☑ Dinner at a restaurant we’ve never been to before.
We made our first check mark on our date night check list! We received a gift certificate to a local restaurant for Christmas and finally got around to using it. Just Plain Dave’s is a short drive away from our house so it was really convenient to get to. My husband and I hate crowds and hate waiting long for a table. We were able to walk right in and pick a seat. The diner-style restaurant is a bit on the dive side, but if there’s something I’ve learned from dining out it’s that the dives are the places with the best food!
Being a proud Jersey girl, I was automatically drawn to the cover of their menu and some iconic images from my home state. I was pretty impressed with the sizable menu as well. Choose from appetizers, a variety of fries, plenty of burgers, salads and a plethora of sandwiches, wraps and cheeseteaks. There’s a decent breakfast selection, too.
As I looked through the menu, I knew exactly what my husband was going to order before he even said anything. As a major fan of buffalo flavored anything, I had a feeling he would choose the Bleu Buffalo Cheesesteak. My eyes kept wandering back to the Island Shrimp Wrap for my meal choice.
As our plates were on our way to the table, I immediately noticed that Just Plain Dave’s doesn’t skimp on food. I knew I would be taking half of my meal home! Somehow my skinny husband put away most of his ginormous chicken cheesesteak (although I still have no idea where exactly he put it)! His chicken cheesesteak was slathered in buffalo sauce, bleu cheese, mozzarella cheese, lettuce, tomato and mozzarella sticks. The addition of the mozzarella sticks automatically made me think of the Grease Trucks in New Brunswick. My husband’s never been to the famous food trucks before so I got to school him on some of their famous sandwiches during our meal. Don’t be fooled by my knowledge–I’ve never eaten one of those famous sandwiches myself!
My Island Shrimp Wrap was awesome! There were big chunks of fried shrimp and mangoes with lettuce, salsa and a nice touch of sour cream enclosed in a warm wrap. Although the menu said the shrimp was spicy, to me the wrap had a subtle kick of heat to it. I really enjoyed it and was happy I got to enjoy it all over again for lunch the next day!
Each of our meals was served with a hearty helping of fries. I added malt vinegar to mine to make them boardwalk style (I’m craving a trip to Point Pleasant so bad–summer hurry!).
Our $25 gift certificate covered our meal with a buck or two left over to add to the nice tip we left our friendly waitress. The variety of American and diner food was right up my husband’s alley with enough of a variety for diners like me to never get bored. I can see this place becoming a repeat spot for us. Good food, close to home and a diner atmosphere all to ourselves!
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