BUD

DAN

Main Dish

Stuffed Flounder Fillet Florentine

You’ve probably heard the common wisdom that the dishes offered as “specials” are really just the stuff they’re trying to push out the door because it’s nearing the end of its shelf life. You’ve also heard the common wisdom that it’s risky to order seafood at a place that doesn’t specialize in it, because there’s not a quick enough turnover to keep the stock fresh.

Well, I’ve heard all this common wisdom, and I disregarded it. I ordered one of the daily specials, the stuffed flounder Florentine. It’s a flounder fillet wrapped around a gooey filling of spinach and feta cheese, garnished with a lemon slice (or is that orange? I’m colorblind). I’m not a true fish fan (or even worse, a Phish fan), but I enjoy a nice fillet when the time is right. Out the window of the diner, we were treated to a startlingly powerful thunderstorm, and I was in a rather aquatic mood.

You know that my usual fare is something casual like a sandwich or wrap, but I think I should try a traditional hot dinner more often. I really liked this a lot, for a few reasons. The fish itself was good though not great. Flounder is fairly tender, and although the spinach and melted feta had a nice flavor, there was little textural contrast. It was altogether a little too soft (which I knew or should’ve expected when I ordered it). But when I ordered the stuffed fillet, I really ordered a whole meal: soup, salad, vegetable, potato, and dessert. My choices were lobster bisque (very nice), green salad with oil and vinegar (unremarkable iceberg lettuce, carrots, and red cabbage, after I plucked off the cucumbers for Dan and the tomatoes for one of our dining companions (hi Mom)), broccoli (I mean, it’s broccoli…there’s not much more to say), French fries (see below), and a brownie sundae (see below).

The upshot is that a sandwich or wrap are reliable comfort foods that are difficult to mess up, but I think I can learn to enjoy a comprehensive multi-course meal like this. It feels more satisfying.

Main Dish

Mozzarella and Onion Burger

There wasn’t a ton on this menu that caught my eye, and I’m certainly not ready to try a tuna melt again after last week’s atrocity. I decided to do something I hate—order a custom burger that isn’t offered on the menu. It wasn’t so bad. I just got a regular burger with mozzarella and fried onions, but I still felt like a tool while ordering.

The burger was…okay. I thought it was like perfectly average. Still liked it though, actually. The mozzarella I asked for was just those little slices like those Kraft ones you get wrapped in plastic. The bread also seemed a little dry…almost stale. I’ve had this exact burger now many times at many diners, and this was probably my least favorite rendition of it, but, it was still tasty.

Fries

My flounder came with a potato of my choice, and I needed to order French fries because our readers deserve my analysis of their quality, whether I wanted them or not (I did). I was relieved that they were a little thinner, darker, and crispier than the standard diner fries, and they were nicely salted. Nothing remarkable that would merit an exceptional rating, but they got the job done.

Fries

Back to waffle fries for me this week. Can’t say it was one of my best choices. These fries were rock-hard petrified. They had the texture of noshing on a nice piece of sandstone. I figured I’d wait them out and see if they’d get soggy after I finished my burger, and they’d be more palatable. No luck. Couldn’t finish more than three or four.

The honey mustard was yummy, though.

Dessert

Brownie Ice Cream Sundae

My flounder also came with a dessert of my choice, though limited to just Jello, rice pudding, ice cream, or pastry. Other pies or cakes cost a dollar extra. Though I am tickled at the thought of pitifully sharing a cup of Jello with Dan and then trying to find something interesting to write about it, we instead agreed to tap into our retirement savings, piece together an extra dollar, and splurge on something fancy. The cheesecakes didn’t impress us, but we thought the brownie looked interesting. We asked the waiter, John, if he could rustle up a sundae—which, we explained to him, is really just the hot brownie with some ice cream and whipped cream. We tempted fate and asked if he had hot fudge on hand, but were shot down yet again.

We must’ve told John about our love for whipped cream one time too many, because when the dish came to the table it looked pretty much like just a pile of whipped cream. I think he was messing with us. I took several pictures from several angles just to get a peek at the brownie beneath.

It was really the most basic thing: the brownie, a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, and a comically large lump of whipped cream that clearly came out of a Reddi-wip can. But let me tell you something. I don’t know how they did it, but it was spectacular. It was so good. I have to think that it was the brownie itself: pure, creamy fudge, none of this dry cakey nonsense. Usually Dan surrenders about two-thirds through the dessert and tells me to finish it, but this time we were fighting until the end.

Dessert

Brownie Ice Cream Sundae

The only conclusion that Bud and I can come up with is that Friendly’s and every diner in the New Jersey signed a non-compete clause regarding ONLY hot fudge. I’m going to make sure we request it every time we get a sundae at a diner to test my working theory. I will report back with results.

I just got a bad vibe from the cheesecakes behind the window here. They looked dry. I wasn’t in the mood for another sub-par cheesecake after Six Brothers’ insult of both cheese and cake last week, so we opted for a hot brownie sundae. It was amazing. This place gave us the most generous serving of whipped cream to date. The brownie was warm and moist. The ice cream brought it all together. I had to poke Bud in the eye with my fork just to get my hands on the last piece.

Service

Our waiter was John, an older, soft-spoken man with a strong but intelligible accent. (My money is on Greek.) He may be my favorite waiter yet. His timing was perfect, he was responsive but never hover-y, he noticed when my drink was low, and he was just an overall warm, friendly guy. He kept calling my mom “young lady,” and I thought that was very sweet. In fact, everyone we encountered at Arena was very warm, from the busboy to the host at the front.

Service

This guy was one of our favorites. He was so sweet and attentive and had the cutest accent (Italian? Greek?). John never let a cup go empty and never shied away from asking if there was anything we needed. Also, when Buddy spilled an entire glass of water on my pants, John was right there in a flash, like my crotch-drying Superman, with a dry towel for me to use. I love you, John.

Value

John handwrote our receipt, and I’ve reviewed it a couple times now because I’m surprised at the prices. For my platter—remember, it was fish plus soup, salad, vegetable, and potato—we paid just $15.95. Throw in another $1.00 for the luxurious dessert upgrade. Refills on soft drinks were, of course, complimentary, as they are at any respectable establishment.

Value

The modest look of this diner (see below) was well mirrored in its modest prices. My burger, despite having high-class toppings added to it, still managed to come up to only $8.00! The waffle fries substitution was an extra $1.00 which seems par for the course, though I have seen said substitution costing an extra $1.25 for the waffle-fry privilege. Even Bud’s meal, though it cost twice as much as mine, came with SO much. I’d say it was well worth the price.

Ambience

Over the course of this blog project, we’ve noticed a consistent division between diners that have remodeled themselves in upscale style versus those that preserve the classic downscale aesthetic. Neither way is necessarily better, but there’s a clear difference. Arena falls strictly within the latter camp: everything from the counter to the dessert case to the lighting to the menu looks like it hasn’t changed a bit in forty years. It’s old cozy, not old run-down and beat-up. I like the place a lot.

Extra points for two tidbits we encountered: they serve complimentary warm dinner rolls, and they keep a vegetable garden out back. The patch is small enough that I wonder if it can actually support the entire menu or if it’s just for show, but either way it’s adorable.

Ambience

Arena Diner was one of the shabbier looking diners I’ve been to as of late. It looks like there have been no updates and I’d describe the overall lighting inside as: dim. That being said, it was still cozy. This diner is a diner that knows what it’s about. It’s not looking to be a Cheesecake Factory over here (looking at you, Chit Chat), it’s looking to have some wood paneling and a bar with a foggy window dessert display selection behind it, as is its right. I find the ambience managed to look great despite it looking like it needed a bit of a refresher. It’s what your epitome of a diner should look like.

OVERALL

Arena Diner is just one of several options in downtown Hackensack, a region rife with diners of varying quality, but it should be at or near the top of your list. Good food, very good prices, and very very good service.

OVERALL

This was the best no-frills diner I’ve been to in a while. Though I didn’t care for my entree too too much, and didn’t like the fries at all, the service and ambience made up for it. Sometimes the diners we go to…it feels like they’re trying too hard to be hip, like when your middle-aged manager uses the word “hashtag” in a team meeting. It’s easy to overlook this diner, especially with the local favorite Chit Chat Diner so close by, but I’m glad we made our way here despite the siren call of Chit Chat luring me back. Arena Diner is one of the most modest and welcoming diners I’ve been to in a while, and I highly recommend you give it a try, at least for the brownie sundae.