FueledByLOLZ

Papermoon Diner (Baltimore, Md)

Recently I finally made it to the Papermoon Diner in Baltimore, Md. Personal friend Sarah (and once blogger), recommended it to me and I’ve been dying to go since.

I knew they had good red velvet cake, so I was already excited about that.

Atmosphere: A
The Papermoon Diner is one of the quirkiest and unique diners I’ve ever been too. It looks like something right out of a movie.

The outside is filled with unique items ranging from a bike in a tree or garden gnomes. It’s not a traditional big metal diner, but it definitely stands out.

The inside looks like it’s right out of the movies. There are random mannequins, army men and dozens of odds and ends dangling from the wall.

The atmosphere is definitely one of the best and most unique of any diner I’ve been too.

Service: A
The waitress was extremely friendly and refilled everything as needed. I couldn’t ask for a better experience. Our food was brought out quickly and overall it was a positive experience.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed fresh, and the whipped cream was homemade. It’s hard to top that except they used personalized coffee mugs. It can’t get any better than that. It was definitely one of the best diner coffees I have had in a while.

Food: A
I was hungry when I arrived, so I ordered the hummus appetizer. I’ve been enjoying hummus lately. It came with the largest portion of hummus I’ve received as well. Also included were onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and a unique olive dip. Everything tasted great and I would order it again.

For my entree, I decided to order off the specials. I had never heard of a lamb hash at a diner, so I decided to order that. The lamb hash came with two eggs over easy, lamb and hash browns. The meal itself was delicious! I could have used some bread, but other then that I have no complaints.

Dessert: A
I knew the dessert at Papermoon was delicious so I planned to order red velvet cake. I am so glad I did! When I say this was in the top 5 cakes I’ve had, it was. There was a lot of frosting, the cake itself was dense, and there was plenty of ice cream. It’s definitely one of the best diner cakes I’ve had except Mastoris and the Jefferson Diner.

Cost: $$
For my appetizer, entree, coffee, and dessert that cost was $33. Definitely more pricey but the quality of food was high and I have no complaints.

Overall/Would I come back?
The Papermoon Diner is one of my favorite diners to date. I don’t have any complaints, and every part was perfect. It’s such a quirky and unique diner that I would recommend it to anyone! In fact, I’m looking at races in the Baltimore area just so I can go back.

Summary:
Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Service: A
Food: A
Dessert: A
Cost: $15-25
Overall: A

Questions for you:
What’s the best cake you’ve had?
Do you like lamb?

Scenic 90s Cafe (Pensacola)

While in Pensacola, my husband I decided to stop at the Scenic 90s cafe. When we moved from Texas to New Jersey, we actually had lunch there previously. Even though it was about 3 years ago, I remembered I really enjoyed it.

Atmosphere: A
The atmosphere of the Scenic 90s Cafe is everything you can picture in a diner. The outside is retro and shiny. It looks like an old rail car. The inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. You couldn’t ask for a more picture-perfect diner.

Coffee: A
The coffee was one of the best I’ve had in awhile. The waitress refilled it often, it was piping hot, and it tasted great. I couldn’t have asked for better coffee.

Service: A
The waitress was very pleasant. She refilled our drinks quickly, and our food came out quickly too. I was shocked because even though it was a Saturday at lunch time, our food came out within 15 minutes. You can’t beat that!

Food: B
The Scenic 90s Cafe has a smaller diner menu. They have several omelet and breakfast options and a few different diner staples such as sandwiches and fried fish. Their menu is one single trifold versus 10-20 pages like many diners in NJ.

I chose the Cajun Omelet with a biscuit and fresh fruit. The omelet had Crawfish tails, Andouille, onions, peppers, and Cajun seasoning. It was spicy, and I enjoyed it. The fruit cup was fresh, and it was obvious it didn’t come out of a can.

Cost: $
For my coffee and omelet, it was $13. Most items on the menu are inexpensive and they have several specials as well.

Overall thoughts/Would I come back?
I enjoyed the Scenic 90s Cafe, and I would definitely go back. The diner itself is very stereotypical and has everything you need in a diner. The Scenic 90s Cafe is a great stop in Pensacola, and I highly recommend it.

Atmosphere: A
Service: A
Coffee: A
Food: B
Cost: $8-12
Overall: A

Other Diners I’ve Ordered Eggs/Omelets at: Amys Omelet House, Angelos Diner (Pitman, NJ)

Questions for you:
Do you like Cajun food?
Have you ever been to Florida?

Meal Favorites

When I wrote my last post about food, I had no idea how the post would be perceived. Since I no longer write much about food, you never know how readers might respond. Everyone needs to eat, and food and nutrition are an important part of running and working out.

I thought it would be interesting to showcase some of my favorite foods and meal staples. I’m not great at cooking, and I don’t shop at a lot of specialty stores. Most of my shopping comes from the three closest grocery stores to me: Wegmans, Shoprite and Whole Foods.

I shop at Wegmans and Shoprite for most of my groceries and Whole Foods for fish, steak, and some produce.

When someone asks your favorite food, I feel like it’s a weird question. You can’t compare items like steak to donuts, both are delicious but it’s hard to compare. I have a lot of favorite foods. I like sugary treats, but I also like a big juicy steak too.

Favorite breakfast item:

Breakfast is easy for me. I have a waffle with peanut butter. I’ve been doing this for years, and it’s always worked for me. I eat a waffle every morning, whether I’m running, racing or just resting. I’ve never had a stomach issue. I use Bisquick and just add water. I also use flour, egg, baking powder and milk if I don’t have the mix. I can usually run between 1-2 hours after eating. I don’t like to run on an empty stomach. I generally eat within 20 minutes of waking up, relax and then go for a run 1-2 hours later.

Lunch:

Lunch depends on if I’m at home or if I’m at work. Most people know I work at a local running store. It’s hard to predict a day in a retail store and no two days are the same. I can’t plan to bring a big meal because I might not have time to eat it. I could have plenty of time, or I could be snacking the entire day. I’ve become used to it, though, and I honestly don’t mind either way.

I usually pack easy to eat sandwiches or bars so that if we get slammed, I can still eat. It’s not like I can tell a customer “Go away I’ve got to get my lunch on”. I’ve been looking for an easy “bar” recipe if anyone has any.

Some quick and easy staples. Sometimes quick and easy means I order down the road from work:

Power bars are one of my favorites, especially the cookie dough

French toast bagels from Panera make their appearence often. — French toast bagels from Panera make their appearance often

I crave soup in the winter. My two favorites are split pea and lentil — I crave soup in the winter. My two favorite kinds of soup are split pea and lentil

I recently got a take out pita bead sandwich which has become one of my favorite lunch buys. — I recently got a takeout pita bread sandwich which has become one of my favorite lunch buys. It has pesto, chicken, and melted feta

Dinner:

I’ve said this more times than I can remember, but I am a very simple dinner person. I like meat, potato and vegetable. I rotate through all of them, but both my husband and I aren’t fancy cooks. Our meals tend to take between 15-30 minutes to cook. Luckily my husband is the same way. He cooks the meat, and I prepare everything else.

Some of our favorite meats:

steak
salmon or any pink fish (we aren’t fans of too many white fish)
chicken
Squid (yes, one of my favorite, if not favorite meats is squid)

Steak and kale (I love T-bone steaks because they are so fatty, anyone else?)

The usual suspects

We frequently cook some vegetable or have a salad. My current favorite vegetables are eggplant and squash, but it varies.

Vegetables of (current) choice:

eggplant and squash
asparagus

Eggplant sauteed in oil and garlic is the easiest and most deliscious vegeatble — Eggplant sauteed in oil and garlic is the easiest and most delicious vegetable

Then, of course, there is the grain/potato portion of dinner. Current favorites include

Pasta or rice (because it takes 5 minutes!) I went through a phase with pasta where I didn’t eat it much and always chose other items over it. Now I can’t get enough.
Sweet or normal potatoes
Bread from Panera. If you recall, my husband won a year supply of Panera bread from a race last year, and we use it to buy a loaf. Panera bread goes well with everything in my life.

As you can see, my husband and I are simple eaters. We don’t spend hours creating perfect food dishes. Spending a few hours is some people’s hobby, but we know we like fast, simple and easy food! We save fancy eating for going out.

Questions for you:

Do you prefer cooking simple food or fancier recipes?

Does anyone have any “bar” recipes?

James Browns Place

James Browns Place

A Rochester Diner

Rochester, NY

While visiting Rochester last weekend, Laura, Heather and I wanted to try a new diner. We were going to go run a 5k, but since the weather wasn’t that great, we decided to go to a diner instead. I don’t have any regrets. After googling possible options, we settled on James Browns Place, a famous diner in Rochester.

Atmosphere: A

James Browns Place is a cute, local diner. The inside is exactly what you picture as a hole in the wall restaurant gem. It is located on the main strip of Rochester.

There are about 20 tables inside, and the grill is open. I haven’t been to a restaurant in a while that I can physically see the grill. It’s cool to see where all the “diner magic” happens. The diner is located in Rochester, NY which is obviously a different atmosphere than New Jersey Diners. Not different in a bad way but just different.

We even had the pleasure to talk to the owner of the restaurant, Mr. Brown. It was truly amazing to have the owner of the diner come out and talk to us, and he was hilarious. Out of all the diners I’ve been too, this was the first that I had the experience of the owner talking to us. Chatting with Mr. Brown alone caused the rating of the atmosphere to be an A. I wish we had gotten a photo!

Coffee: A

The coffee was refilled, and the waitress even brought a massive amount of whipped cream. I don’t have any complaints. She also brought all four of plenty of refills.

Food: A

The amount of eggs, pancakes, and food James Browns Place has is overwhelming. It took the four of us 15 minutes to decide on food. This never happens! Their breakfast menu has everything and anything you could hope for in a diner.

I ordered the Greek omelet with sourdough bread. It was great! The omelet had feta cheese, spinach, and onion. The sour bread was perfectly toasted and had just the right amount of butter. The food was great, and there were a lot of options.

The chef accidentally broke Heather’s overeasy eggs so gave her the second set. Heather knew she had made it as a blogger because she got two eggs while reviewing the diner (we weren’t paid to review this or any diner).

This is a very traditional diner and has every element you would expect in a diner.

Cost: $

The price for my omelet and coffee was $9.50. That was one of the cheapest diner meals I’ve had in a while. While the gas in New York is expensive, the diner food is cheap.

Overall thoughts: A

Would I come back?

I had a great experience at the James Brown Place in Rochester. Next time I’m in Rochester, I will have to come back! It was great to have the owner of the restaurant chatting at our table. Mr. Brown is a great guy, hilarious and it is obvious why he is so successful.

Cliff notes:

James Browns Place
Rochester, NY

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Price 5-10 dollars
Overall Atmosphere: A

Question for you: Have you ever met a restaurant owner?

Brownstone Diner

I went to the Brownstone diner with Danielle, Amelia and Dori in October. I know I am a few months behind but I wanted to wait until I tasted the Brownstone legendary pancakes. The first time I went to the Brownstone Diner, I was in Jersey City before going to FitBlog NYC. The second time I was on the way to visit my brother (Danielle and Amelia you guys were out of town or obviously we would have gone again!). This diner has even been on the food network. One step inside and I can see why! This is a staple and very well known diner in New Jersey.

Atmosphere: B
The Brownstone diner looks like a normal building that you might drive (or in our case, walk) right by. If you aren’t coming specifically for the diner, chances are you will miss this hidden gem! The inside is clean and cute. I liked the signs to the restroom, the NJ turnpike and NYC.

The attitude of the staff was friendly but nothing to write home about. I was a bitter because I was have liked a waitress that refilled my coffee a few more times. It happens though.

Coffee: B
The coffee was good. The whipped cream was tasty but the waitress only refilled the small cup once. It was the reason I gave a B for coffee. I might be dramatic but it was so good, I would gave rather a refill. It wasn’t busy either.

Food: A
It doesn’t really matter the rest of the scores for this diner because the food is amazing. The first time I went I had had their Greek Salad. The salad was by far the best diner salad I’ve had in a while.

There was plenty of dressing (but not soupy), plus the salad was huge. I ordered a size of salmon which was very worth it. It came with pita bread and grape leaves. It also didn’t come with hard boiled egg (something I personally don’t care for). It was one of the biggest diner salads I’ve had and it was also one of the most high quality.

The next time I went I was dying to try the pancakes. After debating which pancakes to try, I ordered the cherry pancakes. It took me back to college when I did the pancake challenge several times. I have yet to find a restaurant that rivaled the amazement of those pancakes. The pancakes were stuffed with cherry jam and delicious. These are BY FAR the best pancakes I’ve had in a diner. I can’t do them enough justice through text. My guess is the pancakes had about 2000 calories per pancake so they are a perfect carb load for a race (I would almost do the New York City marathon again) for a reason to get these guys again.

The problem with this diner is everything looks and has been so good. The choices are overwhelming.

Cost: $
The salad and coffee was 17 and the coffee and pancakes were 11. This is one of the cheapest diners and the cheapest with the most filling food.

Would I come back?
Overall atmosphere: A
Yes, right now this is my favorite diner in all of NJ. Thank you to Brownstone Diner. I 100% recommend this diner and if you ever go…tell me and I’ll drive the 90 mins to meet you.

Cliffnotes:
Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Food: A
Price: 5-15 dollars
I’ll be back everytime I’m in the area.

Question for you: Where are the best pancakes you’ve had?

Americana Diner Review

It’s time to kick off my diner review session on LOLZ. For now I’ll be backtracking with diners I’ve been too and then I can begin to venture to new diners. Though I imagine having gone to several different diners already in NJ, I’ll take forward steps before finishing.

—–

I have been to the Americana diner a few different times with a few different people. I was first introduced when not living in the area. The Americana diner is located close to the NJ turnpike and 295, so while driving back from the New York City Marathon dad and I stopped at the Americana Diner.

The day after running a marathon pretty much anything tastes really good. I must admit everytime I’ve gone to the Americana Diner I haven’t had a bad meal. So it wasn’t just post racing goggles reviewing.

Atmosphere: A

It’s a very high end looking diner. There are three different rooms to be seated in, the “typical diner scene”, a banquet area and dimly lit bar. I’ve sat in all three and all three are nice.

Coffee: A+

My standard comparison is getting coffee and whip cream to put into the coffee. They provided me with both. One thing I love about this diner is they provide a pitcher to stay at your table so you never run out. The coffee is great. The whip cream is homemade and served in a pitcher. This diner received the best whip cream award.

I would come back multiple times just for whip cream.

Food: I’ve had: A

Brushetta Appetizer

I would order it again. There are four different peices of bread with four different topics (hummus, grapes, goat cheese and mozzarella).

New York Omelet (with lox)

The omelet and toast was delicious. They also served a fried tomato (something I haven’t had since living in England).

Skylark Salad (with salmon)

Without a meat addon I would have found myself hungry. I would recommend getting some sort of meat. I do wish the salad came with actual bread. Otherwise the salad was good.

Mediterranean Salad

This was my favorite of the two salads I’ve had. The only thing it lacked is a roll. I love when salads come with bread.

Carrot cake

Their desserts are a bit confusing and you choose one (for $3). They bring out an entire tray of different choices and you choose one or several. They are bite size and perfect for sampling, if I wanted to go big or go home I would get the whole tray. With spring I’ve been enjoy carrot cake and with the ice cream it was perfect.

Ice cream

The vanilla ice cream was creamy and served in a milkshake glass. I was actually surprised by the amount (gladly surprised) they gave us.

Price: $$$$

For the amount of food you receive the price isn’t great. It’s relatively small portions and as someone who eats a lot more I could use bigger portions. The food, however, is very high quality and probably the overall best diner food I’ve been to so far. I would order everything I’ve had again.

Overall impression: A

I would definitely go back. It’s one of the high end diners that you would bring your parents too or go for a nice dinner or brunch. Although it’s a little bit expensive for portion size, the food is definitely delicious, well prepared and tasty.

Overall I give it 8 out of 10.

It’s hard to start with one of your top five favorite diners because then you compare everything else to a very high set bar. Either way if you are stopping on the turnpike near East Windsor, I would 100% recommend the Americana Diner.

I do recommend they add bread to their salads. I’ve never had a bad meal and no one I’ve eaten there with has had a bad meal. On another note they are also the most social media active diner I’ve come across. I often find myself interacting with them on twitter (which deserves bonus points in my book).

**All thoughts are my own and I payed for my own meals in full. No compensation was given.

Questions for you:

What is the best whip cream you have ever had?

All of the Diners

Something I have been wanting to do for quite some time is create a page dedicated to diners. It’s not a big secret that one reason I love living in New Jersey is the availability of diners. Nothing beats the glorious taste of coffee and an omelet after a run.

Diners in NJ are different than most states. Some diners have high quality dinners that you would never expect, costing upwards of 20 dollars per meal (that are worth it!). They even rival a fancy restaurant. So without further ado whenever I visit a new diner I’ll blog about it. It seems natural since my hobbies include running and going to diners.

With over 100 diners in NJ, it appears I have my work cut out to me. I will be judging diners on all of the following categories (that are important to me personally):

Atmosphere: Is it an old timey diner, cute little train care feel, is a fancy upscale diner?

Coffee: I always have to try coffee at diners, it can make or break the meal.

Cost: Is it expensive? Is it worth the cost? NJ diners are either very upscale restaurants or they are cheap, inexpensive quick meals. As long as the food is worth the cost then I’ll be happy.

Food: Because I go there for a reason. It’s either good or bad, enough or not enough. I’m a runner and I like to eat.

Dessert: If applicable.

Overall standard: Will I go back?

**I’m not a foodie and these are my personal opinions. My education did not prepare me to review NJ diners and this is all from personal experience. You might have had a completely different experience and I would love to hear that too. This just seemed like a fun and relevant thing to my life. If you are a NJ diner and want me to come visit, let me know!

Berlin:
New Berlin Diner

Bordentown:
Town & Country Diner

Browns Mills:
Three Brothers

Cherry Hill:
Silver Diner (healthy chain)

East Windsor:
Americana Diner

Edison:
Edison Diner

Freehold:
Park Nine Diner

Haddon Township:
Crystal Lake Diner

Hainesport:
Diamond Diner

Somerset County:
Somerset Diner

Southampton Township:
Pandora Diner

Vicentown:
Vincentown Diner (This is my favorite!)

Wrightstown:
Garden State Diner-Restaurant

Questions for you:

What is your favorite food to get at a diner?
If you have been to a NJ Diner, which is your favorite?

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Favorite breakfast item:

Lunch:

Dinner:

Some of our favorite meats:

Vegetables of (current) choice:

Then, of course, there is the grain/potato portion of dinner. Current favorites include

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: