The wife and i were in the mood for some Steamers, and I remembered the legendary Biggie's of Hoboken was open on Rt. 17 in Carlstadt. I knew it had a raw bar, Clams, Oysters, etc., and thought the steamers would be a nice treat as it is so hard to get them and get them done right in this area.
Parking before 5 PM on A Friday night was no problem, and we were greeted by a friendly and abundant hostess crew who sat us immediately. The place was still pretty quiet at that time.
Knowing the reputation but having never been to the Hoboken location, we were Biggie's virgins, noting the beautiful work they put into the interior of this space. I commented to my wife, "they must have dumped a ton of money into this place".
There is a separate bar area where you can sit, drink, and eat, and as well as seating at the raw bar. The huge space has booth and table seating as well.
A perky waitress named Sarah came to our table, and told us that the draft beers which were normally SEVEN dollars each, were now FIVE dollars each until 7 PM. SEVEN DOLLARS? FIVE DOLLARS for a draft? We each ordered a beer and nursed it for the entire meal. At those upscale prices, one would go broke just having a few beers each. We were perplexed.
It got better as we looked at the menu and the raw bar pricing. Were we in the Plaza Hotel Raw Bar or on Rt. 17 in a place called Biggie's?
$1.75 each for oysters, where a dozen will set you back $21.00!!! WOW! It was starting to dawn on us how they were paying for this place.
If you started with a dozen Oysters, as I usually like to do, and then have an entree at around 15 - 20 bucks, and then some seven dollar beers, your bill would be well over 50 - 60 bucks per person! Yikes!
THIS IS BIGGIES!
As we came for steamers, we ordered them a $12.00 for a dozen. What we got was a bowl full of Cherry stone clams in a broth of god knows what. I had to ASK for drawn butter as there was none.
Steamers are Little Neck clams that are usually served in a big bucket with a dish of hot water or "broth" to clean them, and drawn butter. These were not steamers, and my wife had to remind me, in fairness, that the menu did not say steamers, but "Steamed Clams".
They were O.K., not a bad flavor, but they were resting in the "broth" normally used for cleaning them. I would not recommend them if you are looking for traditional Steamers.
I ordered the "famous" Biggie's Cheese Steak sandwich. It was O.K. as they go, nothing out of the ordinary, and a VERY thin piece of meat.
They must have lowered the price since opening because I believe it is now like $8.95 with waffle fries. The sandwich is basically decent Italian bread, cheese, onions and peppers with a thin steak lost somewhere inside. I've had the best cheese steaks in Philly, and true Hoboken legends like Piccolo's. Nothing legendary about this one, sorry.
My wife had the basic Cheeseburger, Nicely cooked and flavorful, but they used a standard, flimsy hamburger bun that fell apart when the juices, etc., took hold. She was reduced to finishing it with a fork.
As we were finishing, the place started filling up, with many patrons either from Hoboken currently, or living there formerly saying hello to the staff. There was an army of wait staff, and raw bar workers ready to serve a huge crowd they must have been expecting.
Now, back to the beers. When we got our check, the drafts were billed at $3.00 and $2.00, so either the waitress had it wrong, or they made a mistake. Either way, those prices are more in line with happy hour pricing, and getting the people in the door. Had we known the true pricing, we would have had another beer or two more.
We were excited at the prospect of a raw bar, and good, basic pub grub coming to this area in a place with a known family run reputation. However, these ridiculous prices and lack of quality will keep us from going back.
At $21.00 a dozen, I'll eat my Oysters at the Plaza! read more