1. HIRAM'S ... 1345 Palisades Avenue, Fort Lee, NY tel (201) 592-9602
Hiram's, famous for their Hot Dogs, is a classic Jersey Joint. Hiram's was a large part of Tony's childhood, the historicalHiram’s Hot Dog Stand. Hiram’s prides itself on tradition and has rarely changed its menu items and service traditions since 1932, providing a truly nostalgic and comforting environment.
Tony orders two hot dogs, but these are not your ordinary hot dogs; they are “Rippers.” They are deep-fried hot dogs, causing them to tear in the middle of the casing and provide a perfect catalyst for mustard or any other condiment you want to add to its center.
"RIPPERS at HIRAM'S"
Rippers are Deep Fried Hot Dogs, invented at Rutt's Hut, Clifton, New Jersey. Rutt's Hut, Hiram's and a few other Hot Dog Joints around New Jersey serve them, and Tony, just Loved them, especially at Hiram's where his father brought Anthony to hundreds of times over the years. Needless to say, Hiram's and their Tasty Hot Dogs had a special place in Tony's heart. It's stop # 1 on The Anthony Bourdain Food Trail.
2. FRANK'S DEL, Asbury Park, NJ
Owner Joe Maggio, whose dad founded Frank's Deli, an Asbury Park institution, in 1960, is still taken aback that Bourdain chose to eat at his modest, no-frills place. “He travels all over the world, and then he comes to Frank’s,” Maggio said.
Bourdain came, as many do, for a classic Jersey sandwich. He sat at table No. 9 and ate sandwich No. 4 — fresh home-baked bread stuffed with an absurdly generous amount of provolone, salami, pepperoni, boiled ham, capicola, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Plus, Bourdain requested, hot peppers.
"He was very nice, very polite, very cordial," Maggio said — and wore old jeans and a winter jacket. "I think his jeans even had a rip in them."
He continued, "My wife and I are big fans of his. We watch the show all the time. But I can tell you that I wouldn't eat bird's nest soup."
Go: 1406 Main St., Asbury Park; 732-775-6682
FRANK'S DELI
TONY'S FAVORITE - The #4
The # 4
Salami, Ham, Capicola, Pepperoni,
Provolone & Hot Peppers
TONY & His BROTHER
KUBEL'S at BARNEGAT LIGHT
New Jersey
3. KUBEL'S - BARNEGET LIGHT
At Kubel's, Bourdain reminisced with his dining companion, his brother, about the fun times they and their mom and dad spent “down the shore."
"I remember this place with nothing but fondness,” Bourdain told his his brother. “I mean, I can’t remember a single bad memory here.”
And, of course, he remembered the clams he so loved to eat. "No matter where I find them now," he said, "they always bring me back here."
Bourdain ended up feasting on a lot more than clams with his brother. He managed to polish off fried clam strips, clam chowder, steamed garlic clams, lobster mac and cheese, fish and chips, and a few glasses of beer. "I don't know how he did it," a young server marveled.
Martyniak still gets a kick out of telling the story of the snowy morning Bourdain came to check out Kubel's — before opening time — and the bartender, a 19-year-old who had no clue who Bourdain was, politely asked him to "come back in an hour."
Fortunately, Martyniak knew who was at the door — and rushed to let him in.
"He was very nice," Martyniak said. "He entertained the bartender more than the bartender entertained him."
LUCILLE'S LUNCHEONETTE
4. LUCILLE'S LUNCHEONETTE ... Warren Grove, New Jersey
He (Bourdain) took a seat at the bar — "That's where all the action is," Karen said — and breakfasted on scrambled eggs, scrapple, home fries, house-made chili and blueberry pie, made from scratch. And, yes, he ate it all.
By the way, it was the first time that the man who had eaten just about anything — raw sea eyeballs, turkey testicles, cobra heart and warthog anus — ate scrapple, a heavenly mush of pork scraps and trimmings.
1496 Route 539, Warren Grove; 609-698-4474
LUCILLE
LUCILLE'S LUNCHEONETTE
TONY & RUTH'S STEAKS
Toi=ny & Ruth's Steaks
Camden, New Jersey
5. TONY & RUTH'S STEAKS, Camden, New Jersey
Bourdain grabbed one of the four rundown stools at the counter, and ate ... What? "I don't remember," said Ruthie, not one to get too impressed by a brush with celebrity — though the episode shows him eating what appears to be eggs, rice and beans. Ruthie did recall, however, that his mouth was going full-speed, gabbing, not eating. “He didn’t eat much,” Ruthie said. “All he did is talk, talk, talk.”
Jose Orgiz, a Camden resident who immigrated from Puerto Rico 52 years ago, would have recommended the cheesesteak sandwich, the fare that brings him there just about every day. "I love it, and I love it here," he said.
Philadelphia is the city that birthed the cheesesteak sandwich. But according to Bourdain, the best cheesesteak to be had is not in Philly but on the other side of the Delaware River, in Camden, specifically at Donkey's Place, a funky 75-year-old bar, today run by its founder's grandson Rob Lucas. (It's called Donkey's because Rob's grandfather, Leon Lucas, was a boxer whose punch was said to be like the mighty kick of a mule.)
CHEESE STEAKS
DONKEY'S PLACE
Cheesesteak is pretty much the only item on the menu at Donkey's — and the family hasn't messed with the recipe in three-quarters of a century.
“We haven’t changed anything in 76 years,” Rob said. “The sandwich is all we do, so we got to do it right.”
What makes Donkey’s cheesesteak — thinly cut steak, sauteed onions and American cheese that Donkey's serves on a poppy-seed Kaiser roll — so darn good? "The onions," Rob said. "We cook them all day,"
Donkey’s sandwich “should be a national landmark,” Bourdain declared, sitting on one of the stools at the bar. “This sandwich is unbelievably good, a thing of beauty."
DONKEY'S PLACE ... 1223 Haddon Ave., Camden; 856-966-2616,
The KNIF & FORK
The KNIFE & FORK
ATLANTIC CITY NJ
7. KIFE & FORK, Atlantice City NY
“It was paradise,” Bourdain said about Atlantic City. “American’s first dream vacation, a democratic dream designed in the beginning for everybody.” And the Knife & Fork Inn, the city’s second-oldest restaurant, was there through it all, he noted.
Knife & Fork opened in 1912 originally as a men’s dining and drinking club. Today it is a beloved Atlantic City jewel that is chock full of history and scrumptious food.
LOBSTER THERMIDOR
An OLD-SCHOOL CLASSIC
The KIND of THING TONY LOVED
The OLD HOWARD JOHNSON'S
ASBURY PARK NJ
Sadly closed, you can stills see the Awesome Jetsons Like Structure
American author Mark Twain's most notable claim to fame is penning "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." The only thing that may have rivaled the prose he poured from his pen is his love for the alcohol he poured into his glass. When Twain wasn't working on his storytelling, he developed a fondness for scotch whisky and for one drink in particular that seem very similar to a smooth old fashioned cocktail.
While a traditional old fashioned relies on a simple syrup or a sugar cube and some Angostura bitters and is served with an orange twist, Twain was partial to a different citrus. The satirist revealed his affinity for this whiskey cocktail in a letter to his wife in 1874 while he was in London, writing, "Livy my darling, I want you to be sure & remember to have, in the bath-room, when I arrive, a bottle of Scotch whisky, a lemon, some crushed sugar, & a bottle of Angostura bitters" (per The New York Times). In fact, Twain liked it so much he confessed that he was drinking it three times a day to aid with his digestion.
Classic OLD FASHION Cocktail
An old fashioned is a classic Whiskey Cocktail with bitters, simple syrup, and fruit. Experts believe the drink is called the "old fashioned" because it's one of the first widely known cocktails ever. The name comes from people ordering the drink the "old-fashioned way.
OLD FASHION COCKTAIL
Recipe
Ingredients :
1.5 ounces Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
1 slice of Orange
1/2 teaspoon Sugar (Optional)
ANGOSTORA BITTERS
ICE
1 Maraschino Cherry
1. Place the Orange slice and the Cherry in a Rock Glass. Add sugar and about 6 dashes of Angostura Bitters.
2. Muttle all together. Muttling is crushing and smashing the ingredients.
3. Fill glass with Ice Cubes.
4. Add the Whiskey and stir.
Notes : The original recipe for the Old Fashion cocktail, calls for sugar in the cocktail. Now adays, many do not want sugar in their Old Fashion, and the cocktail is most popular these days without it. It's personal preference.
Also, you can add a splash of Club Soda to the drink. Again personal preference.
Myself, "I prefer my Old Fashion without sugar with a splash of club soda on top.
