Eat Like Anthony Bourdain on This New Jersey Food Trail
You will soon be able to feast your way through Jersey à la Anthony Bourdain on a new so-called "food trail" that pays homage to the late travel and TV personality.
Bourdain, while perhaps known better for exploring the more obscure nooks and crannies of the world, was actually raised in the small suburban town of Leonia, New Jersey. Many in the area consider him a local food icon, and Bourdain himself expressed a good amount of Jersey pride throughout his career.
"To know Jersey is to love her," he said on the New Jersey episode of his CNN travel show "Parts Unknown."
The idea was pitched back in June 2018 by Jersey Assemblyman Paul Moriarty of Camden as a way of memorializing Bourdain after his 2018 death. "It was heartbreaking for his fans and for those who knew him in Leonia to find out of his passing," said Moriarty in a statement. "A designated trail of his favorite dining spots is a fitting way to honor the memory of one of New Jersey’s best-known chefs.”
The state legislature unanimously approved the proposal in late January, however, the next steps to establishing the food trail are up to the Division of Travel and Tourism department of New Jersey.
The food trail will be comprised of the 10 restaurants Bourdain visited in his New Jersey episode of Parts Unknown, which premiered in 2015. Bouncing from Atlantic City, north to Fort Lee, south to Camden and east to Asbury Park, the trail will be a great way for tourists to experience the cuisine of New Jersey (fresh seafood, anyone?) while also remembering one of the world's best-known chefs.
In addition to the official trail, Moriarty believes that the state department should also provide some extra suggestions in the surrounding local areas that Bourdain didn't visit during the episode. "I think that Anthony Bourdain wouldn't want something that was so rigid to follow as just one trail," said Moriarty to TPG. "He would, I think, want you to wander off on your own anyway."
Here is a list of all the stops of the Bourdain food trail:
- Kubel’s, Barnegat Light
- Hiram’s Roadstand, Fort Lee
- Knife and Fork Inn, Atlantic City
- Dock’s Oyster House, Atlantic City
- Tony’s Baltimore Frill, Atlantic City
- Tony & Ruth Steaks, Camden
- Donkey’s Place, Camden
- Lucille’s Country Cooking, Barnegat
- Frank’s Deli, Asbury Park
- James’ Salt Water Taffy, Atlantic City
