Bill Cianci's (Mostly) Burger Reviews: The Porter House, Montvale, NJ

Where: The Porter House, Montvale, NJ

What: The Black & Blue Burger (with a glance at our appy and 2 other sandwiches)

Build: 10oz certified Angus hamburger, fresh ground pepper, crumbled blue cheese, crispy fried onions on a Kaiser roll.

Comment: Went to the Porter House this week on the recommendation of a colleague at work. Great cozy little place with picturesque outdoor seating on a stone patio with lots of hanging plants and no shortage of atmosphere. We immediately had high expectations for the food. First up was another recommendation from our colleague, the "Irish Nachos" which were a culinary masterpiece and (little did we know) would end up being the best thing we'd be eating that day. They were hand-cut potato chips deep fried and laced with American and Cheddar cheeses (in between each layer of chips) and topped with pulled pork and chopped green onion - fantastic. Next up, the BBQ Cuban sandwich which consisted of cider mopped pulled pork, Dijon mustard, Swiss cheese & pickles on rye bread. This one def sounded better than it tasted - "just average". Next, the Cheese Steak Panini - the menu states the sandwich consists of: "Shaved" prime rib, diced red onion & Cheddar cheese on Rye bread. "Shaved" Prime Rib? Really? I don't think so.... check out the close-up photo below... the "shaved prime rib" was more like thick sliced pot roast - this one was dry and disappointing.

Last and almost certainly least, the Black & Blue Burger: Again, it looked good on paper, but the execution fell short. Whenever I see a "black" & blue burger, I immediately believe the burger will be blackened with Cajun blackening seasonings, don't you? Oh nay nay at the Porter House... it's a burger with black pepper on it - that's it. Between the lack of clarity for this menu item and the disappointing lack of burger flavor in the beef itself, I think my lunches at the Porter House are pretty much over. However, as I said, the ambiance, the nice wait staff and the appy's all make for a killer happy hour joint.

The burger gets a 6.5/10 (boring)