A little over a year back the Anthony Bourdain Food Trail officially debuted in New Jersey.
At the time the trail came out, we had previously visited 3 of the 10 stops. A few weeks back we visited the first stop on the trail, the very tasty Hiram’s Roadstand.
Restaurants featured on food-travel TV shows can be hit or miss but those visited by Anthony Bourdain have always been pretty safe bets at being excellent.
With New Jersey being close to home, my plan is to finish visiting all of the stops on the Anthony Bourdain Food Trail.
Over the July 4th weekend, we visited a couple of more stops! Here is my review of the third shop listed, Kubel’s in Barnegat Light.
When we sat down at a table outside, Kim mentioned to me how this was our first meal at a restaurant since closures due to COVID-19. (We’ve taken out and ordered in quite a few times.)
You were only allowed inside the restaurant to use the restroom so on a stop inside, I had to ask if they Anthony Bourdain Food Trail plaque. I was pointed to an area which had been the entrance.
Kubel’s offers a seafood-heavy menu. There were lots of things which sounded really good so it wasn’t easy to decide what to order.
We opted for Fried Clam Strips, Fish ‘N Chips and a bowl of New England Clam Chowder. I’m pretty sure that during his visit, Bourdain ate all of these items (and more).
New England Clam Chowder:
On a summer day soup doesn’t sound like the smartest thing to order but I’m sure glad that we did. (There was also a nice breeze by the restaurant.)
The soup was rich and creamy and filled with nice chunks of clams and small cubes of potatoes. The flavor was really impressive and this is some of the best clam chowder we’ve had. It would also be by far the best thing we ate during our visit.
Fried Clam Strips:
We all really enjoy clam strips so I was looking forward to this dish. The strips appeared to be very nice but there was a big problem. All we could taste was the breading! When I order clam strips, I want to taste the clams!
On a positive note, the fries which came with the clam strips were tasty, crispy and seasoned well.
Fish ‘N Chips:
I wasn’t so interested in Fish ‘N Chips that day but it’s a favorite of Lucas’s so we got an order. The fish happened to look incredible. Look at that breading!
However, the fish suffered from the same issue as the clam strips. All we tasted was the breading! There was fish inside (sorry no photo) but the tasty breading dominated the flavor.
Final Thoughts:
While only one of the items we ordered was what I’d consider destination worthy, I’m still glad that we gave Kubel’s a try.
The chowder was awesome, the staff were very friendly and the area of Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island is also worth a visit.
Other Bourdain Inspired Food Reviews:
Robert H. Glaze- Glad you liked the post! Frank’s is on my list as well as a bunch of other places. Good to hear that its worth visiting.
Next time you have to try Frank’s Deli in Asbury Park. I love the food and atmosphere!
Thanks for sharing. I was going to go last Friday before I left the shore but had to change my plans due to Tropical Storm Fay. Next year for sure!!