I know I talk all the time about the 300-pound woman I have hidden inside of this petite body. Still, anyone who has ever shared a meal with me will testify to the accuracy of that metaphor. Understandably, the first thing this “foodie” needed to do after we got settled into our new beach pad was to figure out where all the good places were to EAT!
Being DeMarcos, it was our top priority to find a friendly, local Italian eatery close to home. Preferably somewhere that made Jersey-style pizza, sandwiches, and dinners, cooked by Italians that have been cooking their family’s recipes their whole lives. Plus, they have to serve “garlic knots” with every meal made from hand-tossed pizza dough. You know what I’m talking about. I’m getting hungry just talking about it.
On our first day at our pool in our new complex, I see this family sitting under the awning on the patio eating pizza. As I approached, I could smell the garlic and spices coming out of the box while they each grabbed slices from the freshly delivered pies. I have no shame. I walked right up to my new neighbors and said, “Smells delicious. Where did you get it from?”
Less than 30 minutes later, we were indulging in our first of many, “this is our new pizza spot” pizzas. Delivered to the pool and all, we couldn’t ask for more. Unfortunately, we could, and that’s where D.Americo’s fell shy. Although they did offer great pizza and quick delivery of all sorts of tasty treats, it was take-out only. However, Rico’s, another pizzeria/restaurant, just down the road in the next plaza, had no problem serving us.
Our bins and boxes hadn’t even all been unpacked yet, and my friend, Joann, reserved a room. She considers my extra space her new Florida “Airbnb.”
This way, when she wants to escape Pennsylvania and act like a “Spring Breaker,” she knows where to go. At 80-plus years old, she isn’t tough to accommodate, and we love her. She is not only a great guest, but we always get a great “let me take you out to eat” meal, typically seeing when she visits, she prefers my home-cooked meals over dodging the public with my grandson. Sure, I get it. Again, she is old, and my grandson is six and acts like the Tasmanian devil.
Rico’s Italian Restaurant seemed as good as any other place to try. It was empty when we walked in, but it smelled delicious. Although we were the only customers eating inside the restaurant, several different delivery services came to pick up orders while we were there. The kitchen seemed busy, and everyone was super friendly. It definitely brought Joey and me back to the good old days of working together at the pizzeria.
We ordered a large pepperoni pizza, and Joann and I were going to share a chicken parmesan dinner that came with a salad, spaghetti, and “garlic knots.” Joe and Jeremy ordered some other stuff too, and as usual, we were just planning to graze on all of it.
But our service team was so beyond excellent. Our waitress brought Joann and me each our own salads and garlic knots, and she split our generous portion of food into two lovely setups. (No share charge) Not to mention, they had an in-house 20 percent off coupon for pizza, which they deducted from our bill without us even asking. The inexpensive check made my BFF very happy, which made me really happy. It made us feel a lot less guilty for ordering a piece of NY cheesecake for dessert, even though we had more than enough leftovers to overstuff us.
The best part was as I almost dropped our leftovers on the floor, my juggling bear ability caught the box just in time, and as I did, I noticed printed on the side of the box it said, “BEST PIZZA SOUTH OF JERSEY!” Enough said.
Then, the staff applauded me for my balancing act, and we thanked them all for an incredible dining experience.
Laugh on. Peace out!
Lisa DeMarco, a former local waitress now enjoying life at the beach, is a columnist for Villages-News.com.