This past weekend I had friends visiting, so on Sunday morning we were on a mission to find a good breakfast. I decided to suggest a place that I heard was great, but had never gone to before -- Colonel's Kissing Booth, down the street from me in Asbury Park, on the corner of Summerfield and Emory Avenues.  It opened this past summer, and I had heard great things.  They describe their cuisine as "American comfort food" and comfort it was -- specializing in breakfast foods, they also offer lunch (for the late risers).  We arrived around noon -- perfect for either/or.   I ordered "French Kisses…

Temple, a new gourmet Chinese restaurant in Red Bank, was recommended to me by multiple diners, multiple times. When more than a few of my friends stress that I must visit certain locations, I have to take their word for it.  I went last night for the first time, hungry, with two friends and two bottles of red wine.  Any time I go out with a group, we always order with the idea that we will share a family plate in the center, so I can decide what I want to order next time.  Most entrees average about $20 here, but for specialities of course its more (think Peking Duck slow roasted in a …

If you are a BBQ lover like me, you should definitely take a trekk down route 35 to 8th Avenue in Belmar and visit Jersey Shore BBQ and Catering.  Mastering traditional Texan BBQ, they not only produce mouth watering meats, but do with generous portions and at an affordable price.  Stressing the method of time and patience, they cook their ribs for 4 hours, brisket for 12 hours, pork shoulder for 10 hours and chickens for 3 hours.  If you have taste for the best type of BBQ, check them out.  With a liquor store right across the street, enjoy your meal with a 6 pack.I went with a group of …

As you may know by now, I enjoy Greek food in all its varieties, having previously eaten at Mad Greek in Hazlet and my grandmother's favorite Greek Diner, Gus' Restaurant, in Freehold.  Niko's Trapezi Greek Taverna, located in Ursula Plaza on Ocean Avenue in Long Branch, had been highly recommended to me by more than a few food lovers as a go-to for Greek fine dining.  I got together with two friends earlier this week, split a bottle of wine, and spent an unnecessarily long time at Nikos eating and laughing as much as we could.  It truly was a great time, and the food was absolutely fantastic…

I have always been a big fan of subs and sandwiches in general, so I am always searching for a new place that can accommodate what I am in the mood for -- and the bread quality is key!  As I try to explore as much of the Jersey Shore terrain as I can, I recently visited Pinebrook Liquor & Deli en route to a friend's house in Eatontown one night. I ordered three subs, all of which were delicious to those that order them, and enough food to save half of the sandwich for lunch the next day. The fresh baked bread was fantastic, too -- did I mention bread quality is important? A small location on …

Ristorante Giorgia, a new authentic Italian BYOB restaurant on the Avenue of Two Rivers in Rumson, opened in June after about four months of planning (and the desire to be open for summer). A small, intimate restaurant with dim lighting, this new eatery has the look and feel of a small country town in Italy.  The owner, Francesco Panucci, grew up in a quaint place like this on the west coast of Calabria, called Spilinga.  Some of the most robust and unique flavors come from small towns like this, where the food is often the kind you grow up on."You can say I have been working on this menu for…

I went to Nauvoo Grill in Fair Haven with my family for the first time last weekend. I have had this place recommended to me many times overall, but heard that they had a pretty good burger.  As a lover of Barnacle Bill's in Rumson, I felt the need to go inspect the competition. A different atmosphere from the get go, of course, as it has the interior design of any traditional fine dining lounge and restaurant. You could go there to treat yourself to a nice fine dining experience if you don't have to worry about the wallet, but you can also go here and enjoy a lot of their menu items and …

If you have been reading Bites Nearby for awhile, you realize by now that I love pizza, and I often feel that there are a few great establishments deserve recognition in different ways.  Out of my selections, Pete and Elda's Bar/Carmen's Pizzeria in Neptune City may be the most well-known pizza joint along the Jersey shore. Whether it be the "eat an entire XL pie for a free t-shirt" craze, enjoying their other classic Italian dishes, or acknowledging the greatness of their thin crust pizza as a whole, Pete and Elda's is definitely a hot commodity, and fun to go sit at the bar with your …

I always pass La Rosa Chicken and Grill on my way to work, as it is located conveniently right off the parkway on Asbury Avenue in Tinton Falls, amongst a few other "goodies" in various shopping centers.  Not sure what I was in the mood for, I figured a place like this would have a lot of variety for me to decide what my palette was craving -- and I was right.  Known initially for their rotisserie chicken, I was bombarded with heavenly aromas upon entering the eatery.  It appears as more or less a "to go" place with tables to sit down if desired -- good to grab if you are both eating solo or …

Porta opened at the beginning of the summer as a bar that boasts a lot of beers on tap, and a set up outside like "hanging out" in someone's backyard -- offering bocce ball, dominos cards, and jenga to help transform a typical bar experience.  When they opened, they were busy right away with the promising notion that they would start serving food. Not just any food -- Neopolitan style pizza in a wood burning oven, a type that you need a license to make authentically.  It was started by one of the owners of a popular Asbury Park bar, Brickwall, but soon after took on a personality all its own.…

I've been frequenting Bond Street Bar since it reopened after many years last Spring, serving the local community as a small place with affordable prices and a suprisingly decent selection of very affordable and unique bar food.  There is not much on the drink menu that is above $6, nor is there ANYTHING on the food menu above $6, which is right up my alley during the recession. If you like the bar scene, Bond reminds me of small bars in the lower east side that sell cheap booze as a way to draw a lot of the locals on a budget.  What makes them different, though, is their way of making bar …

Energy Grille on Route 35 in Middletown recently also opened a location on Route 9 North in Freehold.  Coining the phrase, "The Taste Your Waist Will Love", they are true to their tagline. Much of their ingredients are low-fat and whole wheat, with a variety of salads, paninis, wraps, burgers, and 10" whole wheat pizzas.  Since I don't get to Middletown often, I decided to order a sampling of a few different menu items at once, all delicious, filling, and enough for leftovers. Their salads all looked great, ranging from the traditional Chicken Caesar with light dressing and multigrain …

I had only been to The Downtown one time for a few drinks when it opened.  I remember it being pretty packed with a cover band playing.  The downstairs is mainly tables and the bar, while upstairs, is more of a lounge area.  I met a longtime friend there the other night for a little dinner and time to relax and catch up.  They have happy hour every day until 7 p.m., boasting $5 wine and $2 off beer, and "M.A.D. Wednesdays" featuring local music, local artists, and $3 domestic drafts starting at 8 p.m.  Considering its a hot spot for the Red Bank bar scene, I had honestly never given the food …

I went to Vic's for the first time in years the day after the hurricane. After a long weekend of preparing for the worst, it felt great to come out of hiding to a place busy enough that you couldn't even tell a storm had come through. Or perhaps it was just that feeling of being holed up and needing to GET OUT to eat a comforting meal.  With family immigrating here dating back to 1910, Vic's was originally "Vic's Tap Room", but became "Vic's Bar and Restaurant" in 1947.  I have never once run into someone who has been to Vic's who hasn't spoken highly of it, and always insisting that I must …

I went to McDonagh's Pub in Keyport for the first time recently, looking for a quick pub lunch and a nice pint to accompany it. It was a gorgeous day, so our immediate reaction was to beeline for the outdoor seating they have. A few people I work with had told me about this place, and that the food was pretty decent, so I went there hungry. They have a very extensive menu, which was almost overwhelming because everything sounded good.  I first ordered a Harp to start sipping on while I made a decision. While the menu itself looked great, I actually opted for an item on the Specials menu that …

I hadn't been to Monmouth Park Racetrack since I was a kid, but was excited to hear that over Labor Day weekend, they were hosting a BBQ & Craft Beer Festival.   After the beach this Saturday, I trekked over to Oceanport and first checked out the beer tasting.  For $10, each person was given a 2 oz pilsner glass and 10 different tickets. Some of my favorite beer brands were featured, including Blue Moon (Harvest Pumpkin Ale, Belgian White Ale, and Pale Moon), Long Trail (Double Bag, Long Trail Harvest, and Wolover's Pumpkin Ale), and Flying Fish (Octoberfish, Pale Ale, and Hopfish). I tend to…

I have been going to Ocean Cafe since probably my freshman or sophomore year in college, when it was just the original location on Ocean Avenue in Long Branch.  While seemingly just a sandwich place, their food has gotten me through many midterms, finals, and winters in Long Branch.  The comfort in this food has me still going back there even though I don't live there anymore, and to boot, they opened a location in Shrewsbury, about 5 minutes from my parents house on Route 35.  They have a wide variety of fresh squeezed juices and smoothies, that can be paired with any wrap or salad for a …

I have been going to 10th Ave Burrito for a few years now, since it was at its old location. It moved from 10th over to 8th Ave where Kaya's Kitchen used to be in Belmar Plaza, a location with much more space for table service.  They were always the place to go to get excellent Cali-Mex fare with the freshest ingredients possible.  Everything is made from scratch and cooked to order. They even have an adobo sauce (Delilah's Adobo sauce) made and bottled in the restaurant itself, while used as marinades and as a condiment.   Of course the initial menu item to try is any of the burritos, …

West Long Branch resident Traci Foggia has taken her love of healthy-eating and nutrition and transformed it into a business that has taken the area by storm. Foggia is the co-owner of Salad Shack, located at 138 Myrtle Ave., Long Branch, along with her husband Stephen Foggia. They opened their restaurant on May 27 and began spreading their slogan "Big on taste, less on the waist," around the community. Traci said the opening of Salad Shack represents a new opportunity for area residents. "I've always been into nutrition and eating correctly," she said. "I've been a resident here so long, and…

Located on 35 North in Hazlet, Mad Greek serves the most traditional Greek cuisine you can get, with a flair of American for those with a less adventurous pallette. As a falafel lover, I went there craving it had it served in a grilled pita with tomato, onion, fries and tzatziki. The menu was extensive enough though that I am going to suggest my family to go there, so that we can each order something different and share. They have your authentic Greek plates like Mousaka, layered eggplant, potatoes, seasoned ground beef and topped with Bechamel cream sauce and then oven baked -- a real …