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Tag Archives: new jersey

Silverton Diner (Toms River)

September 22, 2018 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments
Silverton Diner (Toms River)

A couple weeks ago, I met Cyd from New Jersey Isn’t Boring at the Silverton Diner right outside of Toms River. It’s one of the last diners we both hadn’t been too in the greater Toms River area.  Cyd and I have been to no less than 30 NJ diners together!

Atmosphere: B
The diner has a huge sign that can’t be missed. It’s located in a shopping mall.

silverton diner toms river

The interior has several booths, tables, and a bar. It’s a big space but nothing special or unique.  The one thing I couldn’t help but notice was the “Psychic Night”.  I would be curious to come back and see what it is all about.

Silverton Diner Toms river nj

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh with plenty of refills.  It was good coffee.

Silverton Diner Toms river nj

Food: B
The Silverton Diner has plenty of options. There are several breakfast, lunch, and dinner specials. I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I had a migraine, and I wasn’t that hungry.

I decided to order the pebble peaches salad with chicken. It was a small salad with greens, canned peaches, nuts, and chicken, crunchy noodles. It was topped with balsamic glaze was tasty.

Silverton Diner Toms river nj

It was a good salad for what I wanted for the day, but it wasn’t my favorite ever. If I had been more hungry, I know I would have been more disappointed.

Service: C
Even though the diner wasn’t that crowded, the waiter took a while to come back. He seemed disconnected from the table and his day. He was nice, but it seemed like he didn’t want to be there and forget Cyds soup and brought out the wrong dressing.

Cost: $
For the salad and coffee, it was $15.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back?
It wasn’t a bad diner, but it wasn’t my favorite. It was right in the middle as far as diners go.

Afterward, we stopped next door at the local donut shop which was excellent.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: A
Food: B
Service: C
Cost: $8-14
Overall: B

You can see all diner reviews here

Questions for you:
Do you like peaches?
What is your Favorite restaurant sign ever?

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Empress Diner (Lyndhurst)

September 15, 2018 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment
Empress Diner (Lyndhurst)

While driving up to Maine, I wanted to stop at a new diner.  Early in the summer, I went to more, and it’s since slowed down.  I’ve wanted to get to the Empress Diner for a few years, and it seemed to work out the best this trip.

Empress Diner Lyndhurst nj

The Empress Diner itself is located in downtown Fairlawn, NJ.

Atmosphere:
The outside is a well-kept building.  It isn’t a metallic, or shiny building but it’s well kept which matters.  There are only a handful of parking spots, and we had to circle around and park on the street since there was no parking available.

Empress Diner Lyndhurst nj

The inside is a lot bigger and can fit more people.  There is a full-length bar, plenty of booths, and plenty of tables.

Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but nothing too exciting. I could have used more refills, but since I was getting on the road, it was probably a better idea not to have too much.

Empress Diner lyndhurst

Food: B
I had no idea what I wanted to order.  The Empress Diner has everything you would want in a diner.  There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and specialty items.  There are several salads as well.

I decided to order the French toast on challah bread with a side of “Taylor ham.”  If you don’t know the state of New Jersey, how you say Taylor Ham (or Pork Roll) is a big deal.  The North says Taylor Ham, and the South says, Pork Roll.  As someone who didn’t grow up in New Jersey, I don’t have a “side,” but it seems like everyone in NJ does…ha!

Empress Diner lyndhurst

The French toast was good, and the challah bread was thick.  The Taylor Ham was delicious, and I have no complaints.

Service: B
The service was decent, but I definitely felt as though I could use more refills on my beverage.  Luckily the food came out quick.  The server and hostess were friendly as well.

Cost: $10
For my French toast, ham, and coffee it was $10.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I was happy with the Empress Diner and I have no complaints.  I would definitely go back, and they have an extensive menu, so you always have plenty of options.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: B
Cost: $8-20
Overall: A

You Can See all 210 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is something unique about where you live?
Do you like French toast?

Schuyler Diner (Lyndhurst)

September 8, 2018 By in Diners Tags: , , , , ,
Schuyler Diner (Lyndhurst)

Recently I stopped by the Schuyler Diner with Cyd, IE NJ Isn’t Boring.  I was on my way to Vermont, and it worked out to a perfect meeting spot.

Schuyler Diner (Lyndhurst)

Atmosphere: A
When we arrived, we were the only ones in the entire restaurant.  There are very few diners I’ve been to that have been empty.

The Schuyler Diner has recently been reopened, and it’s very different from what people have remembered. It’s also attached to an Indian Restaurant which makes it one of the most unique restaurants I’ve been too.

Inside there is also a giant fish tank which is cool. In all, it’s a unique dinner.Schuyler Diner (Lyndhurst)

Coffee: B
The coffee was good. There was nothing overly unique or special, but it wasn’t bad either.

Schuyler Diner (Lyndhurst)

Food: A
The Schuyler Diner has everything and anything you want. They have one of the biggest menus I’ve seen and a lot of specialty items. There is pizza, flatbread, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I decided to order the grilled portabella wrap which was stuffed grilled portabella, as well as other vegetables, goat cheese, and pesto. It was incredibly packed and tasted great.

Schuyler Diner (Lyndhurst)

Service: C
The waitress was nice but often forgot parts of the order. For being the only ones in the restaurant, the food did take a while to come out.

Cost: $
For my wrap and the coffee, the cost was $12.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked the Schuyler Diner and it was a nice surprise. The service was a bit slow but other than that it was great.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: C
Cost: $8-15
Overall: B

You can see all 209 diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite grilled vegetable?
Goat cheese: yay or nay?

OB Diner (Point Pleasant)

September 1, 2018 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Recently, I met Cyd of New Jersey Isn’t Boring in Point Pleasant. Initially, we were going to go to a different diner, but neither of us could find the other one.  After a quick decision, we decided upon the OB Diner.

Atmosphere: A
The OB Diner is everything you expect in a diner.  There is a big metallic sign outdoors.  It’s located on the corner and easy to find with plenty of parking.  What does OB Stand for?  Ocean Bay Diner!  I had no idea until I saw the mini sign too.

The inside is beachy, with a cool centerpiece made of driftwood.  There are plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar.

OB Diner Point Pleasant NJ

Coffee: C
The coffee was okay.  It wasn’t good or bad, but I could have used plenty more refills.  There were a few grounds at the bottom, but at least it was hot.  Yes, even in the summer time I drink hot coffee.

OB Diner Point Pleasant NJ

Food: A
I had no idea what I wanted to order.   I wasn’t starving and the hot weather (I think it was 95 that day) had me craving something cold.  There are plenty of options including a lot of lunch specials.  I was disappointed because the lunch specials seemed very targeted to pasta options.  If you didn’t want a heavy lunch, there weren’t smaller options.

OB Diner Point Pleasant NJ

I decided to order the first thing on the menu: “the Albuquerque Salad”.  It came with salmon on top of arugula, cucumbers, and sundried tomatoes.  The salad was huge!  I was shocked at the size of the salad.  It was one of the biggest diner or even restaurant salads I’ve had.  The quality was excellent, and I have no complaints.

Service:  C
The waitress was nice, however, the food took a long time to come out.  It wasn’t crowded and there were no more than five other parties in the restaurant. However, it took nearly 40 minutes for the food.

Price: $$
My salad and coffee was $22.  While yes, it was a big salad, I don’t think it was a $20 salad.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:

I liked the OB Diner and would go back.  The food and quality were good.  I would be hesitant during a peak time, but other than that it was a good diner.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: C
Food: A
Service: C
Cost: $12-20
Overall: B

You Can See all 207 Diner Reviews here.

Questions for you:
Where have you gotten the biggest portion sizes before?
Do you go to the beach during the summer?

Galaxy Diner and Cafe (Rahway)

August 25, 2018 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment
Galaxy Diner and Cafe (Rahway)

Recently I was at the Galaxy Diner and Cafe in Rahway, NJ.  Danielle and I needed a spot to meet that as somewhat close to Newark, and Rahway was a good stop.  Reading the reviews of Yelp, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Atmosphere: A
When we arrived, the hostess was friendly and quickly sat us at a booth near the back.  The exterior of the Galaxy Diner is metallic, shiny, and as picture perfect as you expect a diner to be.  The inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar.  We were lucky to snag a booth on the weekend.

Coffee: B
The coffee was decent but nothing to write home about.  I liked it, and the waitress refilled it a few times.

Galaxy Diner Rahway NJ

Food: A
The Galaxy Diner has everything you expect a diner to have.  There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner specials.  There is even a salad bar filled with more than the average bar: beets, grape leaves, bean salad…the list is endless.  I wanted to make use of the salad bar, so I decided to order the Soulvanki special.  It came with a shish kabob of pork on top of rice as well as pita bread.  It also came with soup, and I ordered chicken noodle.

I don’t even know where to start with all of the food I ordered.  Everything on the salad bar was fresh, and I thought of any restaurant salad bars, it was one of the better ones I’ve had.

I ate some of the soup, which was decent, but I had so much food already.

Galaxy Diner Rahway NJ

The Shishkabob had gyro meat as well as grilled vegetables.  It was cooked perfectly as well.  Honestly, it was one of the better diner meals I’ve had in a while.

Galaxy Diner Rahway NJ

Service: B
The waitress was nice but forgot about us.  After we finished our meal, it was another 20 minutes before she came back.  That was fine, as Danielle and I always have plenty to talk about.

Cost: $
For all of my food, plus coffee it was $16.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back:
I really enjoyed the Galaxy Diner and had a good experience.  It is one of my more favorite diners in the area, and I would go back.  The salad bar is excellent and definitely one of the better restaurant salad bars.

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

You Can See all 206 Diners Here.

Questions for you:
Where is your favorite salad bar?
Do you like grilled vegetables or prefer raw? 

 

Hiking Shark River Park

August 24, 2018 By in hiking Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments
Hiking Shark River Park

Last week I decided to stop at Shark River Park in Neptune, NJ.  Shark River Park was established in 1960.  It’s actually the oldest Monmouth County Park. It’s just under 1000 acres and located between Neptune and Wall.  There is plenty to do at Shark River Park including, fishing, hiking, and it even hosts cross country races.

It has about 9 miles of trails.  I had planned to just check it out and walk about a mile or 20 minutes.  Even though I brought both a hard copy of a map and a trail app, I ended up getting lost and walking around 5 miles.  Since it was my day off and I had nowhere to be, it wasn’t a big deal, but I was glad I brought water out of my car as well.

Here are a few of the trails I covered.  I didn’t use a Garmin, so I can’t tell you how much of each trail I covered.  I do know I know I covered the entire Pine Hill trail since it was a loop.

Shark river park monmouth nj

Ceder Loop Starts at the center of the loop.

Shark river park monmouth nj

There is a “Fitness trail” which is flat and would be great for running.  It has 20 stations with strength workouts.  You know…workouts I always say I’ll do with running and don’t.

Shark river park monmouth nj

The Hidden Creek trail is about 2 miles long and connects to the Pine Hills Trail.  I only now I was on this one because I did cover Pine Hills!

Shark river park monmouth nj

Finally, the Pine Hills Trail is close to the Garden State Parkway and goes up a few small inclines.  It’s nothing unmanageable.

Shark river park monmouth nj

In all, despite getting lost, I enjoyed the hike. I will say it was “comforting” to hear a few sounds of the Garden State Parkway because I knew I wasn’t “lost forever.”

Shark river park monmouth nj

The take away is…don’t follow your gut…follow the trail map.   Maybe not eat mushrooms on the trail either…

Shark river park monmouth nj

I am definitely going to come back and run, and I bet it’s such a fun cross country course.

Here are other hikes I’ve done this Spring and Summer:

Hiking Turkey Swamp in Freehold
Exploring Cattus Island in Toms River
Exploring Hartshorne Park in the Highlands
Hiking to the Cape May Lighthouse
Hiking Bear Mountain in a Downpour
Hiking through Belleplain State Forest
Hiking High Mountain with a View of NYC

You can see all hikes here.

Questions for you:

When was the last time you got lost? 

Are there any good hikes near you?

Linden House Diner

August 18, 2018 By in Diners Tags: , , , , , 4 Comments
Linden House Diner

Recently I was at the Linden House Diner in Linden, NJ. I was hungry so decided to stop.

Atmosphere: B
The Linden House Diner is definitely different from many diners. It’s a small, local, diner. There are plenty of cute little coffee designs on the wall.  It almost reminds me more of a bistro versus diner.  It’s apparently a locals place, and I enjoyed that vibe.

Linden House Diner and Grill

Coffee: A
The waitress brought plenty of refills.  She brewed a fresh pot and made sure drinks were always refilled.

Linden House Diner and Grill

Food: A
The menu at the Linden House Diner is not as big as all diners but there are still plenty of options.  There were breakfast, lunch, and dinner options but not 100 pages like many diners.  It has a reasonable menu.

Linden House Diner and Grill

I had no idea what I wanted but ended up ordering a burger. I can’t remember the exact name of the burger but it was topped with bacon and cheese. In all, it was a surprisingly good burger.  The sweet potato fries were one of the best I’ve had in a long time!  Nothing crazy to write home about but a good burger and I have no complaints.

Service: A
The waitress was very friendly and kept our beverages refilled.  She always made sure we had everything we needed.  One thing I also enjoyed is it was clear the staff was all friends.  They would chat about random things and all got along.  It’s always nice to see that!  To top it off, our food came out quickly.

Cost: $
For my burger and coffee, the cost was $14.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back?
I was pleasantly surprised with the Linden House Diner, and it was definitely a nice surprise.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: A
Food: A
Service: A
Price: $8-14
Overall: A

To see all 204 diners, click here.

Questions for you:
Do you like burgers? What is your favorite?
What is the last surprise you’ve had at a restaurant?

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