A Sunday Without Football

Sundays in the fall for me are pretty much a time to unwind after what’s usually been a hectic week and my favorite pastime is to be firmly entrenched in my favorite seat by 1 p.m. to watch the NFL Red Zone. However I can sometimes be persuaded to change the routine especially when I know the really nice fall days will soon be replaced by the reality of winter.

So I somewhat enthusiastically agreed to spend yesterday with my wife and our friends Joe and Darlene Gomulka taking a trip to Smithville, a place I had not been to in at least 10-15 years. The enthusiastic part had nothing to do with shopping but rather walking around on a spectacular fall day and knowing at the end there would be reward: food.

Joe, who is the Athletic Director at Donovan Catholic High School, had been telling me about this restaurant he had discovered a while back so I was game, plus I figured we would get home early enough to catch the second half of the Giants game. So we walked about Smithville for a couple of hours; the women going in and out of stores while Joe & I found benches to sit on facing the sun. It was truly a perfect fall day and worth taking in the sights of bright colors which will soon be replaced by leafless trees and grass that’s gone from green to brown.

We then took what was a very short 5 minute ride to Leeds Point, a small unincorporated community in Galloway Township that is said to be the birthplace of the Jersey Devil. I don’t know about that but it is home to the Oyster Creek Inn which you find at the end of this long road which takes you through parts of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

At the end sits this rustic building on the marshes along the Great Bay and Oyster Creek which easily could be mistaken for a place in Louisiana. It’s surrounded by some other shacks used for fishing and crabbing and is as authentic a seafood restaurant as you’ll find anywhere with a million dollar view, especially if you can catch the sunset.

We spent time at the boat bar talking with Jason the bartender who just happens to run the place with his brother Scott who is the chef. They are third generation as the place has been in the family since 1940 and we got a great history lesson, including the damage done by Superstorm Sandy.

I would have been content to stay at the bar all afternoon. Actually we did (the oyster stew made for a delicious appetizer). By the time we moved over to the restaurant there was a wait and we kept wondering where all the people came from. The place was packed and this is the off-season when they are open Thursday-Sunday. It’s not fancy but the seafood was fresh and tasty and if you don’t mind traveling out of the area it’s well worth it.

We’ll be back but likely not on a Sunday during the football season.