So many places in Hoboken were offering Sunday brunch and we probably ended up at the worst of them. Justin had wanted to visit Hoboken for the first time since he was a kid, and I had personally never been to the city at all. My mom joined us and after we arrived, spent what seemed like an hour walking up and down Washington Street checking out restaurant menus and trying to decide where to eat. Brunch seemed like the thing to do, and I was down for that.
We ended up at Mikie Squared, which had an empty interior but quite a few tables taken outside, which is where the three of us sat. Not really knowing if I wanted to imbibe an afternoon cocktail, my mind was changed when the table next to us ordered the Mimosa Flight, which included four different Mimosas (I overheard the waitress say one was a Tequila Sunrise, so a really eclectic mix). They were all different colors and really delicious-looking. Justin and I decided we would share the flight since the glasses were sizeable. Well, the table next to us must have gotten the last drops of sparkling wine in the building because when we ordered, we were informed, “Sorry, we are out of champagne”. Literally, we were two minutes too late. I decided to stick with water since this running out annoyed me more than it should have (how do you run out of champagne with a Mimosa flight on your brunch menu???), mom also had water, and Justin got an orange juice.
Food-wise, I had French Toast which was covered in a fruity syrup along with bananas, blueberries, and strawberries. It was average at best, and stone-cold upon arrival. I asked for a side of Canadian bacon, which were also cold, rubbery, and bland. Whatever. Justin got the Avocado Toast (each piece covered in a fried egg) and although he said he genuinely enjoyed it, I thought it tasteless. Like, legitimately no flavor. Mom had Eggs Benedict, which she liked. They looked good, though I did not try it. One egg was overdone while the other was perfectly poached. Win some, lose some.
The real focus of this review is what happens after we eat. We are handed the check and it was $49.xx. That seemed a lot for three $12 meals and a glass of orange juice. I read the bill and there was a dollar-and-change fee for credit card (which was already on there despite me not having paid with anything-- and I am not mad about the fee; it is becoming all too commonplace now anyway) and we were charged for two glasses of orange juice, priced at $3 each. But still, even with the overcharge on the pesky little glass of OJ, it did not add up. I couldn’t figure out why, and when the waitress came, we mentioned about the OJ. She took the bill back and said she would remove it. When she returned, presumably with this $3 taken off, I notice that the check was now $59.xx. The juice was gone but she had added a 20% gratuity for herself! At this point, Justin took the check and went inside. He was in there for quite a few minutes.
As it happens, the waitress tried to brush him off when he asked about the gratuity. Only when he asked for a manager did she take the check, go into the computer, cancel it and give him the new bill. We had given her my card when we asked to take that OJ off, so it had been charged already at this point. He emerged from the restaurant with the final bill, a total of $39.xx. She had now removed both orange juices. I am still, however, trying to figure how we went from $49 to $59 to $39. Something shady was going on and I refuse to believe this was an honest mistake. If it was, she would have apologized for hitting the wrong button or whatever. Instead, she hands him the check and says, “Don’t bother leaving a tip.” And so we didn’t. For the first time in my life, I left no tip. And I’m in the food service industry. Funny thing is that she would have gotten a 20% tip anyway, even with the subpar food. We had never even complained about anything. There was no rhyme or reason for any of this to occur. The bravado here pissed me off to no end. I would complain further, but this forum (and my blog) will be enough.
