Eating my way through summer at the Shore

Hello readers, and welcome back!

Can you believe it is almost September? Summer flew by this year.

Personally, I'm fine with this, as fall is my favorite season. And while the end of summer used to mean the closing of my favorite seasonal restaurants, one positive to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is that some Shore restaurants now extend their season into late October and even November.

The extra time helps some recoup losses sustained while dining rooms were closed in 2020, while other restaurants are making the most of an increased year-round beach population. Many people relocated when remote work became the way of the world and never returned to the cities, meaning more potential customers.

I look forward to returning to How You Brewin, a Surf City coffee shop that is bursting with people in the summer but makes for an ideal second office in the fall (try the avocado toast and flavored coffees); The Local Market & Kitchen in Ship Bottom, which is crushed with customers from May to September but then returned to local customers (I like their brioche breakfast sandwiches and fudgy brownies); and Los Barbaros Birria in Belmar, whose tacos I had months ago and still crave on a daily basis.

Doughnuts for days

Last week, I ate far too many doughnuts. A hazard of the job, I suppose. I was rounding up doughnut shops by the beach and had to try a few (for journalistic integrity, of course). My favorite was the blueberry crumble from Side Door Donuts, a tucked-away shop behind a bike store in Beach Haven.

I also liked the sugared jelly doughnut from The Chubby Unicorn Donut Shop, which opened recently in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township. The shop has tons of doughnuts that appeal to kids — mine chose ones topped with Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Krispies — but I don't need all that. Classic doughnuts are where it's at.

Speaking of classic, this story introduced me to Joe Firetto, a middle school principal who has been running Donuts Plus in Lavallette since 1985. Their building on Route 35 was an original model for the beach homes built nearby, Firetto said, and he has resisted changing it much in an effort to preserve its history.

"This is like an old-time donut shop," he said. "Other than our shop (and OB-CO Donuts in Toms River), we’re one of the oldest doughnut shops in the area still existing."

Simple and delicious is simply delicious

All too often, I find myself searching for the most gourmet items on a menu. Maybe it's because I spend my days writing about food, but rarely am I satisfied with a simple burger (add blue cheese and caramelized onions!), classic pizza (make it Buffalo chicken!) or a straight-up cup of coffee (oat milk and two pumps of hazelnut syrup, please!).

Even when I cook, I have to change recipes, add ingredients or otherwise jazz things up. It keeps all the eating and cooking and talking about eating and cooking interesting.

But sometimes, simple is best. A good reminder of that was a recent trip to Stewart's Root Beer in Tuckerton, which sits across from Pohatcong Lake. You can eat inside the orange and white-checkered dining room, decorated with statues of Elvis Presley and Betty Boop, or outside at a waterfont, umbrella-topped table.

This was the first restaurant I dined at during the pandemic, so there's a feeling of nostalgia surrounding the old school spot. At that time, my boys and I ordered from the car and ate in the back of my SUV, a pandemic-style picnic. It's a nice memory from a scary time.

This time, we dined inside, sipping ice-cold root beer from frosty mugs and sharing a BLT, cheesesteak, cheese fries and macaroni and cheese bites. No jazzing up required.

Tell me about your favorite server, bartender

For an upcoming series highlighting the people who keep restaurants running, I'm looking for suggestions! Tell me about your favorite servers, bartenders, bussers and baristas: Email me at sgriesemer@gannettnj.com and let me know where they work and what makes them stand out.

That's all for this week. As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your story tips and ideas at sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, and you can find more local food stories at app.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

Sarah Griesemer is a food writer for app.com. For more on where to eat and drink, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Eating my way through summer at the Shore