Johnny’s Pork Roll owner John Yarusi is eclipsed by his creation, the #3 best pork roll egg and cheese sandwich in New Jersey, according to nj.com food writers. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
We’ve always known Red Bank is a great place to pig out. Now it’s clear, foremost experts agree.
A couple of great Red Bank eateries acclaimed for their pork products, Johnny’s Pork Roll and International Mexican Food, received kudos over the past month from the crew of nj.com food journalists headed by the state’s unrivaled expert in lowbrow food, writer and author Pete Genovese.
In April, nj.com published its annual list of the 37 best pork roll/Taylor Ham sandwiches in the state and ranked Johnny’s Pork Roll and Coffee Too at 8 Monmouth Street at number three.
Then, on Cinco de Mayo, when the news site published its list of New Jersey’s 25 Best Mexican Restaurants, International Mexican Food at 92 Shrewsbury Avenue was ranked at #18.
Jose Flores works the trompo, slicing marinated pork inside Mexican International Food on Shrewsbury Avenue, ranked 18th best Mexican restaurant in New Jersey by nj.com (photo by Brian Donohue)
We thought these selections were worth highlighting because unlike the many in the swarm of influencers and food bloggers flooding your streams with content these days, Genovese and his crew actually put in the miles and pound the calories to compile their lists, traveling and eating at all the places, never accepting freebies and following long established, yet endangered practices of food criticism.
Their rankings are pretty legit, in other words.
Johnny Yarusi, owner of Johnny’s Pork Roll welcomed the bronze medal ranking for his version of the unofficial New Jersey state sandwich.
“Number three and proud!” he shouted while prepping the grill for our celebratory sandwich on Wednesday morning.
nj.com’s blurb on Johnny’s joint reads:
What makes a standout TH/PREC? “A great piece of bread, a lot of love and care, a runny egg and white American cheese,” says Johnny Yarusi, owner of Johnny’s Pork Roll. “You gotta burn the pork roll a little bit to give it a crispy, caramelized finish).” He goes against the tide by using white, not yellow, American cheese. He says it’s tastier, and the reason most delis use yellow cheese is because it’s cheaper. There are a dozen pork roll sandwiches on the menu, including the Western (pork roll, egg, provolone, sautéed peppers and onions) and the Pork Roll Rachel (pork roll, Swiss, sweet slaw and Russian dressing on grilled rye).
“You would be remiss to not check out this tiny, bustling taqueria on Shrewsbury Avenue. Al pastor, bistec, chorizo, pollo, carnitas and mixtos tacos are all on the menu, along with cemitas (sandwiches that originate from the Mexican city of Puebla) and more. Grab a seat at the counter and watch the chefs slice succulent meat straight from the trompo into your tacos.”
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
