The N.J. food bucket list: 50 items to eat before you die

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The N.J. food bucket list: 50 items to eat before you die

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/04/50_jersey_foods_you_must_try_before_you_die.html

A ripper - so named because the skin rips apart when deep-fried - at Rutt's Hut, Clifton 

(Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Fat, plump, juicy, and 130 or so varieties to choose from. The wings at Marley's Gotham Grill 

in Hackettstown are the state's best, in my opinion

One of the excellent empanadas, up close and personal, at Division Cafe, Somerville

 (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The photo doesn't do it justice, but spicy lemongrass with chicken at Viet Bistro in the Cumberland Mall, Vineland, proves there's great food in Jersey's ubiquitous shopping malls

 (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The roast beef and mozzarella sandwich is a classic at Fiore's Deli, Hoboken. Here, Dominick Vitolo, center, takes lunch orders at the deli, open since 1913 (Aristide Economopoulos I The Star-Ledger)

The tokri chaat, center, a bowl filled with potatoes and chutneys, is a must-try at Dimple's Bombay Talk, Iselin, one of the dozens of restaurants, markets and stores along Oak Tree Road in Little India 

(Dimple's Bombay Talk)

Sicilian pizza, Bruno's, Route 46, Clifton. The atmosphere is strip mall pizza diner, with front counter, laminated tables, and a lively crew/clientele (Peter Genovese I The Star-Ledger)

Sticky buns are a particular weakness of mine. The state's best are at Aversa's Bakery, Brigantine. Great and gooey. (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The braised short ribs at Terre a Terre, Carlstadt, are a house favorite. They've been braised with root beer and an IPA; the current variation is Bordeaux-braised (yelp)

Five words: Double dark chocolate fudge crunch. It's my favorite flavor at Cliff's Homemade Ice Cream, Ledgewood, the state's best roadside ice cream stand. Don't like chocolate? Try one of the 70 other flavors (Alex Remnick I The Star-Ledger)

Roast pork, LaLa's Puerto Rican Kitchen truck, Route 9 south, Old Bridge. This is one of my favorite Jersey-based food trucks (Amanda Brown I For the Star-Ledger)

Customers line up in front of LaLa's Puerto Rican Kitchen on Route 9 South in Old Bridge (Amanda Brown I For The Star-Ledger)

The Greek Store in Kenilworth is my favorite food store in the state for one reason - the olives. My favorite of the dozens available: the Moroccan oil cured olives (M. Kathleen Kelly I For The Star-Ledger)

The pasta flora (shredded coconut-topped quince pastry, at left) is my favorite thing at Argentina Bakery, Union City (Tim Farrell I The Star-Ledger)

The Carmen's Special, aka the Rosie, at Carmen's Deli in Bellmawr, a no-nonsense, old-school place (Noah Addis I The Star-Ledger) Carmen's Deli in Bellmawr was named New Jersey's best sub shop in Inside Jersey's Food Fight issue in 2011 (Noah Addis I The Star-Ledger)

If I had to take one slice of cheesecake to my desert island, it would be the caramel pecan cheesecake at Anthony's Cheesecake in Bloomfield. Excellent sandwiches here, too (Frances Micklow/The Star-Ledger)

The heady smell of onions, the sizzle of meat on a tiny grill. A double cheeseburger at the White Manna in Hackensack - across the street from a McDonald's - is one of the state's great guilty pleasures (Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The White Manna in Hackensack is the state's smallest - and most photogenic - diner (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The simple, and great, cinnamon sugar doughnuts from Browns, on the Ocean City boardwalk. It's a trip watching them roll down the conveyor belt after their hot oil bath (Tim Farrell I The Star-Ledger)

Browns is located at the north end of the Ocean City boardwalk. There will be a line, but it moves pretty fast since there are just six kinds of doughnuts to choose from (Tim Farrell I The Star-Ledger)

Subs being made at the legendary White House Subs in Atlantic City (Noah Addis I The Star-Ledger) White House Subs opened in 1946 in Atlantic City. It is an essential Jersey food experience. Make sure to take a ticket!

Egg Bagels, JT's Bagel Hut, Forked River. You can have your raspberry-swirled pink lemonade glow-in-the-dark bagels. Give me a big fat chewy egg bagel at my favorite Shore bagel stop anytime. JT's also has great French toast and cinnamon sugar bagels, among others (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The chocolate habanero ice cream at The Bent Spoon in Princeton is rich, spicy, silky and smooth. The Bent Spoon is one of my two or three favorite ice cream stops in the entire state (Tim Farrell I The Star-Ledger)

Pork chops, Augustino's, Washington Street, Hoboken. Here some clown is trying to fit the monstrous, marvelous chops into his big fat mouth (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The bracing and supremely refreshing mint lemonade at Al Basha, Paterson. The first time I tried it, I wanted to take a gallon or two home (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The soft-shell crabs at the Circus Drive-In, Rt. 35, Wall, are one of the legendary drive-in's most popular items (Rich Krauss I New Jersey News Photos)

The blueberry pie at Emery's Berry Farm in New Egypt is my favorite of all the pies at the market, just off Route 539 in New Egypt.

Lamb chops, Greek City, Route 17, Ramsey. Some of the state's absolute best food can be found in strip malls (Frances Micklow I The Star-Ledger)

There has to be a Taylor ham/pork roll sandwich on this list; it's the unofficial state sandwich. This one is from the Olde Towne Deli in Boonton, the best I've had in years (Alex Remnick I The Star-Ledger)

Tagliolini al Scoglio, one of the authentic Italian dishes at ITA101, Medford. They were among ten finalists in our N.J.'s best Italian restaurant showdown (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The orange/vanilla swirl soft serve at Kohr's - or Kohr Bros. - can be seen here on the staffer t-shirt and in the right foreground. No Jersey Shore summer is complete without a trip to the boardwalk ice cream stand (Tony Kurdzuk I The Star-Ledger)

Tender tuna sashimi roll, Mr Pi's Sushi II, Warren. It's not on the menu; ask for it (Alex Remnick I The Star-Ledger)

Miss Dorothy's skillet-fried chicken has been served at the Chalfonte Hotel in Cape May for 50-plus years (Chalfonte Hotel)

Whole belly fried clams, Boulevard Clams, Surf City, a plain-Jane seafood restaurant on LBI with fresh, fine seafood (Alex Remnick I The Star-Ledger)

Mozzarella made tableside, Cafe 2825, Atlantic City, the winner of our N.J.'s best Italian restaurant showdown (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Rodizio, the traditional Spanish/Portuguese nonstop eat-until-you-drop procession of meat, at Fernandes Steak House in Newark (Tim Farrell I The Star-Ledger)

Jambalaya with chicken and andouille, topped with shrimp creole, at Drew's Bayshore Bistro, Keyport. The highly-recommended seashore restaurant is owned by Drew Araneo (Cathy Miller)

Rotisserie chicken, Yoder's, Amish Market at Mullica Hill, Mullica Hill. The market, my favorite specialty food store in South Jersey, is squeezed into a strip mall behind the Harrison House diner (Peter Genovese I Nj Advance Media for NJ.com)

Do you think chicken is boring? Eat this - the chicken Taverna, broiled half chicken seasoned with Mediterranean herbs and spices, Pompton Queen Diner, Pequannock. (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Al Santillo, owner of Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza in Elizabeth, makes pizza. My favorite: The 1964 Style, with extra virgin olive oil and parmesan (John O'Boyle I The Star-Ledger)

Rigatoni alls Disgraziata, Zeppoli, Collingswood. Owner Joey Baldino is one of NJ's most acclaimed chefs (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Chicken, beef and pork tacos at MOGO, Asbury Park boardwalk. They also have a storefront on Cookman Avenue (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The amazing Mocha Decadence cake at Grateful Bites (formerly Baker's Treat) in Flemington. The bakery is one of my top 20 bakeries in NJ (Peter Genovese I Nj Advance Media for NJ.com)

Spicy cabbage, Chengdu 23, Wayne, my favorite Chinese restaurant in New Jersey. Start with the cabbage, then order either the Szechuan seafood delight or volcano chicken (Jerry McCrea I The Star-Ledger)

Beef tendon chicharrones with beet tartar, marrow creme at Mistral, Princeton, one of the state's more adventurous high-end restaurants (Mistral)

Farm-raised oysters from Cape May Salts. They're available at the Washington Inn in Cape May, among other places (Cape May Salts)

The Philly fluff cake, made with Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at Natale's Summit Bakery in Summit. They make 600 of them every week (Aaron Houston/For The Star-Ledger)

Rachel Martinez digs into the Korean fried chicken at Peck Peck in Teaneck, my favorite Korean fried chicken in New Jersey. Korean fried chicken is double-fried for extra-crispy, crunchy goodness (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) cj ncn

You haven't lived until you've tried one of NJ's infamous fat sandwiches. This is the Fat Roscoe (cheesesteak, chicken fingers, mozzarella, fries, honey mustard) at RJ's Cafe in Ewing. It was the best in my fat sandwich showdown last year (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Rice pudding, Salem Oak Diner. The classic 50s diner is located across the street from New Jersey's most famous tree, the 600-plus-year-old Salem Oak (Alex Remnick | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Lemon ice, Di Cosmo's, Elizabeth. The Di Cosmo family has been making Italian ice since 1915 in the city's Peterstown section. Within walking distance is legendary old-school Italian restaurant Spirito's (Di Cosmo's)

Sloppy Joe, Towne Hall Deli, South Orange. The deli claims to be the birthplace of the Sloppy Joe. Along with at least a half dozen other places (Towne Hall Deli)

The delicious, juicy prime rib at the Walpack Inn in Walpack. The restaurant, with its animal-head-studded wall and surrounding countryside, is s memorable experience (Tim Farrell I The Star-Ledger)