pork chops Archives - FueledByLOLZ

Mar 15 2020

South Star Diner (Mount Holly)

Recently I was at the South Star Diner in Mount Holly. The South Star Diner has gone under new ownership and has a new name, new manager, and is entirely new. Which is great because when it was previously the “, “I can’t say my experience was all that great. I haven’t been to the diner in 6 years (and my time in New Jersey flies).

South Star Diner (Mount Holly) Atmosphere: B
The South Star Diner has been remodeled. Outside it has a large, shiny, sign that says “South Star Diner.” There is a reasonably open parking lot and it sticks out on Route 38.

Inside there are plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. They’ve done remodeling, so it appears to sit more people than previously.

South Star Diner (Mount Holly) Coffee: A

The South Star Diner serves Lacas Coffee, which is brewed right in Pennsauken. It was great and the waitress refilled it often. In all, it was good coffee.

South Star Diner (Mount Holly) Food: B
The South Star Diner menu is massive and has everything you typically have in a diner menu. There is all-day breakfast, seafood, wraps, a full page of salads, and steaks. I was in a pork chop mood, so I decided to order the broiled pork chops.

The broiled pork chops came with soup or salad, two sides, and the pork chops.

I decided to order the Greek salad and it was a great starter salad. It was bigger than some diner salads I’ve had before. Plus, it even included anchovies, which most people know how much I like those.

The broiled pork chops were decent. They weren’t my favorite nor my least favorite, but they were plenty there.

For my sides, I chose the beets and baked potato. If beets are a side, chances are I’ll choose them. Both were fine, but nothing special about them.

In all, my meal was good and I was most impressed with a starter salad.

South Star Diner (Mount Holly) Service: A
Our waitress was friendly and slightly funny, plus our food came out fast. I couldn’t ask for better service.

South Star Diner (Mount Holly) Cost: $
For my pork chops and coffee, it was $16.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come back to the South Star Diner (Mount Holly)?
I liked the South Star Diner and they’ve definitely made big improvements to it. It now stands out on Route 38 and is a spot I would want to stop.

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

You can see all 292 Diner Reviews here.

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

Hollie 0 Comments

Mar 14 2020

All Seasons Diner II (Freehold)

All Seasons Diner II (Freehold, NJ)

Recently my good friend and I took a road trip to Freehold, NJ to go to the All Seasons Diner II. We wanted to go to a new diner and this seemed like a good one. I haven’t been to Freehold in a while. Many years ago (almost 6 OMG), I went to the All Seasons Diner in Eatontown after the NJ Half Marathon. Rereading one of my first diner reviews makes me realize how far in dinering I have come. Anyway.

All Seasons Diner II Atmosphere: A
The All Seasons Diner II is a large building located after a bridge on the highway. It stands out. The All Seasons Diner II isn’t a shiny, metallic building, but it’s a modern building with a large parking lot.

Inside the All Seasons Diner II, there is plenty of seating, including booths, tables, and a full-length bar. There is a dessert case as well as a salad bar. The salad bar looked massive, so I knew whatever I ordered, I wanted that.

All Seasons Diner II Coffee: A
The All Seasons Diner II serves the locally brewed Lacas coffee. It was brewed hot, fresh, and the waitress brought plenty of refills. It was one of the better coffees I’ve had recently.

All Seasons Diner II Food: B
The All Seasons Diner II menu has everything you can imagine in a diner. In fact, the All Seasons Diner II menu is one of the largest menus of any diner I’ve ever been too. I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for but the salad bar looked appetizer, so I knew I wanted to order from that.

The All Seasons Diner II menu had so many specials, so I decided to order the pork chops from the early bird special. The meal came with soup, salad bar, the pork chops, 2 sides, and bread pudding. It was a lot of food. A lot!

For my soup at the All Seasons Diner II I decided to order Manhatten clam chowder. It wasn’t as hot as I like soup, but it tasted good.

The All Seasons Diner II salad bar had most everything a salad bar has. There were several different types of pasta salads, green bean salads, and most salad bar toppings. I was surprised the salad bar didn’t have olives though, but I’m a big olive fan. In all, it was a good salad bar and one of the better diner salad bars.

My pork chops tasted good. They weren’t rubbery or overcooked and I liked them—one of the better diner pork chops I’ve had recently.

For my sides at the All Seasons Diner II, I ordered a baked potato and carrots. Something got lost in translation and my waitress brought out green beans. I wasn’t that upset because the green beans interested me more. They were in a marinara sauce (which I’ve never seen them cooked that way.). It was exactly what it looked like: beans and onions in a marinara sauce. It tasted fine; it was just different.

All Seasons Diner II Dessert: C
Since my meal came with dessert, I ordered the bread pudding. The bread pudding came doused in cinnamon. It was good bread pudding; it just tasted like someone dropped a bottle of cinnamon on it.

All Seasons Diner II Service: A
The waitress was friendly and our food came out fast. I have no complaints.

All Seasons Diner II Cost: $
For the entire meal, it was $20.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the All Seasons Diner II (Freehold)?
I liked the All Seasons Diner II and I had a good experience. It’s a lot of food and a stereotypical diner. I would go back.

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

Overall: A

You can see all 291 Diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite salad bar choice?
Do you like cinnamon?

Hollie 0 Comments

Feb 9 2020

Empire Diner (Brooklawn)

Empire Diner (Brooklawn, NJ)

Recently I went to the Empire Diner in Brooklawn, NJ. The Empire Diner is the newly managed Brooklawn Diner. The Brooklawn Diner wasn’t great and truthfully I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back! Since it was a new owner and new management, I decided to give it a shot. The same owners that own the Piston Diner in South Jersey, also now own the Empire Diner.

Empire Diner Atmosphere: A

The Empire Diner looks like it was built in a diner factory. It’s bright, shiny, and metallic. It stands out on the traffic circle in Brooklawn. The inside of the Empire Diner is bright and shiny with bright lights. There are plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. Anything you picture in a stereotypical diner, the Empire Diner has.

Empire Diner Coffee: B

The Empire Diner coffee was hot and fresh. It wasn’t anything unique, but it wasn’t bad.

Empire Diner Food: B

The Empire Diner menu has everything you picture in a diner. There is all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals which is always a plus.

One thing that did stand out to me was the lack of specials. There were about five on the whiteboard in the front. If you wanted to view them, you had to go back up and look. Many diners have a page of specials.

I opted to order the broiled pork chops, which came with the salad bar, soup, two sides, pork chops, and pudding.

The salad bar was the best part of the meal. The salad bar at the Empire Diner has all of the regular greens, regular toppings including onions, olives, and tomatoes. They also had beets (which if you know me, know that I love beets), and a couple of different coleslaws. The salad bar was the best part.

I ordered the tomato bisque, which was nothing unique. It wasn’t amazing but nothing to write home about.

My pork chops were disappointing. I was looking forward to pork chops and they were thin. I was expecting thicker and more full. I probably wouldn’t order them again.

My baked potato was massive and my carrots were coated in sugar. Both sides were fun but easy to make at home.

Empire Diner Service: A

The waitress at the Empire Diner was great. She refilled our drinks often and always made sure we had what we needed.

Empire Diner Dessert: A

I opted for bread pudding and took it home. They put it in a little to go cup. The bread pudding was good; it had far more bread than pudding, which is my favorite.

Empire Diner Cost: $

For all of the food, it was $18. It was a lot of food, but the quality of the food was low.

Empire Diner Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back?

I liked the Empire Diner and it’s a step up from the previous Brooklawn Diner. Do I think the Empire Diner is the best ever? No, but it’s a stereotypical diner with large portions.

Atmosphere: A

Coffee: B

Food: B

Service: A

Dessert: A

Cost: $8-20

Overall: B

You can see all 286 Diner reviews here.

Questions for you:

What’s your favorite salad bar topping?

Do you like bread pudding? Rice pudding?

Hollie 0 Comments

Dec 7 2019

The Point Diner (Somers Point)

The Point Diner (Somers Point, NJ)
Recently I was in Somers Point and wanted to go to a new diner. I’ve been to the Windjammer several times and decided to switch it up and go to the Point Diner. This Point Diner isn’t to be confused with the Point Diner in Fairview or the Point 40 Diner in Monroeville.

When I got to the Point Diner on a Sunday for lunch, it wasn’t too crowded. That as surprising because usually, lunchtime on a Sunday morning is the most crowded time for diners.

The Point Diner Atmosphere: B
The exterior of the Point Diner is a retro, shiny, and a stereotypical diner. The Point Diner looks like it’s been around for quite some time.

The interior of the Point Diner has plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. There appears to be a giant room in the back with the ability to host parties.

The Point Diner Coffee: A
The Point Diner coffee was brewed hot and fresh and the waitress refilled it often. I couldn’t have asked for better coffee.

The Point Diner Food: C
The Point Diner menu has everything you expect in a diner menu and nothing more. There aren’t many healthy options, but there are plenty of omelets, wraps, and dinner options.

I was craving pork chops, so I decided to order those. The pork chops came with two sides and soup or salad.

I chose a salad and beets as my side. The salad was bland and I was thankful I didn’t order it as my entree. The beets were from a can but fine.

When the pork chops came out, I was excited because it was a large portion. Sadly, they were dry and not as good as I hoped.

The Point Diner Service: B
The waitress at the Point Diner was friendly, but the food took a while to come out. You would have thought the diner was jampacked full of people.

The Point Diner Cost: $
For my pork chops and coffee, the cost was $18.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back to the Point Diner?
I didn’t dislike the Point Diner, but there are a lot of other options that I like better. The food was decent, but it was nothing unique or unusual. Somers Point and Ocean City are both nice spots if you are looking for a pleasant shore getaway and a diner along the way.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: A
Food: C
Service: B
Cost: $8-16
Overall: B

You can see all 269 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?
Have you thrown a party or gathering at a restaurant? What was it for?

Hollie 2 Comments

Nov 9 2019

Alps Diner (Wayne)

Alps Diner (Wayne, NJ)

After hiking with my good friend Shawn, we decided to stop at the Alps Diner in Wayne, NJ. Hard to believe Shawn is one of my closest friends, but we have yet to go to a diner together. I guess she was initiated.

Alps Diner Atmosphere: A
The Alps Diner sticks out in Wayne, NJ. The exterior is metallic, shiny, and the Alps Diner is abnormally tall. It’s hard to miss when driving by. Of all of the diners on NJ-23, the Alps Diner stands out the most.

The interior of the Alps Diner is like a blast from the past. There are plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar.

Alps Diner Coffee: C

The Alps Diner coffee was okay but nothing to write home about. I was slightly disappointed that it was lukewarm.

Alps Diner Food: C

Known for their good food, the Alps Diner menu has every option you can imagine on a diner menu. I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for. There is all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was between the pork chops and a gyro, so I decided to order the pork chops. The pork chops came with a salad, side, and potato. I ordered the greek salad and a side of corn.

The Greek salad was the best part of the meal. The dressing was tasty and the salad tasted fresh.

Sadly, both the pork chops were thin and tasted as if they had been reheated. I was disappointed with my meal. Was it edible? Yes, was it bland and boring? Yes.

Alps Diner Cost: $
For my coffee and pork chop meal, it was $19.

Alps Diner Service: A
Our waitress at the Alps Diner was great and the food came out fast. I couldn’t have asked for better service.

Alps Diner Overall Thoughts:
The Alps Diner was one of the most stereotypical diners out there. There was nothing unusual or unique, and the food was clearly frozen and reheated. If you are looking for a retro, stereotypical diner, Alps Diner is it. It’s right in the middle as far as diners go. Nothing terrible but nothing great either.

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

You can see all 268 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like pork chops?
What is your favorite type of potato: mashed, sweet, french fries, baked? I’m a sweet potato fan myself.

Hollie 2 Comments

South Star Diner (Mount Holly)

South Star Diner (Mount Holly)

You can see all 292 Diner Reviews here.

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All Seasons Diner II (Freehold)

All Seasons Diner II (Freehold, NJ)

You can see all 291 Diner reviews here.

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Empire Diner (Brooklawn)

You can see all 286 Diner reviews here.

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The Point Diner (Somers Point)

You can see all 269 Diner Reviews Here.

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Alps Diner (Wayne)

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South Star Diner (Mount Holly)

South Star Diner (Mount Holly)

You can see all 292 Diner Reviews here.

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All Seasons Diner II (Freehold)

All Seasons Diner II (Freehold, NJ)

You can see all 291 Diner reviews here.

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Empire Diner (Brooklawn)

You can see all 286 Diner reviews here.

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Like this:

The Point Diner (Somers Point)

You can see all 269 Diner Reviews Here.

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Alps Diner (Wayne)

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