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Saturday Brunch in Essex/Morris County?

jb_973

By jb_973
in New Jersey: Dining

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jb_973

jb_973

Posted
Posted

This weekend I have some friends of mine visiting from the UK (and, as a little background, I'm a UK expat... been living in the US for a bit over 7 years). They're staying in NYC, but are going to come out to visit us on Saturday.

They'll be coming with their 2 year old son. Aside from giving them a tour of the neighborhood, we'd like to take them out for Saturday brunch.

Can anyone recommend a nice child-friendly place for brunch, somewhere in the drivable vicinity of West Orange?

To be a little more specific - standard American brunch fare is fine. I'm looking for something a notch up from the local diner, but not overtly formal. And child-friendly is a must.

As always, any suggestions are most appreciated!

Jason

Rachel Perlow

Rachel Perlow

Posted
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So The Hilton at Short Hills and The Manor are out? Those would be my two fancy brunch recommendations for that area.. Hmm, what about dim sum? You could go to Noodle Chu in Parsippany (Rt. 46 West). How about the Original Pancake House in West Caldwell? I guess it's not much higher than the local diner, but I love TOP (although I haven't been to that location).

jb_973

jb_973

Posted
  • Topic Starter
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Rachael - thanks for the suggestions. I think the Manor may be a bit too formal for this occasion- the Hilton at Short Hills looks interesting, though. However, there may be a problem - my guests are coming on a Saturday, and a quick glance at the Hilton website suggests that they only do a Sunday brunch :(

That said, I'll add TOP to the list of potentials :)

Rosie

Rosie

Posted
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Some suggestions. Just check with the restaurant to be sure they are serving brunch.

Indigo Smoke, Montclair

Taste of Asia, South Orange or Chatham

Original Pancake House, Bloomfield Ave, Caldwell

Shubox Café--Cedar Grove

Joy Luck, West Orange for Dim Sum

Office Bar & Grill, Montclair

Taro, Montclair has dim sum on weekends now

Dancing Goat, South Orange

Sweet Basil Café, West Orange

Origin, Morristown

Rosalie Saferstein, aka "Rosie"

TABLE HOPPING WITH ROSIE

Curlz

Curlz

Posted
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I tried to have lunch at Raymond's but it was too packed and we were a party of 6, but I know for sure that it's a nice setting and without question, kid-friendly. If you're not set on brunch per se, you could go to the lunch buffet at Saffron (Indian food) in East Hanover! Definitely open for lunch on Saturday, and the buffet is 9.95pp and VERY good. And you could show them that we have good Indian food on this side of the pond, too! :biggrin: I've been there on more than one occasion with my friends and their 1 year-old and every staff member has fawned all over her, so the kid's okay! Here's the Saffron thread.

The Hilton Short Hills brunch is definitely NOT for a two year-old--go when it's just adults, or at least kids over 8 who know how to go to a restaurant!

Other thoughts: Famished Frog in Morristown is family-friendly, but I don't know how good the food is...Hoboken has the Frozen Monkey and is a fun town to walk around before/after if the weather permits. FM isn't fancy, but it's cool, and the breakfast I had there with my 3 year-old niece was both fun and tasty.

I'm actually starting to wonder why you wouldn't want to give them a true NJ diner breakfast/lunch experience! I can't imagine they're finding that in the UK...

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

Rachel Perlow

Rachel Perlow

Posted
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replaced by the satanic Rite Aid/CVS cartel. Like we need more drug stores. They pop up all over replacing neighborhood icons like Eagans, the Parsonage Diner, and Jahn's Ice Cream Parlor.

Jahn's is gone? :sad: I guess I haven't been to that area in a while.

I'm actually starting to wonder why you wouldn't want to give them a true NJ diner breakfast/lunch experience!  I can't imagine they're finding that in the UK...

Last time we had a UK guest, we brought them to a local mexican diner (in Bergen county). He loved the huevos rancheros, chilequilles, and mexican hot chocolate -- he said it was definitely something he'd have a hard time finding in England. I'm wondering what Toro Loco in South Orange or Mexicali Rose in Montclair do for Saturday brunch?

menton1

menton1

Posted
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If you don't mind sitting on couches or easy chairs, I echo the choice of Dancing Goat in South Orange. The omelettes and pancakes are awesome, and the environment is nice and laid back. A totally non-diner experience!

jb_973

jb_973

Posted
  • Topic Starter
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Guys (and gals) - thanks for all the suggestions. Plenty (if you'll excuse the pun) of food for thought!

I'll be sure to post back after Saturday to tell you where we ended up!

Jason

jb_973

jb_973

Posted
  • Topic Starter
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As promised - here's the update.

After quizzing our guests about their appetite, we decided to head to The Original Pancake House in West Caldwell. What can I say? Thanks for the tip - everyone was very happy with their food.

I went for the Banana Pancakes - they melted in my mouth, and I loved the bananas both cooked inside and fresh on top. I was intrigued by the special (tropical?) syrup served on the side - it had a hint of marmalade in it. Anyone know the recipe?

Thanks again everyone for the suggestions. We now have a long list of places to try out! When we get around to them, I'll be sure to post some more comments.

Jason

Rachel Perlow

Rachel Perlow

Posted
Posted

Yeah! I win! lol

Glad you and your guests had a good time. We miss TOPH that used to be in Paramus, maybe some day we'll make it down to the West Caldwell location.

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