Wedding catch-up: Friday, Groom's trip to Pat's

On Friday, the day before the wedding, I got to take a few of my favorite people to one of my favorite places, Pat's Lunch.

I've been wanting to take people here since I first visited. I've been successful with a few...I think this was Trinity and Tara's third trip (but first for Jasper!). Pat is 90 years old this year, and has been making cheesesteaks, lobster rolls and soup from this location in Stone Harbor (just up the Garden State parkway from Cape May) for forty-something years. Before that, he had a restaurant in Wildwood...and before that, he was storming the beaches of Normandy and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge.

He comes in every day at 5:00 AM (or earlier, depending on what he needs to make that day) to get the soup started. Let me tell you, it is glorious stuff. He usually has a few on the stove, maybe a lobster bisque, or clam chowder...but the one I always go for is the she crab. Rich and creamy ("low-fat" though, he says), and loaded with crab, I'm pretty sure it's the crack of soups. After the soup comes the cheesesteak. Now I'm no expert on cheesesteaks, but this one gets gets my vote for the best, hands down--and I heard no complaints from any of the eight of us that visited Pat that day.

He was very excited to see us. "Seven cheesesteaks--I haven't had an order like that since the Fourth of July!!". While the steaks were sizzling on the flat top, he was in full-on story mode (seeded by Trinity, who knows how to ask all the right questions). We heard all about how he met his wife (he was looking for a Catholic, non-smoker, and good cook), and tips for a successful marriage (make a lot of money).

Pat has received plenty of press over the years--local news, blogs, books. The New York Times has stopped by, and there are videos on YouTube. Sadly, he told us this would be his last year. Business is down ("I'm on the main road into town. All I want is four or five people a day to stop, but I can't get them to"), and he's having a hard time just making expenses. When we were there, he had just had the place de-greased, and was getting the floors redone. As soon as that is finished, he says, the sign is going out front. I, for one, hope nobody is buying.