Egan and Sons in Montclair

[tommy]

the owner should probably be aiming for having people served drinks when they want one. making excuses based on an assumption of their business model (food secondary??) is nothing more than making accuses for poor service. poor service is unacceptable in any type of "pub" or restaurant.

and then other times the service is fine.

[JohnnyH]

Couldn't agree more, and let's be clear that I'm not defending Egan's. If anything I'm suggesting that, given the owners' apparent aspirations, it should certainly be held to a higher standard than Tierney's. I'm also not by any means denigrating Tierney's -- a joint I happen to like very much.

[tommy]

Couldn't agree more, and let's be clear that I'm not defending Egan's. If anything I'm suggesting that, given the owners' apparent aspirations, it should certainly be held to a higher standard than Tierney's. I'm also not by any means denigrating Tierney's -- a joint I happen to like very much.

←

i was referring to Jim's comment, so *we're* clear.

[tommy]

i returned to egan's last night to have a quick beer before meeting a friend at little saigon. judging by my 3 or 4 most recent visits, the complete tosser of a bartender is no longer there. or maybe i've been lucky. the woman who manages the bar was there, and seemed on top of her game (being friendly and managerial sounding). we've had nice conversations with her in the past, and she seems to actually care. my bartender was young and uninterested. still, people seem to love it here.

they do have some good music most of the time, and a parking lot, so hey, you could do much worse. but more importantly, they could do so much better.

Edited March 2, 2007 by tommy (log)

[JohnnyH]

Giving this a bump not so much to check in on Egan's, which I unfortunately know all too well has not improved much in the year or so since the last post, but to ask if anyone's heard anything about the seafood place they're putting in next door. In spite of what I'm sure will be my inevitable disappointment, I'd like to give it a try when it's open.

Edited for lousy punctuation.

Edited February 8, 2008 by JohnnyH (log)

[John]

I finally made it to Egan's for the first time. I don't eat out an awful lot unless you consider hot dog joints, diners, and brewpubs eating out. So take this post for what it's worth. Egan's was a destination for me because when they opened they were called a brewpub. They brewed beer from extract (most breweries or brewpubs do whole grain) and my beer aficianado friends told me the beer was mediocre. I know beer, brewed beer myself, and appreciate beer, so I made it a point to go despite the negative opinions.

I've since found out that Egan's began using a brewery to perform the initial steps in making beer, mashing and boiling. The unfermented beer (wort) was sent to Egan's where it was put in fermenters, had yeast added for fermentation, then filtered and put in serving tanks. Upon arriving at Egan's I took a walk around and saw the 2 lonely fermenters on a small 2nd floor landing. One of the young women who is a server could rattle off by memory descriptions of the 4 "house brews". She told me the beers are still started elsewhere (she didn't know where) but finished at Egan's. This was later contradicted by our bartender who informed us that the "house beers" are made by the Cricket Hill Brewery in Fairfield. The fermenters are for show. Other beers are offered on draft and bottled.

Cricket Hill makes quality microbrews and I enjoyed a hoppy red ale which I would consider above average for a micro. They freely offered a small sample first. This disqualifies Egan's from being considered a brewpub. Thet do NOT brew their own beer. And from what I've heard of the beers that they did brew, they are better off with a contract brewing arrangement with Cricket Hill.

The food we had was quite good as was the service. We ate at the bar. My wife had scallops with sauteed spinach and brown rice which she enjoyed. She has scallops occasionally and pronounced these the best she's had. I was torn between the fish and chips and the burger. I chose the burger. A woman near us had the fish and said it was excellent. A guy sitting at the bar who is a regular and did some kind of interior work for Egan's said that they get the best, freshest fish. Maybe next time I'll have it.

The burger was very good in my opinion. It was charbroiled and ordered medium. I don't mind burgers well done, or medium well as long as they aren't dried out. This was done medium as I requested. Juicy with some red/pink in the middle. The flavor was very good. Definitely better than what you get at most pubs. The fries were handcut, fresh, and very good. My only complaint is that they charge $2.00 for cheese.

We went at about 4:00 in the afternoon. By the time we left it was starting to fill up. The guy sitting at the bar told us that the place next door (connected by a small hallway) called Halcyon is even better. It is a restaurant serving mostly seafood that is more upscale and also owned by Egan's. We were told that the burgers are even better. This guy also told us that Halcyon serves an excellent brunch on Sundays. For some reason (vacation?) they won't be serving again for another week or 2.

All in all, we enjoyed Egan's and will be back there again. Or maybe Halcyon.

[waves2ya]

John - given your knowledge regarding hot dogs & joints - have you compiled a list of your favorite brew pubs in NJ...?

Thanks...!

[John]

I don't go all that often but I do have a few favorites. J.J. Bittings in Woodbridge would probably be my favorite. I joined their Mug Club when they opened. And fairly close to my home. Great atmosphere, ok beer; not the best. Real good happy hour (3-7) with free food.

I like Basil T's in Red Bank. Better beer (Their stout was a 3 time medal winner at the GABF) and excellent food.

I also like Long Valley Brew Pub. Haven't been there in a few years but I always thought they had the best beer.