New Jersey Hamburgers...where?

Hi Dave! Welcome!

I cannot for the life of me, remember the name of the place you are talking about. It was near Valley Fair, close to Roosevelt Stadium.

I took my driving test, in the parking lot of RS. My cousin was the licensed driver, that accompanied me to the test. She had a cup of coffee in a paper cup and left it on the dashboard, before leaving the car. I was so nervous. I did not notice it, until I was going through the test. By that time, I had to keep both hands on the wheel. OY!

Funny memories. I passed the test, and nobody got burned. I even
got complimented on how cool I was, under pressure. I wanted to drive down the shore, the same day. I did, and had a great time.

I only mentioned diners because I miss them. I grew up in Hoboken, then moved around the country, Seattle, Georgia, South Carolina, and eventually settled upstate NY. No matter where I lived there wasn't anything close to Jersey diners. There were what people called diners but they weren't what I called diners.

Almost any diner burger, on a hard roll, with cheese melted in the broiler on both sides of the roll before they put on the burger. Brings back a lot of memories.

Dave

The Sterling Hotel in Sterling has some nice burgers, and their cheese selection for topping is nice (Port Cheddar, Horseradish Cheddar etc...) They charge extra for L&T, which kinda irks me, but the burger ha a base price of $4.95 so it isnt too bad....

quote:

Originally posted by GNeedles59

The Sterling Hotel in Sterling has some nice burgers, and their cheese selection for topping is nice (Port Cheddar, Horseradish Cheddar etc...) They charge extra for L&T, which kinda irks me, but the burger ha a base price of $4.95 so it isnt too bad....

Gneedles I went with a friend there a few months ago. I didn't get the burger, but she did and it did look very good. She said it was. I went with the pork roll which was also very good. I like that place

Yet another bump in this thread because my wife and I have finally had an excellent New Jersey hamburger (actually cheddar burger) at none other than the Longhorn Steakhouse. So thanks to everyone in this thread who recommended it. As I said a few months ago, it's a place I would never ever think of going to.

We went to the one on Centennial Avenue in Piscataway for lunch. The burgers had an excellent fresh-tasting beefy flavor. We also shared an appetizer of boneless wings, very tasty but maybe a little overpriced at $7.99 for a smallish order. Even better, the burger came with lettuce, tomato, onions, at no extra cost. Supposedly it was 1/2 lb, but it seemed a little smaller than that. At $8.99 perhaps it was overpriced by about a dollar, but then again, prices have gone up a lot all over. And it came with decent fries.

Service was fine, the only slip-up was that I think they got our burgers mixed up or they just goofed on the cooking. My wife ordered hers medium well, I ordered mine medium rare. After one bite we took a look at the inside and had to trade. It was no big deal, but can't any place get EVERYTHING right?

Anyway, we will be back, it really was good.

quote:

Originally posted by ken8038

We also shared an appetizer of boneless wings, very tasty but maybe a little overpriced at $7.99 for a smallish order.

I love their hand-breaded chicken fingers. (supposedly they are different from the boneless wings, even though they sound the same) They are only listed as an entree, not as an app., but I don't care, I order them anyway, (plus a steak, etc)
And they are a huge portion!

So glad to hear you gave the Longhorn a try and had a real good burger! Yes, the Longhorn is surprisingly good! We've got one in AC now. And I love the fact that their dressings our homemade!
(great ranch dressing)

Even though the name correlates with a real cool Roadfooder I know,
I HATE that KEN'S dressing, that so many places around here use..
(particularly when one takes out salads from pizza/Italian places)

Whenever you are in Toms River area, I ate a great burger at the SHADY REST (sounds like something out of the Petticoat Junction TV show!) It's on Route 9 in Bayville, about 5 miles south of Toms River. I made a pit stop there twice already recently on the way to sis' in Freehold area. Good locals joint. My burger had a great charbroiled flavor
(exit 80 off Parkway south)

Ellen, thanks for the recommendation of Shady Rest I love Locals Joints! I get down that way a few times per year, and will definately add it to my list. Can you tell a little more about it (bar type place or food only? other food?, open for lunch?). I tried a web search but their website link seems to be dead. Thanks.

I can't picture this place, but I'm sure I've been on that stretch of Rt 9 before. I think the Lamp Post Inn in is right in the same area, decent old school Italian.

Thanks again. --Ken (no relation to the salad dressing...)

Hi everyone,
I ate a pretty good burger the other day. It's a new place on Route 35 in Ocean Twp. Jakes Hamburgers is on Route 35 South in the Orchard Plaza, the driveway comes up fast and there isn't much signage. www.jakeshamburgers.com The place is kind of like 5 Guys but I thought much better. They do fresh never frozen hand pattied burgers and hand dipped milkshakes. I only stopped in for a Jake jr (3.3oz burger). They also offer 6.6oz and 9.9oz ones which I'll have to try. I talked with the franchise owner a little bit, they've only been open a few weeks and are building business slowly. It's a Delaware based chain and his is the only NJ unit. The guy seemed nice and the food was good so I thought I'd share.

Dave

Hi all,
I stopped in at Jake's Hamburgers again today for a real lunch this time. I had the Big Jake burger (three 3.3 oz. patties) with cheese, pickles and ketchup, and a chocolate mint milkshake. I neglected to mention in my last post that they cook their burgers on a griddle which I prefer. I like a little (ok a lot) of grease with my hamburger. The burger was excellent this time as well and the milkshake was amazing. It almost filled the entire metal cup it was served in, and it was very thick and just good. One thing I liked since they cook the burgers to order was the milkshake was mixed before the burger was finished so they put it into a freezer drawer so it wouldn't melt. While I was in there at noon there was one other table eating and one delivery order. The location isn't great it's hidden in a strip mall thats set back from the highway, their signage isn't great, and the driveway comes up pretty quick if you're not paying attention.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by ken8038

Ellen, thanks for the recommendation of Shady Rest I love Locals Joints! I get down that way a few times per year, and will definately add it to my list. Can you tell a little more about it (bar type place or food only? other food?, open for lunch?).

SURE ! Shady Rest seems to be open everyday for lunch and dinner...
It's a combination bar and food place.......but it was a good sign that I saw so many people EATING both times I was there...
not JUST lots of people drinking.. but with that being said, it's also a comfy place to sit at the bar and take in a ballgame..

As far as "other food" goes, the steaks looked good, too..
The pizza seemed real popular; it did'nt do much for me, personally.

SHADY REST, Bayville, NJ (5 miles south of Toms River, on route 9)

My SHADY REST burger. I loved it! Good, crusty char-broiled flavor


Hope this helps, KEN ! (and all other Roadfooders!)


Also, the service was very friendly both times I was there!

<<Hope this helps, KEN ! (and all other Roadfooders!)

Wow, thanks Ellen! It sure does help. And very timely too, We're probably heading down that way for our annual birding trip with my sister to Forsythe NWR this weekend. We may head into AC to go to Tony's Baltimore Grill (also on my "to do" list) if time permits. But if not, Shady Rest will be The Stop on the way home.

I'll be sure to report back, and thanks again!

Best known for steaks, Arthurs (Morris Plains location) has amazing burgers as well. In my biggest beef consumption triumph to date, I had a 24 oz medium rare steak and topped it off with a half-pound burger. It was an amazing birthday.

I'll assume the other locations are just as good til told otherwise.

P.S. notice both of those chicken appetizers in the back of my pic..
As far as your "other food" question goes, the wings were just okay, IMO..
But those BUFFALO CHAR-GRILLED CHICKEN STRIPS (in background left) had a very nice flavor,
and interesting wide unique design..

I would describe the menu as fun foods, steaks, and Italian

P.P.S. Happy BIRDING!

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641


As far as your "other food" question goes, the wings were just okay, IMO..

I can see that they didn't toss them in the sauce. I hate when they don't toss them in the sauce.

quote:

Originally posted by cameron074

quote:

Originally posted by ellen4641


As far as your "other food" question goes, the wings were just okay, IMO..

I can see that they didn't toss them in the sauce. I hate when they don't toss them in the sauce.

I'm with you on that !! I like true buffalo wings...
they took a shortcut!

quote:

Originally posted by cameron074

Best known for steaks, Arthurs (Morris Plains location) has amazing burgers as well. In my biggest beef consumption triumph to date, I had a 24 oz medium rare steak and topped it off with a half-pound burger. It was an amazing birthday.

I'll assume the other locations are just as good til told otherwise.

Arthurs in Hoboken is very good, as well.

quote:

Originally posted by DPuro329

Hi everyone,
I ate a pretty good burger the other day. It's a new place on Route 35 in Ocean Twp. Jakes Hamburgers is on Route 35 South in the Orchard Plaza, the driveway comes up fast and there isn't much signage. www.jakeshamburgers.com The place is kind of like 5 Guys but I thought much better. They do fresh never frozen hand pattied burgers and hand dipped milkshakes. I only stopped in for a Jake jr (3.3oz burger). They also offer 6.6oz and 9.9oz ones which I'll have to try. I talked with the franchise owner a little bit, they've only been open a few weeks and are building business slowly. It's a Delaware based chain and his is the only NJ unit. The guy seemed nice and the food was good so I thought I'd share.

Dave

Dave: I'm going to be incorporating Jake's into my next little Trip Report (overdue by almost two months!). We've eaten there twice, at the same location in Wilmington. We LOVE it. I hope and pray they open one up in South Jersey one day. I know they'll give 5 Guys a run for their money.

Harriet,
I've eaten at Jake's twice now and 5 guys twice also. Jake's is definitely much better, 5 guy's burgers have always seemed dry to me. Maybe it's a corporate litigation fear policy of med well burgers. :(

Dave

<<I'll be sure to report back, and thanks again!>.

Hi Again Ellen (and everyone else). We had a great day of birding on Sunday, the weather was nice for the first time all week.

And we did stop at the Shady Rest for Dinner. It was a good break mid-way on the drive home. Thanks for the tip Ellen! It's a real nice cozy roadfood place. I was the only one who stayed true to the mission and had a cheeseburger which was real good, nice beefy charcoal taste, like you said. And I liked the thinly sliced red onions (no extra charge!).

My Sis, wife, and daughter all opted for entrees and loved the food (Fish & Chips, Broiled Scrod, Chicken Parm).

The only clunkers were the side orders. My Sister's sausage soup was awful, the sausage looked like it was left over from some meal a week ago. And the large side order of garlic bread was totally uninspired, boring bread with what appeared to be Garlic Powder seasoning instead of real garlic. On the other hand, the house dressing on the salads got rave reviews by all.

All in all Shady Rest is a great roadfood stop, thanks again Ellen for "discovering' it!

Hi everyone,
My wife and I stopped in at this little place for dinner the other night and it was great. It's called Bob and Lori's Cozy Kitchen and the address is 344 Herbertsville Road in Brick. It's a nice little place that features ice cream, but I'll just mention my burger. It was great...big, juicy, greasy, and such a soft toasted kaiser roll. I can't describe the roll the way I want to. Whatever they coated the roll in before they toasted it is great. It's the same stuff they use at Fuddruckers on their rolls. I don't care if it's triple trans fat lard it works really well on the roll and makes it taste great. I got a double burger with mozzarella cheese and bacon I added ketchup and a few pickle slices as well to round out the flavors. I believe the patties are around a half pound and cooked on a flat top which I love. You definitely don't get the same grease factor on a charbroiler. Our server was extremely attentive and had a great personality. The food was fantastic, my wife loved her pancakes with bananas, chocolate chips and peanut butter as well. They serve breakfast all day, lunch and dinner and we will definitely be making a return visit very soon.

Dave

Thanks for the tip...it's down the road, ao I'll give it a try...also,I've gone past Shady rest so many times and never stopped in...thanks for all these tips!!!

In case anyone's interested. Bobby Flay's fast casual burger restaurant, Bobby Flay's Burger Palace, is opening a location at the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown. I drove by it yesterday and noticed the sign, not sure if it's open yet, but the website www.bobbysburgerpalace.com lists the Monmouth Mall location and it doesn't say coming soon so I'm assuming that it's open. This would be their 2nd location after one on Long Island. I'm going to try to stop in soon and I'll let everyone know how it is.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by DPuro329

In case anyone's interested. Bobby Flay's fast casual burger restaurant, Bobby Flay's Burger Palace, is opening a location at the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown. www.bobbysburgerpalace.com lists the Monmouth Mall location . This would be their 2nd location after one on Long Island. I'm going to try to stop in soon and I'll let everyone know how it is.
Dave

I'm interested! I'm interested! Let me know how it is, and if it's charbroiled , which I love the best..

Ever been to BLITZBURGER in North Brunswick? Not yet, for me!

Thanks, KEN for reporting back on the SHADY REST. I'm just noticing your post today. I agree that their garlic bread was fake and lousy!
I had the NY Steak the 2nd time I went back there. It was a good piece of meat, but I realized pretty quickly that it was no NY Steak; they gave me a rib-eye instead. (honest mistake, or ??)
I also agree with you that their house vinagrette is real good.
I asked if any of their dressings were homemade, and that was the only one, so I went for it.

I also had the french onion soup on that recent 2nd visit, and it was excellent!

I just looked at their online menu; I'll have a "palace classic burger" (although the Philadelphia burger is very tempting), and french fries with dipping sauce, and a DARK CHOCOLATE shake WITH whipped cream.

Sis and I used to like the burgers at the "American Grill" (or whatever the place was called) at that Monmouth Mall...
It was like a Friday's, and was part of a small chain, but that location went under..

Ellen,
I tried stopping by Bobby Flay's place today and it's not open yet! A worker inside said they were hoping for Wednesday lunch. So I'll have to try again another day. I did however go into Long Branch to a good burger place that char broils their burgers. J.R.'s West End at 75D Brighton Ave in Long Branch does an interesting take on sliders. All of their sandwiches are smaller and are served 2 to an order. The burgers were thick and served on soft small rolls. They are a little pricy ($6.00) for the burgers but they are trying to be trendy and use quality ingredients. They have a menu of other sandwiches, wraps, sides, desserts, etc. I liked it even though char broiling isn't my favorite burger preparation method. I would go back and try other menu items.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by DPuro329

Ellen,
I did however go into Long Branch to a good burger place that char broils their burgers. J.R.'s West End at 75D Brighton Ave in Long Branch does an interesting take on sliders. All of their sandwiches are smaller and are served 2 to an order. The burgers were thick and served on soft small rolls. I liked it even though char broiling isn't my favorite burger preparation method.
Dave

Hi Dave,
I've been meaning to try that J.R's place for awhile now; it had sounded like my kind of place, and now you've just confirmed it!
Charbroiled burgers, nice soft rolls, just what I like..
(I much prefer a soft (sesame is best) roll over a hard kaiser or brioche, etc. kind of roll..

That J.R.'s place is sandwiched in-between that Richard's West End Deli and that rib place, right?? (assuming that rib place is still even there.)
(the original rib location is in Neptune, right next to Kelly's, and they do have beef ribs, my favorite) That Long Branch rib annex location was too odd; more like a bar setting , and with nobody eating at all in there..
it felt too wierd, so we walked out..
And that deli was just okay, IMO...not too special, far from being a Harold's Deli

Ellen,
Funny you mention Jack's Rib and Ale (both the Long Branch and Neptune locations) and Kelly's. All 3 are my accounts and I was at them all today. At one time both Jacks locations were owned by the same person, they were sold maybe a year year and a half ago (I think) and the one in Neptune is being sold again. I'm hearing that it's being totally renovated and will be a Diner type restaurant with a lounge and club. But anyway thanks for the advice about Richard's Deli. I stopped in and picked up a menu a few weeks ago and now I won't bother eating there. J.R.'s is at the other end of Brighton Ave. closer to the ocean and is right down the street from a cheesesteak shop which I haven't tried yet. The roll from J.R.s wasn't so mucha soft sesame style roll (which I love as well) but more of a softish round bread basket dinner roll type roll. It was still a good burger though.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by DPuro329

Ellen,
Funny you mention Jack's Rib and Ale (both the Long Branch and Neptune locations) and Kelly's. All 3 are my accounts and I was at them all today. At one time both Jacks locations were owned by the same person, they were sold maybe a year year and a half ago (I think) and the one in Neptune is being sold again. I'm hearing that it's being totally renovated and will be a Diner type restaurant with a lounge and club.
Dave

So it's sounds like Jack's Rib and Ale is soon to be "no more"...
no more ribs, and it will be leaning towards a diner???
Sis and I enjoyed our ribs at the Neptune location..
I've never been to that Kelly's , but sis has had a few good corned beef reubens there over the years (their specialty)

I don't want to stop you from Richard's Deli, as certain menu items might be better than others...
and you know that I'm a tough deli critic, so it's easy for me to be underwhelmed..

That soft roll at J.R.s sounds good! (sesame seeds or not!)

white rose in clark have incredible burgers. a couple large cheeseburgers withe everything do justice. i've actually heard people rave about their shakes while i've waited to get my food, but i can't say i ever tried their shakes...

I just recently had a burger at theWestwood Diner & Pancake House on Old Hook Road in Westwood,NJ. I thought it was really good. I've previously only ordered breakfast here. I will definately go back to make sure it wasn't a fluke. It had a great charbroiled taste and was nice and juicy.

quote:

Originally posted by DPuro329

Ellen,
I tried stopping by Bobby Flay's place today and it's not open yet! A worker inside said they were hoping for Wednesday lunch. So I'll have to try again another day. I did however go into Long Branch to a good burger place that char broils their burgers. J.R.'s West End at 75D Brighton Ave in Long Branch does an interesting take on sliders. All of their sandwiches are smaller and are served 2 to an order. The burgers were thick and served on soft small rolls. They are a little pricy ($6.00) for the burgers but they are trying to be trendy and use quality ingredients. They have a menu of other sandwiches, wraps, sides, desserts, etc. I liked it even though char broiling isn't my favorite burger preparation method. I would go back and try other menu items.

Dave

Hey, is the old "Inkwell" still in the West End Of Lomg Branch...in the 60's and 70's, they had a great Burger basket. Anyone know?????