Mastoris Madness

There are diners; there are Greek diners; and then there is Mastoris.  Mastoris is located near Bordentown, NJ on Route 130 about three hours from Washington, D.C.  We discovered this throwback Greek diner on steroids about twenty-five years ago on a mission to avoid the New Jersey Turnpike at all cost.  Initially, our detour from Route 95 north to 295 to 130 was fortified by New Jersey pizza followed by a Carvel black cherry sundae cuddled together in an aging strip mall.  Then, fortuitously, we discovered a new place to refuel along the way.

Mastoris is a family-run business which began as a lunch wagon in 1927.  Today, it has become a destination eatery, seating more than 500 hungry patrons at once and employing a staff of more than 150 cooks, servers, bartenders, busboys, and dishwashers.  Physically, Mastoris is divided into a number of different environments, so one is not overwhelmed by the size of the restaurant.  

I enter through the bakery; to the right is the “lounge,” a bar with leatherette seating and a couple of TVs; I continue straight and enter the “diner” with its traditional bar stools and booths. To the left are smaller dining rooms, and in the back there is a larger area to serve tour groups on the way to and from Atlantic City. Most of the  staff has lived in the area for some time, adding to the local gestalt.

The menu is an elegy to current American dining habits.  The elaborate dishes range from  “Alex’s Seafarer” which includes lobster tail, crab imperial, shrimp, and scallops to “Gorgonzola Pork Chops” with cinnamon apples, gorgonzola cheese, and Alfredo sauce.  I think of a food item, and it is on the menu.  There are more than 85 different sandwiches (not including wraps), as well as every kind of pie one can imagine.  Choosing a meal is so difficult that I think about my selection for my next visit as well.

Mastoris emphasizes abundance, as can be seen from the accompanying pictures of a towering lemon merengue pie, which we devoured on a recent visit and a magnificent chicken caesar salad, which (as is the case with much of what patrons order at Mastoris) ultimately became “take-out.”  A weighty portion of cheese bread and cinnamon bread is placed on the table as soon as one is seated; a large bowl of soup accompanies every salad; and a large portion of fries accompanies every sandwich.  Yes, LARGE is the only way to go at Mastoris.

  I think I’ll have the grilled cheese with tomato and bacon (french fries on the side of course) and chocolate cream pie on my next visit.