HOMETOWN (H)OMAGE



Hello my friends and welcome. As some of you may or may know, my home town of Long Branch has a long and sordid  history of only  two things , charismatic wise guys with colorful names ( like the infamous Pussy Russo) and Italian fare to  die for . Ask any  old tymers  about the good ol  days and their eyes will glass over as they recall a young Frank Sinatra  and his cohorts slurping Manhattans  and  raising hell at the infamous Continental between bites of  Puttanesca or  Ossobucco. Although the  once great institutions of the past ( like Ilventos and Sirianni’s ) have vanished along with sub million dollar real estate , there are a handful of very worthy contenders that are continuing the tradition of drool worthy fare in our area. First off has to be the venerable and very tasty Trama’s Trattoria (115  Brighton Ave, Long Branch), the answer to my most asked  question ( What is my favorite restaurant ?) Here Executive Chef and owner Pat Trama, late of Charlie Palmer’s River Cafe in Manhattan , the esteemed Coco Pazzo in New York and more recently The Fromagerie in Rumson, flexes his culinary muscles worthy of the greats of old. And talking about mussels ( see how I worked that in there) this is the place to have the very best around. In a way it is almost unfair to judge because the Brooklyn bread croutons are so extraordinary  that it is very doubtful you will notice anything else.. Add to that their spectacular Baby  Artichoke Salad with house made lemon vinaigrette  and you my friends are truly eating good in my neighborhood. Now where  was I ? Oh, yes. 

You can feel the warmth and old school charm at this next contender, the unassuming and utterly enjoyable Johnny Piancone’s (591 Broadway)  in Long Branch. You will feel like you have taken a step back in time at this family run affair where the portions are large , the service is great and the prices are better. Do yourself a favor and check out their excellent Happy Hour with $10 specials galore . I for one would gravitate towards the eggplant dishes which rival some of the best around. For a real treat, order the Homemade Rigatoni with Scallops. Shrimp and Crabmeat. The sauce was so delicious that I started to forage scraps of bread from other people’s plates to sop it up when they had their heads turned. Just saying. So…. Cue up some vintage Frank or Dean  on Spotify , order a Rusty Nail or two and croon  with me  “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime, There’s No Tellin Where Love May Appear”. Well my friends on note, that’s all I got for now. Go do something totally out of character, shock those around you, And  as always live a life that makes your neighbor jealous. Harry , Over and Out. 

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