New Jersey food: diners, tomatoes and a serious brewery scene

New Jersey is where the American diner was manufactured — several of the companies that built the classic stainless-steel roadside diner were based in the state — and it is where the format still functions as everyday infrastructure rather than nostalgia.

What to expect: open early and often late, a menu running from breakfast through dinner, bottomless coffee, and a booth culture that does not hurry you out. Many have kept their original chrome, neon and glass-block corners.

What to order: breakfast at any hour. Crumb cake with coffee is the regional move. If you want the state's signature sandwich, ask for a pork roll (or Taylor ham, depending on which half of the state you are in) with egg and cheese on a roll.

Etiquette: if the diner is busy, do not hold a booth for an hour over one coffee. That is the only real rule.

The state's nickname is not a marketing invention. New Jersey still farms a substantial acreage, and the produce that made its reputation is the tomato — specifically the beefsteak varieties that ripen in the August heat and are eaten, mostly, in thick slices with salt.

When to go: late July through early September for tomatoes. June and July for berries and sweet corn. September and October for apples, squash and pumpkins in the highlands.

Where to go: roadside stands along Route 206, County Route 518 and the back roads of Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties. In the highlands, orchards run pick-your-own from mid-September.

What else to look for: sweet corn sold out of a pickup truck at the roadside, blueberries from the Pine Barrens, and cranberries from the bogs further south.

New Jersey's brewery count has grown enormously in the last decade, and the quality has followed. Most are taproom operations in converted warehouses and light-industrial units, usually with food trucks rather than kitchens.

Where to go: the densest clusters are around Asbury Park and the central coast, Trenton and the surrounding towns, and the Hackensack River corridor. Tastings are typically $8–$14 for a flight.

Cider: the highlands' orchards support a small but growing cider scene, particularly around the apple-growing areas of Sussex and Hunterdon counties.

Wine: vineyards on the Delaware Valley slopes around Milford, Pittstown and Ringoes run tasting rooms with valley views, $10–$18 a flight. Designated drivers are essential on those roads.

Note that several Shore towns — Ocean City most notably — are dry, with no alcohol sales at all. Check before you plan an evening around a bar.