John’s Ten Things

We are going to try to make Sundays a bit lighter moving forward. Facts are essential, but we felt we needed to lighten things up. Over the next few weeks, contributors will write and share their favorite ten things about Berkeley Heights and the surrounding area.

Here are my ten things (in no particular order):

The Picadinho from Charkoal – is the best dish in Berkeley Heights and the surrounding areas hands down. This traditional Portuguese dish is usually made with pork, potatoes and pickled vegetables. I hope Charkoal decides to add clams and make a Carne Alentejana. The one thing I love about how Charkoal makes this dish is the flavor. They keep to a traditional taste but add something new to it that gives it something special. The way they prepare this dish is the closest I ever had to how my mom makes it– even when I consider places I’ve eaten at in Ironbound, Harrison, and Kearny.

Passaic River Park- I live right next to this little gem. While this is no Watchung reservation, it’s pretty, underdeveloped and has simple trails. It’s an easy place to go just to get away for a little bit. No complicated maps, parking lots or picnic areas. No swing sets. Just trails, a river, and a few animals that can kill you. The Great Swamp and Watchung Reservation are treasures, don’t get me wrong – but this is a great place I can get to every day with the dogs or hide bodies without the hassle.

Pet Supplies Plus– I don’t know if this is a chain or not but it sure doesn’t feel like one. While I can get stuff from Chewy (and I do for some things), I like going to this store because the staff are friendly, stuff is reasonably priced, the folks who work there are trustworthy and can pet sit on the side, and they have a decent area for reptiles for a small local shop. It’s also good to see folks from around Town bring their dogs – being a typical American, I am obsessed with dogs, and I can spend 20 minutes there getting to know the dogs without dealing with people.

The Margherita Pizza from Coppola’s – This is the best pizza in Town and I have it once a week. I have no idea if this is how it’s made in Italy or whether it conforms to what Pizza snobs consider a good pizza but this is the most fucking delicious pizza I ever had. While nothing would ever top a plain pie from Gina’s in Harrison – I feel if it joined forces with the Margherita Pizza from Coppolas it would be a Marvel Hero.

Dr. Visci from New Providence Pediatrics is probably one of the most competent and empathic Doctors I know (and I worked with a lot due to my profession and have seen many because of random weird ass medical shit that happens to me every two years). It’s really hard to find a Doctor with excellent bedside manners and is accessible and competent. Our community is really luck to have her here.

The Apple Fritter from the Dunkin Donuts in Stirling (Valley Mall). This is a fucking cake, is the most delicious thing ever and can feed a small Amish Village. They also fill the thing with about 5 pounds of apple filling. While low on nutritional value, this is the first place I’m heading to during the apocalypse- getting three of these will at least keep me full for a few years.

The waterfall across from the Rock Quarry – a weirdly convenient spot to go trout fishing. You can pull off to the side of the road on your way to Blue Star, throw a line in the water for an hour, and then get on with your business. I don’t know how to explain it other than a little oasis on one of the most annoying stretches of road.

The Roasted Duck from Fan Bistro – I don’t care if you don’t like duck – you will like duck from here. I am a duck fanatic and have had it from every spot that serves it around here, and Fan is miles ahead of everyone else. Fan is just a quality place all around but if there is a God who prepared Duck, this is what it would taste like. They have (if I remember correctly) two Duck dishes – you cant go wrong with either of them.

Berkeley Hardware – This kind of reminds me of economy hardware in Harrison, where I grew up (the place has changed today). The folks who work there are helpful, its family-owned I think (based on the sometimes annoyed expressions you see they give to one another when they disagree on something), and it’s just easygoing. Also, it’s not a superstore, and it doesn’t try to be anything but a hardware store. It’s about six aisles of shit, some of it poorly organized, and two people who know where everything is and the right tool to fix the damage caused by your ten year old’s three-hour experiment with fostering a wild raccoon in the house.

The Old-Timers – While I hold some beliefs many would consider non-traditional, one thing I love about this Town is the passion and pride the folks who have lived here for so long have for its history. You wouldn’t think there is much to say about our little community, but it has a fascinating history with deep veins. Families that have lived here for generations, the political drama, the passionate arguments about things people wouldn’t even think about in larger towns or cities. There is something very romantic about how the folks who have lived here or have family roots see this community. The level and passion the old timers have for how government works on a local level is something we are sadly losing as we are becoming increasingly obsessed with national politics.