If you are looking for a fun blast from the past, then be sure to put the Chatterbox Drive-In on your list! You are sure to enjoy whimsical ambiance of this 50’s and 60’s style drive- in restaurant while munching on some favorite foods. The Chatterbox features both dine-in and car-hop services (during the warmer months), both offering a full menu of diner staples with classic Jersey flare. 
The restaurant boasts a large circular dining room complete with black and white checkered floors, red booths encompassing the edges with time-honored movie posters and black shiny records decking every wall. The retro style carries all the way to he Coke bottle salt and pepper shakers and brilliant, metallic tables and chairs scattered throughout. 
There is even a toy train that run along the ceiling! In the center of the dining area rests a platform featuring classic cars and bikes which rotate throughout the year. And if you are a fan of the classic car scene, be sure to stop by during the summer months for “Cruise Night” or “Corvette Night”. These events, and more, occur every week or month,and the parking lot fills to the brim with classic cars and bikes while the Chatterbox’s own DJ plays tunes. The DJ, Doc South, has been sharing his love of music at the Chatterbox since they first opened.
The Chatterbox whips up all the foods considered standard fare for a New Jersey diner. There are also some creative interpretations of the 
usual menu items, such as the Sinatra burger, topped with peppers, onions, and brown gravy, the mac and cheese wedges, and homemade chilies. What the Chatterbox is most known for is their charbroiled burgers and old-fashioned desserts, such as egg creams and ice cream sodas.
But that’s not all! They also showcase other unique dessert drinks, like the molly pitcher, which is basically a creamsicle in drink form, root beer floats, and Monster energy drink Floats. Their dessert menu will not be overshadowed either, packed with sweet treats like blueberry crisp, apple crisp, or cinnamon buns all stacked with ice cream, and loads of toppings. Rest assured, no one will leave here hungry!
The Chatterbox Drive- In
1 State Highway15
Augusta, NJ
Amanda Waters is thrilled to be working with Jersey Bites for Sussex county, with occasional stops in other counties along the way. Her passion for “all things food” stemed from growing up in an Italian-American kitchen. A lifelong Jersey girl, she only left for college and then returned to Sussex County. She is newly married to her husband, who is the ultimate food taster, traveler, and photographing companion. She also writes her food blog, Our Italian Kitchen, where she shares family recipes and fun cooking adventures. She enjoys utilizing yummy produce and food grown locally in her cooking.
For the past couple of years, we’ve enjoyed locally grown New Jersey produce and other local products at the annual Farm to Fork restaurant event sponsored by South Jersey Hot Chefs. Held each summer, the event provides participating chefs in the Burlington, Camden and Gloucester county areas to strut their culinary stuff and showcase local food producers at the same time. The South 
Next up was the soup course, where you got to try one of the New Jersey dynamic duo summer veggies: either Jersey tomatoes in an Heirloom Tomato Soup or sweet white corn in a Crab Vichyssoise with crab and green onion salsa (as John will tell you, one of the ways he won my heart years back was to serve me the year’s first Jersey tomatoes and sweet white corn on Fourth of July). Both soups were good, although I would have liked a tad bit of salt in the Heirloom Tomato Soup to bring out the flavor even more.
The main (fourth) course opened up a host of tantalizing possibilities: Sweet Potato Ravioli, Pan Seared Scallops with pickled yellow squash, Pan Roasted Salmon with heirloom eggplant puree and pepper slaw, Herb Roasted Chicken Breast with chili banana and black bean and Peppered Sirloin Strip with a purple potato hash.
The final choice was dessert: the toughest choice of all. I was torn into bits over having to choose between a Vanilla Bean Angelfood Cake with a blueberry crush (you think the vanilla bean was from Madagascar, New Jersey?), a Peach Sorbet with cinnamon biscotti, or a Chocolate Truffle Brownie. Man, this was a tough one. John and I had spent the previous morning picking 20 pounds of blueberries at a location off of Route 70, so I knew how plump and yummy this year’s crop was. I love local peaches in the summer, too. In the end though, my love of all things chocolate (
When I received an invitation from the folks at #ClearAmerican and #CBias to experiment with summer recipes using Clear American water (available at Walmart), I was intrigued. Perhaps I could do a better job of hydrating myself if I tried flavored water instead of the plain stuff. In addition, since we are at the height of summer fruit season, I thought it would be fun to combine the #ClearAmerican water and a little fresh fruit in a complimentary flavor for a refreshing treat.
I have so many interests outside of my day job that I just don’t need another hobby. Sure, I’d love to brew beer at home and even if I did have the time, the kitchen is Debbie’s domain and there’s just nowhere else. There’s more than a few of us facing a similar conundrum.
After adding extracts, hops/spices (and in our case, Candi sugar) the kettle is brought to a rolling boil for the bittering hops. In 30 more minutes, you’re done. The whole process takes a couple of hours. Basically, you’ve prepared the wort (un-fermented beer). The staff will drain your kettle, add the yeast and store it for two or three weeks while the yeast and sugar do their thing. When they’re done, it’s time to come back and bottle all 72 of your 22oz.bomber bottles of fresh beer! The bottling process is a bit assembly-line like, but with three of us it didn’t take too long. Now, it was our turn to provide samples for other curious customers. We got rave reviews. There was a strong wheat beer character to our brew, but the Belgian yeast made its presence known with definite banana and clove notes. With a couple of more weeks aging in the bottle, the character will develop even more.
The cost works out to about $3 per 22 oz. bottle which is much less than the average retail cost per bomber (a little more if you have to buy bottles on your first visit), but you will have had a lot more fun. If you are a newbie at brewing, the Brewers Apprentice offers a great way to get your feet wet with guaranteed results. Experienced home brewers might want to get out of the garage, brew in a more social atmosphere and let someone else do the clean up!
The Cook’s Tour was recently invited to a media dinner at 
The Westminster has recently undergone extensive renovations, including the upgraded business center, an outdoor Zen garden, a spa/fitness center, and free Wi-fi throughout the space. The hotel offers 16,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting and event space.
There are currently six restaurants throughout the country, and the Livingston location is overseen by Executive Chef Bill Zucosky, who had the privilege of opening the restaurant and is still there eight years later. A New Jersey native, Bill brings a low-key confidence to the property. Previous experience includes stints at the famed Frog and the Peach in New Brunswick, and the Hamilton Park Hotel in Florham Park. Bill developed his passion for food and cooking at a young age. When he was a boy scout in the Linden troop, he won the cooking contest and just kept on going from there. He graduated from the New York Restaurant School, but uses his Italian/Lithuanian heritage to instill a homey feel to Strip House.
But to begin our meal, the Strip House Crab Cake with a Cajun remoulade bursting with fresh crab was in order. And, as you know, bacon is on everybody’s short list these days and Strip House is not to be outdone.
Like many classic steak houses, 
Being the cheesecake fiend that I am, I had to taste their version. And it did not disappoint. Light and luscious, made with a combination of mascarpone and cream cheese, with a lovely hint of lemon.
