Rosie will be on vacation until mid-March. Today, a post by guest blogger Tammy La Gorce.
Echo Tap & Grille is a gargantuan, hybrid sports bar and family restaurant, like an Applebees or TGIFridays but with better ambiance and less kitsch. Its aim is to please everybody, and it mostly succeeds: Food-wise, there’s a burger you’re going to like, whether it’s the black bean and quinoa veggie ($9.95) or the Echo burger, with gruyere cheese, Cajun spices, pico de gallo and avocado ($12.95). Bored of burgers? No problem: salads, sandwiches, soups and brick-oven pizzas like the Bianca, with house-made mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, garlic and fresh basil ($12.95) are also options. Fun menu flourishes come in the form of a “macbar” featuring five kinds of mac and cheese (the mac ’shroom has roasted mushrooms, fontina cheese and an essence of truffle oil, and the primavera has an assortment of veggies and herbs, both $9.95) and a selection of flatbreads (try the Philly Cheese Steak, $12.95). Save room for dessert: in addition to homemade baklava ($5.95), a nice surprise is the fresh homemade yogurt ($6.95) with honey and walnuts. (Don’t worry, there’s chocolate mousse cake, too; $6.95). Echo’s bar is well stocked and well tended, with a long specialty cocktail list and a nightly happy hour. Plenty of beer flows from 20 taps, and sports fans will find no shortage of TVs tuned to SportsCenter. This is not the place to come if your dining plans include romance, quirk or anything fancy, but it’s a fine option for refueling after a long day of shopping along Route 22.
Echo Tap & Grill
1079 Route 22 East
Mountainside
908-264-7100