So, I made it a whole two weeks before going out to eat again, but this past weekend I really had to get something that I didn’t make myself. For a change of pace, I went out to a place that I’ve driven past a thousand times, a place I’ve always said I needed to eat at: Pete’s Steak House.
Pete’s is right down the road from the College, just off the corner of Pennington Road and Olden Avenue — a mere four-minute drive. It’s always been a place that catches my eye when I’m on the way to the bank or ShopRite, but I never followed through any more than that.
This weekend that finally changed.
On the outside it says that Pete’s serves breakfast all day long, so for this review I decided to get dinner and breakfast all at once. The first meal I ordered was a hamburger with french fries. I followed up by indulging in a pork roll and egg sandwich, which comes with home fries. Just doing my due diligence.
After waiting a few minutes for the food to be cooked, I dug into my meal, hamburger first. The burger, which I ordered medium, came out pretty good. Pete’s serves its burgers on a Kaiser roll and adds a pickle on the side if you’re feeling adventurous — I was.
The burger was a little dry, but the addition of the pickle and some ketchup made a combination that made a damn good hamburger. The fries also helped elevate the meal, impressing with their crispness and an amount of salt that could be felt, but wasn’t overbearing.
Everything that the hamburger and fries were for dinner was matched by their early morning counterparts.
The pork roll, just like the hamburger, could have been better on its own. I liked that it was thicker than some pieces of pork roll, but I think it could have been cooked a little longer to give it more of an edge. The egg, however, came out really well; not too dry, but also not too watery. Thrown together like it was on the Kaiser roll — meat, egg, meat, egg — allowed the flavors to gel and, in the end, made a respectable pork roll sandwich.
The best part of either meal though was the home fries. Home fries are really tricky. It’s so easy to undercook them and get a dry end result with a lame taste or overcook them and have too much grease along with a burnt taste.
Pete’s fell into neither of these categories with the batch of home fries I received. The home fries were cooked enough to give them a crispness, like the french fries, creating a defined, brown edge and a golden middle — a look that all home fries should have.
While I was enjoying my home fries, I noticed a sign that said ’50s style drinks.” There were some cool choices, but I ultimately selected the vanilla Coke — clutch decision.
The beverage had a great blend of Coke and vanilla, leaving an after taste that reminded me of a soda float, the only thing missing was the ice cream.
Overall, Pete’s was a great experience. Even if the food didn’t impress me, the atmosphere was enough to keep me coming back. The ’50s style of the joint — posters of James Dean, jukeboxes and even coat racks attached to your booth — was cool to experience and made an already enjoyable meal better.
If you don’t have a car on campus and can’t find a way to actually get to Pete’s, don’t worry, you can still enjoy the food by ordering online for delivery.
Pete’s Steak House
Where:
1855 N. Olden Ave., Ewing
Number:
(609) 771-6747
Web orders:
Find them on grubhub.com
