Sunday, August 2, 2009

Tops Diner - Bakery Bar Eatery

It was another lazy Saturday for us and by the time we decided to head out to dinner, it was already almost 8pm. We initially wanted to try Chili's new $20 for 2 ( you split an appetizer, get 2 mains and share a dessert) promo but the Chili's that we went to in Jersey Garden Mall didn't have that promotion. So, we decided to head over to Tops Diner instead. Tops Diner is located on the border of East Newark and Harrison, just about 10 minutes away from our apartment.

This is actually our second time at Tops Diner and I remember being really happy with their food and service the first time round too. It was already close to 9pm when we got there and as usual, Tops was still packed with people! Every time we drive by (which is pretty often), it would be filled with customers. It goes to show that if you serve good food, there will be customers, no matter what time of the day it is.

We managed to get a cosy little booth at the corner and our server was quick to take our drink order as well as to hand us their giant menu. I just love the decor of Tops Diner, there is this Northern NJ look to it, it's hard to explain. Makes you feel like you have stepped into the set of The Sopranos :P I didn't take any pictures cos the dining room was filled with people. I wouldn't want them to think that I was taking their pics..haha! After looking through the menu for a good 10 minutes or so (so many things to choose from), we finally decided on what to order.

I ordered the Roast Turkey Dinner ($14) and it comes with an order of soup or salad, roast turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy as well as a choice of two sides. I decided to start off with some soup. They had four different "soup of the day" to choose from and I chose the Lobster Bisque. It came with a generous amount of freshly baked soft rolls and butter. The soup was to die for!! Really thick and creamy, with nice big pieces of lobster. I could just eat that with the rolls and make it my meal! I was already beginning to feel kinda full after that and my main hasn't even arrived yet.

There were 11 different sides to choose from. I had a choice of french fries, home fries, mashed potatoes, baked potato, black or baked beans, rice pilaf, cole slaw, potato salad and three different "vegetable of the day". I picked the rice pilaf and vegetable of the day (spinach) as my choice of side. It's pretty hard to tell from the photo, but the servings were huge! Those oval dishes were at least 6 inches across.

If I thought that the sides were huge, check out my main! The plate was as big as a serving platter! Tons of stuffing with roast turkey piled on top, smothered with a generous amount of gravy. It looked like it was enough to feed at least 2 people, maybe even three. Not only was it huge, it tasted greeeaaattt! The turkey breast was juicy and the stuffing was just so yummy. There were bit of sausage, raisins and apples in the stuffing..mmm mmm mmmm. The gravy was also to die for. I think I have a new favorite place to go to for dinner now :D

Kevin ordered an all American dinner, a Cheeseburger and fries ($8) :P If you think that Chili's big mouth burger is big, you ain't seen nothing yet. This is hugggeeee! Kevin wanted it medium well and medium well is what he got. Just perfect. Also, look at the amount of french fries it came with. I really find it amusing that all the portions are so huge. Check out the pickle, no tiny slices here. At Tops Diner, you get the WHOLE pickle! Hahaha :P Kevin couldn't even finish the burger. He had to cut it to half and doggy bag the other half home.

So, with all the yummy food...what was the damage? The total bill came up to less than $30. This was including the 2 refillable fountain sodas ($2.50 each). Not too bad at all for so much food. There was still so much food leftover that I had enough for my lunch AND dinner the very next day. I must say that Tops Diner is one of the best diners in the whole Northern NJ!! You should check it out sometime when you are in the neighborhood (give us a call, we'll meet you there!)



Tops Diner - Bakery Bar Eatery
500 Passaic Avenue,
Harrison, NJ 07029
Tel: (973) 481-0490
Fax: (973) 483-0492
Web: http://www.thetopsdiner.com/

1 comment:

Heatherfeather said...

You two really find some great places to eat. I always get a bit homesick reading your blog. I miss the diners up there so much, NY and NJ always had such wonderful diners! Your meal looks really good.