2022_09_New_Jersey_Monthly
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EAT + DRINK<br />
Casual dining<br />
that won’t break<br />
the bank.<br />
tody of his three sons when they were<br />
young. He recalls toting Tony in a carrier<br />
strapped to his chest as he served customers<br />
their coffee. “Poor kid,” he jokes.<br />
“He should disown me.” The boys grew up<br />
hanging out at the diner and eventually<br />
working there, washing dishes, cooking<br />
and looking out for their dad.<br />
Tony, 22 this month, graduated from<br />
Harvard this year—his acceptance to the<br />
school is an emotional high point in both<br />
documentaries—and started a job at a private<br />
capital company in Boston. Dimitri,<br />
20, studies at the Culinary Institute of<br />
America in Hyde Park, <strong>New</strong> York. Michael,<br />
18 this month, works alongside his<br />
father at the diner and will attend Rider<br />
University in Lawrenceville this fall.<br />
While Diakakis’s story had remained<br />
relatively out of the spotlight until recently,<br />
the Bendix has long garnered recognition<br />
far beyond the Garden State as<br />
an icon of Americana. The diner appears<br />
in such films as <strong>Jersey</strong> Girls (1992), Boys<br />
on the Side (1995) and The Many Saints of<br />
<strong>New</strong>ark (2021), and in commercials starring<br />
Ray Charles and Michael J. Fox. “For<br />
a while there, the Bendix Diner may have<br />
been the most famous diner on American<br />
TV,” Peter Genovese wrote in a 2019<br />
NJ.com ranking of <strong>Jersey</strong>’s 30 greatest<br />
old-school diners.<br />
Jerry Seinfeld stopped by with comedian<br />
Barry Marder in a 2012 episode<br />
of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.<br />
Jack Antonoff ’s Bergenfield-born band,<br />
Bleachers, shot the video for their 2021<br />
single, “Stop Making This Hurt,” in the<br />
Bendix, turning band members loose to<br />
dance on the tabletops.<br />
Diakakis works seven days a week<br />
at the diner, which he refers to in Scalia’s<br />
documentary as “Cheers with food.”<br />
Paired with the promise of a good meal, he<br />
says, it’s “kind of a homey, perfect place.”<br />
Diakakis encounters all walks of<br />
life—“from truck drivers to people who<br />
fly gazillionaires all around the planet... to<br />
a family coming in for some hearty breakfast<br />
on the weekend.”<br />
He adds: “Every day that I’m here<br />
should be some sort of learning experience.”<br />
It may be for the customers, as well.<br />
“I’m sorry to say this,” Diakakis says, “but<br />
when this place is busy, I love showing off.<br />
I can feel the eyes on me: ‘How the eff is he<br />
doing this blind?’”<br />
n o r t h<br />
ALBERTO’S<br />
RESTAURANT &<br />
PIZZERIA<br />
› Belleville<br />
STYLE The decor and some of<br />
the fare speak to the owners’<br />
native Argentina: tango on the<br />
speakers, soccer on the TV,<br />
murals of Buenos Aires, and<br />
pictures of late Argentine soccer<br />
great Diego Maradona.<br />
THE SCOOP Alberto Guido<br />
and Marcela Paturzo opened<br />
the restaurant 11 years ago after<br />
moving to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> from<br />
Buenos Aires.<br />
THE MENU Lunch staples<br />
include chicken parm panini<br />
and the super combo hot<br />
sandwich (pastrami, roast<br />
beef, corned beef and cheese).<br />
For pizza, the Alby’s special<br />
(onions, peppers, mushrooms,<br />
pepperoni, sausage) is hearty.<br />
For something different, try<br />
the faina slice (a crêpe made<br />
from chickpea flour). For<br />
dinner, entrées include pasta,<br />
chicken and veal preparations.<br />
Don’t overlook the Argentinian<br />
empanadas or the classic<br />
Argentinian ensalada rusa. The<br />
Milanesa Napolitana (breaded<br />
chicken) and bife con papas<br />
fritas y huevos fritos (steak<br />
with fries and fried egg) are<br />
iconic Argentinian meals, with<br />
mondongo, tripe in red sauce,<br />
for the more adventurous. Parrillada<br />
mixta, mixed barbecue,<br />
is a staple in Argentina, and the<br />
chorizo sandwich is Buenos<br />
Aires street food. The steak<br />
salads are a chance to try the<br />
famous Argentinian beef.<br />
HEADS UP Ask for caramel<br />
in your churro (Latin take on<br />
doughnuts). —Lucas Boyce<br />
482 Washington Avenue<br />
973-447-1397<br />
Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat<br />
PRICE $$ BYO<br />
c e n t r a l<br />
prices (most entrées) $ under $15 $$ $15-$25 $$$ over $25<br />
ALTERNATE<br />
ENDING BEER CO.<br />
› Aberdeen<br />
STYLE This nostalgic brewery<br />
with full kitchen features a cinematic<br />
theme, in keeping with<br />
its past as a movie theater. Film<br />
references enliven the menu,<br />
and movie posters are adapted<br />
to promote Alternate Ending’s<br />
brews. Some tables include<br />
theater-style seats.<br />
THE SCOOP A giant screen<br />
plays classic flicks, and movie<br />
nights are held regularly. Trivia<br />
nights typically focus on beloved<br />
movies and TV shows.<br />
THE MENU You’ll find burgers,<br />
cheesesteaks and pulled pork,<br />
but also falafel, chicken salad<br />
sandwiches and deep-dish<br />
sourdough pan pizzas. The pies<br />
include the Grandma Style, the<br />
Detroit Style, and the Big Kahuna,<br />
with pineapple. Smaller<br />
dishes (in the Previews section)<br />
include pretzels, fries and<br />
wings. There are salads, vegan<br />
options and desserts.<br />
True to its name, Alternate<br />
Ending offers an extensive<br />
tap list: IPAs, lagers, pilsners,<br />
stouts, ales and more. (4-ounce<br />
tasters are $3.) Looking for<br />
something refreshing and light?<br />
Try Hanzo, a citrusy green-tea<br />
lager with a 2.6% ABV.<br />
HEADS UP Alternate Ending<br />
is 10 minutes from Holmdel’s<br />
PNC Bank Arts Center, making<br />
it the perfect place to grab a<br />
bite and a brew before a concert.<br />
—Gary Phillips<br />
1057 Route 34<br />
732-612-8422<br />
alternateendingbeerco.com<br />
Lunch and dinner, Wed-Mon<br />
PRICE $$<br />
s o u t h<br />
BLUE CLAW CRAB<br />
EATERY<br />
› Burlington<br />
STYLE Casual seafood<br />
house with tables covered in<br />
brown paper. The sea-blue<br />
color scheme harmonizes with<br />
prints of crabs on the walls.<br />
THE SCOOP The Blue Claw,<br />
opened in 1961, is all about<br />
blue crabs in both hard<br />
and soft shell. Hard-shell<br />
king crabs can run up to 15<br />
pounds. Snow crabs are the<br />
king’s smaller cousin. Dungeness<br />
crabs run up to 4 pounds<br />
each, their meat quite sweet.<br />
Softshells are blues that have<br />
molted. Crabs sourced daily.<br />
Indoor and outdoor tent<br />
seatingis available.<br />
THE MENU Buffalo garlic<br />
scallops and <strong>New</strong> England<br />
clam chowder make tasty<br />
starters. Snow crab parts are<br />
available as an all-you-caneat<br />
entrée with fries or hush<br />
puppies. This signature draw<br />
is served cold or steamed,<br />
plain or seasoned with J &<br />
O crab seasoning, Norm’s<br />
seasoning, the house garlic<br />
seasoning or any combination<br />
of sauces.<br />
Generously portioned<br />
seafood feasts include crabs,<br />
clams, corn and two sides.<br />
Also consider tacos topped<br />
with chipotle, aioli, cabbage<br />
or house-made salsa.<br />
HEADS UP Wings are served<br />
with sauces such as mild,<br />
Buffalo, Buffalo garlic, stoner<br />
(spicy/tangy) , BBQ or garlicpepper<br />
Parmesan.<br />
—Cle Weaver<br />
4494 Route 130 North<br />
6<strong>09</strong>-387-3700<br />
crabeatery.com<br />
Lunch and dinner, daily<br />
PRICE $ $ BYO<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF COCKBURN’S/SYMINGTON FAMILY ESTATES<br />
124 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM