Not so many restaurants can boast of a history as long as that of Pals Cabin in West Orange, New Jersey. This "heritage of hospitality" began as a summertime venture by two friends during the Great Depression. Martin L. Horn and Bion LeRoy Sale obtained permission to squat on a bank-foreclosed property at the busy intersection of Prospect and Eagle Rock Avenues. On 18 May 1932, "Marty" and "Roy," as they were known, began selling 10-cent hot dogs from a 10-by-12-foot stand they had constructed. "It was better than selling apples on a street corner," Martin Horn was wont to say.
Following their initial success, the pals enclosed the hot dog stand as the first of many expansions to their cabin. Within three years, Pals Special, a highly popular 50-cent charcoal-broiled steak, was added to the menu. By 1936, Pals Cabin had become a full-service restaurant, and the price of its signature steak had risen to 75 cents. Numerous additions over the years have resulted in the current space—a vast edifice that reveals little of the restaurant's humble beginnings.
Pals offers several areas in which to dine and unwind, including the Tap Room, the formal Winchester Room, the counter, and The Cabin. With its high ceiling, exposed beams, stone walls, and capacious wooden booths, The Cabin is the restaurant's core and mainstay. Were its scale not quite so grand, one might consider it cozy. But let's just call it very comfortable.
The Cabin
Occupying a category between family and formal, this was the sort of place at which I seldom dined as a young child. Any gustatory recollections of Pals Cabin derive from my so-called adulthood. My earliest impressions were based more on fantasy and speculation than on direct experience. I remember it as a prominent landmark that stood across Eagle Rock Avenue from the now-defunct Korvette City, a large shopping center that my family frequented. In certain respects, however, Pals does evoke childhood memories of dining out. The service, in particular, is reminiscent of my early years. It is extremely gracious without being affected or overly formal. There appears to be none of the trite, artificial familiarity that has become so inexplicably fashionable these days. Instead, the demeanor of the staff is warmly polite, yet conservatively respectful. It comes as a refreshing change not to be addressed as, "you guys." Perhaps it is this old-fashioned deportment that most reminds me of dinners out as a child.
Pals Famous Cream of Mushroom Soup
Among the 15 starters on the menu, one is a must: Pals' velvety, justly famous, Cream of Mushroom Soup ($5.50). Its rich velouté of roux and chicken stock, combined with an abundance of chopped, sautéed mushrooms and finely chopped shallots, is irresistible. I order it without fail. Many soups of this sort emphasize cream at the expense of a deep mushroom flavor in the broth. Pals', however, offers both the cream and the rich, earthy flavor I seek. It's easy to understand why this award-winning soup continues to be a customer favorite after more than seven decades.
Included with my main course was Pals' double salad, a somewhat ordinary bowl of tossed greens with croutons. The homemade bleu cheese dressing continues to be the best option.
Hungarian Goulash
My Comestaccomplice and I both ordered the Hungarian Goulash over egg noodles ($19.95) as our main dish. The recipe of is said to have been "handed down from generations of the Horn family." To be honest, it could have been stewed—but even more critically, allowed to marinate—significantly longer. Although the flavors were very fresh, the cabernet-infused sauce was noticeably under-salted. Furthermore, the cuts of beef were slightly tough and not optimally integrated with the sauce. The goulash should have been prepared at least a day in advance, and cooked till the meat opened up to allow the sauce to tenderize each chunk. Tenderization occurs only when the meat is permitted to rest awhile; the longer it sits, the more flavor permeates each grain. The portion, incidentally, was so large that my Comestaccomplice took home most of hers. The leftover goulash lasted her three days, a period during which it developed an increasingly deep and rich flavor. By the third day, it was a remarkably good goulash!
After dinner, we took a stroll down memory lane. In the lower entryway, and scattered elsewhere in the restaurant, the walls are adorned with photographs, menus, and other mementos from Pals' early days. Among the memorabilia is a bill, from the 1940s, promoting a "sensational young pianist" named Walter Liberace who played the baby grand here for his supper and $50 a week.
Please click on an image above to view an early Pals menu.
The steaks are higher nowadays, as are the hot dogs. Today, Pals Famous New York strip steak costs $30.95 for an 18-ounce serving; 25.95 for a 14-ounce cut. A foot-long frankfurter now sells for $7.95. Though times have clearly changed since the two pals sold hot dogs from their small cabin, this venerable eating establishment continues to draw diners from near and far. With Martin Horn's grandchildren currently at the helm, Pals Cabin is in its third generation and eighth decade of family ownership. Who would have imagined that a summer venture would have produced such a legacy?
Pals Cabin
265 Prospect Avenue (SW corner Eagle Rock Av)
West Orange, N.J. 07052-4205 (map)
(973) 731-4000
http://www.palscabin.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pals-Cabin
By bus: 71 (West Caldwell) to Woodhull Av
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