Soooooo my computer is FUBAR which means this will be a photo-less post. I will try to be as descriptive as possible (it will be a true test of my writing skills.... how do ya like THAT for a positive spin!)
Ok, continuing on to what really matters... the food! The Princetonian Diner is the epitome of the true Jersey diner... breakfast all day, baked goods made on site, big booths and bright colors... the real experience. We've been there several times now (it's the only 'real' diner close to us) so this is going to be my 'best of' list thus far.
First things first, no Jersey diner would be complete without offering several authentic Greek dishes... I don't know why it's true but it just is. The Princetonian is no exception, and they have a dinner special that I just adore. It's a small Greek salad with spanakopita, and it is seriously good. First of all the 'small' Greek salad is still very large. It has all of the standard Greek salad fare (lettuce, tomato, onion, feta, Kalamata olives) but is also topped with artfully arranged stuffed grape leaves, anchovy fillets, and pita wedges. The dressing is vinegar based and full of fresh herbs, and it's just a great salad. Here is where I curse my lack of photographic evidence, but the spanakopita is the real star to this combo. Typically when you order spanakopita it comes to you in a wedge (think a half of pice of toast, if the bread is cut on the diagonal) Not here. Ohhhh no. The piece that came out to me was like a big tube, about the size and shape of a really overstuffed burrito. It was filled with hot spinach and feta, with just a touch of garlic. The phyllo dough that wrapped the whole thing up was flaky and crisp and it was really outstanding. I actually laughed out loud when I saw how big the portion was... Needless to say I didn't finish it (oh but I wanted to!)
Matt once ordered something that they call the grilled chicken portabella sandwich. It was awesome, and we crave it regularly. It's a long crusty, toasted roll topped with grilled chicken, slices of grilled portabella mushroom, mozarella cheese and a garlic mayo and its crazy flavorful. Matt opted to get it without the cheese and it still managed to carry a ton of flavor and richness. It isn't that they're heavy handed with the garlic mayo, because they aren't, it's more that the mayo is so strong that a little bit goes a long way. The mushrooms were grilled to the point where they get that rich and meaty flavor and that toothsome but delightful texture. The chicken was not at all dry and was seasoned and grilled to perfection. The bread was toasted to the point where you got that loud crunch noise with every bite, but not over toasted where you get crumbs all over yourself (because NOBODY likes to be the crumby shirt guy!)
Last on the hit list (for now at least) is the portabella eggs benedict. It's the vegetarian version of the standard classic. At first I was sad, because what I was expecting (and for any future restaurantuers what would be awesome) was a full portabella cap in lieu of the english muffin and Canadian bacon. This was not the case.... the muffin was still there, we were just sans bacon AND the portabella was sliced, not a full cap. So at first I was bummed. However, once I began eating I changed my tune, big time. First of all you NEED the muffin... what else are you going to soak up hollandaise sauce and egg yolk with? The portabella made for an even meatier experience than the ham usually does... it was so much more texturally satisfying than the meat! The Canadian bacon typically adds extra saltiness, I will give it that, but with a hollandaise sauce who NEEDS more salt? That stuff's already got a ton of flavor! The portabella added a nice chew, a rich flavor and an earthiness that really pulled the whole thing together. The egg was done perfectly... a little runny (not scary posion people runny... the good kind). Hollandaise can't really ever be bad (I mean... unless you do it wrong), but this was buttery, thick, rich, dense, and decadent. The whole dish was delicious and I am looking forward to having it again.
There are a ton of things to choose from at the Princetonian Diner... so many in fact that it seems at some point they just start making it up! ME once even got a lasagna sald (yes... a green salad with lasagna noodles, fried eggplant, some roasted tomato.... please note that it is NOT on the hit list). They have your standard diner faves (ya know, burgers, tuna sammiches, disco fries, matzo ball soup) along with real dinner items(chops, steaks, pastas) and some more experimental options (allow me to again refer you to lasagna salad). Give it a try. It's totally Jersey and totally good.
Princetonian Diner
www.princetoniandiner.com
3509 US Highway 1
Princeton, 08540-5923
(609) 452-2272
Showing posts with label Diner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diner. Show all posts
Friday, December 11, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
City Streets Cafe, East Windsor
We were trying to find a somewhere to lunch between Matt's parents house (Monroe) and our place (Lawrenceville). Matt's mom suggested City Streets Cafe, located in East Windsor (pretty much exactly in between us) and off we went. It's another one of those places that's located in a nondescript strip mall, but is deceptively large and well maintained within. The front area is very sports bar-ish... lots of TVs, large wooden bar, plenty of beers on tap. The back room was a bit homier, with art on the walls, giant wooden tables and just an overall coziness.
Our food came out and there was a lot of it! City Streets provided us with very large portions which is becoming a rare practice these days. Matt's pepper jack wrap was delightful. The chicken was deep fried but we found a very pleasant surprise in the coating... Ritz cracker! They lent the chicken all their salted, buttery goodness, and it had a terrific crunch to it. Toss that together with some pepper jack cheese, tomato, lettuce and ranch and roll it up and Ta Da! A tasty lunch. Not the most exotic item on the menu but yummy just the same.
Matt's Mom's turkey burger was simple, yet perfectly cooked. Like I've mentioned before turkey is a tricky meat, and ground turkey is doubly so. This place served up a burger that was still moist and tender, which is a lot harder than it sounds. Placed atop a multi grain roll it was a great healthy lunch. To up the health factor, Matt's Mom opted for sweet potato fries instead of the regular kind (City Streets kindly provides the option and doesn't charge extra!) They were crunchy and sweet, not floppy or soggy at all...exactly how a fry of any kind should be served!
Matt's Dad got a sandwich that was large and overstuffed with slabs of meat and grilled onions. I guess I am jaded about steak sandwiches at diner-esque venues because I was expecting it to be either chopped meat or reaaaaaalllllyy thinly sliced. It was neither. When I say slabs I mean honest to goodness cuts of Prime Rib piled up on his roll. There were onions pouring off the thing and they were thoroughly grilled (read: delicious). It was supposed to have a cheese of some kind on it but he opted not to have it, which I believe was a wise choice. You wouldn't want to cloud the taste of the meat. Again, the sweet potato fries were delicious and oh so very crunchy.
Finally there was my Reuben sandwich. It was piled thick with corned beef, sauerkraut and swiss cheese. I asked for the Russian dressing on the side and they were happy to oblige. Nothing really special going on with this one... the bread was a little soggy because there was a touch too much sauerkraut and the meat was was on the salty side. It couldn't compare to a New York style deli, but it was certainly edible... tasty even. Just not memorable. The one thing that it WAS though was huge... remember I got the special... so my unsweetened iced tea, the cup of soup and the giant sandwich shown below were all mine for a mere 6 dollars.
The menu had a tremendous variety... sushi, pasta, steaks, sandwiches, it was kind of all over the map, like a glamorized diner menu. After much debate (and several 'Oh Wait... I didn't see that before' s) we all made our choices; I went for the Reuben sandwich (that came with a soup), Matt went for the pepper jack wrap, his Mom went for the turkey burger, and his Dad ordered the Prime Rib sandwich.
My soup came out first (no one else got any, partially due to the fact that I ordered the special... 6 bucks for soup, sandwich, and drink... make sure to check the day's listings in the menu!) The soup that day was cream of spinach and it was eh... it tasted like cream of chicken soup (you know.. thick and yellow... usually good for making casseroles?) that someone tossed chopped spinach into as an afterthought. Not inedible, just not special. No depth of flavor.
My soup came out first (no one else got any, partially due to the fact that I ordered the special... 6 bucks for soup, sandwich, and drink... make sure to check the day's listings in the menu!) The soup that day was cream of spinach and it was eh... it tasted like cream of chicken soup (you know.. thick and yellow... usually good for making casseroles?) that someone tossed chopped spinach into as an afterthought. Not inedible, just not special. No depth of flavor.
Matt's Mom's turkey burger was simple, yet perfectly cooked. Like I've mentioned before turkey is a tricky meat, and ground turkey is doubly so. This place served up a burger that was still moist and tender, which is a lot harder than it sounds. Placed atop a multi grain roll it was a great healthy lunch. To up the health factor, Matt's Mom opted for sweet potato fries instead of the regular kind (City Streets kindly provides the option and doesn't charge extra!) They were crunchy and sweet, not floppy or soggy at all...exactly how a fry of any kind should be served!
Matt's Dad got a sandwich that was large and overstuffed with slabs of meat and grilled onions. I guess I am jaded about steak sandwiches at diner-esque venues because I was expecting it to be either chopped meat or reaaaaaalllllyy thinly sliced. It was neither. When I say slabs I mean honest to goodness cuts of Prime Rib piled up on his roll. There were onions pouring off the thing and they were thoroughly grilled (read: delicious). It was supposed to have a cheese of some kind on it but he opted not to have it, which I believe was a wise choice. You wouldn't want to cloud the taste of the meat. Again, the sweet potato fries were delicious and oh so very crunchy.
Finally there was my Reuben sandwich. It was piled thick with corned beef, sauerkraut and swiss cheese. I asked for the Russian dressing on the side and they were happy to oblige. Nothing really special going on with this one... the bread was a little soggy because there was a touch too much sauerkraut and the meat was was on the salty side. It couldn't compare to a New York style deli, but it was certainly edible... tasty even. Just not memorable. The one thing that it WAS though was huge... remember I got the special... so my unsweetened iced tea, the cup of soup and the giant sandwich shown below were all mine for a mere 6 dollars.
All in all I think that I should have ordered more adventurously. With choices like sushi rolls or seafood in asparagus-lemon sauce I don't know why I played it so safe. Luckily our overall experience there was a good one, so we do plan on heading back. I will be sure to test my limits further at that point! For someone on the tamer side, their salads looked delicious and I can say for a fact that this place makes a great sandwich. It's pretty sure to please any group of people, so try it out and let me know your thoughts!
City Streets Cafe
http://www.citystreetscafe.com/
510 Rt. 130 South
East Windsor, NJ 08520
Phone: 609-426-9400
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Americana Diner, East Windsor
Ahh, the diner. A New Jersey staple... breakfast anytime, open late (if not 24 hours), greasy food... what's not to like? Anything you want to eat, just name it and the diner is sure to provide! That being said, the Americana Diner is a bit different.... sure they have a huge menu, they stay open late, and you can get any deep fried delicacy you fancy, but they also have a few things not found in the typical Jersey diner. First off the place is huge... I mean really, really, truly big. They also serve liquor (woo-hoo!), whereas most diners are where you end up AFTER a few libations. Lastly, they fancy themselves to be a bit more upscale in both their atmosphere and their menu.
Matt and I recently ventured to the Americana for breakfast (we've also lunched there, though... try the tuna!). I went for one of their more... well.. 'fancy' entrees, while Matt stuck to a basic egg breakfast. Upon further discussion we also decided to throw in an order of their turkey hash, as neither of us had ever heard of such a dish and we are both huge fans of hash in general. (No Mom, not THAT kind of hash... the food kind).
Our food came out quickly, as food should in a diner (if it ain't fast, it ain't a diner, no matter what it says on the sign). I had ordered the Athenian Feta Crepes and they looked colorful and beautiful! The oh so thin (and oh so tasty) crepe was filled with a really well seasoned mixture of feta, spinach and tomato. There was definitely some garlic used, and I believe a little lemon too, and it all worked VERY nicely. On the side there were some nicely grilled zucchini slices (unnecessary, except, I guess to make the Crepes look less lonely... and yes I ate them anyway) and a cabbage leaf cup of tzatziki sauce for dipping. This, my friends, was SUCH A GOOD IDEA! The creaminess and mildness of the sauce really accentuated the tastes of the Crepe filling well.
Matt got eggs (scrambled) and a side of Taylor ham. Nothing fancy. The eggs were fine. Cooked just to his liking. The ham was nice and brown around the edges, and the hash browns were also enjoyed. His toast was toasty. Let's face it. His breakfast was boring... delicious, but boring. Here's a picture anyway.
On to the turkey hash. People, this dish might sound like a good idea. You may say 'Hey! I like corned beef hash, but its so heavy, and it's not how I'd like to start my day. Turkey seems like a great idea for a substitute! What could be bad?' A lot. A lot could be bad. Thank goodness I'm here to warn you. This was the driest, blandest side dish I have ever had. The turkey (which seemed to be from a carved turkey... think Thanksgiving not lunchables) would have been delicious, except they sliced it thin and then cut it into pieces and threw it into the skillet. Turkey is a dry meat to start with so to have large portions pre cut into small pieces, sit out, and then heated through took ALL of the moisture out of it. It actually made me make that noise that dogs make when they eat peanut butter. It turned into a thick paste in my mouth, and there were too few onions and peppers to bring it back. The flavor was boring (it actually just tasted like over cooked turkey and cardboard) and the texture made me sad. There. Enough hash bashing. Try it at your own risk.
Overall the food was fine. The atmosphere was lovely. Our waitress was pleasant. The orange juice is expensive ($4.50 for a glass of O.J.? BAH!) Everything else, hunky dory. It was just a poor side dish choice by us (and them, I guess... ick). That's what we get for trying to be KIND OF healthy. See? Stick to greasy meaty corned beef hash. Can't fail.
Americana Diner
http://www.americanadiner.com/
359 Route 130 North
East Windsor, NJ 08520
609 448 4477
Matt and I recently ventured to the Americana for breakfast (we've also lunched there, though... try the tuna!). I went for one of their more... well.. 'fancy' entrees, while Matt stuck to a basic egg breakfast. Upon further discussion we also decided to throw in an order of their turkey hash, as neither of us had ever heard of such a dish and we are both huge fans of hash in general. (No Mom, not THAT kind of hash... the food kind).
Our food came out quickly, as food should in a diner (if it ain't fast, it ain't a diner, no matter what it says on the sign). I had ordered the Athenian Feta Crepes and they looked colorful and beautiful! The oh so thin (and oh so tasty) crepe was filled with a really well seasoned mixture of feta, spinach and tomato. There was definitely some garlic used, and I believe a little lemon too, and it all worked VERY nicely. On the side there were some nicely grilled zucchini slices (unnecessary, except, I guess to make the Crepes look less lonely... and yes I ate them anyway) and a cabbage leaf cup of tzatziki sauce for dipping. This, my friends, was SUCH A GOOD IDEA! The creaminess and mildness of the sauce really accentuated the tastes of the Crepe filling well.
Matt got eggs (scrambled) and a side of Taylor ham. Nothing fancy. The eggs were fine. Cooked just to his liking. The ham was nice and brown around the edges, and the hash browns were also enjoyed. His toast was toasty. Let's face it. His breakfast was boring... delicious, but boring. Here's a picture anyway.
On to the turkey hash. People, this dish might sound like a good idea. You may say 'Hey! I like corned beef hash, but its so heavy, and it's not how I'd like to start my day. Turkey seems like a great idea for a substitute! What could be bad?' A lot. A lot could be bad. Thank goodness I'm here to warn you. This was the driest, blandest side dish I have ever had. The turkey (which seemed to be from a carved turkey... think Thanksgiving not lunchables) would have been delicious, except they sliced it thin and then cut it into pieces and threw it into the skillet. Turkey is a dry meat to start with so to have large portions pre cut into small pieces, sit out, and then heated through took ALL of the moisture out of it. It actually made me make that noise that dogs make when they eat peanut butter. It turned into a thick paste in my mouth, and there were too few onions and peppers to bring it back. The flavor was boring (it actually just tasted like over cooked turkey and cardboard) and the texture made me sad. There. Enough hash bashing. Try it at your own risk.
Overall the food was fine. The atmosphere was lovely. Our waitress was pleasant. The orange juice is expensive ($4.50 for a glass of O.J.? BAH!) Everything else, hunky dory. It was just a poor side dish choice by us (and them, I guess... ick). That's what we get for trying to be KIND OF healthy. See? Stick to greasy meaty corned beef hash. Can't fail.Americana Diner
http://www.americanadiner.com/
359 Route 130 North
East Windsor, NJ 08520
609 448 4477
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