I'm usually the guy behind the scenes but sometimes ya just gotta go for it. I spent an entire Saturday riding around in New Jersey in a van with a 10 foot hot dog on top eating every time the van stopped. It was a BLAST! I did not put NCR in subject because if you read my blurb it says I collect casino chips. My bio is at the very end. Those of us in Jersey should appreciate the article more than others.

Toast of the coast
From doughnuts to oyster, Munchers sample Jersey Shore eateries
Friday, June 16, 2006
BY PETER GENOVESE
Star-Ledger Staff
Pat and Lorraine Montalbano, three giant Tupperware containers in hand, walked up to the counter at Martell's Shrimp Bar in Point Pleasant Beach and told owner Bobby Dionisio to fill the containers with his shrimp gumbo.

Nothing out of the ordinary there. But get this: The Montalbanos live in Riverdale, and they drive two hours to Point Pleasant twice a year for one reason only — to pick up the gumbo.

"We make it last half a year, then come back again to pick up some more to get us through the winter," Pat Montalbano explained.

There are thousands of restaurants along the 127-mile-long Jersey Shore, some of them more memorable than others. Dionisio's seafood bar, one of seven stops on a recent Munchmobile Down the Shore excursion, is one of the better ones. Doughnuts to ice cream, soft-shell crabs to chicken Francaise, we ate it all, driving from Avalon to Manasquan. Time to hop aboard the Big Dog and head down the Parkway; we'll pay the tolls.

Donuts Plus, Ocean Beach

The Sunday morning doughnut run is a Shore tradition; at Donuts Plus, you can get your crullers and croissants along with lively repartee from the owners, three brothers who are teachers and principals in their non-doughnut lives.

"We should have been partying in the¤'80s," Joe Firetto said. "Instead, we were in here making the doughnuts."

The dedication paid off, judging by the product in the A-frame red cabin. They'll make 250 dozen doughnuts on a typical summer weekend. Most popular kind: cinnamon. The cruller is soft and sugary. The apple turnover, light and puffy, is markedly better than the leaden version at your local diner. Muncher Sara Bradley called the Boston cream doughnut "great." Also recommended: the almond delight, a streusel crumb-topped creation. We know it's not a doughnut, but the pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich, with peppers and onions, will jump-start any morning.

"Can we stay here all week?" John Bradley, Sara's dad, asked.

No, John, we have work to do.

Maggie's, Avalon

As we rolled into Avalon, the steady rain encountered on the way down had turned into a torrential downpour. But Maggie's proved a warm, cozy retreat. Waitresses wear T-shirts that say "No whining." Homemade soups, omelets made in the pan and Scrapple — what more could you ask for?

The French toast is a cinnamony delight; it would make several Munchers' favorites-of-the-day list. The clams casino soup — rich without being particularly rousing — was lukewarm; it was sent back and returned hot enough. We're not sure what was Philly about the Philadelphia Plate — fried oysters, turkey salad, tomatoes and cucumbers — but the oysters were perfectly done.

Star-Ledger photographer Tim Farrell described his cheese omelet as "good, steady and solid." The cheesesteak would not pose any threat to the South Philly competition. Len Cipkens called the grilled cheese sandwich "above board but not outstanding."

"Every town should have a place like this," one Muncher said, getting it about right.

Luvin Seafood at Skeeters Crabhouse, Tuckerton

Skeeters is set amidst the restored buildings at Tuckerton Seaport, a maritime Williamsburg. Fishing reels, 25-foot-long bamboo outriggers and the occasional leaping sailfish provide the decor at Skeeters. There are rolls of paper towels at each table; things can get messy.

The Skeeters Special, with crab, clams and shrimp on a round, sombrero-sized plate, is highly recommended. Order a dozen oysters on the half shell; you'll thank us later. The spicy gumbo earned a "delicious" from John Bradley and an "awesome" from Susan Degnan. Pat Preblick called the she-crab soup "heavenly."

Another highlight: the beer-battered soft-shell crabs. One disappointment: the broiled halibut. Another: the Jersey Shore crab gravy, a pasta/crab dish with an instantly forgettable red sauce.

Co-owner Donnie Albanese is a colorful cat; the Gulf War vet once worked at Crabby's in Belcoville. The recipe for his distinctive "pepper sauce," with mayo, crab spice, and apple cider vinegar, "came from some 80-year-old crabber down in Florida."

One bite at Skeeters — sorry, couldn't resist — and you'll be hooked.

Mrs. Walker's Ice Cream, Forked River

After the seafood feast at Skeeters, we needed a break, and Mrs. Walker's on Route 9 in Forked River provided it. Call it a hard ice cream lover's vision of paradise, with 35 flavors, including Swiss chocolate almond and banana fudge. Feeling brave? Try a Suicide Sundae — five scoops of ice cream, four toppings, plus whipped cream and bananas.

We licked, and loved, the coffee royale ice cream and the brownie nut fudge sundae. Good, not great, chocolate shake. The highlight was a strawberry sundae with vanilla custard, the latter sensationally smooth. Another winner: the fresh-squeezed lemon ice, a nice, and necessary, palate-cleanser for the food still ahead.

Martell's Raw Bar, Point Pleasant Beach

Martell's Tiki Bar is a Jersey Shore institution, but the sprawling boardwalk complex also includes indoor and outdoor restaurants, a food court (more on that later) and a raw bar. They make fresh-squeezed orange juice (for mimosas) and shuck oysters and clams, about 1,500 each on a typical summer weekend. The oysters were above average, but not on Skeeters' level. The clams were surprisingly succulent, neither tough nor chewy.

Call the raw bar an appetizer. Call our night almost over.

Maria's Italian Cuisine, Manasquan

"Ed, party of three, last call, Ed, party of three," a hostess announced at Maria's.

Come on, Ed, we're hungry here!

True Munchers will try anything once, which accounted for someone ordering the lima beans appetizer. Don't laugh; Farrell called the spicy beans "the most memorable thing of the day."

Quality thin-crust pizza, although not in the same league as Pete and Elda's and other Jersey Shore thin-crust legends. Good greens in the salad, but it was drowning in dressing. The ravioli were overcooked, and the marinara was middling. If the plum tomato sauce in the stuffed calamari had been teamed with the ravioli, then we'd be talking. The osso buco got an "all right," nothing more, from Rob Lukenda. But John Bradley called the tortellini verde "delicious."

"Did anyone weigh themselves this morning?" Degnan asked.

"I didn't want to cry," Preblick replied.

Hey, there is no crying on the Munchmobile!

Martell's Shrimp Bar, Point Pleasant Beach

After hearing word of another seafood bar at Martell's, the Munchmobile's driver, never one to throw in the paper towel, paid a visit to Martell's Shrimp Bar, where he encountered the Montalbanos and their collection of Tupperware. The shrimp bar is just inside the boardwalk entrance to Martell's, on the left; look for the three giant plastic lemonades.

"This is an Italian shrimp salad, with 100 percent imported olive oil," said Dionisio, forming a wrap. "I make the crab cakes fresh every day. I make my own honey mustard, raspberry and cocktail sauces. I make my own fries."

Must-haves include the blackened tuna bites, rolled in a 20-ingredient seasoning mix and then seared in an iron pan. And the Atlantic grouper sandwich — grilled, not fried — and topped with a near-marvelous mango and mandarin orange salsa. First-rate New England clam chowder and shrimp gumbo. No wonder the Montalbanos drive two hours for it.

The Bluepoint oysters, from Long Island, were a slippery, slurpy success. "Seafood Bob" sells 200 to 300 crabcakes a day, but they seemed the least memorable of the items sampled.

See the big red bottle with the lime-green spout on the self-serve condiments table? It holds what Dionisio calls "Mulligan" sauce, a vinegary, hot-peppery concoction customers use on their clams and shrimp. It'll rock your world and add a little spice to any Jersey Shore summer.

Where we munched

Donuts Plus, 3173 Route 35 North, Ocean Beach; (732) 793-8646. Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. seven days a week.

Luvin Seafood at Skeeters Crabhouse, 120 W. Main St. (Route 9), Tuckerton; (609) 296-4163. Hours: noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; noon to approximately 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

Maggie's, 26th and Dune Drive, Avalon; (609) 368-7422. Web site: maggiesofavalon.com. Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.

Maria's Italian Cuisine, 165 Main St., Manasquan; (732) 223-2033. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. Closed Tuesday.

Martell's Raw Bar, Boardwalk, Point Pleasant Beach; (732) 892-0131. Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday.

Martell's Shrimp Bar, Boardwalk, Point Pleasant Beach; (732) 295-CLAM. Hours vary according to weather, but generally from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to midnight or 1 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Mrs. Walker's Ice Cream, 132 S. Main St. (Route 9), Forked River; (609) 693-9500. Hours: 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Munch Team favorites

John Bradley: chocolate cream doughnut, Donuts Plus, Ocean Beach; spicy seafood gumbo, Buca blackened tuna, Luvin Seafood at Skeeters, Tuckerton; thin-crust pizza, Maria's Italian Cuisine, Manasquan.

Sara Bradley: French toast, Maggie's, Avalon; garlic shrimp, Skeeters; fresh-squeezed lemon ice, peanut butter ice cream sundae, Mrs. Walker's Ice Cream, Forked River; thin-crust pizza, Maria's.

Len Cipkins: crab cakes, garlic shrimp, Skeeters; vanilla custard strawberry sundae, Mrs. Walker's Ice Cream; stuffed artichoke, seafood stuffed calamari, Maria's.

Susan Degnan: garlic shrimp, crab cakes, Skeeters; turkey salad, Maggie's; fresh-squeezed lemon ice, Mrs. Walker's Ice Cream; lima beans appetizer, Maria's.

Tim Farrell: cruller, Donuts Plus; veggie omelet, Maggie's, Avalon; soft shelled crabs, Skeeters; lima beans appetizer, Maria's.

Pete Genovese: French toast, Maggie's; cruller, Donuts Plus; oysters, spicy seafood gumbo, Skeeters.

Rob Lukenda: Skeeters special, crab cakes, Skeeters; chicken Francaise, Maria's; pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich, Donuts Plus.

Pat Preblick: Blue crabs, soft shell crabs, she-crab soup, Skeeters; fresh-squeezed lemon ice, Mrs. Walker's Ice Cream; lima beans appetizer, Maria's.

Len Cipkens, 45, Parsippany

Stay-at-home dad who runs a public relations agency. Former owner of B&B in Ocean City; says he was the cook, reservation operator, bookkeeper, concierge and maid. Met his future wife in Las Vegas. Hobbies include thrill rides and collecting casino chips.

Quote: "I have undone my belt buckle, and I am not ashamed to admit it."