Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

That's YOUR route!?

If tradition in cased meats means anything to you, you owe it to yourself and your state to try the specials, either in on a club roll or as a "sailor sandwich."

If you choose to go for the latter, drop me a note and I'll join you there.

Pony:

While New Jersey has several great sources for Portuguese cheeses, they are no longer on Ferry Street and will have to wait for future Dispatches.

NYC:

A better question would be "am I obliged to rave about a place because everybody else does?"

Curlz:

There is one group of people that will get A Mano; homesick Italian expats. New Jersey has tens of thousands of them and this is one of the few places in the state they can come to for a taste of home.

While items like fried hot dogs and grandma pizza are part of the New Jersey food scene too, I feel that it's important to go beyond them and explore more of what's there.

Erin:

You should know that I only play Farmville because SeriousEats hasn't created its own online game.

Gas.

JP:

It's tough comparing them. Different days of the week, and then weekends vs weekdays. And of course, the fact that the best stuff winds up at Union Square or Headhouse doesn't help either.

korovka:

I suggest that instead of waiting for Trader Joes, you instead check out the amazing range of independent specialty shops in the Princeton/Kingston/Kendall Park area. Between the Whole Earth Center, the PA Dutch Market, The Great Wall Supermarket (Dispatch soon!), Cherry Grove Farm, and a host of other small shops, you should be able to find an amazing array of foods sold by local and independent retailers.

If you must shop at a chain - even I do sometimes - at least go to one out here in NJ that has easy access and free parking.

Bringing chain supermarket food from NYC to NJ is like traveling to NJ from NYC for fine dining. It just isn't as good as it can be.

Please though, I've spent the past 13 months writing these dispatches so NJ food shoppers can enjoy that astounding array of specialty shops we have. Give them a try.

Eating:

As always, stay tuned.

I've got several seafood-driven dispatches in the works.

Thomas:

The market issue is a very serious one here. The two best places to get New Jersey produce are Union Square and Headhouse - both close to New Jersey, but neither in it. Indeed, if you visit the farms themselves, you won't get what they offer in the big city.

Is there a best place in New Jersey to buy produce? I have some theories, but I'll be out of state most of May and won't be able to put them to the test until summer.

Tarelki:

I'm glad to hear that. I'll check it out soon, but it was the one on Oak Tree Road that had both great shopping and a unique food court. As for the produce, it seems that competition between Chinese mega-marts in Central New Jersey is really heating up. New stores and remodelings have really raised the bar.

Sure!

They're about 1/2 mile north of Last Legg on Route 27 (called "French Street" here), just south of downtown New Brunswick and the big hospital.

Mother:

Both the Columbus and Cowtown markets are on the list of future NJ Dispatches but will wait because they're both kind of dismal and out of season.