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.
