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Two serious eaters find lots to like at Val's

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 08/11/07
BY DON WILNO STAFF WRITER

There aren't too many people who have joined my guest list who can keep pace with me — eatingwise, I mean. I don't hide the fact that I enjoy good food, and lots of it.

Calories be damned. But I'm sure I have finally met my match. In fact, I don't think I can keep pace with him — and that really scares me. I'm going to put Wayne Pomanowski of Colts Neck in a class by himself, which, of course, is nothing to be ashamed of.

At Val's Tavern in Rumson last week, he ran me through my paces. While I loved the pizza served there, I could not keep up with this nice man who talked restaurants with me all night, his list of the finest in culinary establishments clearly outdistancing most of mine. He goes all over, it seems.

I stay pretty much in Monmouth and Ocean counties with a quick trip to Atlantic City now and again. Since he was a special guest, I let Wayne set the tempo for the evening, ordering a large sausage and green pepper pizza ($13.75) while awaiting the arrival of High Maintenance, who is always late, and the fashionably late and now Hollywood-bound Barbara Mackey, the television and radio psychic.

We were actually given the approval to begin without the ladies, since neither of them is ever on time. Wayne and I devoured the "appetizer" pizza, then got down to some serious eating. Hey, we like to eat. I followed the first pizza with another, specially ordered to my taste: a small pepperoni and onion (ingredients chopped up) pizza ($11.50). Wayne asked that the kitchen add oil to the dough.

Like I said, this guy gets around and enjoys good food. The addition of the oil was perfect, and it even drew the interest of the pizza chef, who discussed it with him. While the ladies ordered a chopped salad of diced salami, provolone, garbanzo beans and tomatoes over mixed greens ($3.75), I offered Wayne a slice of my pizza. Then another. And another. The ladies' salad was so big, Wayne had a helping of it, too. The salad was a huge portion, well worth the price. I can't say how it tasted, none was offered to me. I whispered to High Maintenance, who has no idea what a good meal tastes like, that I was no match for Wayne.

The guy is a classic, and he's promised to take me to some of his favorite restaurants, especially one particular he raved about Newark. I just hope he provides the security for me. I salivated over some of the great restaurants he has visited, anywhere from Maryland to New York and points in between.

I should be so lucky to be in his traveling party. I had to straighten him out that I don't do this five days' a week at this newspaper. I'm out once a week and my bosses, keep me on a very short leash. I should be as lucky as Wayne, who claims to have a "shack" in Florida, which he was already making plans to stay at during Christmas with High Maintenance, whose sister is married to him.

There was no Florida invite for me, so I concentrated on finishing my pizza, which was awesome and prepared perfectly for me. I was saddened to hear that Barbara was heading off to the West Coast to be a big, big star. But she deserves the recognition. I kept telling her I had a "feeling" she was going to hit it big. Then she called my bluff because I have no super spiritual powers, certainly none like hers. She left me with a bit of interesting information, though, as she always does. "You were an emperor in your previous life," she said.

I figured it was all the pizza I eat. Did she say emperor? "Yeah, probably in Greece." How did I end up like this? Oh, well, actually, it was a fun evening with High Maintenance's friends and family, a lot of good food, a lot of laughs, and a lot of good office gossip. And everyone at Val's, which I hadn't visited in maybe 16 years, was wonderful and the patrons around the crowded bar were equally friendly.

Many of the customers offered their unsolicited opinions as they passed by. Each one mentioned "great" or "excellent."

Don Wilno's Watering Hole appears Saturdays in Jersey Life. Reach him at dwilno@app.com