Tropicana Diner - Elizabeth, NJ

I've been meaning to blog about this place for quite some time but I never got around to it. Kevin and I were in Jersey Garden Mall (yes, AGAIN!) last month and as usual, we were shopping until dinnertime. We didn't want to eat in the mall so we decided to drive around Elizabeth to see what there is to eat. Kevin remembered going to this diner with his colleagues for lunch once and it pretty good. So, he suggested that we go have dinner there.
When we walked in, Kevin said it looked somewhat different. I later found out that it was recently renovated and under a new management. The decor was pretty errrmmm different, compared to all the other diners that we have been to. There we fake palm trees and tropical themed murals throughout the whole restaurant. I guess that's why it's called Tropicana? :P
After sitting us down and taking our orders, our server brought out two tiny slices of cheese pizza. Instead of serving us rolls, I guess they want to be different? I don't know. I find it a tad bit weird. The pizza was rather greasy and not really that great tasting. Maybe they made too many cheese pizzas during lunch and they were trying to get rid of it? Who knowsss...
Our meals came with a choice of either salad or soup. We both went with the Cream of Turkey soup. It was pretty good actually. Really creamy and good. There were also big chunks of turkey in it. I enjoyed it and I think Kevin did too.
For Kevin's main, he ordered the Virginia Ham Steak ($12.95). He chosen mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli as his side. The ham steak was really huge and it also came with three slices of grilled pineapple. Kevin said that it tasted alright, not too bad at all.
I got the Chopped Sirloin Steak ($11.95) with grilled sweet potato and steamed broccoli. When my meal arrived, it didn't have any sort of gravy on it. I remembered that it's supposed to come with mushroom sauce. Nevertheless, I took a small bite of the chopped steak and it tasted horrible! The meat was totally tasteless! I have never tasted anything so bland before. So, asked the server for some sauce (which should have been served in the first place). Instead of bringing me the mushroom sauce, he just brought me a bottle of A1 steak sauce!! For real??? I couldn't eat another bite, cos it was just too horrible. So, I just packed it up and planned to make my own gravy when I got home.
Since my main totally sucked, we decided to share a slice of cake for dessert. They have quite a large selection of desserts and we went with the Carrot Cake ($4.65). Now, this is really good. A slice of really moist carrot cake, with some caramel drizzled over it. Very very good.
The owner/manager was at the register when we were paying our bill. I mentioned to him that there wasn't any sauce with my chopped steak when it was served. He looked at me like he didn't know what I was talking about. I had to actually open up my take away box to SHOW him. He then went on to say, oh we don't usually put sauce on our chopped steak. By then, I was already a little bit upset with him. I said if you don't usually put sauce on it, why mention it in the menu? It clearly states that the chopped steak is served with mushroom sauce. Instead of admitting that they made a mistake, he went on to say "oh you will be surprised how many people don't like that with their chopped steak". It seems they only put it on if you ask them to. I said well, I did ask the server for some sauce but all I got was A1 steak sauce! He then just shaked his head and said no no, we don't usually serve sauce with chopped steak unless you ask. Man, are you dumb? I just said that I asked for sauce but wasn't given any. He then proceed to 'explain' to me that many people don't even know what chopped steak is and blablabla. I told him I know what chopped steak is and I know that it's supposed to come with sauce. I then mumbled under my breathe to Kevin that I will definitely blog about this on my blog and guess what? Mr No-We-Don't-Serve-That suddenly became Mr Nice Guy. He suddenly smiled, apologized and even offered to get me some mushroom sauce, so that I can take it home to eat with my chopped steak. I guess he only cares when the reputation of his diner is at stake. Too bad, damage has been done. There are many other good diners out here in Jersey, so I don't think we will return to Tropicana anytime soon (not even for their carrot cake, which by the way was very very good!).

Tropicana Diner - Elizabeth,NJ
537-545 Morris Ave,
Elizabeth, NJ 07208
Tel: (908)351 7775
Web: www.tropicanadiner.com

IHOP Restaurant - Elizabeth, NJ

We were in Jersey Garden Mall a couple of weeks ago and as usual, we would lose track of time whenever we are there :P Before we knew it, it was already close to dinner time (looks like we totally skipped lunch!). Since there isn't many food outlets (and their food court is ALWAYS packed) in the mall, we decided to drive out to see what is available around the area.
There used to be a diner just opposite the mall but we vowed never to go back there. It was a horrible diner, with bad service and equally bad food. When we passed the diner (or what USED to be the diner), we were pleasantly surprised that the diner was no longer there. An brand new looking IHOP was in it's place. Woohoo!! Looks like that horrid diner went out of business or something. Who knows. Anyways, we totally love IHOP, so we decided to go check this new outlet out.
After we settled down, we saw that they were having a special, just for the month of October. When you order one of their combos (prices start from $4.99), you get unlimited buttermilk pancakes to go with it! Yup, all you can eat pancakes! We decided to give that a pass though, cos seriously, how many pancakes can you eat? I know that the max I can eat is probably two :P Also, they are giving away a 'SCARY FACE' pancake to all kids under 12 on Oct 29th. So, if you have kids below 12, remember to head out to any IHOP on Oct 29th for your free pancake!
The servers were really friendly and attentive. They all look so happy and stuff...lol! I guess it's a new outlet, so everybody is excited. Our server took our order and came out with our drinks also immediately. Really fast. Kevin had a soda ($2.19) and I had my usual unsweetened iced tea ($2.19). Our server was really good in making sure that our glasses were always filled too. Two thumbs up for the awesome service.
Kevin ordered the Ham & Egg Melt ($6.99). Ham, scrambled eggs, American and Swiss cheese, stuffed between two slices of grilled sourdough bread. It comes with your choice of either seasoned fries, onion rings, fresh fruit, soup or salad and a dill pickle. Kevin went with the seasoned fries. He said that the melt was really good. I believe him, cos he polished off everything on his plate!
I had the Pot Roast Melt ($7.99). Slow cooked pot roast, caramelized onions, melted Swiss and American cheese topped with rich beef and mushroom gravy, in between two slices of grilled sourdough bread. Mmmm mmmm mmmmm, it was really really good.
I chose the soup of the day as my side. I had a choice between cream of broccoli and potato soup or minestrone soup. I went with minestrone. Good choice I must say. It was really thick and hearty, very very yummy. Just add in some crackers and I can have that as my meal!
Since we were in IHOP, we HAD to order dessert :P It was a toss up between pancakes, stuffed french toast, waffles or crepe and we went with crepe in the end. I'm glad we did cos it was delicious! We shared the Nutella Crepe ($6.99) and really, it was awesome! Three egg batter crepes filled with Nutella and fresh slices bananas, topped with strawberries, powdered sugar and some whipped cream on the side. We can feel ourselves getting fatter and fatter as we dig in but hey, everybody is allowed to indulge, once in a while :P Overall, we had a great dinner in IHOP, with some really yummy food, affordable prices and excellent service. I'm glad that we found this new outlet and you can bet on us returning in the very near future!

IHOP Restaurant - Elizabeth, NJ
650-672 Kapowski Road
Elizabeth, NJ 07201
Tel: (908)353 7600
Web: http://www.ihop.com/

Johnny Rockets - Jersey Garden Mall, NJ

We were out shopping in Jersey Garden Mall on Monday evening and before we knew it, it was already close to 8pm. We decided that we should get some dinner before heading back home. When it comes to food outlets, there isn't really much to choose from in Jersey Garden Mall. There is the food court, Chili's Too, Sbarros, Jeepers, Johnny Rockets and the brand new IHOP, located across the street. Since there wasn't a line in Johnny Rockets (there is ALWAYS a long line in Johnny Rockets), we figured we should just eat there.

Johnny Rockets is an international chain that oozes that feel good Americana charm. Stepping into a Johnny Rockets makes you feel like you are stepping into an all American diner back in the 50's, with checkered floors and table top jukeboxes. Even the uniform of the servers brings you back to the time when milkshakes cost only 5 cents!

Since it wasn't full that day, we had a choice to either sit up front by the counter or in one of the booths. We chose the booths (yes, we are anti social people :P). The servers were really friendly and even offered to take our photo for us! Check out the cool looking table top jukebox and classic diner style straw dispenser.

The menu is exactly what you would expect from a place like this. All kinds of juicy burgers, classic sandwiches and melts to hand dipped milkshakes, malts and floats. Mmm mmm mmmmmm, this is American food at it's best. Our server took our drinks order while we were looking at the menu. I ordered the Root Beer Float ($2.99) and Kevin got the Original Strawberry Milkshake ($4.29). When our drinks arrived, we knew that it was the start of a very good meal. Both the drinks were just super yummy! I can't really explain it, but my Root Beer was made just right. With the correct amount of froth and stuff. Sooo good! Kevin's milkshake was really thick and gyummy too. You see the silver shaker thing by the side of the milkshake? It was half filled with the leftover strawberry milkshake, which you could top up after you are done with the one in your glass. I think there is enough milkshake for two people! Really worth the money.

Kevin ordered the Smoke House Double Burger ($8.99). Two juicy patties with cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, onion rings and Johnny Rockets Smoke House BBQ Ranch sauce. Doesn't it look good? Kevin said that it was really juicy and yummy. It's pretty big too (so big til he couldn't even finish the burger). Good choice Kevin!

I got the Route 66 Burger ($7.49). This is what I would order everytime I go to a Johnny Rockets. It's really good! Two patties with melted Swiss cheese, grilled mushrooms, onions and mayo...all packed into a yummy bun. Mmmm mmmm good!

Both of our burgers come with fries, However, when our server first brought out our burger, he told us that our fries should be coming out shortly. Half way through our burger, he came over again and apologized, saying that he had already reminded the the kitchen and it should be out soon. We weren't actually complaining, since the burgers were so good, we were too busy eating to even worry about our fries. We could see our server getting more and more flustered as he kept on reminding the kitchen about our fries...hahaha! Anyways, to cut the long story short, he came back and said that he felt really bad to keep us waiting and he told his manager about this. His manager agreed to give us a 20% discount on our meal, cos we had to wait for our fries! Wow! We were not even bothered that our fries did not come out together with our burger, but I guess it bothered our server enough to go ask for a discount, on behalf of us. So yeah, we got a 20% discount off our meal! :D Overall, I would say that Johnny Rockets totally rocked! Cool decor, yummy food and awesome staff!! Two thumbs up!

Johnny Rockets - Jersey Garden Mall
651 Kapkowski Road
Elizabeth, NJ 07201
Tel: (908)994 0110
Web: http://www.johnnyrockets.com