Tag: salad

All Seasons Diner II (Freehold, NJ) pork chops
Diners

All Seasons Diner II (Freehold)

Hollie

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 (Freehold, NJ)

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.

All Seasons Diner II (Freehold, NJ)

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 (Freehold, NJ) coffee

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.

All Seasons Diner II (Freehold, NJ) clam chowder

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.

All Seasons Diner II (Freehold, NJ) salad bar

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.

All Seasons Diner II (Freehold, NJ) pork chops

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 (Freehold, NJ) beans

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 (Freehold, NJ) bread pudding

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? 

 

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The Truck Stop Diner (Kearny) veggie wrap
Diners

The Truck Stop Diner (Kearny)

Hollie

The Truck Stop Diner (Kearny)

Recently I was in the Hackensack, Kearny, and Jersey City area. Since it was around lunchtime, I decided to stop. I was hungry but not starving. The Truck Stop Diner is unique because, as the name indicates, it’s located at a real Truck Stop. When we arrived, there were dozens of trucks parked in the massive parking lot.

The Truck Stop Diner (Kearny)

The Truck Stop Diner Atmosphere: B
The Truck Stop Diner has a stereotypical diner atmosphere. The outside is relatively boring and just has the name “The Truck Stop Diner.”

The Truck Stop Diner (Kearny)

The inside of The Truck Stop Diner is everything you imagine in a diner. It’s all metallic with chrome seating. There are old schools, booths, tables, and a full-length bar. At the front of The Truck Stop Diner, they sell lottery tickets and candy-like an old school gas station.

The Truck Stop Diner (Kearny)

The Truck Stop Diner Coffee: C
The coffee at The Truck Stop Diner was ok but not great. It was nothing to write home about.

The Truck Stop Diner (Kearny) coffee

The Truck Stop Diner Food: C
The Truck Stop Diner menu has everything you picture in a diner and more. There are plenty of breakfast and dinner options. There is a smaller menu at the top of the diner, which at first I thought we were limited too, but then the waitress brought over a full menu. The Truck Stop Diner is known for their “great food”.

When I went to order something, the waitress laughed and said: “oh, we don’t serve that anymore. They try new things and they don’t usually work’. I laughed and tried to order something else which they didn’t sell anymore either. Finally, I just asked the waitress what they did sell and ended up with a vegetable wrap with sweet potato fries.

The wrap was better than I anticipated and the sweet potato fries were nice and crispy. In all it was good food, but I do wonder how many options on The Truck Stop Diner menu they have.

The Truck Stop Diner (Kearny) veggie wrap

The Truck Stop Diner Service: B
The waitress at The Truck Stop Diner was interesting. I’m sure she’s been working there for a long time. She was quirky but nice and our food came out quickly.

The Truck Stop Diner Cost: $
For my wrap and coffee, it was $12.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to The Truck Stop Diner?
The Truck Stop Diner was a decent stop. I probably wouldn’t be back because there are other, much better places in the general area. Is it a fun spot to check out? Yes. Was the food decent? Yes. Was it a 5-star restaurant? No.

Atmosphere: B
Coffee: C
Food: C
Service: B
Cost: $6-12
Overall: C

You can see all 289 Diner Reviews Here.

Questions for you:

Have you ever ate at a truck stop restaurant?

What is your favorite wrap?

 

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack)
Diners

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack)

Hollie

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack)

While in Hackensack, I drove by the “Coach House Diner.” I swear I’ve been to the Coach House Diner before, but after spending too much time looking into it, I realized I went to the Coach House Diner in North Bergen. Even when I was sitting inside, The Coach House Diner in Hackensack looked almost identical to the Coach House Diner in North Bergen.

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack)

Ironically, I went in to wait out the traffic, but while I was eating, there was an accident on Route 4, which caused about a 30-minute delay. I could have been home much faster if I hadn’t eaten at the Coach House. No regrets.

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack)

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack) Atmosphere: A
The Coach House Diner in Hackensack looks like an old coach house. Inside is mid-evil with plenty of booths, tables, and a full-length bar. There is also a salad bar.

You won’t find a bright shiny diner, but I always appreciate a diner that stays with it’s theme.

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack) Coffee: A
The coffee tasted good. The waitress brought plenty of refills.  I guess I forgot to take a photo, which is unfornate because the coffee was great.

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack) Food: C
The Coach House Diner menu has everything you expect in a diner. There is an all-day breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was surprised that there weren’t any specials at all.  I was between a salad with grilled chicken and the greek but decided for the greek.

I wasn’t too hungry, so I decided to order their greek salad with salmon. It’s a staple meal for when I’m not hungry but don’t want to wait (2 hours) to drive home. The salad itself was on the smaller side and there wasn’t a lot of lettuce. I was disappointed with it. The salmon was ok and I was happy it came with anchovies, but no bread like it stated on the menu.

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack) greek salad
Greek salad with salmon

In all, it was ok. It was edible, but by no means great.

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack) Service: A
The waitress at the Coach House Diner was friendly and the food came out fast. I couldn’t have asked for better staff.

The Coach House Diner (Hackensack) Cost: $$
For my coffee and salad, it was $22, which was pricy for what I got.

Overall Thoughts/Would I go back to The Coach House Diner (Hackensack)?
The Coach House Diner (Hackensack) was a decent stop. It wasn’t the best or the worst diner I’ve been too. I do appreciate the atmosphere of the Coach House, though.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: C
Service: A
Cost: $15-20
Overall: B

You can see all 288 Diner Reviews here.

Questions for you:
Have you been in a Coach House?
What is your favorite type of salad?

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) swordfish salad
Diners

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park)

Hollie

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park, NJ)

Recently I was in Roselle Park, so I decided to stop at the Sunrise Diner.  I heard from friends the Sunrise Diner was good so I stopped.Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park)

Sunrise Diner Atmosphere: A
The Sunrise Diner is everything you expect in a diner. There was a fair amount of parking (which for the area) surprised me. The inside has plenty of booths, tables, and a bar. One thing I appreciated was the salad bar. Not many diners I have a salad bar these days.

Sunrise Diner Coffee: A
The Sunrise Diner coffee was delicious. The waitress refilled it often and put lots of whipped cream on it. It was brewed hot and fresh and I was pleased.

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) coffee

 

Sunrise Diner Food: B
The Sunrise Diner menu has everything a stereotypical diner typically has, plus more. I appreciated the full page of Sunrise Diner menu specials and the salad bar. I was between a few options and decided to order the mesclun salad with Swordfish. I don’t know if I’ve had swordfish before at a diner, so I gave it a shot.

The Sunrise Diner menu specials all come with soup, salad, a meal, and a dessert.  So much food!  Even the salad came with the salad bar.

I decided to order my favorite soup split pea. It was one of the better split pea soups I’ve had.

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) split pea soup

The salad bar was filled with greens, beets, beans, and all of the regular salad toppings. I decided to splurge on my salading and made a trip to the salad bar too.

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) salad bar

My mesclun salad with Swordfish was a lot bigger than anticipated. While the swordfish was slightly dry, I have no complaints.  The salad itself came with balsamic dressing, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes.  As far as diner salads go, it was good.

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) swordfish salad

Sunrise Diner Dessert: A
I got my bread pudding to go and I was extremely pleased. The bread pudding was more bread than pudding, which is my favorite way to enjoy bread pudding. It was sweet but not overly sweet. In all, one of the better bread puddings I’ve had.

Sunrise Diner (Roselle Park) bread pudding

Sunrise Diner Service: A
The waitress at the Sunrise Diner was great. She refilled my drinks often, made sure I was set, and my food came out quickly. I could not have had a better experience.

Cost: $
For all my food, the cost was $16.95. I’ve paid more for just salads at diners before.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to the Sunrise Diner?
If I’m in Roselle Park again, I’ll come to the Sunrise Diner. It’s an inexpensive but delicious stop.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: B
Dessert: A
Service: A
Cost: $10-17
Overall: A

You can see all 285 diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
Have you ever had a salad that came with the salad bar?
Do you like ordering off of the specials menu?

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack) salad
Diners

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack)

Hollie

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack)

Recently I was in Hackensack, NJ.  I decided to stop at the Fairmount Eats.  I wasn’t hungry but wanted to wait out the traffic and heard the food was good. Hackensack is close to New York and the traffic is significantly worse than South Jersey so I decided to sit at a diner instead of sit in my car. I didn’t wait too long because the food was out in the blink of an eye.Fairmount Eats (Hackensack)

Fairmount Eats Atmosphere: A

Fairmount Eats resembles more of a bar than a diner. It’s located on the corner and has a small parking spot. Looking back, I should have verified there was parking before just stopping by. Anyway, there was a small lot. Inside has plenty of tables, a few booths, and an open kitchen to watch the chefs prepare the food. It’s a cute, modern building, and you never feel like you’re sitting on top of people.

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack)

Fairmount Eats Coffee: A

The coffee at Fairmount Eats was good. The waiter brought plenty of refills and it was brewed hot and fresh. Thankfully, because I was unusually tired that day.

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack) coffee

Fairmount Eats Food: B

The Fairmount Eats menu has plenty of options from breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are known for their lunch specials and salads. I decided to order the goat cheese and spinach salad with grilled chicken. The goat cheese salad came with candied nuts, bacon, spinach, and of course, chicken. It was a hardy portion of chicken too! The salad was good, but I do wish the dressing was mixed in.

Fairmount Eats (Hackensack) salad

Fairmount Eats Service: A

The waiter at the Fairmount Eats was great and the food came out fast. He was one of the best waiters I’ve had in a while and I couldn’t have asked for a better waiter.  I was in and out of the Fairmount Eats within 30 minutes.

Fairmount Eats Cost: $$

For the salad and coffee, it was $18 which was more expensive than I was expecting.

Overall Thoughts/Would I Come Back to Fairmount Eats?

I liked the Fairmount Eats and it was a good stop. While pricier than the average diner, it was fresh food and I would go back.

Atmosphere: B

Coffee: A

Food: B

Service: A

Cost: $12-20

Overall: B

You can see all 286 Diner reviews here.

Questions for you:

What’s your favorite type of salad?

Do you have a lot of traffic near you?