Good Taste
Comfort Croquettes The classic diner is becoming an endangered species, but a recent lunch of chicken croquettes at the humble Brooklawn Diner proved that, at least in Jersey, the honest diner isn't dead yet.
Comfort Croquettes
The classic diner is becoming an endangered species, but a recent lunch of chicken croquettes at the humble Brooklawn Diner proved that, at least in Jersey, the honest diner isn't dead yet.
The Brooklawn is no architectural treasure; it's more '70s frump. But the kitchen at this institution, owned by the Miliaresis family since 1979, still cooks with effort and care. The mashed potatoes are made fresh twice a day. And those croquettes (my diner litmus) were a thing of zaftig beauty - two huge, deep-fried domes bursting with fresh cooked ground chicken, bound in buttery roux with a host of subtle spices. Throw in hearty soup, a decent salad bar, two veggies, and super rice pudding - all for $7.20! - and you'll have a bargain to remind you why diners were great to begin with.
Brooklawn Diner, Route 130, Brooklawn Circle, Brooklawn, 856-742-0035.
- Craig LaBan