State Line Family Restaurant

Where:

State Line Family Restaurant
96 NY-303
Tappan, NY 10983
https://statelinefamilyrestaurant.com/


What:
Cheeseburger 

Build:
8 oz. burger, American cheese, sautéed onions, bacon, lettuce, tomato, on a Kaiser bun.

Comments:
The State Line Family Restaurant (not to be confused with the State Line diner in Mahwah, NJ) was a quaint throw-back to a 1970's dining experience for me. A bright and cheery family eatery with friendly staff and very good food. The burger was every bit as good as the photos show. I nixed the lettuce and tomato and enjoyed a half pound of beef with American cheese, fried onions and crisp bacon. Cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and I was a happy camper all around. If you're ever cruising on highway 303 in Tappan NY, be sure to stop.


The State Line Burger receives a 9.1/10 on the BC rating scale.

Criteria for ratings:
(I rate each of these with a 1 to 10 rating)

Meat flavor 8
Juiciness 8
Size 10
Freshness 9
Burger to bun ratio 10
Bun Type 8
Overall taste with selected condiments 8.5
Edibility 10
Temperature 10

BC Rating Scale:

Epic-Crap-Fail 1.0 - 2.9

Won't be back 3.0 - 5.9

Would try again if convenient. 6.0 - 7.9

I'll definitely be back 8.0 - 8.9

Keep 'em coming 9.0 - 10

MOOYAH BURGERS, FRIES & SHAKES - Tappan, NJ

MOOYAH REBOOT!

Where:

MooYah Burgers, Fries & Shakes
Old Tappan, NJ (Store #248)
216 Old Tappan Rd, Ste. 1C, 
07675  Bi State Plaza
201-497-8070
http://www.mooyah.com/

What:
The Double Cheeseburger MooYah Style (minus Tomato)

Build:
A double burger with pickles, onions, iceberg lettuce, and American cheese on a house-baked white bread roll topped with Mooyah sauce.

Comments:
I came across my review of MooYah from November of 2015 and it stopped me in my tracks. So often in pursuit of the next great burger I forget to remind myself to revisit the stand-out places I've been to. MooYah is definitely one of them. If any of you were lucky enough to eat at BUCU Burger on RT4 in Paramus before they went out of business, then you'll have a good idea what you'll get when you order a burger from MooYah. BUCU was the first time I said HOLY S**T after tasting a burger. It was everything a burger should be. For me, MooYah is BUCU's mirror image with the added bonus of fresh baked buns.

My review from 2015...  
I've been meaning to get to MooYah for a while because the reviews I've been reading make it sound like a no-nonsense burger joint. After I ordered my burger I was given a number stand for my table and off I went. After snapping a few pics I noticed that the lead cook came around the counter with my burger and delivered it to me in person with a smile, and if I'm not mistaken, an air of pride.

I thanked him and as he turned away, I turned to my burger. That's when I heard the angels singing. This was the rare occasion when I didn't have to taste the burger to know it was special. As I raised it to my mouth, I smelled the crispy brown edges of the patties along with the rich smell of butter coming from under the toasted bun. After the first bite I thought, "Holy S**t!!" This is the first time since visiting Bucu Burgers in Paramus that I uttered those words without even realizing it. 

The burger got better with every bite. It was spectacular; I was speechless. Another huge plus - MooYah bakes their hamburger buns fresh all day long – the freshness of the buns is amazing especially toasted with butter. Wow. If you like, you can watch the cook through the large windows at work and see the fat rendering from the meat, putting that wonderful brown crisp on the patty. For me, MooYah is strong competition for Shake Shack, if not better. 

The burger was delivered to my table still blazing hot from the flat grill with that nice brown leather sear on both patties. If that wasn't enough, the house-baked bun was cotton-soft and soaked up the fat and juices. Please be forewarned, holding the burger up to your mouth creates a waterfall of burger juice. 

Check out my photos and go try one out... you will not be disappointed. 

If you want to experience what I've just written about, you'll have to order the double burger the same as I did.  

The single patty burger on the other hand, is a larger patty than either of the 2 on the double and it looks to be a satisfying single burger. I'll definitely be sampling it the next time I visit. 

MooYah slides easily into home with a 10\10 on the BC rating scale.

As for their signature MooYah sauce, I tasted a mustard base which was very good, not overpowering. 

The French fries - 
There is a definite 5-Guys vibe when you walk into MooYah as their potatoes are displayed similarly in cardboard cases. I've never been a very big fan of fries, but these are special.

I tried the hot dog (see photos) which I'm sure would have been much better if eaten hot, but it was served to me ice cold... major bummer. But this is a burger joint and I had no business ordering a hot dog. The menu photo is what sucked me in - kudos to MooYah's photographer.

I'd love to see one of these franchises open in Wayne, NJ...   Either way, I'll be back soon.

JJ's Hot Dogs of Newark, Fairfield, NJ

Where:

JJ's Hot Dogs
572 US-46 East,Fairfield, NJ 07004


What:
Hot Dogs 

Builds:
Mustard & Relish
Mustard & Kraut
Mustard & Onions

Comments: 
A bit disappointing - average hot dogs. I was stoked to try J&J's in Fairfield, NJ. Any new hot dog place is a magnet for my taste buds but J&J's dogs were just "meh". To make matters worse, the service was very slow. The dogs were not prepared in an assembly line fashion as most high volume hot dog establishments do. Usually you'll see a pile of hot dog rolls waiting to be occupied in close proximity to a hot dog steamer loaded with cooked dogs. At J&J's the cook would look at a ticket, walk 3 paces to his left, take a roll out of a plastic bag, take 3 paces back to the right, prepare the dog, wrap it, then walk 3 paces  back to his left, take a roll out the plastic bag, walk 3 paces back to his right.... you get the idea. I was flabbergasted watching how long it took to prepare my 3 hot dogs.  What should've taken 2 minutes took 15, but at $2.35 per dog, I guess I can't complain, I wish JJ's luck at this location and plan on going back for a second try. I just hope they up the pace and are doing something unique by then.

Steve's Burgers, Garfield, NJ

Where:
Steve's Burgers

506 US-46 - Garfield, NJ

(973) 772-1770

https://www.facebook.com/Steves-Burgers-108686152507598/?fref=ts

What:
Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger, cheese steak, hot dog, fatty melt.

Comments:
I've lost count of how many times I've blogged Steve's Burgers and I still can't stop talking about the place. There's no review this time (by now you know I'm crazy about the place). This time there's just some nice photos old and new with comments to wet the appetite. By the way, Steve's American Chicken sandwich was voted one of the best in the state, and believe me, it is. The French fries... I'm not usually a fry guy, but OMG the fries! And lastly, the hotdogs... they are spectacular and easily the most underrated hotdog in all of New Jersey. 

*A shout-out to one of my readers and fellow burger aficionado, Tentman - you've got to get to Steve's !

And don't forget to try Steve's new location:

68 Passaic St., Garfield, NJ - (973) 955-2882

How can you NOT stop in a place that looks like this for a burger?

Steve

This is the trophy wall, and it's growing... Local north Jersey burger dives beware, Steve's burgers are a force to be reckoned with. Move over White Manna...

My first blog review of Steve's back in 2012. 

Where all the magic happens... pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...

Dear Lord, can't you smell it?

I've got no idea what Steve does to these dogs, but he gets a very unique rich flavor out of them...

Steve's cheese steak is off the charts delicious. It's plain to see Steve cook's food the way he likes to eat it.

The photos below are of Steve's version of a Fatty Melt. That's a burger with bacon which uses 2 grilled cheese sandwiches as the bun. Can you imagine? I did...

It took everything I had to order a chicken sandwich from a place that specializes in burgers but I did it based on this rating. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!