SUSAN BLOOM Correspondent| Morristown Daily Record
Familiar as apple pie and classic cars, the Minuteman Restaurant in Morristown has been part of the culinary fabric of Morris County for over 50 years.
Originally started by Somerset Dairy and owned by the Frelinghuysen family in the late 1950s, “the Minuteman came to be in 1963, originally selling ice cream and other dairy products upstairs and then growing from there,” said Marti Lifschin, current co-owner of the establishment with her husband Scott.
One of four locations of the Minuteman at the time (along with sites in Florham Park, Somerville, and South Plainfield), “the restaurant built up a following through the 1960s and 1970s and added a bakery operation downstairs that became known for its pies, which it used to ship to farms throughout central and north Jersey and as far away as Bloomingdale’s in New York City,” Marti said.
While the other restaurant locations were eventually sold off and the Morristown location changed hands over the years, “it’s still a beloved place and every day, someone will share with us that they used to come here as a kid and now bring their grandkids here,” she said.
Reviving a classic
It was this strong nostalgic appeal that drew the Lifschins to purchase the restaurant, bakery, and building in December 2014. Though they’d enjoyed careers in customer relations and the printing industry, “we’d first dreamed of buying a restaurant when our now-teenage kids were young,” Marti said, but two years ago, that window finally opened. “We’d always enjoyed a love of food in our family and Scott ended up accompanying our daughter on a trip to Mexico to study with a famous chef there, after which he perfected his Tex-Mex and barbeque techniques and we decided to give it a try.” Advised to purchase an already-operating restaurant for their first venture, the Denville residents learned through the grapevine that the previous owner of the Minuteman was interested in selling. After touring the restaurant and operations and speaking with the landlord, “we felt like it was right for us and that, in the right hands, it could be a tremendous success once again.”
While they retained many of the restaurant’s most charming elements — “the booths were a 1960s-era robin’s egg blue, which were like a comfortable sweater you love to put on and perfect for a country restaurant,” Marti said — the couple freshened up the outdated space with new floors, a re-sectioned layout, and creation of a party room and an ice cream parlor. “We also added critical new equipment such as a char-grill and expanded the menu by upping the ante a bit and changing the focus from a diner to a nice family restaurant with classic diner selections that we modernized for today’s customers,” she said.
READ ABOUT OTHER RESTAURANTS IN MORRIS:
Tiff’s restaurants a mainstay in Morris after 35 years in business
Gourmet pizza, new dishes at Famished Frog, HOPS in Morristown
Making things their own
With a goal of “updating what was here and making things our own,” Marti invites guests to start with such appetizers as the Minuteman’s wings ($8.99 for seven), which feature Scott’s dry-rubbed ‘secret sauce,’ as well as their popular spicy fried pickles ($7.99 for six) and New England clam chowder. Then dig into one of the restaurant’s signature burgers, including the Fried Green Tomato ($12.99), which features beef sourced from nearby Green Village Butcher that’s topped with bacon, pepperjack cheese, fried green tomatoes, and chipotle ketchup and served with French fries and cole slaw. “It has so many layers of great taste and is truly a ‘destination burger,’” said Marti, though certainly not the only one on the menu. For example, the Ben Franklin ($10.99), “is topped with port wine cheese and bacon and stands as one of the ‘founding fathers’ of our menu,” she said.
According to Marti, “our barbecue is also putting us on the map” thanks to Scott’s slow-smoked, dry-rubbed approach to their St. Louis ribs ($18.99 for a half-rack) and pulled pork, which is available either as a sandwich for $13.99 or a platter for $17.99; all of these are served with soup or salad and two sides, which include such options as French or sweet potato fries, mashed potatoes, fresh green vegetables, and apple sauce. Other menu selections include the char-grilled marinated Chipotle Lime Chicken Breast topped with fresh salsa ($16.99) and the turkey reuben (fresh turkey with Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and cranberry sauce served on grilled rye bread for $10.99), as well as comfort food favorites including roasted turkey and meatloaf, also available as sandwiches or platters. The restaurant’s homemade potato chips and creamy cole slaw are also customer favorites.
A nostalgic nook
For those desiring a vegetarian or lighter dish, “we have lots of great options, including our Kale Chicken Caesar Salad ($13.99), our Tuscan Salad, and our veggie wrap, and all of our burgers can be made with turkey or veggie patties,” Marti said. For dessert, enjoy the benefits of an onsite bakery where fruit pies are made from scratch using an old-fashioned hydraulic pie press. Among Marti’s favorites, “I especially love our Pecan Harvest cranberry-apple pie with pecans on top, which offers a combination of sweet, tart and nutty flavors” served with or without a scoop of ice cream ($6.50 a la mode, or $3.99 plain).
With seating for 75 in the dining room, 25-30 in the new party room specially designed to accommodate birthdays, meetings, and other special events, and a staff of 20 who pride themselves on outstanding service and friendly hospitality, “we love getting to know our customers and nurturing those relationships,” said Marti, who oversees the front of the house while Scott covers the kitchen. “The Minuteman is a classic American story that really resonates with people and they’re thrilled that we’re here and that we’ve brought an old friend back,” she said. “People with a nostalgic attachment to the restaurant have returned and we feel like we’ve regained some lost generations too.”
Offering such expanded menu items as sautées, chicken marsala and lobster ravioli, as well as catering services and occasional live music, “we have lots of regulars and want people to feel like this is a second home and safe haven,” Marti said. “It’s a kid- and family-friendly place that’s built into the fabric of people’s lives. In addition to being a place where people can meet up and converse,” she said, “it’s our American dream.”
Got an eatery to recommend? Email eabreu@gannettnj.com.
Minuteman Restaurant & Pie Shoppe
Location: 990 Mt. Kemble Ave., Morristown
Telephone: 973-425-9798
Website: www.minutemanrestaurant.com
Cuisine: Classic American comfort food
Hours: Open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday; closed Monday.
Prices: Appetizers $3.99-$8.99; burgers, salads, sandwiches and wraps $8.99-$13.99; platters $14.99-$18.99
Alcohol: BYOB
Credit cards: Visa/Mastercard
Parking: Lot
Seating: 75-100
Catering: Yes
