Annual Pilgramage to Manchester N.J by a L.A. Hound with 14 y/o son in tow

[Foodandwine]

Well its time for my Annual Pilgramage to vist Mom in Manchester N.J. This time with my 14 y/o son in tow. As you know I make it back a few times a year checking in on my Mom ( she is stiil kicking strong ) Besides my local haunts of Geno D's for Pizza on RTE 70 ( should RTE be in CAPS? ) and Il Giardinello for an Italian Fix ( gosh I need a new place ) 3 years going and want to spice it up a bit but its good there, Whats going on this year? I plan to go to Point Lobster Company for some Shredders and yup Shop Rite for the rest of the fixins ( Mom loves the place ) why do they put orange paid stickers on the boxes? do they actually think your going to walk out with 92 rolls of toilet paper? I digress... Need some new spots ( oh yes I forgot, god forbid you dont give them your Shoprite VIP card before the transaction starts then no discount? In Los Angeles we back end those loyality programs and can enter at any time ) Must be a Union thing??

Shredders are Lobsters what are those Fried Hot Dog things that are suppose to be good in N.J. that sound like those? Can I find them in or near Manchester? I Like good food, red sauce, good pizzza and everything else you cannot get in Los Angeles. Love the old school vibe over modern ( we do that well in L.A.)

Wait! Newsflash.. we are going to Phildelphia ( oh yes Philly East of the Mississippi ) for a few days.. Mapquest says RTE 70 a few traffic circles we are there ( know of a good fast spot for breakfast on the way? ) We are are leaving Manchester at 6:00 a.m. Have some tour in Independence Square at 10 :00 a.m ( shhh.. dont tell my son!! )

Any and all recs are welcome.

Thanks in advance..

[katydid13]

Have you tried El Familiar in Toms River? Really good food & HUGE portions that might even challenge your teenager. It's in a strip mall: 1246 Rte. 166. www.elfamiliar.com. Also, on your way from BWI, you might hit Peter's Diner in Williamstown: 1741 S Black Horse Pike. It's a classic NJ diner.

[Foodandwine]

Thanks katydyd13, we know of Stella Plaza as my son and I are always are treated to dinner by my Mom ( coupon in hand ) at Il Giardinello. I normally bring an extra bottle of wine to share with the owner Joe. We dont have that kind of Italian in Los Angeles.. Its really good in our book, albiet sometimes a wait ( we try to time well ) as to El Familiar, we have great Mexican food in Los Angeles and Colombia, my son would not be that interested. Thanks for the tip, I will look it over when we are there for Italian. I have Petes Diner written down.. Thanks for the tips...

[Foodandwine]

Arriving next week any last minute tips.. Thanks

[Njchicaa]

Check out the new ShopRite in Toms River on 37 next to the parkway. Lobster has been $5.99 per pound but is now $4.99/lb. They will steam it for free. Way cheaper than steak for dinner!

[Foodandwine]

Well We are Coming Back to see Grandma in middle of August! This time we are flying in and out of BWI. Staying in the Inner Harbor for 1 night going to Camden Yards for a game.. Any new updates? Last year we went to Philly and had a blast, tours and food, any good things between BWI and Toms River? AND.. anything in and about Toms River/Manchester I should take the 15 y/o son to ( this kid is as tall as I 6 feet skinny as a rail and can eat me under the table ) Thanks in advance..

[MGZ]

I lived in Baltimore for the better half of the 90s - about 2-3 blocks from Camden Yards. About the same distance in the opposite direction was Lexington Market, which still houses Faidley's, which still makes a righteous crab cake, which is still worth trying before the game. Get to the yards early and walk down Paca Street to the Market - it's still part of the soul of Charm City.

Between Baltimore and TR, besides Philly, is the town of Havre de Grace, Maryland. It's a pretty easy step off 95 and has a couple good stops to eat. Price's Seafood is a Maryland crab house, complete with little wooden mallets and brown paper on the tables: http://pricesseafood.com/ There is also Laurrapin Grill, which has a solid, more diverse, Cali-Maryland, menu: http://www.laurrapin.com/

Less exciting will be your arrival in TR, where little has changed since you last were here. The German Butcher closed, so that's out. Point Lobster is still great - culls are about six bucks a pound though. Maybe this year you could take the boy to put down one of the huge pies at Marruca's on the Seaside Boardwalk?

[MGZ]

OK - Point Lobster had culls and softies at $3.99 this morning. I do love summer (even if I kinda bitch about the tourists).

[Foodandwine]

Hi MGZ, Point Lobster was a good find ( thanks to all on this board ) we even found Ralphs Ices and Stewarts Root Beer last time a few blocks away.. I grew up in Staten Island and Ralphs was close to my High School ( Port Richmond ) Still love that place.. My son liked Johns Water Ice in Philly ( I digress ) Stewarts was not what I recall from when I was a kid going up to the Catskill Mountains with my family ( the place enrout there was way cooler and they had these wood barrels that they would serve the root beer on tap, birch too ) Anyway. Looking forward to our trip as I try to expose my ithingy kid to the cool things of my childhood, will he even look out the window and enjoy??

[njfreqflyer]

One of our notable new restaurants this season is 709 Point Beach on Arnold Ave in Point Pleasant, opened by the former chef at Atlantic Bar & Grill. Sounds good, but I haven't been there yet. You can find postings on it if you do a search of the NJ board.

http://www.709pointbeach.com/

-----
709 Point Beach
709 Arnold Ave, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

[Foodandwine]

Any recs for good Linguini and Clam Sauce ( white ) in the area??

[Njchicaa]

Maria's in Manasquan was always my favorite but I heard it was sold so things may be different these days if it is even still open.

[MGZ]

That sale fell through a couple years ago when the buyer couldn't get approved for the liquor license. The Bertuccis have been back running it ever since.

[Njchicaa]

good to know. Thanks. We'll definitely be heading up there for dinner soon.

[big1515]

709 Arnold is very good ,but bring a heavy pocketbook ..Chef Mike is not bashful about his prices ..They have a good crowd ,but economy has taken it's toll on 709 ..It is summer and you can still get in with little wait

[big1515]

I second 709 ,but bring a heavy pocketbook after happy hour .Seafood is the thing of choice in 709 !

[MGZ]

Since you already know about Point Lobster, I'll add two other gastronomic highlights of the OC. The first is D.A. Barsch, a.k.a. the German Butcher - fantastic meats, housemade sausages, wursts, etc.: http://dabarsch.com/ The second is Muellers Bakery in Bay Head, one of the only remaining bakeries at the Shore: http://www.muellersbakery.com/

Given the time of year, you might want to pick up some local produce - tomatoes, especially. Here's a list of some Farmers' Markets in the Garden State: http://www.farmersmarketonline.com/fm... I think Toms River has one, but I don't know specifics.

As to going to Philly, I'd save my appetite for an assault on the Reading Terminal Market. It's quite close to Independence Hall. Check the Philadelphia Board for more information.

[MGZ]

I just saw the question about the hot dogs. My assumption is that you are referring to the place up north that famously offers "rippers" - Rutt's Hutt. I'd say it's an hour or more away from you. There is, however, a place in Toms River called Joe Joe's that offers Italian Hot Dogs - definitely a Jersey thing. See, http://www.hollyeats.com/JoeJoes.htm They may not be the best in the State, but they're the best in the area.

[Foodandwine]

Thanks MGZ its the "rippers" that I onec saw on TV.. Joe Joes looks fun too.. Are Italian Hot dogs popular? I never heard of them before.. But the rippers really caught my eye..

[njfreqflyer]

Italian hot dogs are a NJ institution. There are a couple of long running threads on the NJ Chow board that go on about the different styles and the "best" places to get one. Places like Jimmy Buff's and Dickie Dee's up north. I grew up on them, and still make my own at home. Do a search to learn more about them, but MGZ is right about Joe Joe's locally.

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Dickie Dee's
380 Bloomfield Ave, Newark, NJ 07107

[Foodandwine]

njfreqflyer, thanks for your replies. Yes, I will do a search about the Italian Dogs (im interested in trying one!)Hollywood and Santa Monica are institutions for Farmers Markets, actually went last weekend with my son and had a nice time at Santa Monica ( the stone fruit is great this time of year ) See you all next week!!. Looking forward..

[Njchicaa]

The TR farmer's market is in Huddy Park every Wednesday during the summer.

[njfreqflyer]

F&W - you might be a bit underwhelmed by our local versions of farmers' markets if you've been to some of the farmers' markets in LA (e.g., the Hollywood market or the Santa Monica market) which are really great, but the Toms River market on Wednesdays is indeed a good place to pick up local fresh produce. I've been stocking up on heirloom tomatoes, okra, shallots, and peaches, the last couple of weeks.

[cantkick]

While you are in Manchester, I would think any of the Toms River recommendations would apply.

[Tapas52]

http://www.vincentowndiner.com/index....

The Vincentown Diner not far off Rt70 & Rt206 might be what your looking for....enjoy!

[Foodandwine]

Thanks Tapas52 Why do you recommend this spot is it the place for Breakfast on the way to Philly? Curious. Thanks for the tip!!

[Tapas52]

Foodandwine....whenever I'm traveling to Philly or parts in between I sometimes stop there...to us it seems to be a bit better food wise then some of the other choices for breakfast or diner fare. Check out their menu items.

[Foodandwine]

Thanks Tapas52 for the rec. I will look into going their.. any other things new in and around Manchester re my post above? Any recs would be appreciated. Seem their are not too many replies so far??