dining out
Maggies Town Tavern
Popular new location is a work in progress
WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE E. NUNN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
CHOCOLATE CHIP MINT PIE
WOOD-GRILLED
FLATBREAD
WITH
BRUSCHETTA
I
could tell Maggies Town
Tavern in Wayne was the
county’s newest hot spot when
I arrived. At barely 6 p.m. on
a Monday, cars were pouring
into the parking lot. By 7 p.m.
both dining rooms — all 224 seats,
brimmed with customers, while many
others, including young families and
professionals, waited in the large
vestibule. If I were 20-something
and on a date or meeting friends for
snacks and cocktails, I’d be more
than thrilled to be there.
Maggies’ Wayne location, an
offshoot of the popular Little Falls
eatery (opened in 2008), is housed
in an enormous space. Its reclaimed
barn wood façade continues through-
out the interior. The barroom boasts
nine televisions, a fireplace, gorgeous
wood throughout, the now de rigueur
shiny exposed venting and, of course,
Edison bulbs. The whole place
screams hipster — until you peruse
the menu. It is overwhelming; there
46
BACK TO SCHOOL 2018 WAYNE MAGAZINE
BABY BACK RIBS
BS
seems to be something on it to
please everyone who walks through
was the street tacos. Finely chopped
its doors.
ribeye, a nice pico de gallo and a hint
Maggies tries hard, perhaps too
of lettuce and sour cream made for
hard, and fell short more than once.
a fine, simple appetizer. With three
The beverage menu boasts an
to an order, we had enough to share.
excellent craft beer selection, but
The wood-grilled flatbread with
my friend and I opted for cock-
bruschetta could have been crispier,
tails. I ordered the French Hill
but the perfectly roasted and sea-
Cosmopolitan
soned grape
because I like
tomatoes and
Wayne
a good French
balsamic drizzle
Martini, and
saved the dish.
the ingredients
A summer salad
listed — vodka, 1082 HAMBURG TURNPIKE, (973) 256-7702
on the printed
pineapple juice, MAGGIESTOWNTAVERN.COM
specials menu
Chambord —
was also delight-
are used to make the latter (a Cosmo
ful: mixed greens with strawberries,
would use cranberry, lime and triple
avocado, mango, pecans and pears
sec). I gave a Madras a shot and
lightly coated in a balanced straw-
was rewarded with a decent drink.
berry vinaigrette.
The wine list is reasonable, though
A half rack of baby back ribs was
perhaps not adventuresome. Kendall
a winner to be sure. As promised on
Jackson, Santa Margarita. You get
the menu, the ribs fell off the bone,
the gist.
had a nice fat-to-meat ratio and were
The best appetizer we sampled
coated in just the right amount of
MAGGIES
TOWN TAVERN