Harry's Smokin' BBQ in South Toms River

A week or so before the Super Bowl I went on Facebook and asked people to recommend a place to get wings for the big game. Many mentioned Harry’s Smokin’ BBQ which, to be honest, I was not familiar with. Turns out it’s a large food truck that is parked regularly on Route 9 and Dover Road in South Toms River just before the ramp to the Garden State Parkway. I did not order wings for the game and to be honest as many times as I go past that location I never noticed the bright orange truck.

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Well, my wife follows them on Facebook and every once in a while she will mention this cheesesteak they make on Philly Pretzels….it’s called a Twisted Philly. So yesterday on our way to the boardwalk we decided to stop by and take a look and needless to say I have found a new place to add to my take-out list. Yes, we did order the cheesesteaks and some tater tots and they were delicious. But what blew me away was the menu which starts with breakfast sandwiches and includes pulled pork, burgers, grilled cheese, wings of course and much more. Plus they offer a variety of daily specials which were very tempting. I don’t know how I have missed this gem but I won’t any longer. By the way, they also do catering and festivals but most days you’ll find them from 10 am-5 pm just before you get on the Parkway in South Toms River. Well worth stopping plus this past weekend they even had Girl Scouts from Beachwood selling cookies…of course, we bought a box.

Harry’s wasn’t the only thing smokin’ this weekend because the Manasquan and Marlboro boys basketball teams gave us a tremendous ending to a challenging season. If you don’t know by now Manasquan won the unofficial Shore Conference title by outlasting the Mustangs in overtime Friday night but it’s the ending that makes for a truly great story. Andrew Solomon’s lay-up with 1.4 seconds left was the game-winner and moments later along with his brother/teammate Matt they engaged in a hug with their mother in a very emotional scene on the court. The brothers lost their father Larry to COVID-19 just a month ago but with support from their fellow Warriors they remained a big part of the team and it seemed fitting that Andrew in his last game would score the winning basket. Ben Roy was credited with the assist on that but many believed Larry had something to do with it…who would argue.