In my hometown of Bloomfield, New Jersey there are quite a few spots that define the word "history." One is the Town Pub Family Restaurant & Sports Bar (378 Broad Street, 973-743-9557, www.townpub.com) which opened its doors for the first time back in 1893 as the Mansion House. It was operated under that name until 1932, and for 20 years thereafter was called Ye Old Tavern. From 1953 - 1967 it was home to Ganser's Tavern Inc,, then had a three-year life as Cutar's Tap Room (1968-1971), and since 1972 has been the beloved Town Pub. Memories are many for Bloomfielders who have for years dined at this comfortable spot. One thing I recall during the late 1970s was when the local newspaper, the Bloomfield Independent Press, once posted that Bloomfied Bengal basketball great Kelly Tripucka would soon be returning home from a semester at Notre Dame University and would probably stop in with his old basketball pals, Jeff Lichter and others, to enjoy beer and pizza at the Town Pub. Also the memories of celebrating Saturday football wins and classic Friday night basketball victories or nearby rivals come immediately to mind. My daughter Stefanie and I visited one evening, and Kristina was our extremely cordial server. When you visit the Town Pub, choosing from the menu is sometimes difficult; it's always pizza versus something else. On this night, "something else" won for Stefanie and me, but a well done bar pie with light sauce ($7.50) was taken home to my wife, Lucille, she enjoying that option for the evening. The Buffalo chicken panini sandwich with Buffalo chicken, lettuce and Monterey Jack cheese ($9.75) caught my eye immediately, so I asked Kristina how it was. She thought for a moment. "Do you like spicy food?" "Yes, I do," I answered. She smiled. "Then you'll love it -- it's excellent!" Order placed, and I did love it. The shoestring fries were an excellent complement. Stefanie selected one of the newer menu items, the creamy pesto chicken sandwich, also with shoestring fries ($9.75). The sandwich was "beefed" with breaded chicken cutlet topped with, yes, creamy pesto sauce, fresh spinach and Swiss cheese, all gathered inside a Italian bun. It's a good thing that we share our food -- that is, if we like the other person's choice of their meal -- when we dine out. This night was no different, Stef and I passing our sandwiches to each other. And just look at the sauce oozing out of the bun! The above sandwich was superb -- as was Kristina's service.
Then again, whenever we dine at the Town Pub, good service seems to be the norm. That's why they call it the "hospitality" industry. At the Town Pub, it's the key part of their business. Steve
3 Comments
ANTHONY BUCCINO
2/13/2018 07:48:57 pm
Great tale of history and food in good old Bloomfield. Seems like 100 years ago I wrote One Night In The Town Pub ... but it was Sept. 16, 1976, when I was a single guy!
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Steve
2/14/2018 07:41:50 am
Anthony --
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Stef
2/14/2018 11:20:18 am
Great blog post! :-D
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