By Steve Cooper
The Foodie Foursome
Steve Cooper
The Orange Ale House is two-decade-old mainstay on the Boston Post Road in Orange. This family-owned establishment is a true chameleon. Owner Jim Hassenmayer and his family members make up the perfect team. It is a casual restaurant with a pub style menu that has a real “Cheers” style vibe, a sports-oriented bar with over 30 jumbo TVs. They have a music stage where they feature well-known local talent and national talent in coordination with 99.9 WEZN and Connoisseur Media on Thursday nights.
There has never been a time I came in and did not see someone I knew. But some have not been for dinner, thinking Orange Ale House is only a sports bar. That is far from reality.
On this night, the group consisted of myself, Kevin, Mike, Dan and his son Joe. We sat in the back dining area separated from the front bar area. We started the evening with a serving of 12 of their meaty wings and six selections of the 18 sauce choices. A huge hit was the Thai peanut sauce along with a garlic buffalo and honey barbeque sauce. We had them served dry, bone in, instead of tossed and boneless. This allowed us to dip and try the different sauces. This also added a nice crisp coating to hold the sauce for dipping.
The wings were followed by a half serving of nacho supreme. This serving was large enough for us all to partake. The chips had the crunch needed along with plenty of melted cheese, olives, onion, tomato and jalapenos and a side of salsa. We also shared a small pizza (perfect as a shared app) with cheese, onion, sauce and fresh tomato on a Zuppardi dough crust. This pizza definitely holds its own. How can you go wrong with great ingredients and a legendary crust?
We tried a salad between the apps and the entrees. On this night, we went for the Ale House chop salad. This perfect blend of crisp, fresh chopped iceberg lettuce, hard boiled egg, cucumber, olives, tomatoes, shredded cheese, bacon and ham tossed in a tasty house-made dressing was plenty large to share. I am all about a full, flavorful salad, as were my guests.
We kicked of our entrée selections with a few pub classics: a burger, Philly cheese steak and the Ale House ribs along with two types of fries and onion rings. The cheese steak was served in a sub roll with thin-sliced steak, cooked onions, peppers, mushrooms and provolone. It was a hearty sandwich with nice seasoning and tender beef. The waffle fries had a strong crunch yet was still creamy inside.
The patty melt burger has been my go-to for years, and the rest of the group agreed. The simplicity of the patty topped with bacon, sautéed onions and American cheese on grilled rye with shoestring fries makes it a perfect burger. If you like it more decadent, add a fried egg.
Around the time that we started on the ribs, Hassenmayer came by to say hello as he always does with his friends and patrons. He asked how everything was.
I said, “Terrible. The rib meat keeps falling of the bones.”
This half rack was plentiful, and yes, fall-off-the-bone tender barbeque baby back ribs. The sauce was an amazing compliment to the ribs. We had this order with the homemade cole slaw and onion rings.
The last two selections were a complete, yet welcome, surprise addition to the menu, kicking it up to the next level. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are prime rib nights. This was something I had never tried. It was a large, 16 to 18-ounce, perfectly prepared piece of tender beef that cut like butter. I like the end cut because of the extra seasoning and flavor, and they had one that was more medium-well done, so we went with that. It was both tender and flavorful.
The mashed potatoes were not pasty like they are at many establishments. They were close to a “pommes de terre Chantilly,” which is creamy and buttery with an airy consistency. The mixed fresh vegetable medley was wonderful as well.
The complete, and unexpected, surprise was the Tuesday and Friday special: lamb chops. These were large, meaty, French-cut “lollypop style” chops. The meat was so elegantly seasoned and tender that I even forgot to try the dipping sauce. Everyone at the table was amazed at this addition to the menu.
The Ale House staff has been together for many years. The excellence of the kitchen crew is a consistent collaboration of their cooks and prep staff. Most of their sauces, chilis and dressings are made in house. They have many special events throughout the year as well as fundraising events for nonprofits, the chamber of commerce, Kiwanis, Rotary and more as they are very community oriented. One of my favorites is the multi-chamber St. Patrick’s Day where they serve a corned beef and cabbage that will knock your socks off. Taco Tuesdays feature a free taco with every drink, including the $6 margaritas and espresso martinis made with fresh espresso.
Whether you want to watch a game with friends in the front bar area or have a nice casual dinner in the back dining room (with its own back entry and parking), the Orange Ale House is always a great option, seven days a week. They are open for lunch Friday through Sunday and have a full menu every day for dinner to 10 p.m. They are located at 517 Boston Post Rd. in Orange.
Steve Cooper is a local, national and international award-winning photographer, culinary influencer and executive director of the Milford Performance Center. Contact him at 203-723-3672.