O'rale: Everything is Going to Be Okay!
- Setting the Tables
- Sep 18, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 5, 2022
O'rale Mexican Restaurant, Manville, NJ
Part 1:
For our first stop on our gastronomic journey, we headed to downtown Manville, NJ to one of our favorite places, O’rale Mexican Restaurant. Though we now know our way around the culinary nooks and crannies of Central New Jersey, when we first moved to Manville in 2019, we did not take the time to frequent local hotspots as much as we should have. It wasn’t until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when we really began to take notice of our local eateries, most notably on Main Street.
One day, on a whim, we decided to order takeout from O’rale. Our first order, which consisted of a burrito de lengua, a burrito loco al pastor, three tacos de chorizo, papas fritas, and a orden de nopales (cactus), blew us away and ever since, O’rale has held a special place in our hearts (and stomachs). Throughout the quarantine, we regularly ordered takeout from O’rale, faithfully sticking with our regular order and each time, our love affair grew with this wonderful Manvillian institution. As the pandemic phase began to wane in early-mid 2021, along with many other businesses, O’rale resumed offering dine-in service, but for some reason, we never took advantage of it. We continued getting "our regular" (so much so that over that year or so, it seemed as though the staff knew it was us as soon as we called it in).
Unfortunately, that came to a crashing halt in September 2021 when the remnants of Hurricane Ida swept over New Jersey and in particular, Manville. For anyone who lives in the area, it is well known that Manville has a long history of flooding, especially in the aptly-named “Lost Valley,” nicknamed for the frequency and ferocity of flooding there. Manville is certainly no stranger to the power of the rivers and creeks surrounding it. The flooding following Hurricane Ida devastated the town, closing numerous businesses and displacing families. The destruction was so severe that it attracted the attention of the White House, and soon, President Biden made a solemn visit to Manville after the waters receded to survey the aftermath of Ida's wrath. Downtown Manville especially suffered during Ida and in sharing the fate of many other local businesses in the area, O'rale was completely underwater.
Slowly, but surely, Manville began to pick up the pieces after Ida, and over the weeks and months that followed, more and more local businesses started reopening once again (unfortunately, some beloved businesses did not reopen after Ida). As Manville began to recover, we made frequent trips down Main Street to check and see if O’rale was going to reopen. For the longest time, we noticed very little progress, which sparked a fear that O’rale would not make a comeback to the Main Street scene. Before Setting the Tables, we did not use social media. However, our curiosity about O’rale’s recovery drew us to check their Facebook page regularly, hoping for an encouraging morsel about their rebuilding efforts. We saw reassuring messages that O’rale would be back, but it seemed as though the recovery process was taking much longer than expected. One day, towards the end of April and beginning of May 2022, it seemed as though the big day was finally coming! “Grand Reopening Soon!” By mid-May, O’rale was back in action and breathing life into Manville's downtown once again. After almost 9 months of being closed, O’rale came back onto the culinary stage and just like the mystical phoenix in rebirth, it has come back stronger and better than ever. As it has been said time and time again, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and it is clear that O’rale took that to heart. During the recovery process, they were able to expand the dining area to almost three times the space they originally had. The aesthetic of the restaurant, while maintaining the warm, homey feel it is known for, has matured into a more elegant and refined style that really suits its new beginning in the post-pandemic and post-Ida era. Most importantly, O’rale has continued to provide excellent food and service, and the staff at O’rale work tirelessly to ensure that O'rale welcomes all.
This brings us to our most recent visit (and first dine-in experience at O’rale) on a Saturday evening in late August. Walking in, we were immediately greeted by the bright, warm red walls and stylish sconces which help to provide an unpretentious classiness. Being a Saturday evening, we figured it would be busy, but because of our earlier dinner time (around 5pm or so), it was not too packed, giving us more opportunity to find preferred seating. We sat down at a table in the corner near the front counter and were greeted by Brissa, whom we have casually known since we started going to O’rale. Her bright personality and warm smile have always helped to make us feel welcomed and rather than feeling like customers, we feel like we're family friends coming over for dinner. Not long after she settled us in, we started perusing through the menu to see what we wanted to have.
Normally, we would already have our regular order set to go, but for the sake of new beginnings in this adventure, we decided to change it up a bit and try something new. I ordered the Camarones Criollos, Alexis ordered the Bistec a la Tampiquena, and to share, we also ordered three tacos de lengua (we couldn’t pass this up!). Before we had our main course, we munched on tortilla chips and dabbled with a trio of flavorful homemade sauces, including a sweet and savory cilantro lime green sauce, a sharp and spicy green pepper sauce, and a slow-roasting spicy red pepper sauce. To quench our thirst, Alexis had a Mandarin Jarritos and I had a Mexican Coke (so much more flavorful than American Coke, in my opinion). While snacking and awaiting our dinner, at that moment, we realized then that we had been missing a crucial part of the O’rale experience. The bright colors of the interior, the soft lighting, the authentic Mexican pieces, and the calm, quiet nature of the restaurant helped to put us at ease. Alexis and I chatted for a bit and after a short while, Brissa brought over our meals. To say that everything looked delicious would be an understatement. My plate of Camarones Criollos was wildly colorful, with a sea of deep, dark red hues from the spicy red pepper sauce bespeckled with softer pink hues from the shrimp on one side, a deep, rich brown color from the beans on the other side, and in the middle, a fertile hill of yellow rice, peppers, tomatoes and onions. The shrimp was perfectly cooked, sweet and tender, and the sauce provided a sharp and spicy, but slow burn that complemented the sweetness of the shrimp very well. The beans were exceptionally savory, complementing the tangy flavors of the rice mixture. The scrumptious tacos de lengua, blanketed with onion, cilantro, radish, and lime, and folded in warm, fresh tortillas made my mouth water instantly. With each bite, I could taste the sweetness and tartness of the lime, the peppery radish, and the juicy lengua, and for additional flavor, I added a mix of the trio of sauces. Within minutes, I devoured my meal and felt highly satisfied having consumed such a delicious meal.
Alexis’s meal: My square plate of Bistec a la Tampiquena and accompanying woven tortilla-warming basket from Cancun presented a warm and comforting meal. The rice and beans were well-flavored, rich with fat, and smooth in texture. The molé sauce on the red enchiladas was deeply bitter with high notes of chocolatey sweetness from the cocoa and the poblano peppers. Each bite of the enchiladas was captivating and balancing against the beans, and the colorful meal was charming to the eyes. Plated between the rice and the enchiladas, the carne was thinly sliced into strips and paired with sweet sauteed onions. After finishing our tacos de lengua, I was compelled to pile the carne, onions, and some of the cilantro lime sauce on a warm tortilla, reminiscent of the tacos from before. Biting into that combination was undeniably pleasurable. I am never disappointed at O’rale. It’s one of those uniquely and wholly delectable places that encourages you to try something different, simply because it is certain to be good.
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Stay tuned for Part 2: Our Interview with O'rale's Brissa
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