Sometimes, smaller is better. At Bradley Beach’s Osaka at the Station, patrons can converse without shouting—and still enjoy hibachi, tempura, sushi, teriyaki and the all of the traditional cuisine associated with Land of the Rising Sun. After one too many trips to the larger and noisier Japanese steakhouses that dot Monmouth County’s state highways, our party immediately embraced the peace and tranquility that one can sense upon entering the ten-year-old storefront eatery at 604 Main Street. A sushi bar with seating for six and a single dining area with ten tables sufficiently spaced to …

When it comes to choosing a breakfast place, it seems everyone looks for the same thing. Speedy, friendly service with less than expensive food. Each town has a plethora to chose from with patrons whom are loyal to each. When my friends and I choose to eat our first meal of the day in Belmar, the only place we ever go is The Belmar Cafe. The Belmar Cafe is a family owned and operated eatery and has been since the beginning. There is just more respect and better service when the owners are actually the ones serving and cooking your food. The service is always, always fast, efficient and given …

Years back, "Red Ed," who was a sales rep in the surf industry, more or less vanished from the surf shops you would see him in so often. The reason? Surf Taco in Point Pleasant Beach.  Now a New Jersey favorite, Surf Taco has eight locations at the Jersey Shore.   Surf Taco offers a unique atmosphere and is one of the healthier "quick" food options around. The decor is exactly what you would expect from the name. Surf videos play on flat screens around the rooms while photographs of local and pro surfers adorn the walls. Surf Taco was the first in the area to cash in on the California-style …

When it comes to great sushi, thoughts of tropical locales and the most popular large city sushi restaurants come to mind, not the Jersey Shore. While there are plenty of sub par sushi places scattered along our coast, for real sushi, not pre-made rolls or frozen fish, I highly recommend Kotta in Belmar.  Kotta is considered and marketed as a Japanese Asian Fusion eatery with a menu full of sushi, stir-frys, surf and turf and tempura. Unlike many places to get sushi, Kotta's rolls taste fresh, not fishy. The freshness and quality of ingredients are evident at first bite. My most recent visit …

Have you been looking for “the place to eat” lately? Well, Dewilla Goldate has the place for you. Goldate has just celebrated the one-year anniversary of her Lake Como restaurant, Dewilla's. A Jersey-bred entrepreneur and chef, Goldate lived in Middlesex County most her life, but a move to Santa Barbara inspired Goldate’s cooking for the rest of her life. In 1996, Goldate sold her two businesses, The Beanery in Point Pleasant Beach and Git’ Fired Up, a pottery studio with locations in Ocean Grove and Point Pleasant Beach, and headed to the sunny shores of California. There, Goldate worked in …

[Editor's Note: This week in Bites Nearby we're featuring two Jersey Shore institutions— Vic's and Pete and Elda's. Both are known for their famously thin pizza and their loyal followings. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the article!] As an absolute fiend for pizza, the second I relocated to this area, everyone that I knew here began to inundate me with demands to go to Carmen's Pizerria at Pete and Elda's Bar on Route 35 in Neptune City. "Its the best pizza on the planet." "Their pizza is like an addictive drug." "I would eat their pizza off the ground." …

[Editor's Note: This week in Bites Nearby we're featuring two Jersey Shore institutions— Vic's on Bradley Beach and Pete and Elda's/Carmen's Pizzeria in Neptune City. Both are known for their famously thin pizza and their loyal followings. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the article!] One of the finest thin crust pizzas is available at Vic’s Italian Restaurant, Main Street, Bradley Beach. Entering Vic's Italian Restaurant is like entering a scene from the "Godfather." A lot of the decor, including the lamps, is irreplaceable.   Vic’s is old world Italian at …

Nagles, located in historic Ocean Grove, offers great food and amazing character at a low price. The walls are adorned with the old-fashioned pharmaceutical instruments that were typically used in the very same building in its previous life as a pharmacy. The dining tables consist of local newspaper clippings of the early 1900s, complete with photos of what local towns looked like in the days of old. The original counter, once used as a soda pop fountain, is still operational as a counter-seating alternative to tables. Everywhere you look, there is something that is historic that will take …