Skylark On the Hudson

Shocked to hear they closed. It was by far the best eatery in the area and loved their brunch and coffee shop. I am afraid place will go vacant during the sunny days of the year and as always people from area would either go to city or hbk for decent meal.

It’s now closed down. Hopefully the next restaurant will realize that putting an upscale NYC restaurant in Newport doesn’t work. First South City Grill, now Skylark.

Skylark was always one of my favorite places especially since the brunch here was amazing. Sadly, this place closed down two weeks ago and it will definitely be missed.
Why am I putting a review? So in case the ex-​owners read this and know how much they were loved.

Our last visit was for Sunday brunch a few weeks ago, which turns out is a-​la-​carte and not a fixed price. The Eggs Benedict are very good.
They sometimes participate in Hudson Restaurant week.

Place was dead yet it took 35 minutes to get soup… this is a Sunday! Now I have to reconsider my options in Newport JC, because this place is one less option!!!

Good cocktails… Omelettes — highly recommended.
Recently added some new items in their menu. Spicly indian eggplant with rice is yummy.

NJ is the land of diners as everyone knows. The Skylark is a mix of an upscale diner, bar/​lounge, and private event space. I came here during a Unilocal Elite event sometime ago. Which was quite fun!
This time I’m here for Breakfast. The artisan bread with jam is delicious. I got my standard eggs over medium with bacon, while my wife ordered eggs benedict. My eggs were cooked perfectly and tasted ok. The eggs benedict had a nice spicy kick to them but nothing amazing. The toast and hash browns weren’t very hot.
The décor is very modern and is kept very clean. The service was good. Prices are a lot more than your standard diner. And there is the problem. The food isn’t any better than a normal diner but the price will be ¹⁄₃ higher.
My only other issue is parking. I don’tlive in Newport so I have to drive to get there. Street parking is very limited so you have to go the deck.
I don’t know what lunch and dinner is like so I have no comment.
Have Fun

*This review is broken up into Overall Verdict (Summary), Experience/​Service and Food/​Dessert details.
— — — Overall Verdict:
Service: On the slow side; I come here expecting to wait
Venue: Spacious — good for a large group, but nothing extraordinary
Food: Below Par — seriously, my favorite items were their banana bread and salad.
Verdict: I’ve given this place more than enough chances to redeem itself (because there’s not many options in the Newport area), but every single time, it’s been disappointing. The only saving grace for me is their dessert, and even with that, I’ve had better. Oh, but I did like their complimentary banana bread.
— — — Experience/​Service:
The venue is spacious, but nothing special in terms of decorations or ambiance. They have outdoor and indoor seating available. While the servers are typically kind, the service overall is slow. Every time I’ve come here, I’ve had to wait; whether I’m with a group of 10 (which I had thought was the original reason) or with one friend, the time it takes from getting a waiter to pay attention to you to having your food served is noticeably long (and I’m not even in a hurry). Negative stars for this part.
— — — -Food/​Dessert:
I’ve tried a whole array of dishes including Fish and Chips, Sauteed Spinach, Brussels and the Duck Sandwich. Unfortunately, they tend to be rather bland. Even with the extra sauces provided, the dish remains tasteless. The side salad typically ends up being the tastiest so if I had to come back here, I’d stick to the salad. Their complimentary banana bread is also very good: fresh and soft.
Their desserts are better and sweet-​tasting but not the best I’ve had. I’ve tried their cheese cake, chocolate cake and the cranberry apple crisp.
Two stars for banana bread, salad and dessert.

I’ve dined as Skylark 4 times now, and have had very mixed experiences. My family and I have had breakfast there, which we really enjoyed. I had lunch with my girlfriend and her family, and it was very forgettable. I have been there for dinner twice.
Most recently, we stopped in for dinner after a movie, so it was a bit late and most other places were closed.
First of all, there was nobody at the hostess stand when we walked in, which is always kind of off-​putting, more importantly, several servers walked right past us without even saying «someone will be right with you». When someone finally came to seat us (I think he is the manager) he acted like a zombie, barely speaking and seeming to be in a daze. Then the really bizarre thing happened. We noticed a couple at another table pull out a loaf of bread, still wrapped, from a bakery. Perhaps they have food allergies, perhaps they just prefer their own bread to the restaurant’s, perhaps this is a BYOB (Bread, not Booze). While we were still contemplating this, the waiter came over, placed a plate of butter on our table, and said «I was told you ordered butter». We had not, for the record, ordered butter. We said that perhaps it belongs to the couple with the large loaf of bread sitting on their table. He too seemed confused.
So far, the food has been nothing special for the price. They are trying to be an upscale diner, but the food is not really that much better or more exciting than a regular diner, just priced higher. They need to either step up their game with great service and amazing food, or lower their prices and serve standard diner fare really well.

We had a LivingSocial coupon that was about to expire… and I’m glad we made it.
Jersey City sure is different nowadays. (I was born in JC a LOOOOONG time ago!)
We started with a decent glass of Malbec. Had their hummus appetizer, which was good. (Not as good as what I make at home, but still very good.) The pita that came with it was excellent. toasted to perfection.
We both opted for burgers. (Grass fed beef! A definite plus!) The came medium rare as we ordered with a brioche like bun that wasn’t TOO big.
The service was also very attentive and prompt.
So yes, we liked this place. Not sure when we’ll be back, but if we’re in the area, I’m sure we’ll be by.
Oh, there’s quite a bar seen (on a Tuesday night!) They were bringing out all kinds of ‘Happy Hour” treats including tons of sliders! If we lived closer… we’d definitely stop by at Happy Hour!

They need new chefs. The food is simply not good.
Some of the food arrived cold, yet overcooked. How does that happen? Service was ok. Seating was easy and quick. Staff seemed friendly.

I’ve been here on several occasions now, at different times of the day. I would say they deserve an extra star on top of my previous review, mainly because of the corned beef Reuben which I just had for lunch. I was actually very pleased with it! I would even say this beats the Katz’s Reuben out of the park for a home run. They sliced the meat really thin and it was a very juicy sandwich all around. The bread was a bit greasy, but hey, it’s a Reuben, not a salad.
Apart from my recent experience, I’ve never really been disappointed by this place. True, the service was a bit sluggish at one point, but it never got so bad for me that I couldn’t take it anymore.
The only thing that really bothers me about this place is the restroom. For fuck’s sake, please get rid of that atrocious trough!

A friend and I came in for restaurant week.
Not-​so-​friendly waitress and COLD «cuban style panini.»
The seared ahi tuna app was delicious, I’d pass on the «spicy» chilled tomato gazpacho. Tiramisu was okay.
I may return here. maybe *someone* was having a bad day, but overall, for a $ 15 restaurant week lunch, it was acceptable, ya know?

I broke a cardinal rule of eating at a diner: I got something other than a staple. Last night I went here with a group of 6 for Hudson Restaurant Week.
The Bar Area gets 5 stars. Happy Hour was delightful. White Winter Cosmo with vodka as a substitution for gin. Delicious. Also, cute bartender. Great presentation, pricing, atmosphere. Will definitely return for drinks.
The Food gets one star: For dinner I had the salad and the tuna. The salad was really good and filling. Thank god, because I was starving and the tuna was not edible. This is probably because the entrée was brought out while we were still eating our appys and the tuna sat under the heat lamp. After a few bites I was done.
I don’t think I have ever left tuna behind. EVAR.
I didn’t want my dessert so I gave it to a friend to take home.
I’ll return for brunch.
I’m at 2.5 stars and rounding up to 3 for this rating. The service was above average by the waiter. I liked the ambiance. And I’ll return. You can’t judge a diner by its tuna!

There was a group of 7 of us coming here for restaurant week on a Saturday afternoon. I made reservations through open table. Once we were seated, we were told they weren’t offering restaurant week even though the website did say it. We were about to leave and go somewhere else for restaurant week when the manager came by and told us he would make an exception for us.
For appetizer, I had the calamari which was ok. It was a bit greasy for my liking and the sauce kinda tasted like a bbq sauce. For my entrée, I had the salmon which was surprisingly good. The potatoes were a bit hard though. For dessert, I had the apple strudel which was pretty good.
My friends had ordered sodas and they kept refilling it and we didn’t know until we got the check that they charge for refills. My friends were not a fan that they didn’t inform them of that before pouring.
Our waitstaff was friendly and we ended up having a good time, but not quite sure i’ll be back so soon.

Hudson Restaurant Week 2014 review.
2 stars. I hate doing this but recent reviews haven’t been good for this place and I have to be honest.
Came here the other night after shopping with the wife and decided to try the Restaurant Week offering at the Skylark. When I had researched the prices, the website stated $ 25 person. When I mentioned it on the phone I was told that was incorrect, that it was $ 30 and they would be fixing the website. One of the other reviewers mentions that they had seen on the website that they were offering Restaurant Week lunch specials and was told at the restaurant that was incorrect. What is up with that? They need to make sure their website is kept up to date.
It is a limited menu for Restaurant Week. When we arrived we were told that they were out of the Tuna Dinner which left us with 2 options. When we went to order from the appetizer options we were then told they were completely out of tuna so again, we had 2 options for an appetizer and we didn’t feel like a salad which was one of the options. We opted to have two different sliders, the lemongrass turkey and the pulled pork. I think the size is kind of small, I know they are sliders but they were the size of a silver dollar. The turkey was dry but the pulled pork was tasty.
On to the entrees, my wife and I have an agreement that when we try new places we always get a different entrée so we can each taste each other’s plate. I got the Crispy Fried Chicken which was served with macaroni and cheese and turkey braised collards greens with tango sauce. The mac and cheese was the best thing on the plate. My chicken came out in 3 different temperatures, cold, warm and hot. My wife had the wild mushroom risotto, I am not a fan of mushrooms so I had a tiny taste. I don’t think it was anything to write home about. Luckily we filled up on the bread which I have to say was great.
We then ordered the desserts, I had the cheesecake which was a cross between a very dense and a very light cheesecake, it was served with a seasonal fruit compote. My wife went with the only other option (not that she minded), which was the flourless chocolate torte served with raspberry sauce a la mode. The only criticism would be the a la mode could have been a bit bigger. It was a very small (tablespoon) serving of ice cream.
Would I come back again? Possibly for a weekend brunch in the spring or summer as the reviews seem to be better for the breakfast items.

Okay service and very mediocre food. We came on a restaurant week night and were a little late for our reservation, but we didn’t have to worry. The restaurant is huge but quite empty, which was kind of an indicator of the quality of the restaurant.
We started off the meal with a free raisin baguette which the waiter was nice enough to give us another one when we asked. The raisin baguette itself was really dry and tasted kind of old. Also it comes as a whole baguette, so we had to rip it apart with our hands. You’d expect it to be cut for you or at least supply knives that are actually able to cut through the bread.
Our waiter tried to memorize everything we ordered, promptly forgot some of the orders, and had to ask us again. He should have written it down. Both my friend and I ordered a Skylark salad with Portabella specifically asking for the dressing on the side, which evidently did not come on the side.
The Skylark salad itself was decent. Came with lots of greens and large pieces of portabella mushrooms. Best part of the salad were the poached pears. Wish there were more of them.
Two of my friends ordered the risotto, and another one ordered the salmon. The two who ordered the risotto complained that both risottos were hard and undercooked. Apparently the salmon was the best dish of what we ordered.
Staff seems like they’re sort of trying hard to give good service, but they just can’t bring themselves to care. Wasn’t horrible service, but wasn’t the best.

Had a lovely brunch today with my friend and her hubby while sitting outside on a gorgeous day.
Cocktails: I got a Screwdriver and my friend got a Bellini
Appetizer: Crispy Calamari was superbly delicious (you must try it)
Food: Me and my friend shared a Southwest Rubbed St. Louis Ribs and her hubby got the Eggs Benedict
Dessert: Dulce de Leche Cheesecake soooo delicious and a different take on Cheesecake
Well come back when I visit my friend again =)

Sigh — where to begin.
It took at least 20 minutes for our order to be taken, and this is AFTER we flagged one of them down.
The mussels were the tiniest breed I have ever seen, and completed DRENCHED in butter.
The only plus side is the tomato soup tasted pretty good.
I didn’t like the hefty bill at the end either, wouldn’t have been so bad if the food and service was decent.

I think this place a round up 4 stars, because this place has some good attributes. Let me start by saying the personnel is very efficient, professional, and on top of their game in here. The décor in here is pretty modern and pleasing for the eyes as well.
When it comes to the food the falafel sliders are amazing!!! I am middle eastern and I am telling you the falafel sliders are good. I ordered a salmon and was not really impressed, but I tried the NY strip that my brother got and it was cooked to order and tasty. My cousin enjoyed the cerviche as well. I think when It comes to food there are some menu items they can improve on.
Pricing isn’t the best but definitely not the cheapest. Check it out not a bad spot.