There are good diners here, and ones that are off the
charts in quality, selection and that Jersey atmosphere. The Huck
Finn Diner in Union has an old Jersey look to it as it beckons drivers passing by
on old route 24. This evening I pulled in with a guest.
The place is nice enough on the inside and there is a
bar, which I'm sure is attractive to many. The prices are
inexpensive and the menu has a very retro 1960's quality to it, and it was nice to not see
the obligatory pictures so many diners put in their menus.
I went with the Italian omelet with marinara sauce and
my guest a simple grilled cheese and tomato. Rather simple, easy to
make selections, but unfortunately not simple enough this day. My
omelet was mediocre at best, and it had a strange almost musty flavor to it.
It might have helped to try and drown it out with the offered marinara sauce
but it was conspicuously missing, so I reached for the
ketchup
which didn't help much at all.
My guest remarked of an odd... almost cheeze whiz type
flavor to the grilled cheese and tomato, and it also was mediocre at
best. The whole experience was rather odd, because New Jersey is
usually an environment of high expectations when it comes to diners, and the
place was busy with hungry diners who appeared to be enjoying their food.
So how come my meal was such a disappointment? Who
knows, but in a diner everything should be good.
Sadly, I didn't find much
here at all except that cool retro-looking menu.
- Jersey Shadow -
Huck Finn Diner
2431 Morris Avenue
Union, New Jersey 07083
Phone: 908-810-9000
Credit Cards Accepted - Full Bar
Forte Pizzeria &
Ristorante - It seems that good
Italian Dining is pushing itself further into more areas
of Western Morris County with some solid choices.
Among the choices is Forte Italian Restaurant &
Pizzeria. More and more it seems the Jersey
Italian restaurant model seems to be take-out with sit
down dining. On a cool fall evening I decided to
sit down for a bite to eat.
The menu was quite large with much of the regular
favorites and even an option for chicken on the bone for
some dishes, which is old school. I went with the
Chicken Murphy for $17.95 which admittedly is pretty
steep for a chicken dish and downright expensive for
this area. It did included a salad starter.
My guest went with the Chicken Francaise.
It's nice to receive a basket of fresh bread to start an
Italian meal, and the bread was remarked as very tasty
especially when dipped in the red sauce. On to the
salads which arrived quickly on very small plates.
The portion was fine, but the plates were way too small.
Included in the salad were some olives, very tasty
peppers, celery and greens all of which were very fresh.
I'm a big fan of Chicken Murphy and eat it a lot. I'd
have to say their version was good; I've had
better, but I've had far worse. I liked my meal but
loving a meal is something I reserve only for the very
best. Still it was good, and the chicken was
exceptionally tender and of good quality. My guest
raved about her Chicken Francaise, and also remarked
without my saying so first about the high quality and
tenderness of the chicken.
All in all it was a nice meal ,albeit on the expensive
side. Forte seems like a hit in the area with a
nice take-out business, and it also seems attractive to
big gatherings. The building has a nice design
with a very open sidewalk which would be very nice for
outside dining in the warmer months. Forte is a
solid selection for this area and the area does seem to
be growing. - Jersey Shadow -
Forte Pizzeria & Ristorante
486 Route 10
Randolph, NJ 07869
Phone 973-328-4300
Credit Cards Accepted