New Jersey is home to a great many diners. What makes Park West worth the drive is that it is three kitchens working as one. The first is devoted to everything a diner must do well: eggs cooked any style, pancakes and French toast on the griddle from open to close, burgers ground fresh and pressed onto a hot flat top, a generous deli case, and a dessert counter that is never empty.
The second is a Greek kitchen that is not an afterthought. Spanakopita in real phyllo. Moussaka layered with eggplant, zucchini and béchamel. Gyro that turns up in a breakfast wrap with egg whites and tzatziki as easily as it does on pita at dinner. Fish comes out with Greek olive oil and lemon rather than butter, because that is how it is supposed to taste.
The third is Italian, and it is the heart of Park West’s next chapter. The diner is now owned by Gregory Maietta, Frank Gencarelli and Frank’s son, Francesco Gencarelli. They are transforming Park West with the highest-quality ingredients, bringing high-quality Italian cuisine to a high-end diner: veal marsala and francese, ravioli and stuffed shells parmigiana, and linguini with shrimp or eggplant.
The dining room has been refined to match, with white marble, brushed steel, cool light, and the blue-and-white checkered plates the food has always been served on. The menu did not get shorter and the portions did not get smaller.
Come in for breakfast at seven, a burger at two, or veal marsala at nine. It is dine-in or takeout, and the coffee keeps coming.
