Where do you go in Rahway when “you want to go where everybody knows your name – and they’re always glad you came”? We’re bringing back polls more often and our newest: What’s your favorite bar in Rahway?
Tag Archives: The Waiting Room
Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year
It’s been a busy few weeks with some business travel of late and I’ve been meaning to catch up on a few items, including some recent accolades.
Poll results: Favorite restaurant in Rahway
The top three choices in our Favorite Restaurant poll grabbed more than half of the nearly 160 votes, and in the end, it was something of a nail-biter, with just three votes separating the top two choices:
Continue reading Poll results: Favorite restaurant in Rahway
Poll: What’s your favorite restaurant in Rahway?
It’s hard to believe that our last “Favorite Restaurant” poll took place more than three years ago, so why not try it again. The poll includes BYO restaurants as well as restaurants with bars, so it’s a mix of both — really anywhere there is sit-down service for more than a few tables. Base your vote on what you think is best, period, whatever that might mean to you, whether it’s food, service, etc. Feel free to share your thoughts as to why in the comments section.
You’ll have about two weeks to cast your vote so get to it. We’ll post results when they’re completed and this time we’re trying a new format for voting. Have fun!
Click here to take the survey or scoll down.
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world’s leading questionnaire tool.
A deli for a deli
Another deli has arrived on East Cherry Street to fill a space vacated just a few months ago by another deli.
GK’s Big Belly Deli shut down in March amid charges that the owner was illegally hunting deer.
It was just a few weeks ago that a “Coming Soon” sign appeared in the window at 78 E. Cherry St., and now there’s a new, permanent for D&R’s Gourmet Deli and Catering.
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The Star-Ledger’s Munchmobile stopped in Rahway again, this time at The Waiting Room (just a few dooors down from the new deli).
The garlic pork chops that were “the juiciest of the day” and the “right mix of saltiness and properly cooked,” according to the Munchers. The baby lamb chop were even better: “So tender,” and the seasoning was “remarkable” and “dynamite.” The Room’s most popular dish is the Buffalo shrimp and Buffalo wings but the Munchers said it was the voodoo chili, “with bubbling-over cheese and plenty of meat,” that deserves to be more famous than those wings.
The link includes video of owner Chris Wenson (2:42 in length) explaining some of the renovations to the former McCrory’s building before they moved into it in 2006 and an outdoor patio in the back that’s planned for next year (which was approved two years ago by the Planning Board).
Join us for happy hour tonight
Join your fellow blog readers and neighbors interested in redevelopment tonight for the first official Rahway Rising happy hour.
We’ll be meeting at The Waiting Room, 66 E. Cherry St., at around 6 p.m. or so, and I’m sure we’ll stick around for a few hours.
Since a giant banner, DJ and giveways aren’t in our budget (not that we have one), look for the guy whose picture is in the profile box below (that’s me!). Or just head for the most devastatingly handsome group of people you see…
(**The image at right is for comedic/artistic purposes only. We encourage drinking responsibly. Note that he’s walking, too.)
Woodruff Building on the block
One of my favorite buildings in Rahway, The Woodruff Building on the corner of Irving and Lewis streets, went on the block this month with an asking price of $799,000. Sure, it could use some sprucing up, but I like buildings with a name etched in the cornerstone or along the top floor; it adds a bit of character and some history. (When I get a chance, I’ll track down some info on this Woodruff fellow.)
The two-story structure at 1439 Irving St./62 Lewis St. consists of about 9,500 square feet, with offices on the second floor and the Rahway Dance Theatre and retail space occupying the ground floor. Built in 1920, the property is assessed at about $300,000, paying property taxes of roughly $15,200.
Earlier this decade, the building was eyed as the new location for The Waiting Room. Owner Chris Wenson said he had a deal to buy it in 2000 for $450,000 from Leung Chen but couldn’t until the Redevelopment Agency bought the old Waiting Room, which relocated to make way for the parking deck and hotel. By the time the
city came up with the money to buy The Waiting Room three years later, he said Chen decided not to sell. “It would have made a nice restaurant but it would not have been as big as what we have now,” said Wenson, who opened at his East Cherry Street location in 2006. The Waiting Room closed at Lewis and Main streets in 2004.
I recall some opposition at the time to relocating the existing Rahway Dance Theatre, which still is a tenant along with two second-floor office tenants. Chen sold the property for $800,000 two years ago to the current owner, an entity called 1439 Irving St., LLC which lists a Bryant Street address, according to property records.
Wenson said his father owned The Woodruff Building when he was a child and his dad and uncle had their offices there, recalling a time capsule buried in one of the walls during the ’70s.
Waiting Room plans patio area
For those of you looking for more outdoor dining options in Rahway, take heart, there’s something on the way. Rahway’s most popular bar, The Waiting Room received Planning Board approval Tuesday night to build a 1,089-square foot concrete patio behind the building at 66 E. Cherry St.
Owner Chris Wenson said the patio would cover the entire area behind his building on East Cherry Street but only part of it would be used for outdoor dining. He expects it could be open by next spring, with as many as 10 to 15 tables.
The Waiting Room will mark its third year at its new location on Saturday. It relocated from the corner of Lewis and Irving streets to make way for the parking garage.