Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.
Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Review: Boom Burger {Rochelle Park, NJ}

July 17, 2013 · Narrative

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It all started with a Groupon.

Two burgers, two orders of fries, one jumbo cupcake, and one 38 oz (super size!) alcoholic drink.

$27

A new restaurant that we hadn’t yet visited. Boom Burger.

A bit out of our local area, but not too bad.

Easy decision.

The restaurant is very easy to find, right off the Garden State Parkway and near IKEA and the Garden State Plaza Mall. Ample parking in the lot, and we were greeted as soon as we walked in.

We asked for a booth, if available, and since there weren’t any on the “restaurant” side, they suggested a half booth in the bar area. Perfect. But holy short seats, Batman! I swear I felt like my knees were hugging my chest the whole time during our two hour stay, and it was definitely a little bit of a challenge when we got up to leave.

The waitress came over to take our drink order, and we asked for her suggestions on burgers. Although she pointed out several menu items that she loved, we ended up going with different selections, but kudos to her for being helpful and knowing the menu and offerings. Some days, that’s a rarity! The menu, while not huge, offers enough of a variety that everyone should be able to find something easily. I personally find the huge menus too overwhelming. Odd that the online menu doesn’t include prices. The burgers were between $7-10 each.

When we saw the Guido Burger (with roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and a balsamic basil spread), we felt it our obligation, as born and bred Jerseyans, to order it. We also ordered the traditional Boom Burger, which featured two patties with cheese in the middle, and Boom Sauce on the side (sauce that you may more commonly know as Thousand Island).

For the fries, we went with the Parmesan and Rosemary version, and the standard version.

The alcoholic drinks are all named by color, and we chose the “pink.” Good and strong. They also have Sangria Towers available, which are perfect if you’re going with a large group.

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The restaurant decor is very sports-bar-like, with tvs playing different sporting events, natch. Our section had a handful of booths lining the walls and a big empty space in the middle. The actual bar area (two of them) is huge, and there is more traditional restaurant seating on the other side of the bar. The lighting is quite dark inside the restaurant, the restrooms were very clean, and although they take credit/debit cards, there is also an ATM inside the restaurant as well (convenient, I suppose, if you’re settling up your tab and sharing the cost with a friend). As it has a lot of bar seating and tvs (40!), it does get loud and crowded, so plan your visit accordingly.

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Our burgers and fries came out ridiculously fast, although we had to remind our waitress about our drink. The fries are a very generously sized portion, but really nothing special. No discernible seasoning, and there was no overwhelming rosemary taste on the Parmesan Rosemary Fries. It was really just their regular fries with a bunch of Parmesan dumped on top. They were thin cut, pretty greasy, and we barely touched them. If you are going with others that want fries, save your money ($5) and at least split an order.

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The burgers? Delicious. They are made from 100% black Angus meat from Pat LaFrieda, which supplies a lot of high end restaurants, cooked on a flat top and smashed into the grill, very similar to how Smashburger does it. You can’t specify how you want your burger cooked, they are cooked “juicy,” and that was, surprisingly, perfect.

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*The Boom burger that I ordered does not come with bleu cheese, that was my addition

There were a few different cupcakes to choose from, and we went with the caramel one (other options were Red Velvet and S’mores). They are not made in-house, but rather are from Mr. Cupcakes. It came out with a lit sparkler in it, which was fun and unexpected. I noticed that on the side of the sparkler, it says “smokeless,” which it decidedly was not. The cupcake itself was pretty standard, but the frosting? Amazing. Like the kind I would have like to dump salt all over to keep myself from picking at it. And it’s definitely huge, we shared one, and there was still probably about half leftover. The cupcake is served with whipped cream sprayed all around the circumference, which was sloppy and really detracted from the presentation.

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While the waitress was excellent in the beginning, she was inattentive and all but disappeared while we waited to pay. We ended up scrounging through our wallets to come up with exactly what we needed, so we didn’t have to wait any longer for change (at that point, it had been about twenty minutes).

Would we go again? Yes. But only with another Groupon (we have one more) or LivingSocial deal. Because the menu is a la carte, it makes it too expensive for what it is otherwise. With our Groupon, it came to $31.00 for two of us, plus tip, which is great, especially considering the mammoth alcoholic drink we had. Without the Groupon? It would have been $55 plus tip. And for two burgers, two fries, one cupcake, one drink, that is just cray-cray.

Boom Burger
375 W Passaic Street
Rochelle Park, NJ 07662
(201) 843-2666

Hungry for more burger reviews?

  • 25 Burgers has a burger that we love, and delicious milkshakes that my kids inhaled.
  • We’re kind of crazy for the New Jersey Burger and onion haystacks at smashburger.
  • Visit Elevation Burger for their magical unicorn-dusted french fries.
  • Although I didn’t get a burger at Shake Shack, we’ll be going back to rectify the error of my ways.
  • The burgers didn’t ilicit OMG cries from us at Red Robin, but the onion ring tower is pretty cool, and a favorite.
  • And still one of our favorites, we’re overdue for another visit to Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace.

Tomorrow? Book review!

Did you enter last week’s Merci chocolate giveaway? Comment #51 is the winner! Please e-mail me at cate AT sweetnicks DOT com with your address information. Must hear from you within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen. Thank you!

Lou Bertino July 12, 2013 at 3:26 am

I’m an old follower on twitter :D

Lou B

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Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: #40days, 25 Burgers, Bobby Flay, Boom burger, Elevation Burger, Groupon, LivingSocial, New Jersey, Rochelle Park

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    July 18, 2013 at 6:22 am

    Groupon is just so idea for places like that! We went to a mac and cheese place recently that was similar…tasty, but I wouldn’t want to pay full price for it!
    Joanne recently posted..A Very Full Tart

    Reply
  2. NH says

    July 18, 2013 at 9:43 am

    I have been there twice. A bit pricey but I also really like their burgers. Two boom burgers in NJ. The owner owns a few night clubs in NJ and ventured into this type of thing. They both do very well according to my much younger friends. I find it very interesting that he had the vision let alone that the younger generation will actually go to a burger place on a weekend night to drink and meet people. These types of places seem to be popping up as I just heard of a similar place in Manhattan that opened this year.

    Reply
    • Cate says

      July 18, 2013 at 11:15 pm

      Definitely a burger worth having. And you’re right, it’s a very different vibe (and crowd) than the usual burger joint – looks like it’s been working so far (although based on many reviews, service still needs a bit of work).

      Reply
  3. Jenn says

    July 18, 2013 at 10:59 pm

    Have you heard of BuCu Burger in Paramus? (http://eatbucu.com/)

    They also use Pat LaFrieda beef , and I’ve seen some outstanding reviews on Roadfood.com and on Yelp. Similarly out of your usual area, just on route 4 instead of 17. =)

    Reply
    • Cate says

      July 18, 2013 at 11:14 pm

      I’ve heard of it, and it’s actually on our list. Perhaps we should bump it up! We have also been to Zin Burger, but need to visit one more time before doing a review (both I and my friend got sick when we first went there, but benefit of the doubt, want to give them one more shot).

      Reply

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Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.

Pinterest

Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meal Truth be told, these are my favorite types of meals… platters where you can just pick at them while sipping wine and catching up with a friend. Chances are, if you come over for a meal, you’re getting an assortment of things to nosh on, maybe a mix of homemade appetizers… but just an array of deliciousness you can snack on whilst enjoying the evening. 

I’ve been wanting to make a lox platter for awhile now, so here we are. I sprinkled some Everything But the Bagel seasoning onto smoked lox and then added sliced cucumbers and radishes to the platter along with sliced bialys and crackers. Dipping items are a must so I included hummus and tzatziki. A fun platter just to nibble from, but a bialys sandwich with everything stuffed in it was pretty perfect too. Hope that gave you a little bit of inspo for something you can easily whip up too!
I had planned another type of post tonight, but in I had planned another type of post tonight, but in light of today’s news, it just doesn’t feel right. Some days it can be hard to find the sunshine, especially a day like today. I can’t make sense as to why things like today continue to happen while people spend copious amounts of energy worrying about banning books and drag shows. Make it make sense. Just make it fucking make sense. It doesn’t. You can’t. Until it does, use your voice. Show up to meetings. Sign the petitions. Text ACT to 644-33 to get involved (I did). Be so loud that you can’t be ignored, until things change. Thirteen school shootings this year. When is enough, enough?
Weekend photos in review, old school edition. Cont Weekend photos in review, old school edition.
Context: 1) Lola has zero chill in the car, 2) fulfilling request for Chicken Parm Penne with Vodka Sauce, 3) Sunday vibes 4) my favorite porchetta sandwich 5) from @butlerandtheboard 6) affirmations, 7) the sun was out today
Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what Just like the moon, you’re whole no matter what phase you’re in. ✨ Got this one back in September and it’s one of my favorites. I sometimes forget it’s there until I get a random flash of it.
Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!

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