What a shame to lose an historic place to the wrecking ball and another strip mall. Too bad they couldn't sell it to another restauranteur who could make a go at it.

The food there wasn't the greatest but they seemed to draw a pretty good crowd the atmosphere was cozy.

Polska Smak in Butler on Route 23. It's in the freezer in the back.
I found the idea that "fresh kielbasi" in the freezer was funny, but I guess that they don't get a lot of requests for it. I'm sure they will make it fresh for you if you call ahead.

Polski Smak on Rt 23 in Butler isn't an eat in restaurant, but it's an outstanding Polish deli. They have hot meals for take out and their kielbasi is as good as any I've had. And their bigos is heavenly.

I've been going there for ages. I've been married 19 years and we celebrate our anniversary there every year. Before I met my wife, it was my favorite place to bring a date. I remember going there with another couple. It was in the late 80's and the waiter mentioned off hand that we were sitting at Richard Nixon's usual table.

I like the way they treated your BYO bottle as if it came from their cellar, and the food was fabulous. I can't remember a clunker of a dish in all of those years. Not many restaurants can stay so good for so long.

Hopefully the new owners can keep a good thing going.

Guess what, New York City is full of awful restaurants too. The population of NJ is roughly equal to the population of NYC, but the good places aren't necessarily a 5 minute subway ride away. You may have to drive 20, 40 or 90 minutes to get to one of the many very good restaurants in the state.

BTW, I bet someone who moves from Paris probably wonders why there are so many terrible restaurants in NYC.

You don't give much detail about you are looking for so it's hard to make recommendations. Hawthorne isn't exactly Montclair when it comes to restaurants but there are some passable places. For breakfast and lunch Andy's Corner is pretty good. For Pizza, Hawthorne's Best makes a solid pizza though I wouldn't venture too deep into their menu. Kirkers is OK if you want pub food or pseudo German food. Cuban Flavor is hit or miss. I've had great dishes there and total clunkers.

Ciao and 3 West. They are either in Warren or Basking Ridge. Pluckemin Inn in Bedminster is pretty good. Scalini Fedili in Chatham is good too.

I think that candy store at Carlton and Main might have been called Michelle's. For some reason that name sticks in my mind.

I grew up on Carlton Pl in the 60's and 70's and I recall going to that place for Italian ice and to pick up cigarettes for my neighbor. She'd give me a buck and have me get her a pack of Winstons and let me keep a nickel of the change. I remember the cigarette brand but I don't recall then name of the luncheonette. I think it might have been a female name. You are right, it eventually became Howe Hardware. Syl's was our stop while walking home from #3 school. I'd get my allowance and spend it on candy at Syl's.

Looking forward to it. We love Wegmans and always stop in when we pass by one. Still a little far for us (25 minutes away) but far better than driving to Princeton or Ocean County.

Likely frozen. Crabs are barely becoming active now. I doubt commercial crabbers have even started.

For a reasonably priced place there is Cafe L'Amore in Oakland. Solid all around. Not sure if they take reservations for large groups though, you might have to call and find out.

On the more expensive side there is the Saddle River Inn in Upper Saddle River. Great food and prices to match. But you save a good chunk with the BYOB.

If you like German food there is the Black Forest Inn.

People are talking about Dominoes here?

It's amazing how a simple sandwich like Taylor Ham, egg and cheese can vary from place to place. I've had delicious Taylor Ham, egg and cheese and horrible ones.

A good one will start with quality roll and use genuine Taylor Ham, and American cheese. The egg should be fried, over hard. Meat and egg should not be overcooked. There should also be a good balance of meat, egg and cheese. Too much of any will throw the sandwich off.

A Taste of Reality in Kinnelon makes a great one. G&A in Butler also makes a very good one. Lakeview Deli in Boonton makes an absolutely awful one.

Crane Farm in Basking Ridge on Maple Ave grows their own heirlooms and sells them at their stand

Rutts Hut and The Hot Grill for hot dogs. For food shopping, Corrados Market.

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Hot Grill
669 Lexington Ave, Clifton, NJ 07011

One word, Wegmans. It's only about 15 minutes from Bay Head.

Shoppers Vineyeard in Clifton on Bloomfield Ave has a great selection of beer including a few that I've not seen elsewhere.

For real NJ, not necessarily the best, but good and authentic:

Hot dogs at Rutts Hut and/or The Hot Grill in Clifton
Italian hot dogs at Dickie Dees in Newark or Jimmy Buffs (several locations)
Burgers at White Manna in Hackensack and/or White Rose in Highland Park
Pizza - Reservoir Tavern in Parsippany
Family eats - Allendale Bar and Grill, Allendale
Bagels-Hot Bagels Abroad (several locations incl Clifton)
Drinks-Johnny's Tavern in Boonton, Tierney's Tavern in Montclair
Jewish Deli - Eppes Essen in Livingston
Deli (subs, etc.) - A Taste of Reality in Kinnelon
Diner - The Egg Platter in Paterson, Summit Diner in Summit

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Dickie Dee's
380 Bloomfield Ave, Newark, NJ 07107

Tierney's Tavern
136 Valley Rd, Montclair, NJ 07042

Reservoir Tavern
90 Parsippany blvd, Parsippany, NJ

Eppes Essen
105 E Mount Pleasant Ave, Livingston, NJ 07039

Hot Grill
669 Lexington Ave, Clifton, NJ 07011

Summit Diner
1 Union Pl, Summit, NJ 07901

White Manna
358 River St, Hackensack, NJ 07601

Montclair is always up there. Hoboken too. Neither is exactly hidden though. Morristown area is OK. Seems to run hot and cold over the years.

I was about to reply to this when I realized it was nearly a year old. The OP was looking for recommendations for LAST YEAR.

Why do people dredge up old threads and reply to them?

Shouldn't it be Franks and Fries? I would hope they would have more than one hot dog.

Wish I had the recipe. I dislike all relishes that I've tried, except for Rutts Hutt's. There is something about it that makes it the perfect accompaniment for their dogs. It wouldn't work on a Sabrette or any other hot dog other than a Thumanns.

Arthurs in Morris Plains. You can't get much closer to a train station than that. It's right across the street. Not far from 287/80 either. OK steaks. Not exactly haute cuisine but not bad for the money.

Also any restaurant on Main Street in Boonton. It's right off 287 and a short walk from the train station. Thai Ping on Main St is decent Thai food and is a short walk from the train station. Boonton Ave Grill. Food isn't the greatest but the burgers are OK.

For upscale, I like the Saddle River Inn in Upper Saddle River, Bergen County.

For moderately priced Italian, I enjoy Cafe L'Amore in Oakland, Bergen County

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Saddle River Inn
2 Barnstable Ct, Saddle River, NJ 07458

Those are two good choices. Also consider Eccola on Rt 46. It's very close to the Sheraton.
http://www.eccolarestaurantnj.com/

If he's old enough to have grandkids I suspect that the franks he recalls so fondly may have been the Thumann's.

I really enjoyed Urban Table. Never tried their veggie burrito though.

I've had Callahan's dogs and they definitely were not the push cart style Sabretts they sell in the supermarket. If they were made by Sabrett I suspect they were made specially for them.