Smash'N Pizza - Wayne, NJ

Where:

1808 RT-23N
Wayne, NJ 07470

https://www.smashnpizza.com/
Phone: (973) 696-4282

What:
J'Onion Single Burger - 

Single Beef Burger Patty, Sliced Grilled Onions, Smack Sauce, Pickle, & Cheese

My Experience:
    Have you ever visited a newly opened restaurant and experienced anxiety over worrying that the food you're about to be served is yet another overly-hyped TikTok-trend let down? I do it all the time. 

HOWEVER... Smash'N Pizza is different, very different.

It was here, that I experienced that very rare, one-in-a-thousand, "HOLY SH*T" moment. Finally... after sampling all the new pop-up smash burger wannabee's, I've found the promised land - a burger utopia where rendered talo and old-fashioned beef flavor are abundant.

Getting to know the characters:

    I met with the owner, Joe, and pizza Chef Carmine, counterman Christian and deliveryman, Mauricio (yes, you read that correctly, they have their own in-house delivery person) and I can't forget to give a shout out to Tina! (Joe's Sister and counterperson). All the employees are great, fun-loving people creating smiles while creating great food. 

I made the mistake of telling Joe the chicken cutlets look homemade, He immediately pointed to the open kitchen and said: "see that small refrigerated unit?" I said: "yes" - "that's our one-and-only freezer" From the cutlets, to the burger bacon jam, to the fresh mozzarella & dough, just about everything here is made fresh.

The meat of the matter:

My J'Onion Burger (single) was served to me blazing hot with a brown leather crisp on the outside and a light shade of pink on the inside. The potato bun was pillow-soft with a toast ring around the rim. Even the pickles tasted as though they were homemade, but I forgot to ask. The "smack sauce" is ample yet not overpowering and the onions are fried on the griddle, which is a refreshing alternative to the gloppy caramelized onions which most other burger eateries are pushing (yuck). All-in-all a great burger and a great, friendly, old-school value experience.

Thanks Joe and company! I'll be back soon!

PS: My review of S'NP's pizza will be out soon!

~BC

My apologies for the quality of the photos...

Barcelona's Restaurant & Bar - Garfield, NJ

 

A FOUR PHOTO REVIEW...

Where: 

Barcelona's Restaurant

38 Harrison Ave, Garfield, NJ 07026
(973) 778-4930

HOURS:
Monday 11:30 AM–9 PM
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 11:30 AM–9 PM
Thursday 11:30 AM–9 PM
Friday 11:30 AM–10 PM
Saturday 11:30 AM–10 PM
Sunday 12–9 PM

What:
Large Cheese Pizza

If you've never been to Barcelona's Restaurant, you're missing out on one of the few old-school Italian restaurants left in Jersey. Everything from the aroma of Italian food when you walk in to the decor and friendly wait service screams old-school Jersey, and it's this kind of place I'd rather be than any other new and trendy eatery.

Although the Barstool Pizza rating was a 7.4, I personally rate the pie much higher due to it's great throwback flavor. I know I'm in the right place when the cheese and the tomatoes come together to give you that quintessential orange color. I'm not sure how to describe it, but for me, this denotes an old-school technique that gives the pie a unique aroma and flavor that I attribute to old-school Italians making pizza pies when I was growing up in the 1960's.

My only con would be that I like the cheese on my pizza to be a bit further up to the crust.

Nuff said. If you can appreciate what I've just described, you're going to love the pizza and everything else about Barcelona's restaurant.

RP Prime Steakhouse - Fair Lawn, NJ

Where:
RP Prime Steakhouse
41-11 Rt4, Fair Lawn, NJ
Phone: 201-267-0702
https://www.rpprime.com/menus/

What:
Prime Classic Cheeseburger
Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickle, Brioche Bun
$18
Prime Aged NY Strip w/string beans
$38

Comments:
Nice atmosphere, friendly service, forgettable lunch experience.
I don't like reporting not-so-great reviews like this, but it is what it is, and the food was what it was—not very good.
I patronized this restaurant with a friend on Wednesday, March 12th 2025, arriving a little after noon. The place was empty save for one round table of six, so we decided to dine at the exceptionally inviting bar.
The barmaid was as nice as she could be, and the bar and restaurant were as clean and inviting as you could hope for.

My friend ordered the NY Strip medium-rare, and I, (of course), targeted their classic burger.
Before I go any further, please accept my apologies for the lack of photos, and the complete nonexistence of steak photos (you'll have to take my word for it).

Little did we realize that the chef's absence of creativity in plating would be a foreshadowing of the food itself. The mundane offering of steak was indeed just that, with no sauce or juices bleeding onto the dish, and with a modest portion of bright green string beans to accompany it, making the entire entree look as though it came from a corporate cafeteria.

Long story short, the steak was cooked medium, and to our surprise, it was a bit tough. But a steakhouse getting the temperature of a small steak wrong? Enough said.

My burger followed suit unfortunately, in that although it was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, the meat was dry and with little flavor. This, I attribute to a common affliction with steakhouses that use scraps of ground steak bits to make their burger patties. Don't we all like the notion of our burger being made from freshly ground steak? The reality of that usually means you're getting a burger that lacks fat, and I'm quite sure that was the issue in this case. The stale, dry, brioche bun didn't help matters much either, which begs the question, "Why are we still using these awful brioche buns when recent burger masters like Shake Shack have introduced us to the potato bun? That said, a burger and a steak that closely resembled "select" quality meat, along with a few drinks, a shared beet salad, and tiramisu all costing upwards of $180 w/tip, was quite over-the-top for me, especially considering what you can get for that kind of money in New Jersey's robust restaurant arena...

My Pet Peeve: Burger toppings should be just that... on top.

 

Johnny & Hanges - Fair Lawn, NJ

 

WHERE:
Johnny & Hanges
23-20 Maple Ave, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
(201) 791-9060

HOURS:
11:00am-8pm
7 days

I stop by my friend's house (Sister Norah Clarke) every so often to say "hi" and discuss what's new in the world, and on the way, I'll stop at Johnny & Hanges near her home and pick up an assortment of hot dogs, fries and burgers for us to enjoy.
Johnny & Hanges first opened on July 4th, 1939 (the same day Lou Gerhig gave his famous "farewell" speech at Yankee Stadium). One day, while chatting it up with the old-timers working the counter, we got onto the subject of Lou Gerhig and the Yankees and I was told that Babe Ruth frequented their original Paterson store eating a dozen or more hot dogs per visit (the "Babe" was a huge lover of hot dogs so I'd like to believe this is true).
Johnny & Hange's original location was on River Street in Paterson and later moved to it's current location in Fair Lawn.
Johnny Scovish & Angelo "Hange" Mariano were the men who started it all.
Being of Italian descent, I remember how my elders would pronounce the letter "A" as an "H", hence, Angelo would be Hangelo, (Han-gelo) or the shortened "Ange" would be "Hange". For some decades now, new generations have been pronouncing it "Hangs" or "Hang-ies."
For me, it will always remain, Johnny and Hanges, pronounced; "Han-gies". Either way, I have to hand it to these two guys for making "Texas Weiners" in 1939 when at the time, no one in Texas ever heard of such a thing.
These deep fried Thumann's hot dogs, covered with their Texas chili (no beans) are simply the best. The Babe knew it, and now you do too.

Dan and Day's Burgers and Shakes, Montclair NJ

Where:

Dan and Day's Burgers and Shakes

598 Valley Road, Montclair, NJ 07043

https://www.dananddays.com

What:
Original Burger - $11 (Sept 2024) 

Your choice of bun, 5.3oz grass fed beef burger, aged white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, mayo.

The bun options: Martin’s Potato Roll, Brioche Bun +$1, Nicolo’s Round Roll, Gluten Free Bun +$2, Bed of lettuce (no bun) - I went with Nicolo's round roll.

Okay, so I ordered wrong; but in my defense, the order was my standard request when trying a burger joint for the first time. I ordered their "Original" burger, which is (usually) the one that made them famous.

Dan and his wife Day, couldn't be nicer, Day took my order and hinted to me to try their "special" burger, but I was intent on my standard "original" order choice because, as I mentioned, I wanted to taste the burger that made them famous, so I stuck to it. 

This was a huge mistake on my part since their special burger is a double smash burger with American cheese with sauteed onions and it' s served on a toasted glazed cronut! 

This is where I'm going to cut to the chase because I don't like to report when I've had a disappointing burger, but unfortunately, that was the case.

I asked Day; "if I order the burger medium would it still be pink inside?" the answer was "yes" so I went for it.  Now check the photos of my burger, not very pink, nor juicy, in fact it was quite dry with a grainy texture. Not my cup of tea.

Dan and Day are a very nice couple and I hope the best for them. That said, I'll be back to try the Cronut burger, and hope this visit was a one-off. 

The one that got away, and the reason I'll go back...

Bendix Diner - Hasbrouck Heights, NJ

Where: Bendix Diner

464 NJ-17, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ

HOURS:

Sat-Sun 5:30am-7pm

Mon-Fri 5:00am-9pm

What:

Cheeseburger & Fries

The Bendix Diner, what history, what a story...

Check it out here:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp_7iY3xp1A

As for my cheeseburger, it was should have been called the Buzz Lightyear burger because it was cooked to infinity and beyond. I had to choke it down with loads of ketchup; but in fairness, with the exception of his mother, the cook was the only employee in site which explains why he was frazzled this morning, so I let it slide, (we all have tough days).

With that said, if you love diners, specifically, Jersey diners, you're going to love the Benix, it's an old school Jersey Diner - period. The stainless steel, the smells, the feel of the counter stool, and the friendly, welcoming attitude all culminate into a quintessential Jersey Diner experience. I just wish my burger was a step above charcoal (kidding), I'll try it again... and you should too.