Toms River Diner

October 5, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, diners, food, new jersey, pork chops, toms river Leave a comment

Toms River Diner (Toms River)

Last week, Cyd from New Jersey Isn’t Boring and I went to the Toms River Diner. The Toms River diner recently reopened after a two-year hiatus. The same owners also own the “Holiday City Diner,” which is one I haven’t been to yet.

Atmosphere: A
The Toms River Diner sticks out on the main road. The exterior of the Toms River Diner is cobblestone. The interior has been redone and is modern.

Coffee: A
The coffee at the Toms River Diner was brewed hot and fresh and the waitress kept it refilled.

Food: B
The Toms River Diner menu has everything a diner typically has. There are all the breakfast favorites, including omelets, waffles, and pancakes.

There was page of lunch specials on the Toms River Diner menu. I was hoping to find a special that spoke to me but decided to order the pork chops.

I decided to upgrade my salad to a side Greek Salad and I’m glad I did. The small Greek salad had everything, including anchovies. Sometimes I can’t even find a dinner size greek salad with anchovies.

The pork chops themselves were presented well, but they were dry. I was kind of bummed and hoping for better pork chops. The mashed potatoes and corn were bland and nothing to write home about.

Service: A
The waitress at the Toms River Diner was friendly and our food came out fast. I have no complaints.

Cost: $
For my pork chops, Greek salad, and coffee, it was $20.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked the Toms River Diner and it was a fun stop on the New Jersey Shore.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $10-15

Overall: A

You can see all 263 diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?
Where is the best corn you’ve had?

Shorty’s Place (Watertown, NY)

September 15, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, coffee, diners, food, new york, pork chops, review 3 Comments

Shorty’s Place (Watertown, NJ)

I’ve been to Shorty’s Place on my way to college in Potsdam, NY. That was roughly between 2008-2010 and before I documented diners.

Atmosphere: A
Shorty’s Place Diner stands out. While you can’t see it from Route 81, when you drive by you are drawn to the retro diner. Even though Shorty’s Place doesn’t have diner in the name, it’s a diner.

The inside of Shorty’s Place is a stereotypical diner. There is a checkerboard floor, with plenty of red booths, tables, and a full-length bar.

Coffee: A
The Shorty’s Place Coffee was brewed hot and fresh. One of my favorite diner features is when a diner has a personalized mug, and Shorty’s Place has just that.

Food: B
The menu at Shorty’s Place has everything a no-frills diner typically has. There are plenty of all-day breakfast options, sandwiches for lunch, and several dinner options too.

I heard the cinnamon rolls at Shorty’s Place were good, so I decided to order one as an appetizer. The cinnamon roll was grilled, and the frosting was melted. It tasted delicious. There weren’t a lot of crunchy or crusty parts, which is always nice.

For my entree, I ordered the pork chops, cajun style. My pork chops were a little dry, but they weren’t bad. They were thick, which I can appreciate.

I chose home fries, which was cubed. I guess I was feeling both breakfast and dinner. The home fries were good and better than most.

Service: B
Our waitress at Shorty’s Place was friendly but it took a while for the food to come out.

Cost: $
For my coffee, cinnamon roll, and meal, at Shorty’s Place, the cost was $18.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come back?

I enjoyed Shorty’s Place, and I would go back if I’m in the area again. It was fun to visit somewhere I went during college, and before documenting diners. It’s a good stop if you find yourself in the area.

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

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What’s somewhere you went to during college?

56 Diner (Branford, CT)

August 18, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, connecticut, Diner, food, menu, pork chops 1 Comment

After the Sea Legs 10 Miler, I decided to check out a diner right on the way home. The 56 Diner in Banford, CT, is right off 95 so an easy stop.

Atmosphere: B
The 56 Diner in Banford resembles an old Friendlys, and that’s because it was.

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

One thing we found interesting was the menu placement. Some of the ads were upside down!

Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but there was nothing or unique.

Food: C
The 56 Diner has most diner options. There is all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Omelettes served with home fries and toast, to egg salad to wraps, to pork chops, and dinner options. They also have an ice cream bar too, complete with banana splits. There are a few healthy choices as well. I decided to order the pork chops and upgrade my regular salad to a greek salad.

The Greek Salad was good. It was a nice size, and I appreciated the fresh ingredients. It came with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and grape leaves.

The pork chops, however, were another story. They were thin and tasted as though they were reheated. I was disappointed because pork chops are usually one of my favorite meals. The mashed potatoes appeared as though they were squeezed out of a tube.

Was my meal terrible? No. It was okay, but I wouldn’t order it again.

Service: B
It took a while for the host to sit us. Once he did, it took a while to take our orders and for the food to come out. He was friendly, but it was a lot longer than you would think.

Cost: $$
For my coffee, pork chops, and salad, it was $20.

Overall Thoughts of the 56 Diner/Would I Come Back?
The 56 Diner is ok. It’s not my favorite in the area, but it’s a good stop, especially if you are staying in one of the hotels nearby and don’t want fast food.

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

You Can See All Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?

Have you ever been to a Friendly’s? This is the second diner I’ve been to that was an old Friendlys.

Marlboro Diner

August 3, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, Diner, food, menu, new jersey, pork chops, restaurant, review 3 Comments

Marlboro Diner (Marlboro, NJ)

Recently I wanted to get out of town, so I decided to take a drive. I wasn’t sure where but I decided Marlboro would be a fun town to visit. It’s just south of the Garden State Parkway which means I avoided summer traffic.

Marlboro Diner Atmosphere: A
The Marlboro Diner is modern and clean. There is a large diner sign. It isn’t metallic or shiny, but a modern building.

The inside is massive and has plenty of seating from booths, tables, and a full-length bar.

Marlboro Diner Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but there wasn’t anything unique or unusual about it.

Marlboro Diner Food: B
The Marlboro Diner menu has everything you can imagine in a diner. There is all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I decided to order the hummus appetizer and the broiled pork chop special, which came with soup, salad, and two sides.

The hummus appetizer at the Marlboro Diner was one of their specials, and you can never go wrong with that. It was one of the better hummus specials I’ve had. There were also carrots, which is unique.

The Broiled Pork Chops came with a lot of sides.

Since it was an option, I decided to change my side salad to a Greek side salad, and I was disappointed. The Greek salad was watery. It tasted like the greens were sitting for a while, which is why they were soggy.

For my soup, I ordered the chicken noodle. It was good but nothing out of the ordinary. There wasn’t much chicken.

The pork chops themselves were excellent. They were a bit overcooked, but they were still good. For my sides, I ordered sweet potato and broccoli, and both tasted good as well.

In all, it was a decent meal. I wished the salad was fresher and the pork chops weren’t as overdone.

Marlboro Diner Cost:
For the hummus appetizer, coffee, and meal at the Marlboro Diner, it was $30.

Marlboro Diner Service: A
The waitress at the Marlboro Diner was friendly, and my food came out quickly. In all, I have no complaints.

Overall Summary of the Marlboro Diner:
The Malboro Diner was good. The food was a little bit bland, but the service was excellent. I would go back if I’m in the area again.

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

You can see all 254 Diner Reviews here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?
Do you typically order soup or salad?

Caldwell Diner

July 6, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: coffee, Diner, food, menu, new jersey, pork chops, review 1 Comment

Caldwell Diner (Caldwell, NJ)

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I flew to Essex County and went to the Caldwell Diner. It was fun to make 250 unique.

Caldwell Diner Atmosphere: A
The Caldwell Diner is located in downtown Caldwell. It’s located on the corner with plenty of parking (which can be challenging with diners in the downtown).

The inside has plenty of booth, tables, a full-length bar, and even a salad bar. It’s a cute, modern, diner.

Caldwell Diner Coffee: A
The waiter brewed a brand new pot of coffee, which was nice. He also added plenty of whipped cream which I appreciated. It was good coffee, and I couldn’t have asked for better coffee.

Caldwell Diner Food: A
The Caldwell Diner menu has everything a diner has typically. There is all-day breakfast, plenty of lunch, and dinner options, as well as specials. It even had a unique salad bar, which is something you don’t see in a lot of diners.

I decided to order the pork chops. Pork chops are one of my favorite dinner meals. It was a “complete meal” and came with the salad bar, soup, the meal, and even dessert.

The salad bar was good but could have used more dressing. The only options were ranch, mixture of pure olive oil vinegar, oregano, Italian, and something else creamy. It had plenty of salad options, including an assortment of garden greens, tomatoes, onions, beets, and mixed bean salad. In all, it was one of the better salad bars I’ve seen. If there wasn’t a salad bar,

For my soup, I chose the barley. It was hot and creamy, and I have no complaints.

My pork chops were cooked well and were meaty. They weren’t overcooked but just the right amount. I chose broccoli and a baked potato. The entire meal was great, and I can’t complain.

Caldwell Diner Dessert: B
Since my meal came with dessert, I chose rice pudding to go. They packed it in a coffee mug, and I ate it in our airport while my husband filed the flight plan. I’ve never tried rice pudding before, so I have nothing to compare it too. It wasn’t overly sweet but good.

Caldwell Diner Service: B
Our service started slow, but the waiter got better as time went on. The food came out quickly, which was nice because we were on a time crunch.

Caldwell Diner Price: $
For my entire meal and coffee, the coffee was $17.

Overall Thoughts/Summary of the Caldwell Diner:
I liked my meal, and the Caldwell Diner was good. I would go back.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Dessert: B
Service: B
Cost: $8-16
Caldwell Diner Overall: A

You can see all 250 Diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?
What’s your favorite dinner meal?

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Running and Laughing through the Garden State

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