Do you know what a “zinger” is? It’s a boneless chicken wing (don’t ask how the chicken flew) that’s batter-fried and served with a Buffalo-style sauce, celery and Blue cheese dressing. At least that’s what it is at Miller’s Ale House, a Florida-based chain restaurant known for pub grub. A new branch (there’s already one in Levittown) just opened on the perimeter of Tanger Outlets at The Arches in Deer Park.

At a recent lunch, I sampled the "zingers.” Along with pork-filled “pot stickers,” (Chinese dumplings), they were high points in a truly pedestrian meal.

If only the lettuce in the citrus Key lime salad hadn’t been iceberg. And wilted. And brownish. The blackened chicken atop the salad, although not plentiful, was actually pretty decent. Seafood mac and cheese featured pasta cooked to a paste in a sea of cheesy sauce. And then there were thin, flavorless mini-burgers topped with grilled onions; they were plated with pale, previously frozen fries.

Prices here are extremely low (the costliest item is a filet mignon at $15.99; many dishes are under $10) and the service is upbeat and cheerful. Ambience? Hard wooden booths, 70s -style decor and umpteen TV screens. On one side of a mega-sized bar is a game room with a pool table. An evening at Miller’s is, clearly, not about the food.

While the place may not be everybody’s tankard of ale, it does, however, pack in a sizable lunch crowd. Word is that it's hopping on weekends. Don’t expect to find me there.

Miller’s Ale House in Deer Park is at 1800 The Arches Circle, Deer Park

 
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