Alexis Diner (Denville)

January 19, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: Diner, food, greek, new jersey, review, sandwich Leave a comment

After Hiking the Mahlon Reservation and Headley Overlook, I stopped at the Alexis Diner. When I arrived around dinner time, it wasn’t crowded and there were plenty of booths and tables open. I got a booth in the back which was peaceful.

Atmosphere: A
The Alexis Diner is everything you expect in a diner. The atmosphere is big, shiny, metallic, and stands out in a local shopping center. The inside is lit by blue lights with plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. There is a large dessert case towards the front with plenty of delicious looking treats.

Coffee: B
The coffee was good but nothing unique or unusual. That’s been the trend lately. It wasn’t the best or worst, just average.

Food: B
After hiking, I was hungry. Alexis Diner has 10+ pages of food, so you’ll struggle not finding what you’re looking for.

I can never turn down a good Greek platter and ordered the “Greek Pikilia” for an appetizer. It came with olives, spanokopita, grape leaves, pita, and tomatoes. It could have used hummus to round it out, but other than that it was good.

For my entree, I ordered the “Heartburn Hotel” which came with hot pastrami, imported swiss, cole slaw, and spicy mustard. The sandwich itself was good, but could have used more mustard. It also came with French fries which were good, but nothing unusual.

It was so much food, I ended up bringing some home.

Service: B
The waitress was friendly and one of the best I’ve had. I was disappointed because both the appetizer and entree came out at the same time. It wasn’t a make or break for coming back but I doubt I would have ordered both if I knew they would come out at the same time.

Cost: $$
For the coffee; appetizer, and meal it was $30. It’s definitely one of the most expensive diners I’ve been too.

Overall Thoughts:
I liked the Alexis Diner and I would go back if I’m in the area. It’s definitely expensive though.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $20-30
Overall: B

You Can See All 226 Diners Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of sandwich?
Do you like hummus?

Hibernia Diner (Rockaway)

January 12, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, coffee, Diner, food, new jersey, restaurant, review 3 Comments

The Hibernia Diner has been one of the most suggested diners since I started my diner journey. The timing hasn’t worked out until recently so when it did; I was excited to finally try it.

I got there on the weekend around lunchtime, and it was crowded, but we were quickly given a table. I asked for either a table or booth that wasn’t front and center, but the manager bluntly said no.

Atmosphere: B
The Hibernia Diner is a modern building. It’s open, with plenty of parking. It’s not the stereotypical metallic, shiny, building but the inside is clean and modern.

The inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. We were given my least favorite table, the one that sat in the front and center directly next to the drink station. (I hate being front and center of any restaurant and there were other tables open). I would have preferred any other table, but the manager said no.

Coffee: A
The coffee was good, and the Hibernia Diner served Lacas coffee from South Jersey. I could have used more refills, but I have no complaints about the coffee itself.

Food: B
The Hibernia Diner has everything from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The best part is you can order anything, at any time. They even have a separate menu to “eat on trend” with avocado toast and other unique options.

I decided to order the Country Steak Breakfast. It came with fried steak, eggs (I chose over easy), home fries, and toast (I picked rye).

The Country Steak had a thick gravy on top. It tasted great, and the steak itself was cooked perfectly. The eggs and both were good too. The hash browns were undercooked and still somewhat cold. The majority of my meal was good though.

Service: C
The waitress was friendly, but the service was a little slower than I would have hoped. The food took a while to come out. I was somewhat salty about the manager giving us a blunt no at a simple request to sit at a different table though.

Cost: $
For my meal and coffee, the cost was $15.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back?
I liked the Hibernia Diner, and if I’m back in the area, I will go back.

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

You can see all 225 NJ Diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What’s your favorite way to eat steak?
Do you prefer a booth or a table?

Nike Streak Lt 4 Shoe Review

January 11, 2019 By Hollie in Gear Review, Running Tags: fitness, nike, review, run, running, shoes, sports Leave a comment

I’ve got a few new shoe reviews coming out soon. Some of my favorite shoes have been updated, but I’ve also branched out to try a few new ones as well.

Anyway, I rarely do a running flat review, because they are all basically the same. Lightweight, used for racing. With the release of the Nike Vaporfly 4% last year, the running flat game has changed.

That being said, I’ve been a Nike LT Streak fan since it the first version came out. Something about putting on a brand new pair has always made me feel fast. It’s a lightweight, racing shoe, that has been great for both workouts and races. I’ve done everything from 400s to a half marathon and never had any issues. That being said, it’s so important to work yourself into a flat. Don’t go from a trainer to a half marathon because you will get injured.

Fit:

Like any racing flat, the Nike Streak LT fits narrow. I wear from a women’s 10-11 wide. Since the shoe is unisex, I found the mens 9.5 to fit the best (women’s 11).

New for the Streak LT 4, is a Flymesh upper. According to Nike, the Flymesh makes the shoe more durable as well as breathable. There are also vents along the forefoot and sides to eliminate hotspots.

I appreciate this year, the overlays that give the shoe more overall structure. It’s not you’re your foot is just free floating around in a shoe. Of all the versions of the Streak LT, I think the 4^th version fits the best. It has the most structure and your feet feel most secure in a flat.

Ride:

The Air Zoom Streak LT 4 is one of the lightest racing flats out there. It’s possibly what drew me to this shoe way back when. Lighter (whether it’s body weight or racing shoe), doesn’t mean faster, especially in distance. The Lt Streak hits a good spot with about the most amount of cushion for the least amount of weight.

So how is it so light? Nike uses a Cushlon LT midsole, aided further by “Zoom Air” in the shoe’s heel. The cushioning is durable for paved roads, track, and trails. While I personally wouldn’t do a fast workout with them on the treadmill, they should be fine there too.

The Air Zoom Streak LT 4 is a 4mm drop. This is a drastic difference between most trainers so if you’re using them for the first time, take a few weeks or workouts to get used to them. The lower drop allows the foot to move more natural and there isn’t additional support there. You feel more of the road or terrain.

Another important feature to look for in a racing flat: traction without weight. This is one of Nike’s best “bad weather” racing shoe (unless you race in a trainer). I’ve run races like Shamrock in torrential downpours and slicker conditions and still had traction. Not every racing flat is great in bad weather and both the Nike Zoom Fly and 4% do not perform well in rain.

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Beautiful weather for a workout. . 12x400s averaging 6:01 pace with 400 jog in between.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jan 9, 2019 at 8:38am PST

Conclusion:

I like the Zoom Streak LT 4 and will continue to use them. Typically I go through 2 pairs of racing flats a year. They last 100-200 miles (as most racing flats do before your cushioning is gone).

Current Rotation:

Easy Runs: Hoka Cavu, Brooks Glycerin, Saucony Triumph ISO 5 (shoe review to come)

Workouts: Nike LT Streak 4, Nike Zoom Fly

Races: Nike LT Streak 4, (I think the Vaporfly will just be a marathon shoe for me and I have no plans to do another one for a while)

Questions for you:

Do you use different racing and training shoes?

What is your favorite racing shoe?

Fireside Family Restaurant (Pitman, NJ)

January 5, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: diners, food, menu, new jersey, restaurant, review 2 Comments

On my way back to Virginia, I decided to stop at the Fireside Family Restaurant in Pitman, NJ. When I arrived on Sunday, it was busy, but by the time I left, there was a line out the door which made it hard to get out.

Atmosphere: B
The Fireside Family Restaurant is a small square building that appears that it had an extension at some point. The outside has plenty of parking. It’s a modest building and not a big shiny metallic diner.

There are several tables, and then a row of booths in the extension. There is a small dessert case towards the front. As I found out, the front gets very congested when it’s busy, and it was hard to get in and out.

Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but there wasn’t anything unique or unusual. I could have used more refills, but I don’t have any complaints.

Food: B
The Fireside Family Restaurant has everything you need or want in a diner. There were plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. It didn’t have anything unique or special, but it didn’t lack any of the traditional diner items either.

Since it was brunch time I went with an omelet with grits. The omelet had sausage, tomatoes, and peppers. It was good and typical of a diner meal.

The grits were great, but I think they probably added a substantial amount of butter. Since living in Montgomery, almost two years ago, I’ve been on a quest for good grits. I have yet to find any as good as Montgomery, but I’m still searching.

Service: A
The waitress was friendly, and our food came out within 15 minutes or ordering. No complaints about that!

Cost:
For my omelet, and coffee it was $13.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I enjoyed the Fireside Family Restaurant and I would go back again. It’s a typical NJ Diner with nothing exceptionally good or bad.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: B
Food: B
Service: A
Cost: $6-14
Overall: B

You Can See All 224 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of omelet?
Do you like to go out for breakfast?

Bridgeton Family Diner

December 29, 2018 By Hollie in Diners Tags: Diner, food, greek, new jersey, restaurant, review, salad 1 Comment

A couple of weeks ago, Angela and I decided to go the Bridgeton Family Diner. Originally we had other plans, but things fell through, so the Bridgeton Family Diner seemed like a good option.

I have driven by the Bridgeton Family Diner once before on my way to the Golden Pigeon. I remembered it was directly in the middle of a Uhaul center.

Atmosphere: B
We arrived around lunchtime. The outside is clean and modern. The front has an overhead that almost leads me to believe it was once something else.

The inside is modern and clean. It was around the holidays, and they were festive and decorated. We sat in a booth towards the back.

Coffee: A
The coffee was excellent and the waitress added plenty of whipped cream. In fact, there might have been more whipped cream than coffee which okay in my books. It was brewed hot and fresh, and we both had plenty of refills.

Food: A
The Bridgeton Family Diner has plenty of options including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I wasn’t that hungry when we arrived, so I decided to order a salad. I haven’t ordered a diner salad in a few months but went with a Greek salad with chicken.

It was one of the most massive salads I’ve had at a diner ever. It had plenty of toppings including grape leaves, olives, tomatoes, and cucumbers. A unique addition was artichoke hearts which I like! I believe it was supposed to come with anchovies with they might have forgotten. Instead of pita bread, it came with garlic which was good. In all, it was one of the better diner salads I’ve had.

Service: A
The waitress was friendly, and the food came out fast. I have no complaints.

Cost: $
For my coffee and salad, it was $14.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked the Bridgeton Family Diner, and it was a pleasant surprise down in Bridgeton. I would go back.

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

You Can See all 223 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
Do you like anchovies?
What are your favorite salad toppings?

FueledByLOLZ

Running and Laughing through the Garden State

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