restaurant – FueledByLOLZ

Fountainbleau Diner

Fountainbleau Diner
Last week, the owner of New Jersey Isn’t Boring, and I met up at the Fountainbleau Diner in Piscataway Township, NJ. It was one that neither of us had been too, so it made sense. She is also going to every diner in New Jersey, but been to quite a few more. We got to the FountainBleau Diner on a weekday for lunch and it was moderately busy but not overwhelming.

We got to the FountainBleau Diner on a weekday for lunch and it was moderately busy but not overwhelming.

Atmosphere: A
The diner itself has a cobblestone exterior and the interior is old school with plenty of mirrors. There were a lot of mirors and it made the space appear bigger. It felt like the “What Not to Wear 360 Mirror” but it was cool.

It was clean and nice.

Service: A
The waitress was friendly and funny. Any waitress that cracks a few jokes is a winner in my books. You can’t beat that and she brought plenty of refills. Our food came out quickly and I have no complaints.

Coffee: B
There was nothing unusual or unique about it but it wasn’t bad either. I haven’t had any amazing coffee lately but I haven’t had bad coffee either. I enjoyed the coffee and there was a good amount of whipped cream.

Food: A
The Fountainbleau diner has several options but it’s not overwhelming. The diner actually has a smaller menu with “only” 4 pages. I’ve been to some diners with 10-15 filled pages.

What is overwhelming is the amount of lunch specials they have for $8.51. It took me a few minutes to decide what I wanted. I decided to go for the Chicken Souvlaki. I had ordered it a few weeks Sage Diner and I liked it. It might be one of my new favorite lunch staples.

The special came with soup and I decided to order a salad instead of fries. Lentil soup is one of my favorite soups and it was thick and full of lentils. It had huge chunks of celery and I liked it.

The chicken Souvlaki was much different than the previous diner. It was stuffed with tzatziki sauce, lettuce, grilled chicken and onions. It wasn’t too greasy and I enjoyed it. While I forgot to

While I forgot to photo of the salad, it was a typical side salad. There was nothing unusual. Next time I think I’ll just order a greek salad too. Even ordering a full Greek salad, two meals would be cheaper than a single meal at several other diners.

Cost: $
This was one of my cheapest meals to date. For my entire meal including the coffee and side salad upgrade, it was $10.

Overall/Would I come back?
I really enjoyed the Fountainbleau diner. The food as very inexpensive as well as large portions. I would go back.

Summary:
Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Service: A
Food: A
Price: $7-10
Overall: B

Questions for you:
What’s the cheapest meal you’ve had?
What is your favorite soup?

Sage Diner (Eastern Shore, VA)

Recently I went to the Sage Diner with my parents on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. This Sage Diner is not to be confused with the Sage Diner in Mount Laurel. Coincidentally, my parents went too a few years ago. I drive down the Eastern Shore (from New Jersey to my hometown of Virginia Beach) regularly, but I haven’t been to a lot if diners on the Eastern Shore.

Atmosphere: B
The sage diner is located right on Route 13 and has a huge sign located outside, so it’s hard to miss. There are several locations.

The building reminds me of a local family is owned business It’s a casual brick building with a sign that says Sage Diner. The inside is a large square room with several booths and tables as well as a bar. There is nothing unique about it but does have a cute small town feel to it.

Coffee: B
The waitress brewed a fresh pot and it was brewed hot. There was nothing unique about the coffee and there were a few grounds inside. Other then that, it wasn’t too bad.

Service: B
Our waitress was very friendly but she got several parts of our order wrong including my parents soup as well as my pudding. She blamed it comically on “being senile”. (Her words not mine).

She was friendly and treated us as if she had known us for years.

Food: B
The Sage diner has a huge dinner menu. They have the basic breakfast staples such as eggs and pancakes but nothing unusual. I decided to try the special, “The chicken souvlaki.” To be honest I had no idea what would come out!

I assumed there would be chicken but after that…I had no idea. The chicken souvlaki had grilled chicken with roasted vegetables and a very thick and heavy oil. To be honest, there was so much oil it turned into a soup at the bottom of my plate. The meal itself was good though. I enjoyed the roasted vegetables and chicken. It oddly enough reminded me of a grilled fajita on a pita (diner rhyming?).

It also came with a side salad which was a perfect compliment. The menu stated the special came pudding, however, the waitress forgot and by the time she remembered it was time to go.

In summary, I enjoyed my food and it was typical of a diner.

Cost: $
For my special and coffee, the cost was $13. It was a lot of food for not a lot of money so I can’t complain.

Summary/Would I come back?
I enjoyed the Sage Diner and it’s a great stop on the Eastern Shore. If you are heading through the Eastern Shore, I would recommend stopping.

Summary:
Atmosphere: B
Service: B
Coffee: B
Food: B
Cost: $10-15
Overall: B

Questions for you:
Have you ordered anything off a menu having no idea what to expect?
Have you ever traveled down route 13 on the Eastern Shore?

Nutley Diner

Last month, we headed back up to North Jersey and New York State to hike at Bear Mountain State Park. We wanted to have a big breakfast before hiking. You never know what can happen on the trails and the last thing I wanted was to feel exhausted in the middle of the forest. It’s an excuse to go out for brunch and eat at a new diner. What more could I want?

Atmosphere: A
The Nutley Diner is a big, shiny metallic building. When we arrived on a Sunday morning, it was crowded. It’s probably a bad sign if a diner isn’t crowded on a Sunday morning. That’s prime diner time. Every parking spot was taken, and we parallel parked on the street. Even though the lot was full, we were sat quickly. I was pleasantly surprised they sat us so quickly.

Service: A
As I mentioned, I haven’t been to a diner that crowded in a while. The waitress refilled our beverages, and the food was brought out within 10 minutes. That is great speed for an empty restaurant, let alone a restaurant where every table is filled. The Nutley Diner was the fastest service we’ve ever received.

Coffee: A

I was surprised to see the Nutley Diner brewed local Lacas coffee. Lacas is local to me in South Jersey and about 80 minutes south of the Nutley Diner. The coffee was a darker roast and hot. I have no complaints. I like Lacas Coffee and buy it to homebrew at my house too. One additional thing I like is restaurants that use logo mugs. It’s not as common but I always think it’s a great touch.

Food: A
Like most diners, there were plenty of options. Since it was breakfast time, I went with a Mederrenean omelette and bagel. While North Jersey bagels are no NYC bagels, they are better than South Jersey bagels. I’m sorry South Jersey friends, but it’s true.

The Mederettean omelet was good. The omelet was baked, and it was large. It wasn’t overly greasy and the there was plenty of feta cheese and onions. I liked it a lot.

They added plenty of butter to the bagel. By plenty I mean it was drenched in butter but to be honest, I didn’t mind. As a kid I grew up with butter dripped bagels as a treat.

Dessert: B
We ordered a black and white tuxedo cookie to go. The cookie wasn’t amazing or terrible. It tasted like a frosted sugar cookie that we split while hiking.

Cost: $$
For my coffee, omelet, cookie and bagel the cost was $20. It wasn’t bad considering all of the food I received.

Summary/Would I come back?
I enjoyed the Nutley Diner a lot. It’s one of my favorite diners in the area, and I’ll be back.

Atmosphere: A

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

Questions for you:
What’s the fastest service you’ve gotten?
What’s your favorite type of bagel?

Gotham City Diner

On the way back from hiking, we decided to stop at a North Jersey diner. I heard the Gotham City Diner was good, and I wanted to see for myself. Plus after long hikes, normally most things taste good.

Atmosphere: A
The atmosphere of the Gotham City Diner is unique. I always appreciate a diner that has a theme and concentrates on it. The Gotham City Diner does just that. Everything focuses on the Gotham City (I.E. New York City). They have several subway signs, street signs and memorabilia and paintings. It’s one of the best-themed diners I’ve been too!

Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but there was nothing unique or unusual about it. The waitress did add plenty of whipped cream.

Service: C
The waitress was friendly. However, she seemed to forget about our table. She only came back a couple of times and I could have used more drink refills as well as napkin (ribs are messy😉. She came back four times: to take our order, bring out our food and bring dessert and the check. I could have used a few more drink refills.

Food: A
The Gotham City Diner has plenty of options as well as several unique diner options. They have a custom salad menu where you can make your own salad as well as a gelato bar. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a diner with either.

After the hike, I was craving red meat. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered ribs at a diner before so I decided to go for it. The ribs were tender, and they fell off the bone. They tasted great. The shoestrings fries were good as well and rib juice soaked right into them.

Dessert: A
After my hike, I had to order dessert. Plus how many restaurants, especially diners, have a gelato bar?

I ordered the red velvet cake as well as the Cherry Garcia ice cream. The red velvet cake tasted good. It wasn’t the best but plus was plenty of frosting. If you know me, you know I love my cake frosting.

The Cherry Garcia gelato was homemade, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was my favorite diner ice cream to date, and I would highly recommend it. If you go to the Gotham City Diner, you have to save room for their gelato.

Cost: $
For my coffee, ribs, and dessert the cost was $30. That isn’t bad, considering most ribs at other restaurants are $20+.

Overall: B
I enjoyed the Gotham City Diner, but I do wish the service was a little better. Other than that, I enjoyed the food and the cake!

Summary:
Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Service: C
Food: A
Dessert: A
Price: $12-20
Overall: B

Questions for you:
Have you tried gelato before?
Do you like ribs?
I have to be craving them but I like ribs.

Sherban’s Diner

Last week, the owner of New Jersey and I met up at the Sherban Diner in South Plainfield. We’ve both been to most of the diners in Somerset and Middlesex Counties, so Sherban’s was one of the few we haven’t been too.

We met up around 6 pm on a weekday. There were only a few people in the restaurant.

Her website, New Jersey Isn’t Boring, has opened my eyes to so many different things the state has to offer. If you ever venture off of the turnpike, I highly suggest you check out her website.

Atmosphere: B
Sherban’s Diner has an older atmosphere too it. Not in the traditional old dining car way but it is in an older building with an older design to it. It was clean, and there was nothing bad about it, but it could use a remodel. It reminded me of a casual “mom and pop” restaurant.

Service: C
When we arrived at Sherban’s, there were only three other parties in the restaurant. After waiting several minutes for a waitress to come over, a waitress asked if anyone had helped us. We said no, and she said she guessed she would do it. She didn’t come around often, and I felt as if I was begging for drink refills. She also never asked if we wanted dessert and assumed we did not. It took another 10 minutes for dessert.

Coffee: B
There was nothing unique about the coffee flavor. I did like the cute tea mugs they used.

Food: C
When I arrived at Sherban’s Diner, I wasn’t that hungry. They had several options. I knew the “cucumber salad” was one of their signature dishes, so I ordered it, and honestly, there was nothing interesting about it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t unique or interesting.

I also ordered the “famous” Greek Salad with chicken. The salad didn’t come with anything unusual. I don’t know why the menu states it is as: famous. It was one of the most boring salads I’ve had. Plus, they didn’t give any pita bread with the salad. It might be the first Greek salad without pita I’ve had.

I ordered the Greek bread as a side which was honestly my favorite part of the meal.

Dessert: C
I ordered the Coconut cake as a dessert to go. The actual cake was dry, but the whipped cream frosting was good. The shredded coconut was overpowering. The cake was decent but once again, it wasn’t that unusual.

Price: $$$
For my cucumber salad, Greek salad, bread, cake, and coffee the cost was $25. Honestly, it wasn’t worth the price at all. Something I found entertaining, is they charged 25 cents for a to go box.

I’ve never been charged for a to go box before. Was the price worth the meal? No.

Summary/Would I come back?
Sherbans Diner wasn’t anything to write home about. It wasn’t terrible, and everything was edible. However, it isn’t somewhere I would go out of my way to go too. In fact, personally, I probably won’t be back. You have to take the good with the bad, though.

I had a great time catching up which was the important part to begin with…You can see Cyd’s review here.

Summary:
Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Service: C
Food: C
Dessert: C

Overall:C
Questions for you:
Have you ever been charged for a to go box?
Do you like coconut cake?

Time to Eat Diner

A few weeks ago, Caitlin and I met at the Time to Eat Diner. The Time to Eat Diner has been on my to-do list for a while. I’ve heard it’s good plus who can argue with that name? Out of all of the names, “Time to Eat” is in the top.

When in doubt, I will close my eyes. But don't worry, Chelsea looks great — When in doubt, I will close my eyes. But don’t worry, Caitlin looks great

Atmosphere: A
The Time to Eat Diner is located in Bridgewater, NJ after a semi-confusing roundabout. It’s modern, clean and has been plenty of parking.

The inside is spacious with plenty of seating. You walk in next to a large bakery case. It’s clean as well which surprisingly has been an issue lately. We were lucky to sit in a booth towards the front.

Coffee: A
The coffee was great and had plenty of whipped cream. The only thing missing was more coffee.

Service: B
The waitress was friendly, and the food was brought out quickly. It might have been the fastest I’ve ever received food.

Food: B
It was exceptionally hot that day, and I was craving something cold. I had only run half an hour but I sweat so much, and I didn’t want any hot food. I ordered a Mediterranean salad.

Originally I wanted salmon, but they informed me they couldn’t do that, and so I stuck with the chicken. When the salad came out, I was confused about whether it was chicken or salmon. Both Caitlin and I stared at the chicken trying to figure it out: was it chicken? Was it fish?

It was the fishiest looking chicken I’ve ever seen. That being said the salad was filling, and there was plenty of chicken. When I ate it, it tasted normal, and I have no complaints. I wish there were more mixed greens, but the salad was good.

Cost: $$
For my salad and coffee, the cost was $15. It was more expensive for the amount of food, but it was a good meal.

Summary/Would I come back?

I liked the Time to Eat Diner. The meal was good, and there were plenty options. It wasn’t the best diner, but it wasn’t the worst either. It as odd they couldn’t add salmon, but that’s how it goes.

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

Overall: A

Question for you: What’s the restaurant with the coolest name you’ve been too?

The Six Brothers Diner

About two months ago I drove by The Six Brothers Diner in Little Falls, NJ. When I drove by, I thought it was a fancy restaurant, but quickly realized it was a diner. I moved it to my to-do list, but since I have about 100 diners on the immediate list, that doesn’t mean a lot. Plus the Six Brothers Diner is about 90 minutes from my house. I don’t mind driving around the state, but I generally save those diners for when I’m already up North.

In this case, my husband and I were hiking at Hemlock Falls, and since we were close by, we opted to finally try the Six Brothers Diner.

Atmosphere: A
The Six Brothers Diner is huge. It looks like it could easily sit 500 people and host a banquet. It’s got large windows, and it’s open and spacious. The inside has multiple rooms, a bar, and a dessert case. The inside is one of my favorite modern diners because there is so much room. I don’t feel like I’m violating anyone’s personal space.

Service: C
Six Brothers Diner wasn’t crowded. However, our waitress was barely at our table. When we asked for drink refills, it felt as if we were bothering her. Maybe she was doing something in the back, but there were about 15 other people in the entire restaurant and she never appeared to be busy. Appearances are deceiving, though.

Coffee: C
The coffee wasn’t fantastic, but it wasn’t bad either. It was simply average. I wish the cup was larger, or I had more refills, but it wasn’t bad. I have nothing interesting to write about it. The table backdrop is unique.

Food: A
After a less than stellar, start to our meal the Six Brothers Diner shines at food. The menu is huge and has plenty of different options. They have all day breakfast, multiple burgers and an entire page dedicated to salads. Recently I’ve gone to a few diners that do have all day breakfast. Isn’t that a traditional diner staple?

After six miles of hiking, I was starving and ordered: “The Brooklyn Burger” with sweet potato fries. It was a cheeseburger with an entire layer of mozzarella cheese. The burger was cooked perfectly. I enjoyed the crunchiness of the sweet potato fries as well. I’ve never had a mozzarella cheeseburger before, but it was good. The sweet potato fries were good.

Cost: $
For the burger and coffee, the cost was $15 which wasn’t inexpensive, but it also wasn’t expensive either.

Summary/Would I come back?
The Six Brothers Diner was good. The quality of food was high too, and if I were in the area again, I would come back. Based on the service when it was empty, I would try and come on quiet days, or you might be there for hours.

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

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of French fry?
Have you ever been to a restaurant with its own wine cellar?

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