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Princeton

allie

By allie
in New Jersey: Dining

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allie

allie

Posted
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Hi everyone-

I just found out that my dad is flying in for a day or two next week to Philly, and we have decided to meet halfway in Princeton (I live in Northern NJ). Considering the fact that the World Series will *most likely* be on, I'd love to find a good place to eat that has that college town feel, hopefully with a tv or two for the game if it is on?

Obviously I'm not looking for upscale here :rolleyes:

Any suggestions?

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Kim WB

Kim WB

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Yankee Doodle Tap room in the Nassau Inn will have the TV's on, so will Winberies onNassau Square. Probably get a better meal at Alchemist and Barrister, on Witherspoon, but they only have one screen, not a sports bar per say. Triumph Brew Pub on Nassau street, further NOrth, will have the game on, too. Mostly the eating clubs will have the "college feel" as there are midwest and east coast and southern houses, who will be rooting for respective area teams. In general, Princeton is not a big sports town. Feel free to PM me for directions or details.

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Rich Pawlak

Rich Pawlak

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For the quality of food, I would suggest Triumph Brewing Co, but the TVs are only at the bar. If you dine upstairs, Dad wont be able to glance at the game. If "Da Gumbo" is still on the menu, get it. Triumph also does a very respectable burger and very good calamari and smoked chicken quesadillas.

Rich Pawlak

 

Reporter, The Trentonian

Feature Writer, INSIDE Magazine
Food Writer At Large

MY BLOG: THE OMNIVORE

"In Cerveza et Pizza Veritas"

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allie

allie

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Thanks to both of you for the recs.

Considering the Cubbies just lost last night, my dad may not be *as* gung ho now to watch the game, but I have good suggestions to work with.

I found a map of the Palmer Square area, so I should be good on directions, but I'll let you know how it goes next week!

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The Little Blue House

The Little Blue House

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For the quality of food, I would suggest Triumph Brewing Co, but the TVs are only at the bar.  If you dine upstairs, Dad wont be able to glance at the game.  If "Da Gumbo" is still on the menu, get it.  Triumph also does a very respectable burger and very good calamari and smoked chicken quesadillas.

Wonderful cheeseburger.

----------------------------------------------

Emily in London

http://www.august18th2007.com

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allie

allie

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Well, we ended up at the Triumph Brewing Company, and I really liked the setup of the restaurant. It is like they built this in an alley way between/behind 2 buildings, and had a multilevel seating arrangement that was really cool.

My boyfriend & I both went for the cheeseburger, and boy this was good! A little too much bun for me, but I can live with that. The chipoltle mayo that comes on the side was yummy too. My dad went for the fish & chips, and he was a huge fan (although they seemed a bit pricey @ $13.95 for a brewery, but what can ya do?).

The one part of dinner we didn't enjoy was the service! Our waiter was awful, and he forgot my boyfriend's soup 3 times, and then forgot my dad's glass of wine twice, and never bothered to clean off our table fully... all in all, I don't think I"ll be back, even though the cheeseburger was awesome..

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Kim WB

Kim WB

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The one part of dinner we didn't enjoy was the service! Our waiter was awful, and he forgot my boyfriend's soup 3 times, and then forgot my dad's glass of wine twice, and never bothered to clean off our table fully... all in all, I don't think I"ll be back, even though the cheeseburger was awesome..

While I would never claim that Triumph has GREAT service, I'm surprised it was THIS bad..what time did you go? Was it busy, or was the waiter just a mess? I have only NOT sat at he bar once, so usually I avoid the table service. Sorry it was bad enough to make your positive food into a negative meal. :sad:

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allie

allie

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The one part of dinner we didn't enjoy was the service! Our waiter was awful, and he forgot my boyfriend's soup 3 times, and then forgot my dad's glass of wine twice, and never bothered to clean off our table fully... all in all, I don't think I"ll be back, even though the cheeseburger was awesome..

While I would never claim that Triumph has GREAT service, I'm surprised it was THIS bad..what time did you go? Was it busy, or was the waiter just a mess? I have only NOT sat at he bar once, so usually I avoid the table service. Sorry it was bad enough to make your positive food into a negative meal. :sad:

That's okay!! I used to wait tables, so I know when someone is having a bad night, etc.. but the funniest thing was, the 2 times we asked other wait staff for help because our guy was so bad, they were slackers too! We met there around 7:30; it was pretty busy, but no wait & not super packed by any means. We did sit in the bar area, but at a booth. The food was good though... mmmmm that chipoltle mayo :)

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  • 3 weeks later...
albie

albie

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A someone who works in the vicinity, I've been surprised by the general paucity of first-rate dining options for a place of Princeton's cachet and the relative affluence of its demographics. Maybe it's the absence of large-scale corporate presence, but IMHO New Brunswick seems to have a far more dynamic, interesting array of choices.

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The Little Blue House

The Little Blue House

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A someone who works in the vicinity, I've been surprised by the general paucity of first-rate dining options for a place of Princeton's cachet and the relative affluence of its demographics. Maybe it's the absence of large-scale corporate presence, but IMHO New Brunswick seems to have a far more dynamic, interesting array of choices.

I would say that it might be the result of the captive audience--being a college town and all--but the truth is, it never really seems like the students leave the campus. This has always confused me too.

Then there are the occasional tries at doing something a little different (Does anyone else remember the short lived, expensive, and not too good Twist Rojo?), but they never last and they never seem to live up to the expections created by being located right smack in between New York and Philadelphia. Perhaps this is a result of the cost of real estate?

Princeton's food "scene" is about the pleasure of the lunch combo at Sakura Express on Witherspoon, a trip to the Record Exchange, and a little tour of the campus. Or the same thing, substituting Hoagie Haven, or Olives, or a burger at Triumph, or even Teresa's, provided you are liberal with the salt.

What it comes down to is simple: Princeton is ideal for casual dining--casual though expensive--followed by a nice stroll. If you want more, you'll have to head to the city.

-Emily

----------------------------------------------

Emily in London

http://www.august18th2007.com

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  • 1 month later...
babystruck

babystruck

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Not a big fan of that brew pub's food and the place is always freezing. For higher end dining I love Mediterra at the end of Palmer Square. Big dating fav for me and my husband, so I suppose that I'm prejudiced :wink:

Princeton Township

29 Hulfish Street (Palmer Square) - map

Princeton, NJ 08542

609.252.9680

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