Porta Asbury Park: Pizza and Pasta Delight

Clamboni Double Sized

Pizza Carbonara

After attending my cousin's high school graduation, we all decided to eat a quick dinner before she had to wisk off to project graduation. Multiple suggestions were thrown in the air until finally deciding on PORTA ASBURY PARK.

The establishment is more of a casual ambiance with distressed cafeteria style long tables and often times a shared experience with other patrons. In the center one is greeted by an oversized bar filled with people dining and sharing cocktails with laughter. Finally, towards the back area you can see up close as the cooks make brick oven style pizza, I find great specially for first time diners.

As everyone begins ordering their meal, the one thing that catches my eye is the plate named CLAMBONI, and I figured why not try something different while everyone decided on pizza. When my plate arrived I was happily surprised that it was mini clams tossed with spinach fettucini and sliced zucchini. I paired my dish with a glass of house white wine and it meshed together beautifully. Of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try their tantalizing pizza menu, I asked my cousin for a piece of her carbonara pizza, and it was delicious! Cheesy, aromatic, and crispy thin, all of which I love about a pizza.

Porta Asbury Park is one of those places where you can brings friends and family to have a great meal and just have fun. It is priced affordably and the food is amazing.



Maurizios..Italian Ristorante (Neptune, NJ)

Another local eatery I have always enjoyed is Maurizio's Italian Restaurant and Pizzaria. Only a 2 minute ride from my house, it's one of those neighborhood eateries that you come to expect good food and still reasonable prices.

After a few years absence from experiencing its amazing menu, I decided to go back to Maurizio's for a nice late lunch, I had a craving for pizza and of course ended up with more than just pizza. I began with an order of mozzarella and tomato salad with an olive oil vinaigrette dressing; with a little sprinkle of salt and ground pepper, it was amazing.

For my main course I decided on the Mussels ala Diane Blanco, mussels cooked in flavored white wine and tossed with linguini pasta. With garnishes of fresh basil, to say the least it was heaven, and with the freshly baked bread, I scooped up even the remaining sauce!

Located in the Shoprite Plaza off of route 66 in Neptune, NJ Maurizio's Restaurant and Pizzaria is one place that will have you coming back for more.... 

Joe's Shanghai..a Chinatown hidden gem!

After countless miles and endless blocks of walking through the streets of New York, from Central Park all the way to ChinaTown, hunger was the only voice and direction all of us wanted to follow. My cousin Glenda suggested Joe's Shanghai ( in hind sight there is a second location off of 37th street), and it was truly worth the walk.

We started off with the steam dumplings and Shu Mai. One note to keep in mind is that each order is family size and should be shared within a group of 4 people. All together we decided in pan fried crispy noodles, the spicy General's Chicken, stir fried clams. Although there were plenty of soda options, the one thing I needed most was bottled water- If I dont trust the tap water at a 5 star hotel, there is no way I would really drink tap water in China Town, and unfortunately they didn't have any bottled water. Tip: may want to bring your own bottled water, but please inform the establishment ahead of seating..

Overall, the food was delicious and worth the trip into China Town..reminder, the street is a small side street so google or GPS the location ahead of time..

Quiznos..Where did the Pink Lemonade go?

A few weeks ago I revisited an old favorite, I can remember ordering from this place when I worked at a nearby bank- Quiznos had the best toasted sandwiches and salads!

Black Angus Beef, Roast Beef, and Turkey subs were my all time favorites, and one thing I looked forward to aside from the food was the pink lemonade. When I went in this time I noticed the classic pink lemonade I so looked forward to having was not there anymore, I was to say the least highly disappointed. For a few minutes I was lost and had to face a totally unfamiliar menu.

In the end I decided to try the healthy route and pick the small greek sandwich in a toasted flatbread, and a small grilled chicken salad combo, and since my favorite pink lemonade is no longer available, water was the drink of choice.

I do look forward going back for something new, and hopefully it won't take several years- considering it's only around the street from my house.

IchiUmi..Life is better with SUSHI

With two locations one in Menlo Park Mall, Edison, New Jersey and the other in 6 east 32nd St. New York City, IchiUmi is a sushi lover's heaven! But Sushi is not the only delight one can have, a plethora of seafood, beef, chicken, pork, and more all prepared in multiple ways can fulfill anyone's food cravings- did I mention it's an unlimited BUFFET.

I usually begin with one or two pieces of almost all the sushi and sashimi they have prepared, I favor the salmons and the octopus sushi. I will try anything at least once and that includes sea urchin sushi and other delicacies many people would abstain from, and trust me most of the unfamiliar foods turn out to be the tastiest and surprisingly most memorable.

After a round of sushi and sashimis, I like to follow up with a few more seafood choices- FRESH of course, like mussels prepared with spicys and dressings, as well as raw clams and oysters which I always dress in plenty of lemon and ground black pepper. Then, I always indulge in all things seafood, from crabs, mussels, grilled clams, giant shrimp, crawfish, salmon, and everything else consummable that comes from the sea- and yes that includes a seaweed salad which by the way is my favorite. Don't be fooled by the pictures, IchiUmi offers more selections than just seafood, but unfortunately I couldn't fit anymore; I wanted to save room for dessert!!!

From mango sorbet to tiramisu, IchiUmi offers an endless buffet of dessert choices, but nothing beats a freshly made crepe with numerous topping choices to satisfy any one's heart.

Though a bit pricey from an everyday buffet, the upscale nature of IchiUmi and the choices one can pick from makes the price well worth every penny!



Five Guys Burger!! its no peanuts..

I often avoid hamburgers at any cost, not because I don't like them, but because I LOVE them but they don't love me back! For some reason no matter how good the quality or how prime cut the burger meat is it always makes me sick, but to my surprise Five Guys Burger didn't do that.

Once in a blue moon I find a place where I can enjoy a burger with all the 'fixin' and not have to pay the price later on.

If you haven't been to a Five Guys Burger, one thing you have to know is that it also offers unlimited salted peanuts (which you can clearly see by the bags upon bags of peanuts in the middle of the establishment), and you can enjoy as much as your heart desire. Unlike other burger joints, at Five Guys you can actually pick the toppings you want or remove the ones you don't like, and if you are a french fries lover the massive quantities they give you per order can surely satisfy anyone's heart!

It's often harder than not to resist going to Five Guys Burger since its only a minute away from my house, and so convenient to stop in and enjoy an amazing burger.