Kinchley's Tavern, Oct. 16, 2005
Kinchley's
Ramsey, NJ
Danna's grandmother and aunt, Andrea, are recent survivors of breast cancer, so for the second consecutive year, we've participated in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk at Woodbury Commons - an indoor/outdoor mall that is erroneously called an Outlet Center. In any event, after our 3 mile walk, we went back to Andrea's house for quiche (sausage, ham and cheese, & broccoli), bagels and cream cheese (4 varieties), lox (Atlantic salmon, Sockeye salmon and Scottish salmon), smoked trout, my mother in-law's savory bread pudding, Mama's crumb cake, mulled cider with Capt. Morgan's and a ton of other stuff that added to my Sunday food coma.
Afterwards we went to DePiero's, a family run farm and grocery center in Montvale for our annual Pumpkin picking day. The in-laws are kind enough to buy us a pumpkin and give us money for groceries each year. This is where we get our annual supply of delicious honey and maple syrup, freshly picked apples from the on-site orchard, cider donuts, other veggies, spices, beef stocks and the like that cost an arm and a leg in the city. I bought several plastic bags worth of food for $47. The same items, purchased in the city would have been at minimum, $65.
It's worth noting that the pumpkins are amazing this year. Really heavy/full with thick and healthy stems, even coloring and are generally good looking.
Okay, so after all of this food, what do we do? We go to Kinchley's. Kinchley's is a favorite of mine and has been for nearly two decades. Their beer dough/thin-crust pizza is unlike any you've had elsewhere. True to form, I ordered the Fra Diavolo (spicy sauce) pie and others ordered a mix of plain pizzas, fried clams, spicy mussels and the like. The Fra Diavolo was a bit spicier than usual according to Danna - and I found the regular pie to be one of the better versions I've had. Delicious. The crust crunches, the sauce is flavorful with generous amounts of dried basil and oregano, and the cheese is "realer" than much of what you get in the city. They take great pride in their pizza and for good reason. Despite notoriously awful service, they take their committment to their customers seriously.
Kinchley's was once asked to use their facility for an episode of the Soprano's. The owner reportedly turned down the offer, which would no doubt drive even more business their way, citing that the seven days they would need to shut the restaurant down to film would be unacceptable. You see, Kinchley's is NEVER closed. Not for nobody, never. And so to satisfy its legions of dedicated patrons, even on Christmas at midnight, Kinchley's will never be in an episode of the Soprano's but forever in my thoughts of great pizza, small business ownership loyalty and my previous years living in Northern NJ.
Ramsey, NJ
Danna's grandmother and aunt, Andrea, are recent survivors of breast cancer, so for the second consecutive year, we've participated in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk at Woodbury Commons - an indoor/outdoor mall that is erroneously called an Outlet Center. In any event, after our 3 mile walk, we went back to Andrea's house for quiche (sausage, ham and cheese, & broccoli), bagels and cream cheese (4 varieties), lox (Atlantic salmon, Sockeye salmon and Scottish salmon), smoked trout, my mother in-law's savory bread pudding, Mama's crumb cake, mulled cider with Capt. Morgan's and a ton of other stuff that added to my Sunday food coma.
Afterwards we went to DePiero's, a family run farm and grocery center in Montvale for our annual Pumpkin picking day. The in-laws are kind enough to buy us a pumpkin and give us money for groceries each year. This is where we get our annual supply of delicious honey and maple syrup, freshly picked apples from the on-site orchard, cider donuts, other veggies, spices, beef stocks and the like that cost an arm and a leg in the city. I bought several plastic bags worth of food for $47. The same items, purchased in the city would have been at minimum, $65.
It's worth noting that the pumpkins are amazing this year. Really heavy/full with thick and healthy stems, even coloring and are generally good looking.
Okay, so after all of this food, what do we do? We go to Kinchley's. Kinchley's is a favorite of mine and has been for nearly two decades. Their beer dough/thin-crust pizza is unlike any you've had elsewhere. True to form, I ordered the Fra Diavolo (spicy sauce) pie and others ordered a mix of plain pizzas, fried clams, spicy mussels and the like. The Fra Diavolo was a bit spicier than usual according to Danna - and I found the regular pie to be one of the better versions I've had. Delicious. The crust crunches, the sauce is flavorful with generous amounts of dried basil and oregano, and the cheese is "realer" than much of what you get in the city. They take great pride in their pizza and for good reason. Despite notoriously awful service, they take their committment to their customers seriously.
Kinchley's was once asked to use their facility for an episode of the Soprano's. The owner reportedly turned down the offer, which would no doubt drive even more business their way, citing that the seven days they would need to shut the restaurant down to film would be unacceptable. You see, Kinchley's is NEVER closed. Not for nobody, never. And so to satisfy its legions of dedicated patrons, even on Christmas at midnight, Kinchley's will never be in an episode of the Soprano's but forever in my thoughts of great pizza, small business ownership loyalty and my previous years living in Northern NJ.
posted by Michael Mahle at 9:27 PM
5 Comments:
I don't know anything about pizza in NJ. :| I don't think I've ever eaten in Ramsey before (except for a chocolate shop, which probably doesn't count), but I'd like to try this place out.
Hey Robyn,
The pizza is a must try. Kinchley's is too far from R'wood for take-out, which is what we usually do, but a visit might be considered worthwhile.
One detriment...the very small bar area is very smoky. You're hair, even if you don't smell the smoke while you are eating, will smell like smoke after you've left.
It really is just a roadside tavern. Nothing more/less, but the pizza is celebrated by nearly everyone that's tried it.
Ha, if the Sopranos like it, it's good enough for me!
My spouse 'n I live in Saugerties, NY...a one-way 65 mile ride from Kinchley's! SHE SENDS ME TO KINCHLEY'S FOR PIZZA TO GO! They'll cook 'em 3/4's done, so I get 3-4 done that way, and one extra, cooked to completion, to finish on the ride home! We wrap up the extras and freeze 'em. Worth the trip every time
I grew on the East Coast eating Kinchleys pizza and now live on the West Coast..the best discovery is that they will send you the pizzas freeze dried..it is a bit costly but well worth it to get 8-10 in the mail once a year(at least!)..YUMMY
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