Let me give you one reason to hop aboard the new Trenton-to-Camden light-rail line. It's called food.
New Jersey's River Line, which opened Sunday after months of delays, can be the ticket to a wide world of exciting dining options.
After a PATCO High-Speed Line trip to Camden, Pennsylvanians can transfer to the River Line and ride north for 34 miles through three Garden State counties, calling at any of 20 stops for a one-way fare of just $1.10.
From Camden, the run to Trenton takes about an hour. Then passengers can connect to a New Jersey Transit train and, for about $15 to $20 round-trip, depending on the time of day, make tracks to Manhattan - a 75-minute ride - for lunch or dinner. (The River Line's last run starts in Trenton and Camden at midnight Saturdays and around 9 p.m. Sundays through Fridays.)
But along the River Line itself, there are interesting places to eat and drink within a short walk from some stations.
Here are just a few I've scouted out, starting at the far end of the route and heading south.
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Our odyssey begins at the light-rail terminal in Trenton. On one corner is the Amtrak/SEPTA train station, and on the other is Pete Lorenzo's Cafe. An old brick building draped with an enormous American flag, Lorenzo's has been family-operated since 1921. Its present location in a former hotel dates to the end of Prohibition.
This has always been a place where politicians, journalists and business bigwigs gather, which may be why Lorenzo's boasts that it is "smoke and cigar friendly."
Italian cuisine and dry-aged beef are specialties; a 52- to 54-ounce porterhouse for two weighs in at $68.50. At a recent lunch, I ordered a very tender Triple Young - three thin medallions of filet mignon on a kaiser roll ($8.95, plus $2 for onions and roasted red peppers) - named for a Mr. Young, who requested this custom-made sandwich long after the Hessians left Trenton. I had mine "blue," which means, the bartender explained, "that the chef just passes it over the flame."
Don't expect French libations. Proprietor Armando Frallicciardi Jr. boycotts products from Monsieur Chirac's anti-coalition country. Here they pour Italian Gran Gala orange liqueur instead of Grand Marnier.
Pete Lorenzo's Cafe, 66 S. Clinton Ave., Trenton, 609-695-6868; www.petelorenzos.com. Closed Sundays.
