Postcard from New Jersey

I really can't say enough good things about the Garden State. If you have insults for the birthplace of college football, baseball, and Frank Sinatra, then you'll just have to bring them somewhere else.

On a recent trip I finally visited a place seen on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, a show with the Food Network's sometimes annoying but always orange Guy Fieri. Two lovely ladies joined me at Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory. The deal with Brownstone is that they have breakfast all day (obviously awesome), and are known for their huge variety of pancake options. And beyond pancakes they have pancake WRAPS, like a breakfast burrito but instead of boring burrito shell it's a pancake! With a pancake under it for good measure, of course.

Us healthy-eating ladies decided to start with an appetizer, naturally. Our appetizer was an order of chocolate and peanut butter chip pancakes, topped with whipped cream of course. You can also put syrup on it if you want to. And we did. Our server was friendly (and the host went beyond taking our picture by letting us review it and demand a second shot), the crowd was everything from families to teens to old-timers (I sensed this was part of their routine), and the food was ENORMOUS for very reasonable prices.

Besides basically demolishing our appetizer, among us we picked at an egg sandwich, a pancake wrap filled with meat, eggs, and potatoes, and a Greek salad the size of a small country (maybe Luxembourg?).



Brownstone Diner also has regular food for the boring folks, or even for the anti-breakfasters (whoever you are...you strange, sick people). But I don't want to talk about it. The next time you're in Jersey (whether visiting or just passing through), stop at Brownstone Diner. It's not 24-hour, so a little planning is required. It's also close to a Path station, so it's a great place to meet a friend from the city without schlepping into the city (if you're low on time).

Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory
426 Jersey Avenue
Jersey City, NJ
Take Exit 14 A-B-C from the Turnpike, but don't go in the Holland Tunnel!