day to day?

3. Is the tasting menu a limited-time sorta thing (a la Hudson Restaurant Week) or something that they plan on keeping around for awhile?

Hudson Restaurant Week is just around the corner -- from July 28 through August 8.

It's always a good excuse to go out and dine. :)

Just have brunch at Ox again...wish I had two stomachs...wanted more but just couldn't make it fit.

Ox, 176 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, is offering a four-course tasting menu on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. 5:30 to 8 PM; $30. For reservations call 201-860-4000.

I love ox, the food is great and its a great place to have in JC. The only problem is the noise level when the place is packed. Its pretty annoying trying to have a conversation. So I go there when all the excited yuppies are not there. I guess it has to do with the architecture, the way it funnels up the sound, sometimes it feels like I am listening to everyone at the same time. I guess we all look at different things in a restaurant, but the food and service are actually very good.

Blown away by the service and the food. I tipped 25% because I was so happy with the service. I made it a point to speak with the owner and commend the waitstaff and kitchen.

Keep em coming.

Couldn't agree more. We need more places like OX on Newark Ave and less dollar stores.

I dined in at Ox recently and the food is fantastic. I tried the ox tail (delicious), special of the day eggplant risotto (hope it comes back), and the strip steak. I cannot remember the name of the desert, but it was also top notch.

Bottom line - Ox is one of the best restaurants in J.C.

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...for he is of pure and noble breed.

[Hey BM, that writeup of DC must be ancient. J Perlow hasn't been associated with eglutton for eons although he was one of the founders.]

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You are correct. ALL reviews for JC restaurants in the NYT are only those published in the "In the Region" (used to be the "New Jersey") section of the Times where some staff and many freelancers submit reviews.

"David Corcoran, who joins this section today as a restaurant reviewer, has been an editor at The Times since 1988. He has written about food and restaurants for The Record of Hackensack and other newspapers. Beginning April 30, his reviews and those of Catherine Jones will appear on alternate Sundays.

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I wish i could be like David Watts.

fwiw i find the service to be more average than excellent - extremely eager & solicitous but appeared to be inexperienced and/or poorly trained. there was a lot of confusion about where to deliver food and the positioning within the table.

i assume that nyt review was from the local section, not the dining section. i definitely want to try the oxtail at some point but boning it before braising seems like a pretty bizarre thing to do.

I will back Showtime's post regarding brunch: not very good at all.

bacon was standard cut, nothing impressive... and fried? super crispy, not my style. sausage was the best thing i tried. omlette was"ok" but nothing special (i can prepare better eggs at home across the board).

I had the benny... ug. "smoked ham"? seemed like regulation ham to me, nothing of note, and i detected not smoke. the eggs were not poached in water, they were done in one of those poacher mold things. no thanks. was like a just under hard boiled egg, no run to the yolk. The hollindaise was good though (real holindaise, unlike the wack sauce they try to pass at the Merchant). And as showtime mentioned, the muffin was one of the bigger variety, and barely toasted. not good.

love love love the dinner menu and bar menu, no real interest in going back for brunch. ingredients and prep were pretty unispiring.

I took my kids to dinner there last Sunday night and we had a lovely time. We sat at the communal table in the back, my kids ordered from the bar menu, my boyfriend and I ordered off the regular menu, and our food was terrific. It can definitely get pricey, but the service and food are really quite good and they're VERY kid-friendly.

We got the cauliflower pasta and an order of the miso-glazed monkfish. the kids got a variety of things (swedish meatballs, deviled eggs, salad) and we all enjoyed our dinner thoroughly. Well certainly go back.

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The tuscan kale ricotta pie is outrageous. I have been to this place 6 times already for drink or dinner . I love it. venison sliders , ox tail, bib salad the steak , the monk fish etc ......... I am just pissed it is getting so busy I have to make reservations.

I've been dying to try Ox after reading so much good press about it here on JC List. I finally made it over for brunch recently. It was terrible, really terrible. Ranks among one of my worst brunch meals in Jersey City. My boyfriend and I both had the eggs benedict and ordered one side of potatoes to split. If I could just say it was nothing special - well, fine, I would just leave it at that - but, it was utterly tasteless. A real disappointment. The hollandaise had no flavor whatsoever and the muffin was just barely warmed - not toasted - and pretty thick which would sound like a desirable thing, but it ended up adding to the overall bland flavor. One of my eggs was poached too well and was almost solid while the other egg was the opposite. I know brunch can be an iffy experience because, of course, you don't have the head chef working usually, but regardless, if you are going to have the attitude about your restaurant and its food that this place does, you better put out a good eggs benedict. We were both very disappointed with it. I went there knowing I would be paying more and getting less, but I wanted to try it because I was hoping it was going to be worth it - it wasn't. We had to pay extra for the potatoes and the plate didn't come dressed with any greens. We usually go to Madame Claude's or Skinner's Loft for brunch and are always happy with both. Madame Claude's is just always terrific, and your plate come with potatoes and greens. Skinner's Loft will also give you muffins and rolls and I love that.

I do want to say that the service was good, and thankfully friendly and easy-going in spite of the industrial/cold attitude of the decor. Both of the two servers working the floor visited our table a few times and even the bartender stepped out from behind the bar to clear our plates. But this is not to suggest I get service I'm unhappy with in other places. I also get great service at MC's and SL. We do also like Marco & Pepe for brunch and don't have issues with service there, either. The only place where the service is usually poor is Beechwood, I think. We stopped going there for brunch altogether.

One more good note in Ox' favor was the bloody mary. Good bloody marys. Reminded me of the bloody marys we used to get at the old Ale House - before it was sold. It had horseradish in it, thank goodness. Sometimes you order a bloody mary and all you're getting is vodka with tomato juice.

I'm still curious about their dinner service, I imagine it could only be better and still would like to try it, but there's no way I'm going to get my boyfriend to go back with me anytime soon. Maybe I can get him to go back for a drink and try something off the bar menu .... but we'll have to stick to our usual places for brunch.

maybe put the bar in the basement or something.

I went there for the first time about a month ago. The food was quite impressive. I particularly found the Tuscan Kale and Ricotta pie appetizer inventive and delicious.

The drinks the bartender poured were also quite good. I would concur with other posters about the noise, but I don't think there's much that can be done. The decor and layout lend to the high db levels. Service could have been snappier, but the place is still young. Prices were reasonable

I'll definitely be back.

i went the other night. i liked the food. they should try to separate the bar from the sitting area - it was very noisy

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HGLNYC wrote:
Unlike the majority here, I didn't like the food at Ox, and was cyber crucified by the masses on JC List.... but yes the service was great and a very friendly staff.

I'm an M&P groupie...eat there 2-3 times a week and I love the food. the staff there is not as friendly but "they know me" and I always get good service.

The few times I've been to Beachwood were miserable....service wise. They could care less about taking care of their customers.



UHMMM HGLNYC, may I ask how long you have been eating at M&P because if you didn't know this already, the chefs at Ox were formerly at M&P's and I believe most of the menu at M&P were recipes from the former chefs. Maybe you should give Ox another try!! Oh well! Can't please everyone in this world..Besides, NY TIMES and NJ Monthly sure beat your opinion!

Unlike the majority here, I didn't like the food at Ox, and was cyber crucified by the masses on JC List.... but yes the service was great and a very friendly staff.

I'm an M&P groupie...eat there 2-3 times a week and I love the food. the staff there is not as friendly but "they know me" and I always get good service.

The few times I've been to Beachwood were miserable....service wise. They could care less about taking care of their customers.

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Tried it for the first time tonight. Exceptional. The server apologized because two people didn't show for their shifts and they were slammed. It took a very long time to get service but all you need is someone who apologizes and all if forgiven (or maybe it was the fact I went through half a bottle of wine, I would have forgiven anyone, lol).

Loved the food, wow. Decent price point. Very, very noisy but apparently they are going to re-design in some way with sound buffers to make it less noisy. Also, no music was playing so limited ambience that way, but the company I had was great so I didn't care (hmmm, but my guest did, I guess I'm not good company after half a bottle of wine).

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i think it's safe to say most of the folks bothering to mention it on here are not basing it on 1 or 2 experiences, rather an extended period of exposure.

Honestly, there is no question for me at this point: Ox owns the grove area dining scene at this point. Have not had a bad dish yet (including specials), bar menu is worth repeat use, beers are great etc etc etc....

Anyone have a scan? I heard I'm in the picture.

I disagree with the description of M&P staff. I have eaten at Marco and Pepe twice and both times found the staff to be friendly and charming. They were also informative and invested in the JC community. I will try OX now because the description of the food got me excited!

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that's what I most like about Ox, as opposed to the petulant hipster staff at M&P and Beechwood.

That's great and well deserved, too.

Question - what happened to the amazing "bottle garden" that suddenly appeared one day in the small plot of ground next to the entrance - and then disappeared?

It was a wonderful, witty and clever set of four or five sculptures made by assembling used bottles with wire so each looked like a flowering bush.

I wish I had a photo of it to share. The first day, I saw someone taking pix. If he's on this board I wish he would post one.

Who created them? Why did they disappear?