As grey snow clouds and an arctic air blast descend on the Northeast, Disney+ has officially been launched as of 6am this morning. If you're like me and hold a distrust and paranoia about basically anything corporate, you may be thinking what I'm thinking. Disney controls the weather. There is no way the threat of snow and unbearably cold weather on the day of society's newest television distraction debuts is a coincidence. Just an all-around savvy move by the Walt Disney Company because there is no way I'm leaving my apartment once the temperature drops below 40 degrees in a couple of hours. Before that happens though, some exciting news. This is my 100th post! And with that, the training wheels are coming off. Some people may have gotten up at 6am this morning for Disney+ but not me. I was up because I'm now going to begin tackling the "Best Pork Rolls in NJ" as written by longtime NJ food writer Pete Genovese. Once a week, I'll be driving to some random corner of the state to put these 33 PEC's to the test. I've already covered four from this year's list, Jersey Roll, Slater's, Johnny's Pork Roll, and Gem's (which is an incredibly suspicious addition to this list if we're being honest.) Of the remaining 29 on the list, some are only 15 miles away and some are up to 80 miles away so I'm sorry if these are nowhere near where you live. Today, we begin with a spot just down the road from my first job (basketball camp counselor at The Atlantic Club in Wall), the Allenwood General Store. This historic building has the distinction of being the very first building to be condemned in North America in 1768. According to the Wall Historical Society, a general store has operated on or near the site since at least the 1850s when Thomas Allen, a descendant of the village's original settlers, opened for business as a country store. That makes it possible that this place has over 100 years of pork roll slinging experience. A very cool remnant of New Jersey's rich rural past (being called the Garden State isn't some sick joke).
Bread Rating: 7.8/10 (There was some good subtle toast on this bread featuring poppy seeds. Perfect size for the contents, not too heavy.)
Pork Roll Rating: 8.1/10 (You can see the thick-cut slices waiting to be grilled when you order. They stack the sandwich with 5 slices of their pork roll, which was a bit sweeter than the average pork roll.)
Egg Rating: 8.3/10 (Fried egg from what I'm assuming is freshly taken from a local farm because the flavor was top-notch.)
Cheese Rating: 7.6/10 (Standard American yellow cheese. Nothing but the real deal in this store, absolutely nothing fake about this general store.)
Sandwich Composition: 8.8/10 (Just excellent execution here. Contents perfectly tucked into the hard roll with impeccable SPK ratio. They have a solid operation here and a strong community atmosphere to soak it all in.
Overall: 8.1/10 (A true NJ pork roll experience, if you're playing a round of golf at Bel Aire Golf Course, or coming off the Parkway on your way to Point Pleasant, you should make a stop here.
Price: $6, cash.
Also, I need this old-timey pork roll sign for my future kitchen. Please keep in mind when I buy a house.
Allenwood General Store is located at 3208 Allenwood Rd, Allenwood (Wall), NJ 08720
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