Hoboken Business: Engle & Völkers Hoboken x Dino & Harry's Steakhouse

WARNING: I love steak. I really do. Steak in my opinion, like a good cup of coffee or a nice bourbon - needs nothing, you should just be able to enjoy it as is. But I have never been to Dino & Harry’s Steakhouse. Ever. Growing up in Hoboken, I’m very familiar with what an institution it is. I even remember past incarnations of the Steakhouse. But somehow I’ve just never been. So when Jane Estes, owner of Engle & Völkers Hoboken pitched the feature idea, I was into it. SanMartin and I head to E&V offices and I’m ready for steak. I’m dying to find out if it’s as great as everyone says. 

The Engle & Völkers office is beautiful and shiny and new. We head out the backyard space where Dino himself and Sharon, who handles marketing for D&H and is also a realtor at E&V, are getting the grill going. There are two beautifully fat 32 ounce porterhouse steaks getting the D&S house seasoning treatment and then thrown onto the grill. 

The time has finally arrived - they’re done cooking, Dino has cut into them and we’re about to chow down. The steaks are cooked perfectly, in little time and are the kind of meat that melts on your tongue. I add some D&H steak sauce because it’s their signature sauce and I feel I need the whole experience. While the sauce is good, the steak doesn’t need it. Its absolutely delicious. When Sharon and I sit down for our interview we talk about the best meal to order, the history of the establishment and the fact the steaks are now available to order online to cook at home. Just in case you were wondering what the best meal is, Sharon says steak with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach with one of the bottles of wine off their insane wine list, but that’s met with some conflict as Jane says the lamb chops are the most amazing thing. I think you can’t go wrong with either choice.

Don’t sleep on these little cuties by @sweet.deliciousness

Next I sit down with Jane to talk about Engle & Völkers. A long time resident of Hudson County (and my neighbor for almost 20 years), I ask her why she thought to bring an E&V to Hoboken, to which she explains that with so many people moving over from the city, Hudson County is truly the 6th borough with many people looking for luxury homes. E&V is known as a luxury lifestyle agency, and Hudson County is rapidly moving that direction. We also discuss their annual Cystic Fibrosis Halloween Gala in honor of her late business partner Nick Constantino which is catered by 10 businesses including, you guessed it, Dino and Harry’s. 

My time at Engle & Völkers was so lovely, we had amazing food and ended the way I like all hectic days to end— with a nice glass of wine outside. I can’t wait to get the full Dino’s experience and get to-go steaks perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve at my house. And don’t worry SanMartin, I think I found where we’re having our own little Holiday Party!

For more information on Dino & Harry’s Steakhouse, check out their website here and their Instagram here, as well as Engle & Völkers Hoboken here and here. 

Hoboken Business: The Winston

When I heard a new Speakeasy was opening up in Hoboken I was so excited. Nothing at all against the Hoboken crowd, but we needed a bar that could refresh the Hoboken bar scene. More cocktail bar than Speakeasy, The Winston helps fill that void. Sure, there’s still Bud Light on the menu, but you can get a really nice looking and tasting cocktail also, and that’s really the focus.

Hector Noelle, Beverage Director, designs the cocktails, and as he says, likes to “get weird” with them. He takes classic cocktails and gives them a fun new spin, which I found to actually be well executed. I even appreciate the classic Hoboken bar offerings (Bud Light, Coors Light, Patron) because it makes nice cocktails accessible to everyone. 

Hector first makes the “Seeking Perfection”, a play on the classic Gin and Tonic. In his version he uses Hendricks Gin, simple syrup, lavendar bitters, tonic, and an amazing thing called b’Lure Flower Extract. b’Lure is an extract that starts blue and changes to purple based on the Ph levels of what it’s mixed with. In this instance, the tonic water triggers the color change reaction, which is why the cocktail is presented in two parts: in an oil and vinegar cruet— separating the booze components with the b’Lure and the tonic and lime juice component— and the empty coup glass garnished with a lemon slice and burnt Rosemary for the aromatics. The cocktail is definitely showy, but it actually tastes good. I’ve never been much of a gin person, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Next up was the “Dunkirk", a Oaxaca take on an Old Fashion. Hector starts by torching a cinnamon stick and turning a glass upside down over it, smoking up the glass. He then mixes habanero shrub, orange bitters and agave, replacing the muddled orange slice, maraschino cherry and sugar from the classic recipe. He then adds El Buho Mezcal and Patron Silver. I genuinely loved this drink. The cinnamon smoke and mezcal give the drink the smokiness you expect and want from an Old Fashion, while the habanero adds a nice little extra burn. It’s the perfect fall day drink in my opinion. 

I’m personally happy to see that Hoboken Nightlife is starting to shed its Frat boy image, even if just a little. Make sure to give The Winston a try because we need more establishments like it in town! For more information check out The Winston website here, and their Instagram here.

Hoboken Business: Bum Pilates

When I found Bum Pilates on Instagram I was all about the aesthetic. Between the millennial pink, the butt puns and the general imagery, I was all in. It's what a few big workout chains do with their imagery and advertising, but when you go to a class or meet the owners you discover it's all a shtick. As soon as you meet Cait Kolibas, the owner, it becomes abundantly clear how authentic it all is. Cait has long blonde messy hair, she's covered in the coolest tattoos, and did I mention she has the body we all wish we had? This place SCREAMS Cait, and it's cool AF.

I had never done a pilates reformer class before. Sure, I've tried some floor pilates classes at the gym, where women are essentially piled on top of each other, while Techno played, but this was different. Between my gym experience, and the image I had in my mind of Gwyneth Paltrow in an overpriced perfectly white workout outfit, sipping Moon Juice while some New Age music plays, I've just never had any interest. Pilates always seemed like something that just wasn't my speed. Maybe it was the tranquility, or pretentiousness, but it didn't sound fun. When we talk, I tell Cait that these are the images I've had in my mind and exactly why I've never had any desire to try Pilates. 

But Bum is entirely different. There's hiphop music I actually listen to playing, the space is cute and pink, there's a calm pit-bull sleeping on the sofa, and Cait's teaching in Adidas leggings and a vintage soccer shirt. She's saying things like "this one makes your ass burn, right?". Not to mention the workout actually kicked my ass. 

I tell her I've recently (a year ago) had a baby, and haven't really been working out. And that's when she unloads some knowledge on me-- Pilates is one of the best postpartum workouts. Pilates is perfect for strengthening the pelvic walls that lose their strength after birth. The same walls that make peeing when you sneeze or laugh a possibility. The same walls that ache after a day of walking around. And after one class I can feel that it's true. But let's not forget about your butt. I'm sure Pilates is a great overall workout, but between all the squeezing and tightening and extending, my lower body is where I feel it all. Cait also uses TRX in her workouts which I've always found fun and hard. It brought in an ab element I didn't really get from the reformer exercises, and from what I've heard, is rare in a Pilates class. 

Cait and Bum Pilates make working out fun. In an hour I felt toned, strong and like I had actually done something really good for me. It doesn't hurt that the body you're aspiring to have is teaching the class, which is a lot of motivation to keep going when it starts to get too hard. For some exercises watch our episodes below, or go take a class. I assure you, you will feel good afterwards.

For more information on Bum Pilates check out the website here, and the Instagram here. And don't forget, we've partnered with them to giveaway 1 personal training session with Cait herself.