The Mason Jar: Mahwah, NJ

I've been lamenting the fact that northern NJ is sorely lacking for decent bars with decent "pub grub".  I mean, is it too much to ask for a restaurant with a clean bar where I can order a good burger and a decent glass of red wine?  And maybe, just maybe, the bartender can make a decent martini?

Sooooooo, I've been on a mission for the past 6 months to find such a place.  And the results have been dismal.  I've been to chain restaurants, Irish pubs, old restaurants, new restaurants, a restaurant that looked like it should serve a burger and didn't.  I've been everywhere.  And they are all pretty bad.

However, one place stands out above all others.   The Mason Jar in Mahwah is that place.   

"The jar" is a family-friendly restaurant that seems to specialize in authentic-style BBQ (I say "authentic-style" just so all of you purists won't be offended that I dare call anything "authentic" outside of Memphis, or Texas, or North Carolina, or wherever the hell you're from) and wood-fired brick oven pizza.  Sounds good, right? 

The Mason Jar seems to have read my mind just by existing.  One of my dreams has been to open a BBQ place in Bergen County, a brick oven Neapolitan-style pizza place in bergen county, or just a good bar/restaurant in Bergen County.  The Mason Jar seems to try to be all of those things (with varying degrees of success) under one roof (and they add something I didn't think of:  a young and very attractive waitstaff, no doubt courtesy of nearby Ramapo College).

The details:

The burger is served on what they call a homemade focaccia. Focaccia brings to mind a thick and dry bread, not really suited for a burger. I was assured by the waitress that it's the "best part", and that it's really just a hamburger bun, albeit a homemade hamburger bun.  She was right.  It's very acceptable, and you can easily pull out the guts if your bun-to-burger ratio too high.

The beef seem freshly ground, and was cooked to perfect med-rare.  I will say that it could use a bit more seasoning in the way of salt and pepper.  Overall, though, it's a very good burger.  Is it as good as the Franklin Steakhouse in Nutley?  Not quite.  Is it big like the burger at Gaffer's in West Orange?  Nah. Much smaller.  But, at about 7-8 ounces, it's an appropriate size.

The fries are steak-fry style, and might very well be from that huge supplier known as Sysco. But, they're done very well, as are the big diner-style onion rings.  I'd be surprised if either are house-made.  A nice pickle spear rounds out the plate.  There's no ridiculous garnish, no out-of-season tomato, no limp and warm piece of lettuce.  That's what i call good-plating.

The BBQ, to my mind, doesn't fare as well.  They're really using smoke, which is essential if you're trying to produce any style of BBQ.  Nbut, I just don't get much smoke, the sauces aren't very spectacular (maybe even from a bottle?), and the meat is a little dry. The ribs were by far the best choice, much better than the smoked pork loin (loin shouldn't be served anywhere), Texas brisket (way too dry), and Carolina pulled pork (it was chopped as well as pulled, which will surely send some purists over the edge).

The pizza just depresses me.  I mean, they're sitting on a couple of wood-fired brick ovens (from Italy, they claim, if that matters), and they're producing pizza that's just not that much different than pizza coming from a gas oven at your local Lenny's or Mike's or whomever's.  I ordered a pizza hoping for some nice char indicative of a super-hot oven, and I got something somewhat bland and a bit too "perfect" looking.  When you throw some dough into what should be an 800 degree oven and you put it up near a pile of burning wood it shouldn't come out looking anything near "perfect."  It should look like it just got in a fight with 800 degrees of flame and smoke, with blisters and charred spots and bubbles. This pizza neither looked nor tasted like that.  It's just a bit too "safe" for my liking. And what makes it worse is that it has the unrealized potential to be great.
The buffalo wings get an honorable mention for being spicy and crispy, and served with some really good blue cheese dressing. They try to add to the usual Frank's hot sauce recipe with some spice mixture, that i assume is chili powder-based, and adds somewhat of a subtle taco-flavor.  Sounds horrible, but it's not.  There're actually chunks of blue cheese in the dressing.  It would make a wedge of iceberg proud I tell ya.

They've got at least 10 beers on tap and the usual suspects in bottles.  There are a few wines by the glass as well.  What sets their wine service apart from most other places of its ilk is most certainly the size of the glasses:  They're much bigger than what you'd expect.  Big enough for a decent swirl and sniff, if that's your sort of thing.

Lame pizza aside, there are some other problems at "the jar."  The baked beans had an off flavor and weren't very good (the gold standard of baked beans is Fink's baked beans.  Fink used to have a place called Fink's Funky Chicken in River Edge).  The cole slaw was one of the few cole slaws that i've ever met that i didn't like.  and the ribs were a bit too dry.

I must admit that my fondness of this place is no doubt influenced by the youngish vibe and the jukebox.  They've got one of those internet-enabled jukes from TouchTunes which is practically always playing something, and it's just loaded up with great music from every decade of my life.  Jane's Addiction, Phish, Death Cab for Cutie, Yes, Weezer, Rush, it's all there.  The burger, the bigger-than-average wine glasses, and that juke box are enough to keep me coming back.  The Galaga/Ms. Pac Man combo machine doesn't hurt, either.

www.masonjar.com : 221 ramapo valley rd, mahwah, nj : 201.529.2302

Comments

[Rail Paul]

My current favorite NJ bbq is Hot Rod's in Wharton, just off I-80 by the Rockaway Mall. That's prob 45 min from central Bergen county.

Good people, nice food.

<http://www.hotrodsbbq.com/index.html>

[tommyeats]

thanks rail paul. i've been wondering about that place.

should i be concerned that their website shows a picture of a bottle of "Liquid Smoke"? yes, i should be concerned. maybe it was just an oversight.

[pete]

The best BBQ place around our neck o' the woods is Indigo Smoke in Montclair, which I'm guessing you've been to. KC style. Really good fried chicken and cornbread, but service is s-l-o-w.

[Rail Paul]

Indigo Smoke is good, and I think the new location is a better set-up for them, but it is very slow. I've had a few bad meals there, but not many. Still, I like Hot Rod's better.

Two Southern Pride smoker units, lots of stacked wood in the back. Good menu, a variety of beer, and always willing to pitch in for community events.

Haven't been to Mason Jar, so I'll check it out. There's also a place on the south end of Montclair that's on my list, too.

[mike]

I'm not a big fan of Indigo Smoke. I think they do a passable job at best. I thought that Fink did a much better job, and Sticky's was better as well. I wish I enjoyed Indigo more, as it's so close and convenient--I just don't think they're doing anything special.

I'd like to make my way out to Hot Rod's, but I just haven't yet. It's definitely on my list. Having just gone to RUB in NYC last week, it'll probably be a few weeks before I have BBQ again.

[Jay]

I recently went to the Mason Jar and initially enjoyed the atmosphere and food. But, after eating went into the bathroom and saw a roaches cralling on the floor. When I mentioned it to the waitstaff I was brushed off. So, although the food was good, I've decided not to go back.

[tommyeats]

a lot of restaurants have issues with (or at least the occasional) bugs and vermin. it's just par for the course.

whenever i have a real issue with a restaurant (or any business for that matter), i don't bring it up to the foot soldiers. i bring it up to the manager. wait staff aren't exactly trained in customer service, and really don't know how to handle themselves, generally speaking. not to mention they don't give shit about you or the roach you saw. sad, perhaps, but true, for sure.

go to someone who can make a difference.

that being said i've never seen anything at the Mason Jar suggesting that the place is anything but a clean and tidy restaurant. besides, the Board of Health is in charge of making sure it's all good and safe, not me.

[Peggie]

Hey -- glad to hear that the Mason Jar is still there. I have some really fond memories of times spent there in HS and during college breaks. I grew up in Mahwah and remember when there was NO Ramapo College -- albeit, i did a stint there after graduating HS early -- I digress. sounds like the Mason Jar is the same and modern all at once. Glad you found it and that I can still be happy that I'm sending friends there!

[joeb]

I've been to the Mason Jar several times with my family. I've always had a good meal there. The Burgers are always good and my 10 year old son loves the pizza.

The one thing I can and will complain about is the service. We usually go there for lunch on Saturday afternoon. The place is never busy but each time we've gone the service has gotten slower and slower. The last time we were there my son's pizza came out in 10 minutes but my burger and my wife's salad took over half an hour. Also the young waiters and waitresses have a tendency of disappearing for extended periods of time. I politely told the manager on my way out that while I always enjoyed the food at the Mason Jar they really have to do something about the level of service. I realize that most of the wait staff is young, but that's really no excuse. Has anyone else had this problem?

[Wally]

Reply to joeb: Yes, my wife and I experienced poor service at The Mason Jar. One night we were there having dinner. I asked our waiter for another beer. I waited and waited but he had disappeared. When he finally showed up (without the beer) I asked for the check. He said "Oh, you wanted another beer, didn't you?". I said that yes I did but it was too late now. He apologized and said that the wait staff was called to a meeting with their boss. I found that hard to believe. What kind of restaurant manager would call the entire wait staff to a meeting during dinner hours? Anyway, we've been there and had good (not great) service. The food is okay. Last time we were there I ordered a sliced steak sandwich. Problem was the steak wasn't sliced! We go to the Mason Jar when The Valley Pub in Oakland is too crowded. Now there's a great place. Good food, great service and good prices.

[joeb]

Had another bad experience at the Mason Jar. Asked my young waiter for a seltzer or club soda. I was very thirsty and took a big swig when it arrived. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be tonic water. I told the waiter he brought me tonic water by mistake and could he please bring me either a club soda or seltzer water. He told me that he was sorry but that was the only carbonated soda they had! As politely as possible I told him this probably wasn't the case and to please check again. Suffice it to say I got my seltzer water but I think I'm going to have to take a break from "The Jar." I think I'll take Wally's advice and try the Valley Pub in Oakland.

[thetentman]

We ate at the Jar last week. Not so good. The pizza my wife got was good with the exception of the bitter jarred garlic. The Sliced steak sandwhich was bad. Very bad. I think you are supposed to cook the steak before slicing. They slice then cook. Try to get medium rare. I sent the first one back and then gave up. Emerson Hotel it ain't. My daughter got the ravioli in some Bolagnese (?). Not good at all. Something was off. We shared the peanut butter chocolate pie which seemed good until we bit into some part that seemed stale. I have been going there since it opened in 1977 and I'll admit that I only go every 2 or 3 years and only after I have forgotten the last time. My impression is that it could be better and that it always costs more than I think it should. Oh well.

[tommy:eats]

What did I tell you. I told you to eat the burger. Look what you've done.