So what is Jersey cuisine? Ask around and most will say a taylor ham, egg & cheese sandwich on a bun. Not just any bun but 1 of those crusty on the outside, airy on the inside buns. Butter is optional.
Yesterday we went to get us a ripper. Rutt's Hut was our final destination. It's just a stone's throw from where we are staying. I had my first dog there way back in the 70s. Vrai was a first time visitor. It's interesting when someone say, "Oh, you gotta go to So & So and get you a fillintheblank". If you have never been there you start to build an image in your mind of what you think the place would look like based on the name or the food it serves. Think of a German restaurant called Hanzel's. You think it would be housed in some Bavarian looking cottage.
Rutt's Hut's menu is all over the place. But the dog is their staple. It's served with a homemade relish that goes well with a deep fried hotdog. We just split 1 in order to say we had it. I could have easily eaten a few myself but in the end it's a forcemeat floating in hot oil. Not the best thing to be chomping on health wise. After eating at the counter we popped our heads into the restaurant and bar section of the building. It looks like nothing has been updated since the 1960s and that is what gives it it's character. Perhaps we need to stop on our way out of town for a going away present.
So with our appetizer consumed, we then headed out for dinner. I picked a pizzeria because New Jersey. I normally would have picked 1 of the pizza joints in Nutley, NJ. Most serve up a classic thin crust, Jersey tomato pie. This is how the urban dictionary describes Nutley:
Nutley use to have an annual pizza contest for local bragging rights. The contest led to the 2005 Nutley Pizza War. But a lot of people go to the Star Tavern in Orange. I figured if so many people like it, why not give it a try. Getting to the restaurant we took the scenic route through idyllic north Newark, NJ. I lost count of the number of double parked cars. Needless to say we wormed our way around a gritty urban area until we reached our final destination. We got an everything pie, anchovies included. It was a thin crust pie with sauce and toppings all the way to the edge. It lacks that pizza crust look. I have to say that I still prefer a Nutley pizza. Jersey pizza is still the best outside of crossing an ocean. I also have to give props to Anna's in Williamsburg, VA and Isabella's in Baltimore's Little Italy section as having equal to or better than Jersey pizza. For a chain pizza you can't go wrong with Blaze or Mod Pizza. Both of those use a beehive pizza oven to quick cook your meal.
So I guess it will be salads until we reach New England and begin Lobsterpalooza 2017. My goal is to get a lobster as heavy as my bowling ball. Served with real butter of course.
Yesterday we went to get us a ripper. Rutt's Hut was our final destination. It's just a stone's throw from where we are staying. I had my first dog there way back in the 70s. Vrai was a first time visitor. It's interesting when someone say, "Oh, you gotta go to So & So and get you a fillintheblank". If you have never been there you start to build an image in your mind of what you think the place would look like based on the name or the food it serves. Think of a German restaurant called Hanzel's. You think it would be housed in some Bavarian looking cottage.
Rutt's Hut's menu is all over the place. But the dog is their staple. It's served with a homemade relish that goes well with a deep fried hotdog. We just split 1 in order to say we had it. I could have easily eaten a few myself but in the end it's a forcemeat floating in hot oil. Not the best thing to be chomping on health wise. After eating at the counter we popped our heads into the restaurant and bar section of the building. It looks like nothing has been updated since the 1960s and that is what gives it it's character. Perhaps we need to stop on our way out of town for a going away present.
So with our appetizer consumed, we then headed out for dinner. I picked a pizzeria because New Jersey. I normally would have picked 1 of the pizza joints in Nutley, NJ. Most serve up a classic thin crust, Jersey tomato pie. This is how the urban dictionary describes Nutley:
[FONT="]Think guidos, fake tans, big hair, great Italian food and pizza. [/FONT]
Nutley use to have an annual pizza contest for local bragging rights. The contest led to the 2005 Nutley Pizza War. But a lot of people go to the Star Tavern in Orange. I figured if so many people like it, why not give it a try. Getting to the restaurant we took the scenic route through idyllic north Newark, NJ. I lost count of the number of double parked cars. Needless to say we wormed our way around a gritty urban area until we reached our final destination. We got an everything pie, anchovies included. It was a thin crust pie with sauce and toppings all the way to the edge. It lacks that pizza crust look. I have to say that I still prefer a Nutley pizza. Jersey pizza is still the best outside of crossing an ocean. I also have to give props to Anna's in Williamsburg, VA and Isabella's in Baltimore's Little Italy section as having equal to or better than Jersey pizza. For a chain pizza you can't go wrong with Blaze or Mod Pizza. Both of those use a beehive pizza oven to quick cook your meal.
So I guess it will be salads until we reach New England and begin Lobsterpalooza 2017. My goal is to get a lobster as heavy as my bowling ball. Served with real butter of course.