Keeping The Light On

There are some places that just feel exactly the same 20 years later.  I recently stopped by The Orange Lantern on a Saturday night because I saw all of the cars in the parking lot and I was feeling, well... "young."  I say young because the "O.L." was one of the first bars that I frequented in my...  ahhh... 20's.  It was like going into a time warp for me.  A different crowd than I remember for sure; although a few familiar faces - but the vibe: exactly the same. 

The Orange Lantern is the closest thing near Paramus to a real "rock & roll slash biker bar." It's been family-owned and operated by the Faatz family since 1933.  While I'm sure that much has changed over the decades, there is still no shortage of beer T-shirts and black mini-skirts with fish nets on a Saturday night.  Some people might turn their nose up at that kind of stuff, but not me.  (Ok, so there were only a few beer T-shirts on the night I visited, but hey - I'm entitled to a little poetic license.)  As you may have discerned from my other blog entries, I am a sucker for great live entertainment in NJ and the O.L. rarely disappoints in this area; especially if it's a raw rock & roll itch that needs to be scratched.  On the Saturday night that I stopped by, the offering was in the form of a band called Last Minute.  These guys are a no frills, straight-up classic rock band.  Exactly what I was looking for.  (In fact, upon reviewing The Orange Lantern's online entertainment calendar, I was delighted to see that there is something going on just about every weekend.  Kudos to them for keeping the Bergen County live music thing alive.)

Aside from the live (usually free) music there are some other things that make The Orange Lantern a fun night.  For one, if you like playing darts, there is almost always more than a few people willing to let you into their rotation.  My experience has been that the crowd gathered around the dart boards is always an inviting, lively bunch. 

The fare served at The O.L. is of the Standard American type.  Burger, fries, sandwiches and the like.  Nothing earth-shattering, but good; better than your average greasy spoon.  And you can almost always find a drink special going on: like $2.00 beers, a bucket of Rolling Rock, etc, etc.  And there is a special kind of a drinking experience offered here that you can't get in : The YARD of beer.  Everyone should drink a yard of beer in their lifetime (unless you are under age or an alcoholic or on medication...  okay - well, let's just say that you should only attempt to consume a yard of beer if you can do so responsibly*). 

If you are interested in visiting The Orange Lantern, they are located at 15 East Firehouse Lane in Paramus, NJ right off of Route 17.  If you're in search of live music I recommend calling ahead to see who's playing.  They'll be happy to answer your questions at (201) 652-4443.  You can also visit their website at by clicking this link: The Orange Lantern

Hey O.L., Thanks for the fun night and for keeping the light on all these years.

*I do not endorse alcohol abuse of any kind.  Please drink responsibly.  And if you choose to drink, please do so within the confines of the law and do not drink and drive.

Sanducci's Moves and Jersey Boys Grooves

Tony and Lisa DiMiglio's highly rated Italian trattoria Sanducci's has finally moved (about 500 feet north) to 620 Kinderkamack Road in Rivervale, NJ.  I've always been a fan of DiMiglio's Sanducci's (it had a couple previous owners) even when it was in the old building, but I think that Lisa and Tony did a great job of breathing new life into the place when they moved into their new location.  The food is still fantastic and the service is always warm and welcoming; which are probably the main reasons that Sanducci's was recently chosen by The Record Readers into their Top5 in Bergen County and why they were also selected as the winner of The Best Italian Restaurant by Bergen Health & Life Magazine.  Since Sanducci's is a BYO, I'll usually stop by Total Wine just 2 minutes away on the same street at 135 Kinderkamack Road in River Edge. Total Wine is huge, so make sure you give yourself enough time to navigate the selection.  As if our delight for the new restaurant wasn't enough, we learned of some very exciting news the night that we visited:  We were informed that Josh Baty is now performing on Wednesday nights at Jersey Boys Grill, their newest eatery in New Milford, NJ. 

 

The DiMiglio's opened Jersey Boys Grill about two years ago in a completely renovated corner building at 704 River Road in New Milford.  I have visited this new (sub)urban eatery a few times since their opening.  A fine blend of style and substance, this large, modern-meets-warehouse space is accented with a dark woods, earthy brick and stone, black box industrial ceiling and street lamp glow lighting. But this is no high ticket Bergen County restaurant: The food and atmosphere is immersed in comfort, affordability and fun; it is not overpowering, pretentious or conceited in any way. The long sweeping bar into tall, floor-to-ceiling windows, the high-top cocktail tables and the fireplace-adjoined low seating booths add to the deliciously mellow vibe of  bar/lounge space.  The bar area is separated from expansive open area dining room which is usually bustling with conversation and energy. The menu is standard American comfort fare, highlighted by thin crust pizzas from their wood burning oven and huge nacho platters that are big enough to sleep on.  Over the years, the DiMiglio's have attempted to entertain their guests at Jersey Boys Grill by providing live music events such as bands or DJs.  The unfortunate problem that this has presented is that a live band or DJ in an open floor plan industrial space is usually extremely loud and therefore, extremely polarizing to the guests.  The young ones tend to like it, but the older ones feel like their ears are going to bleed. 

I am looking forward to the addition of Josh Baty on Wednesday nights for two reasons: For one, he doesn't need to be overpowering to be effective.  He is accustom to playing in higher-end restaurants where producing the perfect volume for a comfortable evening dinner is a big concern.  But make no mistake, Josh is also capable of getting loud when it is appropriate.  There is no doubt in my mind that Jersey Boys will experience some of the best Springsteen anthems ever written once the dinner crowd has transformed into a mostly bar crowd.  The second reason that I am anticipating Josh's début at Jersey Boys is because of his mastery of all things Pop.  Josh has an almost Danny Gans-like capability to sound exactly like the artists whose songs he is performing.  As I have mentioned in earlier posts, Josh is truly a human jukebox.  He will perform music that spans from Bobby Darin to Kings of Leon and make it sound like it belongs in the same set.  While I am sure that Josh will be more free with his renditions of top 40 rock & roll music from the past 60 years at Jersey Boys, he will no doubt still cater to the Buble/Sinatra crowd that has religiously following him for the past few years.  All we can hope for now is that his wildly talented wife Liza will join him every once in awhile to round out the night with her own take on the top hits of all of the female artists that we love so dearly.

My only request for Jersey Boys Grill; please save me a seat at the bar this Wednesday night!