MORRIS COUNTY

Town Tours Morris Plains: Arthur's, Collins, Tabor Rd. Tavern

SUSAN BLOOM
Correspondent

Editor's note: This is the sixth in a series of articles featured in a weeklong tour of Morris Plains. The Daily Record will have extra coverage through Saturday of the borough, its people, its culture and its history.

Bartenders Lindsay Hill and Robin Matthews work at Collins Bar & Restaurant, a cozy and welcoming destination in Morris Plains.

In an era of haute cuisine and impersonal service, dining out can sometimes be a pricey and less-than-positive experience, but not in Morris Plains, where several renowned restaurants have long proven that outstanding food and exceptional service served up in a cozy and relaxed atmosphere at comfortable price points can be achieved.

From the pub favorites at Collins Bar & Restaurant to sensational steaks and seafood at Arthur's Tavern and farm-to-table comfort food at Tabor Road Tavern, Morris Plains offers a diversity of delectable fare in a setting that feels like coming home.

Exterior of Collins Bar & Restaurant, Morris Plains, December 3, 2014.

Collins Bar & Restaurant

Opened in the mid-1970s and under the ownership by Domenick Alberto since 2006, Collins Bar & Restaurant — named after original owner Michael Collins — is a cozy and welcoming destination amidst the nearby shops, train station activity and heavy foot traffic on its central section of Speedwell Avenue, considered Morris Plains' Main Street.

Cheeseburger served at Collins Bar & Restaurant, Morris Plains, December 3, 2014.

In the 30-seat dining room, "we offer traditional pub food," said bartender Robin Matthews. Among the biggest sellers are burgers, where a version topped with cheddar cheese and served on an English Muffin, known as the English Burger ($5.75), is a perennial crowd-pleaser, as is the Sliced Steak Sandwich ($9.25), served on a long roll (with optional toppings such as cheese, onions and sautéed mushrooms) and accompanied by french fries. At $8.25 for a dozen, the restaurant's hot, mild, BBQ and teriyaki wings also are a signature item and typically are offered for just 50 cents each during NFL games.

Night-specific specials feature such hearty favorites as a 11/4-pound lobster with a side for $13.95 (Mondays), homemade fish and chips for $9.75 (Fridays), and a ribeye or sirloin steak Murphy platter for $18.95 (Thursdays). "Or we also do a really great grilled chicken sandwich on a roll, wrap, or bread of your choice, if you want to keep it simple," Matthews said. For a satisfying finish, don't miss the desserts, which are supplied by Mara's Café & Bakery in Denville.

Whatever your food preference, you can't help but feel comfortable within the restaurant's cozy dark wood interior decorated with sports memorabilia and outfitted with seven televisions providing access to a broad range of games, along with its bar featuring an extensive selection of popular beers and trendy craft beers, such as Flying Fish IPA and Goose Island Honkers Ale on tap.

Onion rings served at Collins Bar & Restaurant, Morris Plains, December 3, 2014.

"We're not trying to be something we're not," Matthews explained.

"But what we do, we do really well. We have a great group of local regulars, some of whom have been coming in for over 20 years, as well as newcomers, and they all tend to come back. We're not pretentious," she said. "We're just a great place to meet friends, watch a game, and relax in a comfortable setting."

In business for more than 50 years, Arthur’s Tavern made the Travel Channel’s list of “101 Best Places in the U.S. to Chow Down” in 2013.

Arthur's Tavern

In business for more than 50 years, Arthur's Tavern didn't land on the Travel Channel's list of "101 Best Places in the U.S. to Chow Down" in 2013 for nothing, proving that Arthur's legacy extends well beyond Morris County.

"We're primarily a steak restaurant, but we also offer great pork chops, lobsters, chicken, fish and a variety of specials," said manager William Kennedy, a more than 30-year employee of the renowned family-owned restaurant.

Situated next door to Collins Bar & Restaurant, where the two eateries serve as "waiting rooms" for each other under crowded conditions, Arthur's is especially well-known for its 24-ounce Delmonico steak ($24.95), served with potatoes that are par-boiled, seasoned with the restaurant's special and secret blend of spices and grilled.

Arthur's Tavern, a renowned Irish pub-style restaurant known especially for its steaks and burgers. December 4, 2014. Morris Plains, N.J.

According to Kennedy, other signature dishes include Petite Sirloin & Shrimp combination ($21.95), BBQ ribs ($19.95 for a full rack), Reuben sandwich ($10.95), and famous 11-ounce burger ($6.50), which has repeatedly won the Daily Record's award for Best Burger in Morris County.

"It's a 'wow' experience here," said Kennedy of the response he and other staffers typically get to the size of the burgers and steaks they serve.

Arthur's Tavern, a renowned Irish pub-style restaurant known especially for its steaks. December 4, 2014. Morris Plains, N.J.

The restaurant is owned by Alyce McGreevy, whose grandfather, mother, and father ran the family's bevy of restaurants since the 1940s — including Llewellyn Farms in Morris Plains, Larison's Turkey Farm in Chester, The Black Bull Inn in Mountain Lakes and other locations of Arthur's throughout New Jersey — and now also employing McGreevy's daughter Alyse, who represents a fourth generation in the business. "We offer great quality and big portions at a super value," Alyce McGreevy said.

At the two-story, 200-seat establishment where red-checkered tablecloths adorn tables, a cozy bar can accommodate another 22 people, and an inventive overhead lighting system has been fashioned out of old bottles that hang from the vintage tin ceiling, "we're all about providing a great family-oriented dining experience with an old neighborhood feeling," McGreevy said. "But we don't do it alone — with William, our other managers, Chris Koehler and Sal Campanella, and the rest of our staff, we have a great team here that's like a family."

Chris Koehler (left), Alyce McGreevy and William Kennedy form Arthur’s Tavern’s management team. Arthur's is the renowned Irish pub-style restaurant known especially for its steaks in Morris Plains.

"It's an honor to run this business," McGreevy said, "but it's our wonderful customers who make us what we are today."

Tabor Road Tavern

Open since 2007 and part of the Harvest Restaurant Group, Tabor Road Tavern features American farm-to-table comfort food, according to executive chef John Schaefer.

His menu includes such signature items as Crispy East Coast Halibut with creamy grits, roasted yellow corn and basil pesto in a bacon vinaigrette ($29.95) as well as an eight-ounce Blue Cheese-Crusted Skirt Steak with sweet potato hash, caramelized onions and chimichurri in a natural jus ($28.95).

Crispy East Coast Halibut, a signature dish at Tabor Road Tavern in Morris Plains.

The cozy restaurant, which is reminiscent of a ski lodge, seats 240 inside and an additional 60 outside when at full capacity. Seasonal dishes are matched by a beverage menu featuring boutique wines from around the world, with a particular focus on the best of the Napa and Sonoma regions.

In addition, "our beer list is ever-evolving and features selections of our own micro-brewed beer from our sister restaurant, Trap Rock Restaurant & Brewery, as well as additional local craft beers," said Chester Grabowski, who owns Harvest Restaurants with wife, Cheryl. Other restaurants in the group include The Huntley Taverne in Summit, 3 West in Basking Ridge, Roots Steakhouse in Morristown, Ridgewood, and Summit, Grato in Morris Plains and Urban Table in Basking Ridge and Morristown.

The interior of Tabor Road Tavern has a ski-lodge atmosphere.

"Tabor Road Tavern is an elegant, warm, cozy and inviting restaurant that's a perfect place to get together with family and friends, conduct business lunches or dinners, celebrate special occasions, book private events or enjoy a casual date night by the fireplace," Grabowski said.

If you go

Collins Bar & Restaurant is at 688 Speedwell Ave. in Morris Plains and can be reached at 973-455-9831. Kitchen hours are from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. The bar is open until 1 a.m Monday to Friday, until 2 a.m Saturday and until midnight Sunday.

Arthur's Tavern is at 700 Speedwell Ave. in Morris Plains and can be reached at 973-455-9705 or www.arthurstavern.com; hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Tabor Road Tavern is at 510 Tabor Road in Morris Plains and can be reached at 973-267-7004 or www.taborroadtavern.com; hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.