This past weekend I found myself not wanting to stray far from home. A veritable ghost town, New York City on July 4th weekend is so nice and peaceful. You could probably get a reservation at almost any restaurant you wanted to. Yet, a part of me still longed for some sand and sea so I convinced Danyellita & her boyfriend to take a ride down to the Jersey shore.
I rely on my cousins, since they spend a lot of time there, to tell me what's new in the area and to keep me up to date on old favorites. No visit to them is complete without a trip to the BEST Italian Ice place in the tri-state area: Strollo's Lighthouse in Long Branch, NJ. We walked the half mile or so from the house to Strollo's. By the time we got there, we were dripping in sweat which made the ices/ ice cream that much the sweeter. There are always lines, but they move pretty fast. Our order for 5 adults and 3 kids ran the gamut from ices to rootbeer floats to combos of ices & ice cream. High school kids staff the three windows and are quick, courteous and great with kids.
After taking a few hours break, we went out to dinner at a new-ish (it wasn't around last summer) Brazillian rodizio restaurant (in which waiters come around to your table with skewers of various grilled meat & poultry and you pick and choose what you'd like), Rodeio Grill. It's been years since I was last at a churascaria and even then, it wasn't in the US. All of us, kids included, got the churrasco (Brazillian barbecue). I was pleasantly surprised. The first skewers to come around held chicken and sausage. Flavorful and juicy, the chicken was by far the superior of the two; the sausage was so-so. Next up, beef with bacon which may not sound like the most appetizing thing but it was delicious and a table favorite. Then there was top sirloin, both well done and rare, also tasty although the rare was just bit too rare for me. This was followed by ribs which were too fatty and unimpressive. Skirt steak was grilled to perfection and might have been my favorite. The pork loin which came out next didn't wow me although the majority of everyone else seemed to like it-- it was a bit fatty and not as flavorful or charred as I would have liked. And last but not least-- and this was by request-- was the bacon-wrapped chicken chunks. That too, was very tasty and I think was Danielle's favorite.
Aside from all the barbecue, there is a small, very basic salad bar that is included in the price of the churrasco, as well as french fries, rice, beans & fried bananas which are served family style. All of the sides were excellent.
Desserts (passionfruit sorbet & flan) were okay but nothing to knock your socks off. I'd say have another round of churrasco instead.
If you live in the area or are down the shore for the weekend, have a hearty appetite and aren't a vegetarian of course, definitely check this place out. It's worth every real.
Strollo's Lighthouse
65 Ocean Avenue
Long Branch, NJ 07740
Average Setback: 2 small ices, 2 rootbeer floats, 4 dishes of combination ice/ ice cream, 2 bottles of water $24
Why Bother?: Why not! Everything is delicious though my personal favorites are the orange, blue raspberry and pistachio ices. Or a combo of orange ice & soft serve vanilla ice cream.
Oinks: 4/5
Rodeio Grill
78 Oceanport Ave
West Long Branch, NJ 07764
732/ 571-4800
Average Setback: $18-30 for churrasco (a la carte entrees range from $10.95-$14.95) ; $3 for dessert
Why Bother?: chicken; skirt steak; beef with bacon; chicken wrapped bacon; fried bananas
Oinks: 3.5/5
NJ Transit: New Jersey Coast Line to Long Branch; taxi from station
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