Chuck's Spring Street Cafe

The crispy, crunchy goodness which happens when foods are dipped into scalding oil and then prepared until carbonized into deliciously delectable edibles will always have a special place in my heart.

The Buffalo Wing. Just the thought of this minuscule member of the chicken brings a tear to my eye (not really, I am just being dramatic!!). Yes, it may be the smallest and fattiest part of our fine feathered friends but in my opinion, it is the grandest.

There are many places in which you can enjoy this gastric goodness: Friday's, Tuesday's and Hooter's for example. But, If you want the crème de la crème, look no further than Chuck's Spring Street Cafe. Chuck's in located in downtown Princeton, NJ (home of Princeton University). It is literally a hole in the wall. Its just tucked in unobtrusively in the middle of a sprawling downtown area surrounded by up-scale boutiques, jewelers and overpriced restaurants.

When walking into Chuck's you can really appreciate the cafe's simplicity. The décor is cheap, there is plastic furniture and a small TV in the corner. The area where you order is set up like an assembly line with a line forming on the left and the cash register and drinks on your right. We ordered 50 wings and a side of fries for our visit. I was amazed on how quickly our order was up, it literally took seconds!

What also amazed me was how many people patronized Chuck's. In the time it took me and my 3 friends to polish off 50 wings, a pile of fries, a heck of a lot of blue cheese and celery, and a few massive drinks (the fresh iced tea definitely hit the spot) I saw at least 50 people walk in and out with their food.

And now for the wings...

Delicious! The perfect contrast of crunchy coating and juicy meat. Unlike most wings I've experienced, which are initially crispy but loose their crunch over time, Chuck's wings held up (I even brought wings home to my wife and by the time we arrived home they were STILL crispy!). The sauce was your basic Buffalo wing sauce, buttery and hot (but not too hot).

Chuck's Spring Street Cafe is located at 16 Spring St, Princeton, NJ

DeLucia's Pizzeria

DeLucia's did not start business as a pizzeria; it started as a bakery. Costantino DeLucia opened DeLucia's in Raritan, New Jersey in 1917. 13 years later the Italian immigrant begain selling pizzas from his shop. By the year 1950, Costantino's pizza business was doing so well that he converted his bakery into a fulltime pizzeria.

Unlike Grimaldi's, which uses a coal fired oven, DeLucia's has a 93 year old brick oven which makes their pizzas lighter in color than Grimaldi's. The crust has a distinct crunch and texture which I would compare to pasta done "al dente". DeLucia's uses a light, tomato sauce with minimal herbs and spices. The predominant flavor of their pies is of tomato. They use a processed mozzarella cheese which, in my opinion, is inferior to fresh but, compliments the pizzas well.

One of my favorite features of DeLucia's is the ability to buy their pizzas frozen and packaged. DeLucia's even ships their pies to local Quick Chek stores where you can buy them at $5 a piece.


DeLucia's Pizzeria is located at the corner of 1st Ave & W Somerset St in Raritan, NJ

Hot Dog Johnny's

The only place to get wieners in Buttzville!

Hot Dog Johnny's was established in 1944 by John Kovalsky. It started out as a small roadside hot dog stand and eventually grew into a legend. Johnny's has been family owned and run for the last 65 year. Today it is run by Hot Dog Johnny's daughter Patricia Fotopoulos. Johnny's is the quintessential roadside stop. Its nostalgia brings you back to a time when things were simpler, a time when poodle skirts, hot rods and Perfecto leather jackets could be seen in every carhop throughout America. The large sign (featuring a hot dog) beckons hungry travelers to stop by for a tasty treat.

The dogs at Johnny's are cooked in my favorite fasion, deep fried (in peanut oil). If you order one with everything, it comes with yellow mustard, chopped onions and a pickle slice. The hot dogs are all beef, have a thin casing, and are served in a classic paper hot dog tray. Do yourself a favor and order 2, they are just so tasty.

Hot Dog Johnny's isn't only notable for its hot dogs. If you "eat-it" you will have your drinks served to you in cold, frosty mugs. You can order yourself a Birch beer, lemonaide, fruit punch, or (for something completly different) a buttermilk, they all come in a refreshingly cold glass mug. I would also recommend the French fries (also cooked in peanut oil). They are perfectly crisp and expertly fried. One order of fries is large enough for 2 to share.

After you eat, take time to relax and enjoy the wonderful scenery. Hot Dog Johnny's is located next to the Pequest River (it's perfect spot for photographs). There are swings near the parking lot which children are welcome to use (at your own risk). And, in the spring and summer months, Johnny's is decorated with hundreds of flowers and potted plants.


Hot Dog Johnny's is located in Buttzville on Route 46 aprox. 1/4 mile west of Route 31

Ike's Famous Crabcakes

When most people think of crab cakes and Ocean City, they think of Maryland. Well, it just so happens that you can find both in New Jersey!

Yes, there is an Ocean City in New Jersey! Ocean City located in Cape May County just south of Atlantic City. The city is a well known family resort town and for its prohibition of alcohol sales within the city. (although there is a GIANT liquor store located just outside the city limits!).

Ike's Famous Crabcakes is famous for, well, crab cakes. Crab cakes are made from crab and a multitude of other ingredients witch can include: breadcrumbs, onions, seasoning and egg as a binder. Ike's Famous does not use filler like most other crab cakes, its all crab meat here. The sweet meat of the crab is just about all you taste besides Ike's subtile use of spices. Ike's uses top quality ingredients in their menu. Fresh spiral-cut potatos are served fried for, what Ike's likes to call, butterfly fries. When ordering fried clams, you'll find yourself with the most tender and delicious (and gigantic!) clam strips you have ever had. I would also recommend the cole slaw which is lightly seasoned with celery seed and is absolutly divine!


Ike's Famous Crabcakes 2 is located at 556 Sea Isle Blvd., Ocean City, New Jersey

Grimaldi's Pizzeria

Pizza, the one food I could eat everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's ingredients are so simple. You start off with dough, add tomato sauce and cheese then bake. Simplicity at its best. The one thing that is not so simple is putting it all together.

Here in the New Jersey/NYC area, we know how to make pizza. As long as you are north of Trenton, expect to have yourself a descent pie (sorry South Jersey). The dough is the key to a good pizza. Some people say the water in our area gives our pizza dough its distinction (the balance of crispiness and chewiness). Tomato Sauce is the other crucial ingredient of the pizza. It must be simple and yet have character, the sauce must have the correct balance of salt and spices. The tomato's natural sugars should be the only sugar in the sauce. The cheese, the final step in the process. Some people prefer fresh mozzarella, others prefer the the shredded variety. There are some pizzerias who use a blend of cheeses (mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, and/or Parmigiano-Reggiano to name a few). After all these wonderful ingredients are combined they are baked in an oven. This is where the distinction is made from a good pizza and a fantastic pizza.

What makes Grimaldi's Pizzeria one of the best in New Jersey is their pizza oven. Grimaldi's uses a coal fired pizza oven. Coal fired ovens can reach temperatures which wood or natural-gas fired oven can't. Most, if not all, coal fired ovens are lined with brick or stone which help contain all of the heat. Coal fired ovens are rather rare these days; natural-gas is standard for most pizza ovens. The coal oven imparts a smokey flavor upon the pizza. The high temperatures the oven reaches quickly cooks the outside of the pizza while leaving the the inside of the dough light and chewy.

There are several Grimald's pizzeria locations throughout the country but I would suggest trying a pie from one of their original locations (Hoboken, NJ or Brooklyn, NY)


Grimald's is located at 133 Clinton St, Hoboken, New Jersey

The Grease Trucks

Nestled in a small parking lot on the Rutgers University, New Brunswick campus is a gastric pilgrimage. This collection of eateries, which serve the student population and public, has started a revolution of sorts for the empty-pocketed and edacious individual. Imagine, you are a college student straped on cash. What do you eat?

GREASE TRUCKS!!!

The grease trucks specialize in the "Fat" sandwich (a 10 inch sub roll loaded with any imaginable ingredient). Order a "Fat Darrell" and you will find yourself with a sandwich loaded with chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks and French fries. A "Fat Cat contains 2 burger patties, French fries, lettuce and tomato. The ever popular "Fat Bitch" holds cheese steak, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, French fries, lettuce and tomato.

"All this food!? It much cost a fortune for a sandwich!" is what you make think. But, no my hungry friend. A mere $5 dollars is all you need to engorge yourself in high caloric heaven.

Now that's a $5 footlong! (minus 2 inches)


The Grease Trucks are located in New Brunswick, New Jersey at the corner of College Ave & Hamilton St.

Hello World

Yes, today is the perfect day (or night) to start what I hope will be THE destination for information on places to eat in New Jersey. I have always wanted to review and critique the wonderful establishments which New Jerseyans have cherished, valued and reminisced as good eats. Wondrously greasy Pork Roll sandwiches, tomato pies, Texas weiners; these are the foods that New Jerseyans have grown up with and will savor eternally.

I will be updating you all with the glories of gastronomic inebriation; stories of road trips to diners, grills, delis and parlors where you can partake in New Jersey's glory.

Get ready for Jerzey Eats!