I could tell you that I had to work hard to put together this careful review of the newly opened and much-anticipated kosher restaurant in Highland Park. But honestly, the review basically wrote itself.
The new restaurant has been the talk of the town for months, as residents noticed the full-scale overhaul of the building exterior and heard tidbits about the menu of the new eatery. Anticipation was at a high pitch.
The management decided to launch the restaurant with a soft opening that lasted for a few weeks. The windows remained covered and there was no publicity to draw in customers. But word of mouth spread and, well, if you knew, you knew. People started stopping by and picking up dinner. News got around and reviews started appearing on social media. Anticipation went up a few notches.
Finally, the restaurant formally opened on Monday, March 4, and the delighted reviews have been accumulating ever since.
Writing on the Jewish Highland Park/Edison Facebook group in mid-February, during the early part of the soft opening phase, David Weintraub of Edison said: “The decor was wonderful. It’s modern and clean … will be a great place to take nonreligious family members and colleagues. … you can’t ask for a better bargain.”
Speaking to The Jewish Link in February, Miriam Tarlow said: “My daughter and I went to Grill House … for their soft opening. … Nice to have a meat place in Highland Park again.”
Malcolm Greenberg of Edison told The Jewish Link, on the last night of the soft opening: “Excellent takeout. The crunchy schnitzel is wonderful. Just right: not too soft and not dried out. The spicy mayo has a great kick. The fries are wonderful. A great meal.”
Writing on opening night on the Great Kosher Restaurant Foodies Facebook group, Rafi Katz of Highland Park shared: “… We shared a barbecue schnitzel sandwich on a challah roll and a grilled Mexican chicken wrap with an order of sweet potato fries. The sandwich came with sautéed onions and pickles. The wrap came with spicy mayo, avocado and corn salsa. All the food was delicious. The portions are satisfying, the prices are reasonable, and the staff is friendly. We will definitely eat here again.”
Seth Berman of Highland Park shared his and wife Mindy’s review of their opening night order: “We had the schnitzel sandwich on a challah roll and the shawarma on a challah roll. Both were delicious. The schnitzel was crisp, flavorful and not overly greasy. The shawarma was tender and very flavorful. The vegetables in both sandwiches were crisp and fresh. Nice touch adding sliced pickles to the sandwiches! The challah bun, a unique choice for sandwich bread in our experience, is a great idea—delicious, the perfect size for a sandwich and not prone to get soggy. We also tried the sweet potato fries, which were excellent.”
On opening night this writer, with his wife, Fran, and two friends, Cyndy and Avi, visited The Grill House and had a very enjoyable, fresh and flavorful meal. One of our group, Cyndy Berger of Edison, stated for the record: “I’m really enjoying the barbecue burger. It’s juicy and tasty and the onions on top added a wonderful flavor.”
We strongly recommend this restaurant. Like, a lot.
The Grill House menu offers 14 appetizers, including three kinds of french fries and of course onion rings, four types of salad, six types of meat sandwiches, four different chicken platters, three sizes of chicken fingers, four types of smash burgers, and a kids menu. To see the full menu, go to: https://tinyurl.com/apvac8ns
The restaurant is located at 120 Raritan Avenue Highland Park and the hours of operation are Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9:45 p.m.; closed Friday and Saturday. The Grill House is under the strict supervision of the VAAD HaRabonim of Raritan Valley.
Harry Glazer is the Middlesex County editor of The Jewish Link. He can be reached at harryglazer615@gmail and he welcomes reader feedback.
