THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

                                   ( LOCAL EDITION)

Hello my favorite people. Did you notice that your dinner bill now  has three digits at the 

bottom no matter where you seem to go? Of course you have. Since you are paying the price of 

admission anyway  it has become  more important than ever to,  as my daughter in law says, 

“ make smart choices”. So , my friends let me ask you this, “ how many  times has this 

happened to you?” You finally decided to bite the bullet and  reserve a table at that pricey place 

that everyone says (possibly even me) is the best in town. You decide to throw all caution to the 

wind and sacrifice your first born to order that premium entrée  that your server has 

congratulated you for choosing. You wait patiently in anticipation and taste your first bite and , 

“EH ”. You look around for the waiter  hoping you’ll get the chutzpah to ask him  to bring you  

something else but there's nothing REALLY wrong with it . Then your friends ask you, How is it? 

" And you say, “ EH ” Then you hear the dreaded phrase , “You must have ordered the wrong 

thing”. Sometimes it is not enough to know  just where to go , but also know WHAT TO ORDER. 

With that in mind, and a small fortune spent , here is a list of my absolute favorite menu items 

that will vastly increase the likelihood that you will enjoy your meal. To this you might  ask “What 

makes you think you're so smart?”, a  phrase notably uttered by Mrs. Einstein to her husband 

Albert as he formulated the Theory of Relativity . To that I say , “Who is writing this article 

anyway , me or you ?”  Do you want to write it?  I didn’t think so. This also reminds me of a 

totally unrelated quote attributed to the noted philosopher and all around deep thinker Jim Carry 

 who once said “Behind every great man is his wife rolling her  eyes”. So without further ado 

here is my totally biased and inaccurate list of my favs  in no particular order for your reading 

pleasure or total disregard .

Best Sandwich 

Lobster Roll BLT  /  Seagrass Ocean Grove

Grilled Chicken  with brie, apple, bacon , spicy  mayo / Kitchen Witch - Monmouth Beach

Best Salad   

The Crackling Calamari  Salad  /   Bistro - Red Bank

Shaved Artichoke / Trama - Long Branch

The Hudson Canyon Salad with Seared Sesame Tuna / Woody’s - Tinton Falls 

Best Appetizer  

Creamy Spicy (not too)  Rock Shrimp with Scallion Pancakes  / Peking Pavilion - Freehold

Mussels with Tomato Gravy and Brooklyn Bread / Trama - Long Branch

Best Fish

Honey Salmon with Coconut Rice and Fried Plantains  /  Woody's - Sea Bright- Tinton Falls

Porcini Crusted Seared Dayboat Scallops with Shaved Truffles / Piccola Italia - Ocean

The Faroe Island Salmon with Sautéed Spinach and Crisp Potato / Stella Marina - Asbury

Best Steak (Without Breaking The Bank) $52 To Share

Corrina's Critically Acclaimed 24 Oz Aged NY Strip  / Peking Pavilion ( Yes The Chinese Place) 

 - Freehold 

 

Best Chicken 

Pollo Involtini stuffed with Spinach , Prosciutto, Fontina and Sage / Stella Marina- Asbury

 

Best Ribs

Mesquite Grilled Baby Back Ribs / Salt Creek Grill  /Rumson

Best Pasta 

Spaghetti in White Clam Sauce / Chef Vola - Atlantic City ( sorry , not local)

Best Bread

 Brooklyn Bread / Trama -  Long Branch

Best Pancakes

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes / Turning Point

Best Dessert

Pot De Creme ( Thick semi sweet chocolate custard )  / The Avenue - Long Branch

Vanilla Creme Brulee  / Piccola Italia- Ocean

Best Drink

Blood Orange Margarita / Avenue  - Long Branch 

Espresso Martini / Mix - Long Branch

Best Pizza ( sorry Vic's and Pete and Elda's )

Nunzio's - Long Branch

Galley Pizza - Asbury

So there it is,  for what its worth which may or may not be much. You decide .

Is it possible that you follow my recommendations and still get a crappy meal? 

Yes. Is that going to happen? Nope . And even if it does as my wife says ,” You are going to eat 

another meal tomorrow”.  BTW I would find very interesting to hear you rants and raves on 

my selections , particularly if you agree with me and a little less if you don’t . So that is all for 

now from your self appointed guide to all things self indulgent , reminding you to enjoy your time on

this planet and eat well my friends.

              Creamy Rock Shrimp with Scallion Pancakes / Peking Pavilion Freehold