If the eateries next to the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown are too crowded, you can opt for the "other" place. Or, how about just doing the "other" place instead? Welcome to Dublin Pub (4 Pine Street, 973-538-1999, www.dublinpubmorristown.com)! In business for 46 years, Dublin Pub is certainly a neighborhood spot, but also a destination if theater-going or just seeking great Irish or continental cuisine. Murals of Dublin greet you, authentic streetlamps seem to guide the path to your seat, and hey, this is a friendly group. You can tell they enjoy serving you.
I went "Steve Sears traditional": a cheeseburger medium rare with cheddar cheese and fries ($11.95). The image below was obviously snapped prior to coleslaw transport. The cheese was perfectly melted on and into the nooks of the beef. Ah...delightful. Really. For my wife, this was her second Dublin Pub visit, while for me I entered the doors and dined there for the first time. Comfortable, yes. Good food and service, yes. Plenty of brew for those seeking to indulge, yes.
A great place? Absolutely. Pair it with an performance evening or any Morristown cultural visit and it's a true escape. Steve
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Linwood Pizza in Totowa (465 Route 46 West, 973-256-9050) had been "calling our names" for a while. Finally, Ash Wednesday encouraged a trip born of necessity. I coin visits like these "simple" visits, based on what we ordered. We first enjoyed a garlic knots with sauce appetizer ($2.00). These were a good way to start our dining experience. They were tasty and delivered hot to our table for four. Our main "meal" for the late afternoon was a large cheese pie ($12.65) -- well done and light on the sauce (my wife Lucille's request, who was THE person who truly desired a Linwood Pizza trek. Are you satisfied now, sweetheart?!). The 50-seat Linwood Pizza is comfortable enough, and the team inside friendly enough, to warrant a return trip for affordable (emphasis mine, of course) entrees. Consider chicken or veal parmigiana: $12.95.
I'm hearing the call. Are you? Steve Just two weeks after mentioning in a prior post how I don't often visit chain eateries, here I am posting about another such visit. Again, the dining experience was a positive one. Thank you, Stephen, our server during lunch at 826 Route West in Clifton-located TGI Friday's. Unlike a prior Friday's visit at another location where confusion was the order of the moment, he was right on top of things, seating us and promptly taking order, and suggesting alternative side orders to French fries. Lucille is often on a fish & chips kick, and fortunately TGI Friday's offers a good one ($13.25). She opted for jasmine rice instead of fries to partner with her broccoli along side the fish, and I did the same with with my turkey burger.
Stephen, thank you; you were an excellent server. Also, compliments to the chef on two great lunch entrees.
Steve Paisano's Pizzeria & Restaurant (1511 Route 22 West, Watchung Square Mall, Watchung, 973-755-1944, www.paisanoswatchung.com) rescued us on a recent Saturday evening dining excursion almost gone sour. Please don't misinterpret "rescued." There was nothing overly positive about our visit - the cuisine quality was decent and the service okay - but what's obvious to me is that this is an eatery that tries hard to be good and get better. The story in brief. My wife and I first entered a popular chain eatery on Route 22 in Union, only to be met with disarray when we entered - we waited about two minutes for a hostess and five minutes for a server -- and when we heard another customer shouting that he was promised his order would be taken 15 minutes prior, we got up and left. After that, we went to another popular eatery and, seeking a booth to be seated and being told only standard and high tables were available, we darted again. That's where Paisano's enters the picture, and I am grateful that we saw their sign. There was no confusion here, just a lot of busyness. A few things prior to speaking to cuisine. When you first enter and wish to dine in-house, there is a sign that reads that you can seat yourself. My thinking is you have a person, whether it be a server or counter person, bring you to your seats. I'm not sure if this is a regular practice; perhaps there weren't enough staff this evening to satisfy my suggestion, and everyone was overly busy. That brings me to my next point. While we dined our server, who was very nice, never stopped by our table and asked how things were. I will defend him a bit: he appeared taxed, taking care of many tables at a time. He would walk by and look at our table and take a peek and, I assume, seeing us eating felt all was fine. Always check in servers, at least once, and that "once" is not at meal's end. Now, on to the food. Lucille ordered an eggplant parmigiana sub ($9.95). It's pictured below, when it first arrived to the table, and after a few bites when she passed it to me. What made it extra tasty to me was the amount of oil (see the outside of the roll in the photo on the right). For my wife it was a bit overwhelming, and that I understand. I ordered the baked ziti Siciliano ($14.95) with ground beef and eggplant. I'm not sure where exactly the beef and eggplant were, because I saw none in my dish nor evident (unless very lightly) in the gravy. The entree was preceded by a very tasty Caesar salad. Paisano's also does a lot of takeout; there should be a revolving door for folks who visit for just pizza alone, and that sounds like a plan for the next time we're in the area.
Thank you, Paisano's Pizzeria & Restaurant, for being there when we needed you. We look forward to visiting again soon. Steve |
AuthorAppetizers, hospitality, small plates - the best in dining! Archives
January 2023
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