There's nothing like a New York Bagel even if you get it in Jersey

The Bagel Club

20 Commerce Street

Flemington, NJ 08822

908-806-6022

Menu: Bagels! and all kinds of things made with them

Atmosphere: In and out, a few tables, quick, casual

Kid Friendly: Yes I think I've even seen a high chair

Price: Cheap good eats

Three blog entries in one day?!?!?! Sorry for the overload, but I am determined to catch up, and this will be a quickie.

It always boggles my mind that bagels in Jersey and New York taste so completely different than bagels in Boston. It's only about 3 1/2 hours from NYC to Beantown, where did the recipe get lost? or is there just such a huge rivalry between the cities that New Yorkers will never allow Bostonians to have a good bagel in their home town?

Whatever the reason, Boston bagels just aren't the same.

One of my favorite places to get bagels is The Bagel Club in Flemington, NJ. It's right off the main road that goes thru town, rt. 202, and is hidden behind the 7-11 located next to Shop Rite.

When Lou and I go to NJ he will often take the bus into NYC and work for a few days. We always start the morning off with a trip to the Bagel Club to share breakfast together before I take him to the bus. The Bagel Club has every bagel imaginable as well as various cream cheeses. There is nothing fancy about this place, just good bagels and quick service in the morning to get the day started off well.

My favorite? Salt Bagel, Cream Cheese!

The Shaker Cafe Mueve Todo lo que tu Madre te Dio

The Shaker Cafe

31 Main Street

Flemington, NJ 08822

908-782-6610

Menu: Lunch and breakfast sandwiches, salads, typical
Atmosphere: Eclectic, laid back

Kid Friendly: Sure

Prices: Fair

Shake what your mama gave you! The Shaker Cafe in Flemington sits in the spot the Bagelsmith occupied for years. What happened to the Bagelsmith? I have no idea. I don't even know if there was anything that occupied this space between the two. Hey what can I say I moved out of the area years ago, but I do come back to visit, and over Thanksgiving my parents took me to the Shaker Cafe.

When I walked into the cafe the first thing I thought was, "This lady looks like she collected stuff for years and instead of succumbing to being cast on the show hoarders she opened a restaurant to stick it all her junk in." The decor is extremely eclectic. All the best items you could find at a garage sale. This place is my husband's knick knack nightmare, but it does give the place some character, and makes the atmosphere a little more interesting.

The Shaker Cafe serves Breakfast and Lunch Monday thru Friday, and just breakfast Sundays. Their menu is basic, hot and cold sandwiches and salads with daily specials. I am not saying this is a bad thing, just is what the menu is, and basic food done well, makes for a good place.

This visit I got the Tuna Melt. It was a normal portion and came with chips and a pickle. It was good, but I could have made it better at home.

When we ordered our food a unique twist is the counter gave us an animal to put on our table. We got a giraffe. When our order was ready they delivered our food to us. They also cleared our plates as they saw we were done, so I guess this makes it semi-full service. We had to pick our own table.

An interesting thing about the Shaker Cafe, is the name. My parents told me the woman who owns the cafe, collected salt and pepper shakers for years. If you know my parents, they could have made this story up, but the shakers on the tables were all unique which makes me believe they were probably telling me the truth this time.

So my impression of the Shaker Cafe? Well if I worked in the area, I would probably hit it up for lunch once in a while. The food was decent, prices aren't too bad, and there is a lot to look at in there, but I am not so sure about the service. The woman at the counter was nice enough but the woman who cleared our table got competely bent out of shape when my mother said she wasn't done with the napkin she cleared. When I say bent, she was noticeably irritated, it was a bit ridiculous. I also think the collection of shakers may dwindle the longer the place is opened. People used to steal the crappy shakers we had in Fuddruckers. I can't imagine them resisting the little elf heads, Amish couple or frogs!

My last bit of advice for the Shaker Cafe? Update your website! There is a link for events and the last one listed is from March 14th? The "About Us" link has a plug for personal chef services under the title Our History. It is all very confusing. Honestly this place makes me want to call my friends the Grieshabers and ask them why they are waiting to open their own place? Hopefully they read this, What are you guys waiting for????

Everybody Has a Hometown Favorite

Maria Rosa's

541 Sergeantsville Rd. (Rte. 523)

Flemington, NJ 08822

908-788-4945

Menu: Pizza, Pasta, Wraps, Sandwiches Salads

Atmosphere: Hometown laid back favorite

Kid Friendly: Absolutely

Prices: Inexpensive way to have an excellent meal out with the family

Every person who lives away from home has a favorite restaurant they hit up when they go home for something they've been craving. For my sister, Kira, and I, that place is Maria Rosa's. The address is Flemington, but it is closer to Sergeantsville where we grew up.

When I visit Maria Rosa's the thought always enters my mind, why wasn't this place here when I was growing up? Maria Rosa's is a Restaurant and Pizzeria run by the Marinelli family. I can't remember when the restaurant actually opened. I know it was after I moved away from the area, but I feel like I have been going there forever. It is the quintessential, hometown place with great food, a laid back atmosphere, an ultra friendly staff, and you're guaranteed to run into someone you know when you are there.

When I first moved to Sergeantsville, I was 9 years old. I remember in the first month my father decided we were going on an adventure! He said we would seek out the best cheese steak in the area. We had moved up from outside of Philly, and so there were big shoes to fill, but we were determined. We went to about 5 different places that day, and struck out. We thought there was just no way a place in Central Jersey would know how to make a good cheesesteak, but then along came the Marinelli's at Maria Rosa's and their award winning cheesesteak. The steak is shaved, the cheese it melted perfectly, there is marinara sauce on top, onions, peppers and mushrooms if you want them... It is Cheesesteak perfection. If you look on Yelp today there is a review from someone who says, "O MY GOD! That was the best Cheese Steak Sub I ever had and I used to live in Philadelphia"

Besides the cheesesteak, the rest of the food at Maria Rosa's is just as good. The pizza is great, and of course they have traditional Italian pasta dishes like Chicken and Eggplant Parm, Stuffed Rigatoni Pesto, and the house specialty Penne Maria Rosa. Salads come with every entree and are always fresh and crisp. My mom love's Mike's homemade vinagrette. Maria Rosa's also has wraps on the menu, Ralph's Chicken is delicious and a healthy option.One of the best parts about Maria Rosa's is the Marinelli's. They know everyone. It is truely a family run business. Brothers Ralph and Mike are almost always behind the counter, Mike cooking and Ralph greeting everyone as they come and go. Mr. and Mrs. Marinelli used to run the business full time, and will often still be in greeting customers and helping to deliver food. Long time waitress Donna, is always pleasant and quick to serve. I don't think I have ever been to Maria Rosa's where one of the Marinelli's or Donna didn't stop by the table to ask how our family was doing, and at Christmas time, they often give out wine as gifts to their regular customers.

If you are in the Flemington area and you are looking for that hometown place with great food and great service. try Maria Rosa's.