by Wendy
There are a lot of things I love about New Jersey. Visiting family. Spending a day at the shore. The boardwalk arcades. Seeing landmarks of my husband’s childhood. The accent. I also really love the food in New Jersey.
As Jack will tell you, New Jersey knows Italian food. Even residents without any Italian ancestry have strong opinions on where to get the best cannoli, mozzarella or prosciutto (even if many don’t pronounce the last vowel – it’s “mozzerelle” or “prosciutt”). The New Jersey tomato should have its own blog about how great it is. I might even say New Jersey pizza style is superior to my beloved New York City and Chicago (please, no hate mail).
The Bella Italia Pork Store in Freehold is one of Jack and my favorites. The shop is chock-a-block with aisles of Italian imports and specialties – boxes and bags of pasta, bottles of olive oil, cans of tomato sauce (or gravy), jars of delicious antipasto options, packaged sweets. There is an enormous deli counter with meats, cheeses, colorful salads and prepared foods that stretches nearly wall to wall. The clerks are friendly with an edge – they might be a bit distracted yelling at The Mets on TV or enthusiastically recounting the plot of a movie, sprinkled with a few f-bombs for emphasis. We’ve always ordered to-go, but there is a small table and chairs if you want to stay and take in the scene.
Browse the sandwich menu and choose one to split with your pal – they are huge. Our favorites are the parms – either chicken, eggplant or meatball. We usually buy a couple to reheat in the oven for dinner when we get home to DC. During a Spring Break road trip with Jack, my sis April and nephew J that included New York City and New Jersey, we made a stop for the famous carry-out sandwiches.
My second tip is Jimmy’s Italian Restaurant in Asbury Park. This is more of a sit-down place. Jack chose this restaurant for his birthday dinner a few years ago, and we also took my sis Sunny and niece MJ here when they traveled with us to New Jersey. If I lived nearby, I would probably request a standing reservation right after Saturday night Mass. Jimmy’s feels like an old-school Italian restaurant. Where you settle in with your family and drink some wine and bask in the warm glow of comforting, fresh, well-prepared carbs – the homemade pasta dishes are delizioso, or Freakin Amazing.
