Sunday, May 18, 2008

Jefferson Diner, Lake Hopatcong, NJ

The exterior of this gleaming chrome diner looks like it's hand-waxed daily. It sparkles, even on a cloudy day. The place also twinkles inside, with Lucite ceiling fans, mirrors in all shapes and sizes, etched glass, several shades of neon, and shining dessert cases with a huge selection of sweets displayed on slowly revolving shelves. Some of the upholstery patterns look Uncle Louie-inspired, in dazzling color combinations.

The menu, of course, is enormous, and the kitchen sends out plates the size of buffet platters in a steady stream. The Jefferson offers more kinds of french fries than I've ever seen in one place, including Midnight Disco fries (brown gravy) and a combo platter with regular, spicy, waffle, and sweet potato fries. It's a great place to go if you're hungry enough to eat a horse, or just spent the afternoon riding one.

My ideal meal includes tastes of a lot of different things, so I opted for a salad with grilled chicken, roast peppers, fresh mozzarella, grilled portobellos, and even some nice crisp greens, with balsamic vinaigrette. Those ingredients yielded lots of tasty combinations, including mini-sandwiches I built on the accompanying pita. Pita usually tastes stale and cardboard-y to me, but this had a nice, chewy, almost bagel-like consistency.

Want some more hot water for your tea? The waitress delivers a new cup of steaming water, plus a new bag, each time. Bad news if you're watching your caffeine intake, and washing all those cups probably isn't totally environmentally sound. Still, it's hard to fault them for being so eager to please.

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