Eating & Sleeping
Asbury Park 1
5 Sunset Landing Cafe^ $
(%732-776-9732; 1215 Sunset Ave; mains $5-8;
h7am-2pm Tue-Sun; c) On Deal Lake, about
10 blocks from the beach, Sunset Landing is like
a Hawaiian surf shack transported to a suburban
Asbury lakeside. Vintage longboards crowd the
wooden rafters, cheesy omelets are super-fresh,
and delicious specialty pancakes come with
cranberries, cinnamon, coconut, macadamia nuts
and other island flavors. Cash only.Ocean Grove 2
5 Moonstruck^ Italian^ $$$
(%732-988-0123; http://www.moonstrucknj.com; 517
Lake Ave; mains $16-30; h5-10pm Wed-Thu &
Sun, to 11pm Fri & Sat) There’s nothing staid or
proper about this bustling, popular restaurant
housed in a striking Victorian building with
tables on the wraparound porches. The menu
is eclectic, though it leans towards Italian with
a good selection of pastas; the meat and fish
dishes have varied ethnic influences.5 Starving Artist Cafe^ $
(%732-988-1007; 47 Olin St; mains $3-9;
h8am-3pm Mon-Sat, to 2pm Sun, closed Wed;
c) The menu at this adorable eatery with
a large outdoor patio highlights breakfast,
the grill, and fried seafood; tasty ice cream is
served at the adjacent shop.4 Quaker Inn Inn^ $$
(%732-775-7525; http://www.quakerinn.com; 39 Main
St; r $90-150; c) The 135-year-old inn has 29
small, well-priced rooms, all with air-con and TV,
and some with balconies. Open year-round; no
breakfast.Spring Lake 3
4 Grand Victorian at
Spring Lake Inn $$
(%732-449-5237; http://www.grandvictorian
springlake.com; 1505 Ocean Ave; r with shared/
private bath with breakfast from $100/150;
aW) A stay at this bright and airy Victorian
directly across the street from the beach is
about as far from the TV version of a shore
break as you can get. Rooms are simple and
tastefully done and a wraparound porch and
excellent attached restaurant add to the general
air of oceanfront elegance.Seaside Heights 5
5 Music Man Ice Cream^ $
(%732-854-2779; http://www.njmusicman.com;
2305 Grand Central Ave (Rte 35), Lavallette;
mains $3-8; htakeout 6am-midnight, shows
6pm-midnight; c) Stop in Lavallette for an
ice cream at this true crowd-pleaser where
every evening is ‘dessert theater,’ with servers
belting out Broadway show tunes tableside.
Go on, order a sundae; you’ll smile all the way
home.5 Shut Up and Eat! Breakfast^ $
(%732-349-4544; 213 Rte 37 East) About 6
miles west of Seaside Heights, tucked away in
the Kmart shopping plaza in Tom’s River, this
sarcastically named place could be the silliest
breakfast joint ever: there are waitresses in
pajamas (wear yours for a 13% discount), snappy
repartee, mismatched furniture and a cornucopia
of kitsch. The food’s even better: try stuffed
French toast with real maple syrup, plus top-
quality omelets, pancakes and more.NEW.JERSEY.&.PENNSYLVANIA.TRIPS.8
(^) THE JERSEY SHORE