WestOrangeFrank

Those West Orange VIP cards were sent out in the mail. At Gaffers they offer 10% off your food bill (I think only during lunch, just changed recently). While we're on the subject, Gaffers has a 'burger club' some stamp program that gives you a free one after so many. As for the frozen vs. fresh, I would be shocked if they were previously prepared and frozen, also they are advertised as home-made on a sign near the restrooms. If they were frozen, they would likely offer them on the menu everyday, and not just Wednesdays. Interested to hear your report Jason.

hmm, the type of fish, some type of firm white fish, COD,, maybe hallibut. The beer battered fillets were smooth, crunchy, and golden, not the type from a flaky tempura-style breadcrumb. The basket had three nice sized fillets covering the always hot, crispy Gaffer's fries. As far as fried food goes, the meal wasn't too greasy (I'm not a fan of soggy-greasy). The burgers at Gaffers are great, but have you had a burger at Pals!?!? They're yummie (if you can deal with the spotty service).

Jason, Have you tried the fish and chips at Gaffers Pub? They serve a good basket of nicely battered fish and chips every Wednesday night. They've got malt vinegar on hand per request. If you've been there, (or go) I'd be curious to know how you rate them. I'm always pleasantly surprised by what comes out of that kitchen. I find the service at the bar very friendly and more attentive then in the dining room.

thanks Curlz, I'll check it out, I'm often in that area the link from ant looks promising too www.wine-searcher.com

nope and nope, slowly but surely we'll get to them

Thanks for the invite Anthony, I'm down! Can you add two more (myself and Lindsay)? Look forward to meeting you all.

Granted this is an old post, but I've been eyeing NJ steak house threads for quite some time now, and felt compelled to make my first eGullet post tonight. Rosie, Rachel/Jason Perlow, Fat Guy, Tommy- Thank You!! your insights to restaurants in the NJ area have really helped with my recent move to Essex County. I feel like I know you all! Even after an amazing Mutton Chop at Keen's Steak House (w. 36th) last night, I had the urge for beef again tonight. Went out to Mignon's and enjoyed a quality ribeye. Heck, for the price paid, I couldn't have gotten the same prime dry aged beef myself (let alone cook it perfectly, be served, and cleaned up after). Perfectly crusted outside, and perfectly medium rare inside. The BYO wine was our last bottle of Rutini Malbec from a recent trip to Argentina, having a HARD time finding it here in the states. It complemented the slab of beef nicely. The creamed spinach was excellent, the Lyonnaise potatoes were overly soggy/oily, forcing me to order a side of french fries . The sample seafood app platter was so-so. An interesting variation of calamari included buffalo sauce and crumpled blue-cheese, sounded better than it tasted. Good thing we had that yummie FREE tartare with the bread. There was a lamb app on the menu that caught my eye, next time... For some odd reason, my dining mate got the seafood over linguine entree, big let down. The shrimp were very dried out, and the lobster carcass donned little meat. We skipped on dessert (mainly on rosie's tip and the fact that I didn't see one desert on anyone's table) and opted to walk around bustling Park Ave. Nothing caught our eyes for coffee/dessert. Found the service nice. Menus were not thrown in our face the moment we sat down, and the pace of the meal felt right. Some dirty plates sat in front of us for a short while as the restaurant got busier, but hey, no biggie compared to the price tags. The fashionable-for-Rutherford-NJ dining room space didn't crowd us, and the other patrons were a pleasant cosmopolitan bunch. Our meal came to just under $80 w/o tip. We will definitely return for some quality dry aged beef. Granted, there are many place$$$ that are better, and I hope to get to them all in time. And oh, I did live (and eat) in Hoboken for a few years, and didn't find F&J's to stack up on quality, preparation, and prices of beef.