VIDEO: The top 7 dishes at Rutt’s Hut, ranked
You know Rutt’s Hut for its deep-fried hot dogs. How do they compare, however, to the rest of the menu? Our food team weighs in.
Two legendary Jersey dishes, and one new to the scene, most impressed food writer Kara VanDooijeweert this week.This column publishes on Saturdays, and typically features standout eats from Morris, Essex, Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and/or Sussex Counties.
I made a new friend named Daniel this past weekend.
Tall, playful and probably younger than I am, he had the energy of something between a Kelce brother and the Lucky Charms leprechaun (the latter of which was particularly ironic given the guy’s job).
Conversing in the green room of a comedy theater we both occasionally perform in, I figure out that Daniel was on the precipice of a move to SoCal for a promotion.
His occupation?
Sales, at General Mills.
Now, in the past, I’ve been nervous about my own job security — particularly in a world where journalism positions seem to be dwindling. Staring at the kid, however, I drew comfort from the fact that a career even more expendable than mine existed.
I mean, sales at General Mills?
Last time I checked, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cocoa Puffs and Golden Grahams sold themselves.
Here are three things I ate this week as delicious as the sugar-coated, chocolate-dusted cereals that Daniel cheerleads for.
Pistachio Bombolone, Angelina Bakery
We’re eating dessert before dinner this week, because the Pistachio Bombolone at Angelina Bakery was easily the most impressive thing I devoured recently in the Garden State.
A light, fluffy variety of stuffed doughnut, the bombolone is an iconic Italian pastry known for its melt-in-your-mouth dough and decadent custard (or jam) fillings. When served fresh, the yeast shell nearly disintegrates on the tongue, and the creamy center drips from the doughnut to the elbow of its happy consumer.
At Angelina, the house-crafted — on the hour, if not more often — bombolone hit all of those food-gasmic marks. Available in flavors from Chantilly Cream to Nutella, each rendition is irresistible; but none so much as the pillowy Pistachio, which boasts the thickest, most satisfying filling of the bunch.
Go: 142 Linwood Plaza, Fort Lee; 201-429-2289, angelinabakery.com.
Garlic Eggplant Pizza, Star Tavern
Pizza doesn’t have to be complex. Arugula and fig variations exist, but they don’t need to. Hot honey graces local pies, but it shouldn’t.
In fact, when it comes to a top-notch slice, the less BS, the better — as Essex County legend Star Tavern has proved time and again with its classic cheese, and pepperoni, bangers.
Showcasing some of the thinnest dough in the area, each famed Star pizza is regarded for its exceptional texture, quality ingredients, distinct sauce and consistency between pies and visits. In no way has the spot become a hometown staple for creating a “cookie monster pizza,” or throwing ramen on a pie and calling it “fusion” fare.
This week, then, I was dazzled once again by a minimalistic masterpiece from the restaurant. Topped simply with house-marinated eggplant and dollops of fresh garlic, the thin-cruster was subtly sweet, subtly spiced and dripping with a healthy layer of orange pizza grease.
Go: 400 High St., Orange; 973-675-3336, startavern.net.
Roast Long Island Duck a l’Orange, Rutt’s Hut
And, speaking of local legends, there’s the iconic “Rutt’s Hut Duck” (that I wanted so badly to hate).
Writing it off as nothing more than Passaic River pigeon, I thought the $14 dirty water chicken was just a dish Jersey food writers praised as a way to claim they’d “discovered” something “in-the-know” — that they were somehow above the rest of us and our “deep-fried, over-cooked hot dogs.”
Well, eaters, half of those things are true.
Because, as much as Jersey food writers do love to inflate their egos, the tender, juicy, crisp-skinned duck was also admittedly delicious.
So, one point for my competition, I guess.
Go: 417 River Road, Clifton; 973-779-8615, ruttshut.com.
Hungry for more?
Want more on this week’s latest food news? Check out some of my (and others’) best articles at NorthJersey.com/food.
And, as for next week? I’m getting a custom flavor made at Beenie’s Ice Cream one more time…
Stay tuned to see what it is — and if it’s as tasty as my triple cookie-loaded, peanut butter-swirled scoops of the past.
Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can’t find her in Jersey’s best restaurants, she’s probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.