Martucci’s Flashback Diner (Whiting)

September 14, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, coffee, Diner, food, military, new jersey, Pancakes, review Leave a comment

Martucci’s Flashback Diner (Whiting, NJ)

Before running the 18.12 Challenge, my husband and I stopped at Martucci’s Flashback Diner. I’ve only recently heard of Martucci’s Flashback Diner, and the thought of a new diner less than an hour from my house was exciting.

Atmosphere: A
As the name suggests, Martucci’s Flashback Diner is a blast from the past. You don’t expect it from the outside.

Martucci’s Flashback Diner is located in a shopping center. It blends in with the building. When you enter Martucci’s Flashback Diner, you are immediately greeted with a retro diner. There are old school booths and tables, as well as a small bar. As a military spouse, I appreciate the nod to all of the branches of the military. There are plenty of decorations, posters, and military signs.

Coffee: B
The coffee at Martucci’s Flashback Diner was ok. I asked for whipped cream, but it got lost in translation. The coffee itself was ok, but I could have used more refills.

Food: A
Martucci’s Flashback Diner has everything a retro diner would have. There aren’t fancy options, and you won’t find many healthy choices, but if you’re looking for a solid diner on your way to the shore, it’s a good option. If you are looking for pancakes, pork roll, omelets, or sandwiches, there are many different options.

I decided to order the full stack of blueberry pancakes. Pancakes are one of the riskiest items to order at any diner. Either they are flat and thin, or they are fluffy and delicious. Thankfully, the Martucci’s Flashback Diner’s pancakes were fluffy and delicious. They were one of the better pancakes I’ve had.

Martucci’s Flashback Diner Service: A
Our food came out quickly, and our waitress was friendly. I have no complaints.

Martucci’s Flashback Diner Cost: $
For my pancakes and coffee; the cost was $10.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked Martucci’s Flashback Diner, and it’s a hidden gem in the area. I will be back.

Thanks for the tip from my friend J Cohl.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: A
Overall: A

You can see all 260 Diner Reviews here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of pancakes?
Where are the best pancakes you’ve had?

The Little Diner (Vail, Colorado)

September 1, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, coffee, colorado, Diner, food, lunch, review

While in Vail, Colorado, I wanted to go to the Little Diner. The Little Diner has been named one of the top 10 diners in Colorado. (And yes, there are far fewer diners in Colorado than NJ, but every state has a diner).

Anyway, I arrived at the Little Diner around 10 am. There was about a 20-minute wait, but they were turning over tables quickly. We didn’t ask, but they sat us at the bar anyway.

Atmosphere: A

The Little Diner blends into Vail. Vail is a ski town with several restaurants and boutiques. It’s definitely a resort town, and there is everything you really need. The Little Diner is located on the second floor of a small shopping center in the Lionshead Villiage.

As the name suggests, the inside of the Little Diner is little. There is a bar that seats most of the restaurant than about 15 tables. We sat at the bar and could see the chefs making the food.

Coffee: B

The coffee at the Little Diner was brewed hot and fresh, but I definitely could have used more refills.

Food: A

The Little Diner is open until 2 pm and serves breakfast and lunch. There are several breakfast options, including pancakes, omelets, breakfast sandwiches.

I wanted to order the “Panneoken,” which is also known as a German Pancake or Dutch Baby. It’s baked in the oven, and the airy pancake rises like a souffle. The Little Diner is known for their German Pancakes, so I knew it was what I wanted to order. You can choose several toppings, including whipped cream, fruit toppings, fresh bananas, and chocolate chips. I chose whipped cream.

The German Pancake was delicious. It was light and airy, so while it appeared huge, it was thin, so I didn’t feel “stuffed” afterward. It was great fuel for the Mt. Sneffels Half Marathon.

Service: B

The waitress was friendly, and the food came out very fast. The German Pancakes take about 20 minutes, but I watched as tables got their meal within 5 minutes of ordering. I asked the waitress a couple of times for a coffee refill, but she seemed to forget. Other than that, it was a good experience.

Cost: $

For the Dutch Baby Pancake and coffee, the cost was $14.

Overall Thoughts of the Little Diner:

I liked the Little Diner in Vail and would go back. It’s a reasonably easy stop off of 70 if you are driving through. Keep in mind; you might wait for a while as it does get busy. I went during the week, and there was still a 20-minute wait.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: B
Price: $10-$20
Overall: A

You can see more diner reviews here.

Questions for you:

Have you ever been to the Little Diner in Vail? Or Vail?

Have you tried a German Pancake before?

Golden Dawn Diner (Hamilton)

August 31, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, Diner, dinner, food, new jersey, review, trenton

Golden Dawn Diner (Hamilton, NJ)

Recently, someone made me aware of a new diner closeby I hadn’t been too. When chatting with someone, they suggested the Golden Dawn Diner. I thought they meant the Golden Dawn Diner in Burlington, but there is also a Golden Dawn Diner in Hamilton. How many diners have the same name? The answer is: a lot. Technically, it’s the Golden Dawn Diner III, but on the website, it says: Golden Dawn Diner.

Anyway, since it is closeby, I made the trek up after work for dinner. When I arrived at the Golden Dawn Diner around 6 pm on a Saturday, it was crowded. By 7 pm, there was a wait. Clearly, the Golden Dawn Diner is a popular spot.

Golden Dawn Diner Atmosphere: A
The Golden Dawn Diner is an old school building. It’s not a big, shiny, metallic diner, but it is older looking. The inside has plenty of booths, a full-length bar, and a dessert case too. I liked the interesting window design that separated many of the booths.

Golden Dawn Diner Coffee: B
The coffee at the Golden Dawn Diner in Hamilton was good, but nothing to write home about.

Golden Dawn Diner Food: B
Of the restaurants in Hamilton, NJ, the menu at Golden Dawn Diner has everything you want or need in a diner. There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options and a full page of specials. They brought out a bread basket which came with regular dinner rolls as well as cornbread. The cornbread was delicious.

I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for, so I decided to order the Guacamole Bacon Burger. I haven’t seen that option before at a diner. The Guacamole Bacon Burger came with a lot of Guacamole. While it wasn’t fancy or unique, it was a lot. The burger itself was excellent, and the french fries were usual streak fries at a diner.

The meal itself was delicious.

Golden Dawn Diner Service: A
The waitress was friendly, and my food came out quickly. I couldn’t have asked for a better waitress at the Golden Dawn Diner.

Golden Dawn Diner Cost: $
For my Guacomaole Bacon Burger and coffee, the cost was $12.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the Golden Dawn Diner?
I liked the Golden Dawn Diner (Hamilton). If I’m in the area again, which is likely since it’s closeby, I will be back.

Atmosphere: B

Coffee: B

Food: B

Service: A

Cost: $8-12

Overall: B

You can see all 258 Diner Reviews here.

Questions for you:

Have you ever had a Guacamole Burger?

What is your favorite type of burger?

Penrose Diner (Philadelphia)

August 25, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, coffee, Diner, eggs, pennsylvannia, philadelphia 1 Comment

Penrose Diner (Philadelphia, PA)

While my dad was driving through, we decided to go to the Penrose Diner in South Philly. Despite being in Pennsylvania, it’s only about 10 minutes from my house. If you fly into the Philadelphia airport, it’s right there.

Penrose Diner Atmosphere: A
The parking lot of the Penrose Diner is small. It can be hard to find a parking spot. Even if every spot is taken, the diner is massive, so there are probably seats inside.

The inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar, plus a large bakery case.

Penrose Diner Coffee: A
The Penrose Diner serves locally brewed Lacas coffee. It was brewed hot and fresh, and the waitress refilled it often. I have no complaints, and it was great.

Penrose Diner Food: B
We arrived around breakfast time. The Penrose Diner menu serves everything from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are a lot of interesting dinner options like crab cakes I want to try.

Since it was breakfast time, I ordered the steak and eggs. I didn’t order the “T-Bone” but instead the regular steak and eggs. (The T-Bone was 16 ounces). My meal came with steak, two eggs (I ordered scrambled), toast, and potatoes.

The meal was good. I ordered my steak rare, but it came out a little bit more cooked than I preferred. That being said, it was a typical diner meal: plenty of food. I was happy with my choice.

Penrose Diner Service: A
Our waitress was friendly, and our food came out fast. She made funny remarks like: “you guys are splurging for breakfast.” We had both chosen steak and eggs, the most expensive breakfast option.

Penrose Diner Cost: $
For my steak and eggs, plus coffee, it was $20. It was a lot of food.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back to the Penrose Diner?
I liked the Penrose Diner and would go back. I’m interested in trying dinner.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $10-20
Overall: A

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What’s your favorite breakfast?
How do you like eggs?

Kings Arms II Diner (Belford, NJ)

August 24, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: Diner, diners, food, new jersey, review, salad, steak 1 Comment

Last week, my good friend Layla was in NYC so we decided to meet at the Kings Arms II Diner (Belford, NJ). I picked her up from the Middletown Train Station and it was an easy drive to the Kings Arms II Diner.

Atmosphere: A
The Kings Arms 2 Diner is located on the main road in Belford, NJ. Getting into the parking lot is confusing with the one ways but the parking lot is big.

The inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar.

Coffee: B
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh. I could have used more refills but it was good.

Food: B
The Kings Arms 2 Diner has everything you can imagine in a diner. There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options.

We arrived for lunch and there was an entire page of salad specials. None of them spoke to me but I was craving a salad. Since I was at the Kings Arms II Diner, I decided to order the Kings Arms salad with steak. It came with mixed greens, pears, craisins, walnuts, goat cheese and sherry vinaigrette.

I added the steak. It concerned me when the waitress didn’t ask how I wanted my steak done but once it came out, it was cooked medium are which I like.

It wasn’t the best salad I’ve had and for the cost, I could have used more greens.

Service: A
The waitress at the Kings Arms 2 Diner was friendly and the food came out fast. I have no complaints.

Cost: $
For my Kings Arms Salad with steak and coffee, it was $24.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back?
I liked the Kings Arms II Diner in Belford and had a pleasant experience. If I’m in the area again, I’ll have to go back. Apparently, the original Kings Arms Diner is on Staten Island so I’ll have to go there.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $10-20
Overall: B

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What’s your favorite salad topping?
How do you like your steak cooked?

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