FORK IN THE ROAD

GLOBAL PALATE

Flavors from around the world are spicing
up the culinary scene in Toms River.

BY LISA HOWARD-FUSCO
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSEPH CORRADO

Thai Tales

One of the biggest jewels in the crown is Siam Spice on Fischer Boulevard. For all the admiration it’s garnered from publications such as New Jersey Monthly and The Star-Ledger, it’s quite small, and located in one of the area’s nondescript strip malls. However, it has that “boutique restaurant” feel—light sage-colored walls, a few traditional pieces of Thai art sparingly placed, and leaf-shaped dishes that give it an air of serene sophistication. The kitchen is staffed by a small group of women; the one who keeps peeking out of the kitchen door from time to time, sometimes just to smile, is co-owner and chef Nalatta Furstoss. For Furstoss, small works well: “There is nothing [that is, no Thai restaurants] in Ocean County right now, and I decided that if I kept it small, it might work. I wouldn’t make as much money, but if I lost money, it wouldn’t hurt as much. And it’s different: it’s not pizza, it’s not sushi, it’s not Chinese.” She laughs, “It works, so far!”

The most surprising thing, in a place that is the only source of Thai food in the area, is the refusal to assume that American palates can only handle “mild.” “Not all Thai food is hot,” Furstoss insists. Some dishes are fiery, while others register much lower on the Scoville scale; however, she claims the heat level in her dishes is always authentic. She wants her customers to first taste how a dish is supposed to be prepared. If after they’ve tried it, the customer feels it’s still too hot, only then will she adjust the heat factor. She’s also a perfectionist: If the snapper special runs out unexpectedly, Furstoss will drop it fromthemenu until she can get the fish from her regular, reliable supplier, no matter how many requests she receives for the dish. She also welcomes criticism: “I want them to tell me the negative things. How else will I know how to improve and please my customers?”

Portuguese Flavor

Not far down the same road, at another strip mall, is Brasas BBQ. Before you even walk through the door, the heavenly smell of “authentic Portuguese open-fire barbecue”—natural charcoal and roasting meat—seduces your senses. It’s another small eatery—four to five tables at the most—with a large front counter, behind which is a set of long, open-pit rotisserie cage grills that hold slowly roasting chickens, ribs, steaks, wings and glorious pork. The tabletops are glossy wood, and bric-a-brac featuring the Galo de Barcelos (the Portuguese rooster, a symbol of honesty, integrity, trust and honor) decorate the sunny orange-and-yellow walls.

Co-owners Rogério Fidalgo, Victor Santos, and Mario Rodrigues were raised in Newark—famous for the Ironbound District and its profusion of excellent Iberian restaurants—but decided to open their eatery in Toms River in 2009. “Besides Victor living here,” Fidalgo recounts, “the rest of us always would have loved to eat some good authentic Portuguese food when visiting the Jersey Shore. So when the opportunity arose, we got together and made it happen.”

The dishes here aren’t just the grill-’em-and-slap-’em-on-a-plate variety. The pork chops with garlic sauce consist of two beautiful chops, huge and smoky, smothered with a savory sauce that mingles with the pork juices (the owners tell me it’s an often-requested “beverage”). When ordering the Brasas wings, one must not blaspheme by talking about Buffalo; these wings are plump, juicy, infused with smoke from the grill and generously doused with a gorgeous, garlicky red-bell-pepper sauce. Regulars pack in, looking to indulge in the Portuguese way with meat. But despite the crowds, Fidalgo admits that making a go of a restaurant—any restaurant—is incredibly difficult in this economy. “[We’re successful in that] we are able keep our doors open,” he admits. “We are a family-run business, and opened up in one of the toughest economic times. …We hope to keep striving until we make ourselves a landmark here in Toms River.”

Growing Diversity; Changing Tastes

Despite the recent lean times, Toms River hasn’t seen a critical economic downturn. For many New Jersey towns that have experienced periods of economic depression, ethnic restaurants can represent the gateway to renewal and gentrification (think Fort Lee, Edgewater, Hoboken and New Brunswick). So why the sudden trend in Toms River?

“I’d say it has something to do with the diverse, growing population of the area,” muses local artist and longtime Toms River resident John Delaney. “There are more ethnic groups here [than in the past].” Anthony Ewing, owner of the website EthnicNJ.com, agrees. “Population shifts are the driving force behind the growing diversity and availability of ethnic food in New Jersey, both north and south. The 2010 census confirms that the Asian and Hispanic populations of New Jersey are soaring, and that the fastest population growth is shifting south. … These trends are a very good thing for ethnic food fans in South Jersey.”

Not surprisingly, a kind of multicultural food corridor has developed along Route 166 and Route 9, where many of the ethnic businesses are concentrated. But not all of the ethnic food purveyors are restaurants. Little Divisoria in the Jonathan Plaza, which claims to be an “Oriental grocery,” stocks more than just soy sauce and canned water chestnuts. Most of the offerings are Filipino, with some Japanese and Korean goods thrown in for good measure. Exotic produce, fresh tofu and frozen whole fish complement the array of snacks, condiments and spices.

At Lusia’s Polish Deli in the Stella Towne Center (not to be confused with the Stella Parkway Plaza or the Stella West Plaza, both across the street) you won’t find tables, though they do offer a few hot takeout items to go. Enormous, handmade links of kielbasa; meats; cold cuts; and specialty cheeses fill the butcher case, while cakes, pastries and a variety of packaged Polish products grace the shelves. Preparation instructions are slipped into bags of homemade pierogi, just to make sure they are prepared correctly at home. A few doors down is the European Food Market, a Turkish food mart that serves the local Muslim community as well as food lovers of every nationality. Hava Yener and her son Samet, the owner, take pride in their fresh olive bar, breads that are delivered daily and halal meats. “There is a demand for halal meats, and no one in the area has it.” Customers come in for other treats as well. A man walked in with his father, declaring, “My dad needs his chocolate fix.” Buying a giant box of Turkish dark chocolates, the two men urged me to try some for myself: “It’s like no other chocolate in the world!” When asked why she chose Toms River as the location for their family’s store, Yener’s answer is matter-of-fact: “No special reason. I live here.”

Ethnic Variety

The Stella Towne Center is also home to a curious phenomenon: out of the 21 businesses in the shopping center, nine are food oriented, all but one of ethnic variety. Along with the Turkish and Polish markets, you’ll find Jamaican, Colombian and Greek restaurants in addition to the obligatory Chinese takeout and white-tablecloth Italian.

Richard Johnson, chef-owner of JA Rock, opened his restaurant at the Stella Towne Center because of the unusual restaurants already here. His mission is to change the American public’s perception of Jamaican food. “I have to compete with pasta,” he laughs. “I still struggle with people thinking that Jamaican food is too spicy, or that it’s unhealthy, or they associate it with takeout, not a nice dining experience. I try to create an atmosphere where customers will feel like they’re in Jamaica: relaxed, with the vibe of the beach, ‘no problem.’” The restaurant has a modern, stylized ambiance: shiny Pergo floors, and walls painted in the solid colors of the Jamaican flag and adorned with photographs of idyllic Jamaican landscapes and Jamaican food. The menu features Jamaican classics, like beef patties (spiced ground beef inside a flaky, tender pastry), comforting gungo (split pea) soup, juicy jerk pork and chicken, and curried, stewed goat. You can also find a few Jamaican-fusion items like the “reggae wrap” (jerk chicken and vegetables wrapped in a tortilla and served with salsa).

One of the plaza’s old-timers is El Familiar, a Colombian/ Mexican family-run operation that opened 10 years ago. The decor is typical Tex-Mex, with walls sponge-painted to look like stucco in earthy orange tones, and decorated with Southwestern and Mexican knickknacks. Owner and chef Nicolas Moreno, who is originally from Colombia and has lived in Toms River for the past 23 years, thought that the fact that there were so few ethnic restaurants in the area was a great reason to start one. He also hints that the secret to his success is that many people here are from somewhere else. “Toms River is a transited city,” he explains. “That is great, since local people and visitors have the chance to stop by and try our amazing food.” While there are a few nods to American tastes (chimichangas, fiesta chicken breast), the emphasis is on Colombian food. The siren-song appetizer of chicharron con arepa—meaty, fried pork rinds served with South American corn cakes (to sop up the last of the accompanying tomato salsa and a vinegary red-pepper-and-garlic salsa)—is wrong in so many ways, yet so right. Also enticing are the pork tinga tacos (shredded, tender pork, tossed with a smoky, tomato-based sauce that’s evenly spiced, not hot) and the rich oxtail soup.

Further north along Route 9 is another restaurant with staying power: Aamantran. Chef-owner Murli Iyer was no stranger to the restaurant business when he opened the place more than a decade ago. He has operated eateries in Mumbai and around the United States, but it seems he’s finally found his niche. “Toms River needed a really good Indian restaurant,” he says.” There was nothing here.” He points out that this section of Route 9 is flanked by two hospitals on each end—Community Medical Center in Toms River and Kimball Medical Center in Lakewood. This allows him to do a lively business with takeout and presentation lunches for doctors in addition to serving his dine-in patrons. The restaurant is decorated in dark woods and gold-painted walls; namaste hands etched in glass divide the dining room from a large banquet room, while a circular glass-and-brick enclosure allows diners to watch as fresh breads are prepared in a clay tandoori oven. Most of the dishes are Punjabi, that staple of many Indian restaurants. But Iyer insists that there is one important difference between his offerings and those of all the others: quality. “I do not compromise,” he insists. “I like to use the best ingredients. They’re more expensive, but I don’t care. Also, we provide good service. I want people to come in here and have a good time.”

There have been many successes, but Toms River is not without a foodie casualty or two. Though they all established themselves on the seemingly ideal Route166/Route 9 corridor, a Filipino market and eatery; Salang Kabob, an Afghan restaurant; and Peruvian Chim Pum Callao have all been shuttered. Some restaurant owners fear that local patrons, unfamiliar with their cuisines, won’t “get” them. Fidalgo of Brasas BBQ recalls worrying about this at first, but found he needn’t have been concerned. “Our biggest risk was that … maybe Toms River wouldn’t be that impressed in having a Portuguese BBQ in the area. It hasn’t been the case; everyone has definitely taken to us and shown their appreciation in so many ways by patronizing us and helping us spread the word of our presence.”

Some believe the influx of retirees moving to the area has helped the local restaurant scene. “I try to get those people who travel, who are willing to take a chance,” says chef Richard Johnson of JA Rock. French writer Victor Hugo once said, “There is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come.” Perhaps the real reason behind Toms River’s ethnic restaurant boom is that, simply, the time is right. “I’ve had no challenges in getting customers interested,” says Murli Iyer of Aamantran. “I see a mix, all kinds of people, younger and older, enjoying our food. We love it here, we do well here—and we’re here to stay.”

Authentic Portuguese barbecue is cooked on an open-fire grill at Brasas BBQ, Siam Spice on Fischer Boulevard is one of many new establishments heating up the local food scene

“The 2010 census confirm[ed] that the Asian and Hispanic populations of New Jersey are soaring, and that the fastest population growth is shifting south….These trends are a very good thing for ethnic food fans in South Jersey.”

One of the island specialties on the menu at JA Rock; a cake ready for gifting at Lusia’s Polish Deli