Penang Restuarant In East Hanover Open Again!

FINALLY!

Penang is back in East Hanover NJ.

It took awhile, but they’ve finally finished the renovations for the Malaysian-Thai cuisine hangout.

And what a transformation.  They’ve upped the vibe a notch – closed up the open kitchen, neat dramatic wallpapered wall with indirect lighting, brought in spacious 6-person upholstered booths, neat-o illuminated orange glass dividers for the long bench seating.  The upper deck now houses 3 big round tables that seat 10 people each.

The hostess said they didn’t sacrifice any seating for the new configuration.

The menu stays the same.  The popular standard fare is still yummy — Roti Cani, Pad Thai, Seasme Chicken, Buddhist Veggie Delight…

Penang is next to Don Jose, in the Home Depot shopping center.

Penang Restaurant

200 New Jersey 10
East Hanover, NJ 07936-2606
(973) 887-6989

Have you been to the new Penang Restaurant on Route 10 West in East Hanover NJ?  What’s your take on the new decor?  Please leave a comment below!

Tags: east hanover, malaysian, penang, restuarant, thai

Never thought I’d end up with a sombrero on my head, but that’s what happened.

We’re a fan of Panang Malaysian which is next door, and every time we’ve gone, Don Jose has a line waiting for seats in their foyer.  So we ended up here for my birthday dinner.

Toasty homemade chips and salsa to start! Steak and enchiladas!  Kids meals $5 each from a selection of about 5 or 6 different options!  Most entrees were $11-12.  ”Combos” were $12-14. And other meat dishes were were mostly $15 (steak, chicken, fajitas, etc).  Serving portions were average size.  The meal took a tad longer than we expected to come out and the rice was pretty dry.  The meals at Don Jose was mostly above average, satisfying, but not knock your socks off fantastico if you were to judge the food solely by itself.

BYOB.  FYI Godfather’s which is 2 doors down has a seafood bar & grill where you can buy a 6-pack of coronas for $13.

The reason why you’d go to Don Jose’s restaurant is for the dining experience.  Don Jose’s staff was friendly. . . decor definitely let you forget you were in a strip mall. . . the live roving 2-man guitar/strings musicians made the night festive.  For your birthday they bring out a big ol’ sombrero and everyone in the house joins in to clap and sing.  It was a Kodak Moment.

But some small things to note: We were asked to move our party to another table 10 minutes into sitting down for our meal – we were told it would help them out to accommodate a larger group by combing our table with others for the larger group.  The waiter promised us “we’ll give you an extra special dessert complimentary on us” if we could help them out.  We moved, wasn’t a big deal to us at the time, but they never followed through on the promised “comp”ing of desserts.  We were even chanrged for the birthday flan + ice cream that was eagerly sent with the song and clapping during our meal.  Is it a deal breaker? No?  But it’s one of those small annoying things that just leaves a bad taste in your mouth as you leave the restaurant.

But other than that little annoying instance, we’d go back at some point soon.

Here’s a tip worth taking advantage of: Printable coupons for 10% off, $5 off or $10 off meals at Don Jose

Tags: don jose, east hanover, mexican restauarant, review

Penang East Hanover Reopened After Renovations

Penang Malasian Restuarant in East Hanover (Route 10 West in the Home Depot shopping center) has always been a favorite with the family.

The kids eat well every time we go.  But a couple of weeks back, when we ventured out in January for some Penang, we were welcomed by closed doors.

You could see through the papered windows that they were gutting out the place for renovation.

CLOSED.

But this week, it seems that they have finally opened the doors again according to their website:

So glad. So glad. . .It makes me start to think about what I’m going to order when we go back (soon!). . . Read more…

Tags: east hanover, penang, restuarant

Furniture Outlet Opens in East Hanover

Finally, some new life around town.

If you drive by the old CompUSA building on Route 10 eastbound in East Hanover, you’ll see that a new Furniture Outlet has taken up the space.

It’s now open for business!

It’s not a branded store like the one next to Babies R Us further down on Route 10 west.  It seems generic. . . If you’ve been inside, please post a comment and let us know what kind of furniture they sell inside?

Of course the question is no one is buying new homes these days to fill up with new furniture and if banks have effectively stopped handing out home equity loans, who’s going to be buying new furniture?  We’ll see I guess . . .

Tags: east hanover, route 10, store

Never Fear, REI is Here (in East Hanover that is)

All you outdoors people, REI East Hanover is finally here and open. The new building on Route 10 is gigantic. They’re definitely banking on YOU to come in and spend your money so they can dance their way to the bank.

Well, enjoy it while it lasts. They are holding a Grand Opening Celebration October 9-11. They’ve scheduled the obligatory prize giveaways, gear sweepstakes and some other things during that weekend.

Here are just a few of the Grand Opening events:

Free Door Prizes
The first 200 people (age 12 and older) through the door each day will receive a limited-edition Nalgene® water bottle with a $5, $10, $25, $50 or $100 REI gift card inside.

Gear Package Sweepstakes during October 9-11, 2009, at the East Hanover store only.

Free Limited Edition Member T-Shirt when you purchase an REI membership.

Doors open at 9 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. on Sunday.

REI Outdoor Store Address:

Tags: east hanover, REI, route 10

5 Free Games of Bowling @ Nationwide Bowling Centers

Here’s a printable coupon for 5 Free Games of Bowling (1 per person up to 5 people per lane) absolutely free at any Nationwide Bowling Center — like Hanover Lanes on Rt 10 in East Hanover NJ!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO GET THE FULL SIZE PRINTABLE COUPON.

Tags: bowling, east hanover