Review: Sweet Jenny's in Ship Bottom

How sweet it is to have it all!

At Sweet Jenny's in Ship Bottom, you can find everything under the Jersey sun, from nachos grande ($7.59) to a po boy sandwich ($8.99) to shrimps and scallops portafino ($15.99). With more than seven pages to its menu, Sweet Jenny's dares its diners to leave with a square inch of space left in their stomachs.

Every craving imaginable is accounted for and, for those with a sweet tooth, the adjoining ice cream shop will make every potential cavity worth it. While you can find ethnic entrees, such as steak fajitas ($14.99) and the Jenny Gyro ($7.99), this restaurant prides itself on its authentic, all-American fare. Buffalo wings, cheeseburgers, fried chicken, hot dogs, cheesesteaks and crab cakes
are among the numerous classics that will have you swelling with patriotism.

Theme night, which occur almost every day of the week, are a big part of keeping things fun for all at Sweet Jenny's. Thursday is pasta extravaganza night, which is all-you-can-eat pasta along with a selection of shrimp, scallops, lobster, mussels and filet mignon, among other things.

"It's a hibachi-style pasta bar, and chef Larry Puzzello prepares it right in front of the customer: any pasta, any sauce,
any product," said Joe Dringus, general manager at Sweet Jenny's.

Shrimp, shrimp and more shrimp

The restaurant also hosts all-you-can-eat shrimp night, with eight different varieties of shrimp, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, soups and salads. Monday offers all-night early bird specials, and Friday is open-mike night.

"Expect the unexpected," Dringus said. "We try to be different to make sure you come back everyday ‹ there are locals that live in my restaurant. We pride ourselves on keeping a year-round clientele that's coming back all the time."

Owner Martin Sprinzen also cites the family atmosphere as one of his favorite things about Sweet Jenny's.

"I know 95 percent of the people by their name," he said. "I talk to everybody; I sit with everybody. When I come to work, it's like I'm going to visit my family, and that's the way the people feel when they come in here."

Just like the eclectic, home-style menu, the restaurant itself is a varied display of comforting Americana. It has a casual, diner-like atmosphere that is warmed up with cozy brown wood paneling and deep-seated booths. To add a splash of local color, one of the walls is hung with an assortment of artwork by local artists, including work by co-owner Angela Sprinzen.

This welcoming atmosphere greeted me as I settled into a booth to chow down on some comfort food and catch up with a friend. The staggering amount of options had me completely bewildered. I decided to take it a step at a time and focus on ordering an appetizer. Realizing this wasn't an easy choice, I passed the responsibility onto my friend, who chose the fried macaroni and cheese ($7.49). It was served piping hot and looking like little hash browns, and the first bite revealed tubes of elbow macaroni and gooey cheese. The batter was crisp but still soaked up the two accompanying sauces, a nacho cheese sauce and a classic marinara.

Burger choices

For my entree, I was cruelly tempted by the offerings of the TNT Burger Gallery, which features a half-pound of Black Angus beef and a staggering 24 different varieties of burger ensembles. An M&M burger ($7.09) will get you mushrooms and mozzarella, while a Russian burger ($7.59) comes with pork roll, American cheese, Russian dressing and horseradish sauce.

Unable to pick just one burger, I again abstained and decided to go for the Asian Pasta ($16.99). All dinners at Sweet Jenny¹s are served with a choice of soup or salad as well as warm bread and butter. I chose a cream of chicken soup, which delivered lots of creaminess, large chunks of white meat chicken and plenty of carrots, celery and corn. The accompanying warm bread was also
perfect for dipping in the thick broth.

My friend went the all-American route and ordered a grilled cheese with tomato ($5.49), which came with homemade potato chips and a large pickle. The sandwich was everything a grilled cheese should be -- crisp, toasted bread with cheese that strings out with each bite. The tomato added a Jersey touch while the homemade potato chips were thick-cut and hearty. It was a solid, perfectly executed classic.

We soon felt the magnetic pull of the ice cream freezer and followed our sweet tooth to the adjoining ice cream parlor. With 35 different flavors and almost as many sundae options, I was again stumped to pick just one. I finally chose the Tastycake Cupcake Chocolate ice cream and was completely blown away. Big chunks of chocolate cupcake are swirled into the rich and creamy chocolate ice cream, making it as sweet and decadent as chocolate cake itself.

It's the unpretentious goodness at Sweet Jenny's that has made its first location in Barnegat successful, and the new location in Ship Bottom has upheld this tradition. The sheer variety of options on the menu as well as the quality of the food makes Sweet Jenny's the type of restaurant you could visit daily, without breaking the bank.

From left: Manager Jim Pendergast, general manager Joseph Dringus and executive chef Lawrence Puzzello hold entrees that are available at Sweet Jenny's in Ship Bottom. Photo by Robert Ward

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