When The Staff Makes (Then Breaks) A Place

This review is tough for me to write. I understand that change is the only thing that remains constant in the universe, but not everything has to, right? My favorite bar in Hoboken over the past three years has been Gaslight.

That post is now vacant.

I first started going to Gaslight because it was convenient. I lived less than two blocks away and the drinks were strong. By the time I realized that Gaslight probably had the best DJ in Hoboken working on Friday and Saturday nights, I saw no reason to go anywhere else for a drink. And it eventually reached the point where the bartenders would put my drink on the bar as soon as they saw me come in. For real — I felt like Norm Peterson every time I set foot in Gaslight (and at least two of my GoOutJersey comrades benefited from this level of recognition). I don’t necessarily expect a complementary hot toddy whenever I tell a bartender that I’m a little under the weather, but it wouldn’t hurt.

After the two regular bartenders left, my “Dear John letter” from Gaslight came in the form of a busboy who remembered I had a special relationship with his former co-workers. He informed me that one of them left to pursue her Ph.D., while the other was finally getting his acting career off the ground, and was featured in a commercial with NBA star Kevin Garnett. I’m proud of you guys. Godspeed!

These days, going in there is like a butler seating you in the living room of your parents’ house. I don’t feel comfortable there. It’s no longer “home.” The main bartender does Tom Cruise Cocktail tricks! There’s nothing wrong with that, I guess, but it just doesn’t fit Gaslight.

The music is simply shuffled from somebody’s iPod, so it would not be a stretch to hear 50 Cent’s P.I.M.P followed up by Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles. The crowd has even changed slightly. One of the first times I went back after receiving the tragic news, I walked into a Stevens Institute party, complete with wristbands. Good for the bar; bad for me and anyone else not looking to hang out with a bunch of sloppy-drunk kids who couldn’t keep their beers off the front of their shirts. Oh, and the drinks are $8. I honestly can’t remember what the original price was, but I don’t like this $8 thing at all.

The bottom line is that the things that made Gaslight special are now gone. The food is decent, the overall atmosphere hasn’t changed too much and it’s still less than two blocks away from where I live. It’s just sad that location is the only reason I would consider going to Gaslight now.

Gaslight
400 Adams St
Hoboken
(201) 217-1400
www.gaslightnj.com

— by Steve Lawrence
Steve, originally from Philly, now lives in Hoboken and works as an associate producer in NYC.

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