Long Branch...back in time

[captnemo]

I found some old postcards online, great thread.

[seamonkey]

Great thread, amazing pics.

[bababooey]

A little something I found on the windmill, which has been there since 1964


aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/06/the-wind...
A Great Burger by the Beach at The Windmill in Long Branch, New Jersey

Posted by Nick Solares, June 9, 2009 at 10:30 AM

The Windmill

586 Ocean Boulevard, Long Branch NJ 07740; map); 732-229-9863; windmillhotdogs.com
Cooking Method: Charbroiled
Short Order: Classic backyard grill-out burger served out of vintage, circa 1964 edifice that actually looks like a windmill
Want Fries with That? Untested, but they seem to be proud of their cheese fries; they get equal billing with hot dogs and burgers on the chains tag line
Price: Cheeseburger, $4.19

I don't expect every website, particularly those of hamburger joints, to be the last word in web design, but I do expect the photos of the food they use to look somewhat like the food they actually serve—especially if that hamburger is rather good. Take the website for The Windmill, for example. If I didn't know better, and if a friend who grew up near to the Long Branch original hadn't vouched for it, I would never go to the Windmill based on the picture of the hamburger they use on their website. It looks like a stock photo from an agency: big crusty looking bun, vibrantly colored rabbit food that defies gravity by not sagging under the weight of the double serving of beef, the frilly lettuce perfectly ruffled on top of the bottom bun. The picture looks like something from a generic national fast food chain whose food is worse than shown, rather than what the Windmill is: a distinctive regional chain with a burger that is much better than what is pictured on their website.

Don't be fooled into getting the wrong burger. While The Windmill does offer a "California" burger with lettuce, tomato, and onion on a hard roll as pictured on their website, the basic charbroiled cheeseburger on a generic white bun is a thing of understated beauty. Even though I am a big proponent of griddle-cooked hamburgers, there is something that just feels right about eating charbroiled burgers near the beach. The salt in the air competes with the smoke from the grill for your attention as the taste of the hash marked patties evoke memories of backyard cookouts, beach parties, and summer vacations. There is something festive about this type of hamburger, but I think that they need to be eaten outdoors for the best effect. And that is where I recommend you eat the hamburger at The Windmill.

It may be skinny and cooked through, but the fresh, never frozen, beef is juicy nonetheless and has some delightful grill marks that have a pleasing acridity and provide a nice crunch. Underseasoned? Perhaps a tad, but you will hardly notice if you climb the winding stairs up to the outdoor balcony, sit down on the picnic tables, and breathe in the warm, salty breeze. Although the squishy bun may be a bit large for a single patty, it is an otherwise perfect vessel for the smoky patty. You might ask for a double to redress the imbalance or you could just add some pickles and a dollop of mustard or red relish.

The Windmill website might not have the best picture of the hamburgers that they serve, but it at least lets you know that the chain has eight locations throughout New Jersey with a ninth opening soon in Hoboken. I can't imagine that the burgers at any of the other outposts could taste better than the one served at the circa 1964 original in Long Branch, which is the only restaurant in the chain that actually looks like a windmill. You need to be outdoors in the sun with a sea breeze blowing to get the most out of this burger.

[bababooey]

You can see the pier and the rides like it was yesterday.



the fire

[DarkSkies]

Someone who used to fish that pier and the structure around it sent me this e-mail today, thanks.




"Thanks for the threads on Asbury and the Long Branch pier. Excellent pictures. It was heartbreaking to see that pier destroyed by fire.

Brings back memories of drifting near the pier in my boat. Used to launch out of Shark River. That area was a bonanza for fluke in the summer months. A few weakfish if you got lucky."

[basshunter]

old Monmouth park

[storminsteve]

I'm not sure if this was long branch or close by. Some seaside place with a boardwalk, 1900s.

[basshunter]

Allenhurst and Long Branch pics I found

[DarkSkies]

Overheard at the Asbury Park fishing flea market yesterday:


Guys were reminiscing about the Long Branch fishing pier. There are a select few that remember it. I don't. I can only understand those stories through the memories of others.

Anyway, the guys were talking about the memories from the Long Branch fishing pier, and the great stories.

"No matter what the government does for fishermen, or how things are in the future... the guys who fished the Long Branch fishing pier were part of the golden era of fishing. That is an era that can never be duplicated. Those times will never be again..."



Amen to that. I'm grateful to still have some guys around who can still share those stories.

[voyager35]

Right you are, dark. My grandfather used to have a saying that he said when we were little. He said "You can't go home again". I think what he meant was that as we grow, we always want to go back to the times when things were simpler, or more colorful, or we had more fun. As you get older you realize you can't go back there. It's through memories and threads like this that we get to re-visit those places in our minds.
That is why I like looking at this thread from time to time. There are a lot of great memories and stories talked about in here.

[finchaser]

Note the size of the beach it didn't need to be 300' out into the Ocean to protect houses that never should have been built where they are.

[jigfreak]

Awesome pics guys. Here's a bit of the modern Long Branch, the Windmill, best cheese fries in the state.

[cardoc765]

It really sucks to see this again. I grew up as a young boy fishing that pier years ago from 1969 to like 1979. So many memories of that place and the fun times fishing on it.

[DarkSkies]

Might as well bump this one up again, give people the chance to see Finchaser at a moment in time when he was less grouchy.
And, plans are on the board to rebuild the pier.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ead.php?t=7000

I'm happy to hear that. But no matter how big or wonderful it is, I know it could never replace the memories or the good times had at the old stinky pier.

Note to file...
Abundant fish stocks = happy fishermen
Declining fish stocks = GROUCHY fishermen

[basshunter]

That is an awesome pic finchaser. I get you could catch fish from any one of those jetties in addition to the lb pier.

[finchaser]

Yes we did

[clamchucker]

This thread is a colorful testament to the way things were. I have been back to read it several times. Thank you. Finchaser thanks for your generosity in supplying the info. Sadly we may never have another place like the Long Branch fishing pier. Dark even though you say they are building a new one I do not feel it will ever be the same. The sights, the sounds. The smells, excitement, I do not think you can capture or replicate that today.

[storminsteve]

Great thread fellas.

[hookset]

That is an awesome pic finchaser. I get you could catch fish from any one of those jetties in addition to the lb pier.

They say the NE corner was the best. Great thread and pics.

[finchaser]

Especially for whiting and ling.The SE corner for Fluke. The front for tiderunner weakfish to 17-18 pounds, slammer blues to 20#, shark,bonita to 10#,spanish mackeral and albacore to 15#

Oh by the way I have pictures to prove all this,those were the good old days