Park Place Diner (Matawan)

August 17, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, coffee, Diner, new jersey, omelet, Pancakes, review 2 Comments

After the Sheehan Classic Asbury Park 5k, I decided to stop at the Park Place diner (Matawan). It’s located right across from Aberdeen Shopping Center, and the Town Square Diner.

Atmosphere: A
The atmosphere of the Park Place Diner in Matawan is typical of a modern diner. It’s not metallic or shiny, but a nice modern building.

The front door is located next to the dessert case as well as a bar. Inside, there are plenty of booths and tables. Apparently, it’s a great local spot to hold a business meeting.

Coffee: A
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and the waitress refilled it often.

Food: A
The menu at the Park Place Diner is massive, and they have everything from breakfast, lunch, and dinner specials. They also serve everything all day long, which is nice.

I decided to order the farmers omelet, which came with pancakes. The Farmers Omelet was stuffed with Ham, Onion, Peppers, Potatoes and Cheddar Cheese. It had the most cheese I’ve seen in an omelet.

Ordering pancakes at a diner can always be risky. I’ve had good pancakes, but I’ve also had bad, flat, pancakes. The pancakes at the Park Place Diner were light and fluffy and tasted good. I was pleased!

Service: A
The waitress was one of the friendliest waitresses I’ve had recently. Even though the Park Place Diner was busy, she made sure to refill my coffee, and the food came out quickly.

Cost: $
For my omelet and coffee at the Park Place Diner, it was $12.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the Park Place Diner?
I liked the Park Place Diner in Matawan, and if I’m in the area, I’ll be back. Some of the lunch and dinner options interested me.

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

You can see all 256 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite type of omelet?
What is the riskiest item at a diner to order?

Hoka One One Rincon Shoe Review

August 14, 2019 By Hollie in Gear Review, Running Tags: fitness, hoka, review, run, running, shoe, sports Leave a comment

The Hoka One One Rincon is a brand new shoe from Hoka this year. I’ve been curious about this shoe since it came out in June but needed to prioritize buying trainers (like the Hoka Bondi 6) I knew I could run miles in with no issues.

I knew I would probably like the Hoka Rincon, but also knew I needed to have at least one shoe in my rotation that was tried and true. Anyway, the long story short is it took me a little while to buy a pair.

The Rincon is designed to be a fast shoe from Hoka One One. It’s lighter than most (I believe just the Hoka Cavu 2 is lighter).

Quick Stats:
Weight: 6.3 oz
Drop 5 mm

Fit:

Like most of their shoes now, Hoka uses a single layer of engineered mesh for the upper. It’s thin and lightweight, plus it breathes well. If you’ve run in the Hoka One One Carbon X, it fits very similar. The single layer of mesh allows wider feet or someone with bunions to feel more comfortable. I’m usually a women’s size 10-11 wide, and I find the 10.5 to fit well (they aren’t made in wide…yet).

One thing to keep in mind is that there isn’t much structure in the upper of the shoe. The feet can splay out. Like the newer models of Hoka, there is a pull tab at the heel counter to get it up. There is a lack of plastic in the heel which keeps it from pinching the Achilles. The pull tab allows it to slide up without damaging it.

Ride:

The Hoka One One Rincon has a unique ride to it (even from Hoka). It has as much cushion as the Hoka Clifton, however, weighs about an ounce less. It’s much more responsive than the Clifton and feels like a shoe I want to run fast in (like the Mach and Cavu). The Hoka Rincon uses the early stage Meta-Rocker to allow for quicker turnover. It’s designed for true speed or as a race shoe. (You can read more about Hoka’s technology and “Meta-Rockers” here).

If you’ve never run in Hoka before, this is a great model to start. It’s responsive enough that you won’t feel too disconnected from the ground. For me, it fits best as a fast-paced, long run shoe, or even a race day shoe. I like more amount of cushion for a daily trainer.

One last thing to add is there is a lack of traction on the bottom of the shoe. I do wish added rubber on the bottom. There is rubber on the outsole in strategic spots but it’s not a shoe that would perform well in rainy/icy conditions.

Hoka Rincon Conclusion:

Sometimes brand new running shoe models miss their mark, but the Hoka Rincon has quickly become one of my favorite Hoka One One models (my favorite for heavy training is the Hoka Bondi and for speed, work is the Hoka Cavu).

If you’re looking to try out the brand Hoka, the Hoka Rincon is a great place to start. If you are familiar with Hoka and looking for a lightweight racer or trainer, the Hoka Rincon would be a great shoe for your rotation.

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A beautiful day and easy run to start the week. I appreciate each runs, knowing they are every bit as important as workouts, races, and hard runs.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Aug 12, 2019 at 8:13am PDT

Current Rotation:

Easy/Daily Runs: Hoka Bondi 6, Brooks Ghost 12

Speed Work: New Balance FuelCell Rebel, Reebok Float Ride Run fast Pro, Hoka Rincon

Long Runs: New Balance FuelCell Rebel, Mizuno R2, Hoka Cavu 2

Races: Reebok Run fast Pro

You Can See All Current Shoe Reviews Here.

Finally, have you subscribed to the LOLZletter? It’s a free newsletter that comes out each Monday. In the newsletter, I share running industry trends and things relevant to the sport. This week is all about carbon plate shoes,

Questions for you:

Have you tried a new shoe lately?

What is your favorite running shoe?

Town Square Diner (Matawan)

August 10, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: brunch, coffee, diners, food, new jersey, review, salad Leave a comment

Recently I went to the Town Square Diner in Matawan. One of my goals is to go to a few more diners in that general area. Previously the Aberdeen Diner, a few years ago, it was reopened under the name Town Square Diner.

Atmosphere: B
The Town Squire Diner is located in the Aberdeen Shopping Center. It’s not a standalone diner and just blends in with the rest of the shopping center.

Once you get inside, it looks like a diner. It’s dimly lit with plenty of booths, tables, and a bar.

Coffee: B
The coffee at the Town Squire Diner was brewed hot and fresh. It wasn’t anything unique or unusual but it was good. I could have used more refills but other than that, it was good.

Food: B
The menu and food at the Town Squire Diner has everything you would expect in a diner. There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. Plus there were several different menu specials. In fact, the specials are what spoke to me.

I arrived around lunchtime and didn’t know what I was craving. One of their specials: The Shrimp Salad caught my eye. It came with arugula, shrimp, avocado, and artichoke hearts. The salad was good but I do wish it was bigger.

It also came with soup and I chose lentil. The lentil soup was delicious but it was hot, so hot in fact, that I burned out my tongue. That was my fault though.

Cost: $$
For my salad and coffee, it was $18.

Service: A
Our waitress at the Town Square Diner was friendly and our food came out fast. Without rushing, I was in and out within 45 minutes.

Overall Thoughts:
I liked the Town Square Diner. The meal was fresh and the food came out fast. I would go back.

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Diners don’t make me happy, why do you ask?

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jul 30, 2019 at 12:26pm PDT

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

You can see all 255 diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
Do you ever order from the specials menu?
Do you like shrimp?

Exmore Diner (Exmore, VA)

August 4, 2019 By Hollie in Diners Tags: breakfast, brunch, coffee, Diner, food, menu, review, virginia

Recently I was visiting my parents, and we decided to finally go to the Exmore Diner in Northampton County, VA. They have a home up there, and we’ve always said we would go, but the timing never seems to work out.

Atmosphere: A
The Exmore Diner is small and is a big, metallic, shiny, diner. It’s a stereotypical diner. Everything you picture in an old school classic diner is true.

The inside of the Exmore Diner has a few booths and a full-length bar. When we arrived, the only seating was the bar. I haven’t sat at the bar in a while, so we decided to. Good thing we did because no tables opened up while we were there.

Coffee: B
The coffee was brewed hot and fresh, and the waitresses refilled it often. While they didn’t have whipped cream, it was good coffee.

Food: A
The Exmore Diner has a full menu of about 20 different breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. You won’t find healthy options but you will find the standard diner fare from eggs, to pancakes, to sandwiches and fried lunch options. It’s a small-town diner with a small menu. If you’re looking for a diner with a big menu or healthy options, there are very few.

I decided to order the Western Omelet. It came stuffed with cheese, ham, and onions. It came with toast, and I chose rye. The meal was delicious.

Service: A
The Exmore Diner was busy the entire time we were there. There weren’t open tables at all. The waitresses all kept it moving, and our food came out fast.

Price: $
For my omelet and coffee, it was $9.

Overall Thoughts/Summary:
I liked the Exmore Diner, and it’s a great small-town diner. I’ll be back. If you are ever on the Eastern Shore of VA and looking for a place to stop, the Exmore Diner is a good one.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: A
Service: A
Cost: $5-10
Overall: A

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What is your favorite omelet?
What’s the smallest restaurant you’ve been to?

Marlboro Diner

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

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.

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.

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

Food: B
The Marlboro Diner 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 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.

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

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

Overall Summary:
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.

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

FueledByLOLZ

Running and Laughing through the Garden State

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