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Former Giants wide receiver Golden Tate has been on a podcast tour, most recently appearing on “Bussin with the Boys.” While appearing on the podcast, Tate explained why he and Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey had a contentious relationship that ended with an on-field scuffle.

Tate said his issues with Ramsey began when he felt Ramsey was not treating one of his sisters respectfully. His sister had two children with Ramsey.

“Things happened within that relationship where I don’t think my sister was done or treated the way she should have been treated,” Tate said. “When that happens, who do you have to come see? You’ve got to come see Big Bro. I think I might have made it public like he going to have to see me at some point, but it wasn’t to the point where I was about to fight him on the field or anything. I guess he took that personal.”

In Week 4 of the 2020 season, the two met on the field at SoFi Stadium when the Giants visited the Los Angeles Rams, who Ramsey played for at the time. After the game ended with a 17-9 Rams win, the two sought each other out to have a discussion that ultimately ended with a fight.

“The game ends, I run up there to expect what was going to happen,” Tate said. “I’m seeing where he at, I went right up to him with my helmet on and he swings, but I knew he was going to swing, so I duck, and I went to dump him, and the next thing you know, they had everybody on us, so they separated us. ... Everybody knew what was going to happen.”

Tate said that ultimately, he has two nieces that he does not want to be dragged into the situation. He also said the two had a recent brief encounter that did not delve into their issues, but that it went amicably.

“We haven’t talked, but I think we both kind of have agreed to not be knuckleheads for the betterment of his daughters and my nieces, and that’s kind of where we stand. ... I do think he’s grown as a man. I know I’ve grown as a man. I made mistakes as a youngin’ as well, so I do think he has gotten better. I do provide grace in that area, but that’s still baby sis, right?”

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Kinchley's Tavern is one of the oldest pizzerias in the state and its bar pies are considered some of the best. I visited to find out.

NorthJersey.com

I see a horse on the roof and so I know I’m there: Kinchley’s Tavern in Ramsey, the next stop on my journey to the 25 most essential restaurants in North Jersey, as determined by you, dear readers.

Many of you recommended Kinchley's, and I've always heard it in conversations about the best bar pie in the state. Yet where one stands in that debate is based on gustatory preferences and personal associations and histories with the establishments that serve them; that is, it's hard to name a winner when so many subjective factors are in play.

Nonetheless, with a table full of said pies, a house red ale and some meatballs, I was eager to enter the fray. A fellow diner eyed my spread on his way out and said, "That's an amazing order," and I asked where he'd put these pies in the North Jersey pizza hierarchy.

He thought for a moment and said, "Some people think they're overrated, but I've been coming here for 50 years and they've always worked for me."

Picking up a wafer-thin slice of Kinchley's fra diavolo bar pie and folding it in half with an audible snap, I wonder: Is this pizza going to be worth all the fuss? But then, I look around the wood-paneled dining room to the tables packed with families. I think of the guy eating lunch here 50 years after his first visit, and the value of familiarity and consistency. I consider the dining's quirky accents collected over nine decades and the totem of the rooftop Clydesdale, and think: Oh, there's much more to Kinchley's than pizza.

What's it like at Kinchley's Tavern?

Kinchley’s opened in 1937, making it one of the oldest pizzerias still running in the state. Although it’s had three owners in its run, current owner George Margolis says the bar pie recipe hasn’t changed since “Mrs. Kinchley” created it some 80 years ago.

The bar pie has racked up accolades over the years; readers have named it their favorite pizza in Bergen County in our annual (201) Magazine Best of Bergen poll each of the last six years. Barstool’s Dave Portnoy graded the bar pie a respectable 7.5 upon his 2018 visit, and quick Google search reveals just how popular Kinchley’s is for the influencer/pizza bro crowd.

Beyond the menu of familiar Italian-American dishes and pub grub, Kinchley’s charm is rooted in the marriage between nostalgia and peculiarity. That roof horse is a life-sized Clydesdale replica named Great Scott placed there in the ’80s, and Kinchley's does indeed encourage diners to use it as a north star, but it’s just the first of many throwback tchotchkes and accents at the tavern.

In the dining room, you eat in booths on tables perma-matted with spill-proof red and white checker tabletops. Walls are dark wood panels with the occasional mirror branded with a major American brewery producer — and if you didn’t get the hint that you’re supposed to drink here, the chandeliers are a hodgepodge of stained-glass fixtures bearing old-school beer logos.

You’ll also find memorabilia like various cars of an old model train behind a glass display, artifacts from a time when Mountain Dew was just a quirky soda pop from the mountains and not jet fuel for preteen gamers, and placards with quaint, boozy sayings like “The truth comes out when the spirits go in.”

The bar, partitioned off from the dining room, features a long, slim tabletop with TVs and a giant mirror on which the Kinchley’s logo — Clydesdales pulling a horse — is displayed. Taplists, drink and food specials and words of wisdom are etched in colorful chalk onto framed boards throughout the space.

All of it — the story, the decor, the vibe — primes you for a good experience and echoes the culinary approach: comfort Italian food and pub grub.

The food at Kinchley’s Tavern in Ramsey

So much has been said about the bar pies at Kinchley’s that I wasn’t expecting the bar itself to be notable. My mistake.

With so much of the decor heralding Big Beer brands, I was pleasantly surprised that the tap list (which rotates) included some craft bangers: Allagash White, Dogfishhead 60 Minute IPA, Franziskaner Weissbier and their own Red Checkered Ale, brewed by the folks at Toms River Brewing. It’s a red ale, which you seldom see these days, and was an excellent representation of the style: malty but crisp with a touch of sweetness.

Though the food menu includes burgers, sandwiches and entrees like coconut shrimp and a roast beef platter, I stuck with some Italian American staples and, of course, the bar pies.

The meatballs were the best thing I ate at Kinchley’s (and, to spoil it a bit, I liked the bar pies). Pillowy soft and oozing with moisture, they’re some of the best I’ve had in recent memory. The sauce helped; chunks of meat in balance with bright tomatoes and a citrus zip to liven everything up.

The veal parm sandwich I’d classify as “fine.” The veal was pounded thin, heavily breaded and topped with mozzarella and sauce; all the components are there, it just didn’t move me. The bread, however, was stellar: a halved ciabatta loaf, singed with char spots on the outside. It kept the sub’s innards intact and actually added the biggest pop of flavor to each bite.

With those out of the way, I headed into the culinary main event at Kinchley’s — a bar pie flight of their three most popular pies: original, vodka and fra diavola.

People can disagree in good faith about whether they like the crust of Kinchley’s bar pies. For some, it might be too thin; for others, there’s no such thing as that. I fall into the latter camp, and so I was pleased at how each slice — as thick as maybe a dozen sheets of printer paper — snapped like a cracker. I liked how the crust bubbles made for even thinner, even roastier bites.

As for the varieties, the fra diavolo stood apart in large part because of the sauce. This wasn’t just marinara with red pepper flakes; Kinchley’s manages to extract both the spice and the red fruit flavor from the pepper, so you end up getting a sweet-spice experience, which blends with the bitter char on the crust and the fat and salt from the cheese for a balanced bite.

As a counterpoint, the vodka pie was just a little too sweet for my liking. If I were to order it again, I’d cut it with a topping like hot peppers, black olives or maybe anchovies.

To round out the meal, I ordered one of Kinchley’s New York-style vanilla egg creams. Now, egg creams have never been a part of my life, so you’ll have to excuse me that once the server plopped down a full liter glass of frothy white liquid on the table, I stealthily Googled what one was: neither egg nor cream (as I'd assumed), it’s made of milk, seltzer water and vanilla syrup. So voluminous was it that I barely finished half of this sweet, creamy, fizzy concoction, but so pleased by the experience was I that I can certainly see a day when I crave it again.

The final verdict

I won’t weigh in on whether it is indeed the best bar pie in the region; that’s a choice for only you and your maker. But I’d certainly go out of my way to get another and would recommend it to those who haven’t been.

And kudos to Kinchley’s for keeping the prices low; everything I mentioned in here totaled to under $70.

I left Kinchley’s enamored with its charm; its affinity for quirky historical flourishes and its commitment to comfort. It bucks change in the broad sense but it’s not stubborn in the details; the quality of the food, the modern taplist and the quick service are testaments to that.

But I’m also left thinking there’s something unique about North Jersey that fosters the continued presence of old-school restaurants like Kinchley’s, Rutt’s Hut, Holsten’s, Patsy’s and others; something in between the notes in every Springsteen song, something earnest, something like: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In other words, something essential.

Go: Kinchley's Tavern. 586 Franklin Turnpike, Ramsey; 201-934-7777, kinchleyspizza.com.

Matt Cortina is a food reporter for NorthJersey.com/The Record. If you have recommendations for other essential North Jersey restaurants for him to visit, go here or email him at mcortina@gannett.com.

RAMSEY – It was déjà vu on the diamond for the Jefferson softball team.

But this time, Kama Skrek made sure her team's trip to Ramsey ended with hardware instead of heartbreak.

The senior ace threw a complete game shutout for the third straight round and the Falcons completed their redemption tour by beating Ramsey, 7-0, in the North 1, Group 2 final on Friday. The win at Tisdale Elementary School came in the same place as last year's championship, when Ramsey stunned Jefferson in walk-off fashion.

Seemingly all that slowed down the Falcons' return to the top was a half-hour thunder delay in the top of the third inning.

"That was literally the theme, redemption," coach Amy Pearce said. "They saw what it was like to win it and they saw what it was like to lose it and really get the title taken from us last year. So they were not going to let that happen again. There was no doubt in my mind."

Skrek left no doubt either, overpowering a lineup that scored more runs than any team in the Big North Conference. She struck out eight and held Ramsey to two hits.

The game nearly took a different turn in the first inning when Ramsey’s Brooke Donofrio launched what looked like a go-ahead two-run home run down the left field line. The umpires convened and ultimately ruled it a foul ball.

"I had a great view," Ramsey coach Chris Caserta said. "It was a home run. It's not where it lands. It's where it goes over and it went over so far that they missed it. It shouldn't be an excuse but even the home plate umpire said he missed it."

What it means

With the win, Jefferson (24-5) has captured its second sectional title in three seasons and solidified its reputation as one of New Jersey's most dominant programs. The Falcons advance to face Hanover Park in the Group 2 semifinals on June 10.

In four playoff wins, the Falcons outscored their opponents by a 25-2 margin. That surge came after winning the NJAC Freedom division title earlier this spring.

"We've been playing together since we were 10 years old," Skrek said. "All of us. We all went our separate ways and then high school brought us back together."

"I think Morris County softball is some of the best in the state, as proven with all the state sectionals that it's winning right now," Pearce said. "So even as the three-seed, I knew we were a solid team that had a chance to win the title again. I think we definitely showed that today."

Waiting it out

Jefferson put pressure on Ramsey from the start and never backed off with everyone in the lineup reaching base at least once.

The Falcons loaded the bases in the first inning and scored a run in the second on a two-out, single from freshman Maya Weber.

Jefferson broke things open with four more runs in the third thanks to a bases-loaded walk from Gianna Licursi, a two-run single from Kylie Plunkett and Skrek's RBI basehit. With two outs in the inning, thunder forced Jefferson to retreat indoors.

"We're such close friends that we just kept our energy up," Plunkett said. "We came back with the mentality that it was 0-0 again, so we needed more runs. I really think that helped us."

Skrek took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Mackenzie D'Elia broke it up with a leadoff, pinch-hit single. At the plate, Skrek helped her own cause by going 3-for-4 with a walk.

"She's an exceptional person," Pearce said. "Not only an athlete. I will brag about her all day because she will never brag about herself."

s a college student, Adrienne Brizzi was an English writing major. But after realizing working in an office didn’t suit her, she moved to NYC to work in the restaurant industry. Today, she owns The Little Kitchen in Ramsey, a restaurant with a focus on seasonal home cooking.

It all started around 2017. One day, she answered a Facebook post in a Bergen County moms group asking for an in-home personal chef. “That’s when I realized that cooking is what I am meant to do,” Adrienne says. “I love the feeling of feeding people and making special events delicious. It’s the most rewarding career I can imagine and I’m so lucky to get to do it every day.”

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At The Little Kitchen, Chef Adrienne cooks fresh, healthy takes on classic cuisines. Everything is made from scratch to the extent possible. Her soups, for instance, do not contain nisin, carrageenan, or any additives. “We make food the way you’d make it, if you had the time,” Adrienne says.

The core menu features items like chicken cutlets, roasted veggies, and vodka and marinara sauces. Popular items include the Almost Famous Chicken Salad, Peruvian chicken with green sauce, and Adrienne’s “incredible” vodka sauce. Her favorite menu item is the Middle Eastern shawarma chicken with white sauce. She also loves her special Rice Krispies treats.

The Little Kitchen boasts an ever-changing daily menu guided by the seasons and what’s best in produce. Daily, they offer a choose-your-meal option, where patrons can pick a protein and two sides. There are always freshly prepared soups available as well.

Many gluten-free items are available daily. While The Little Kitchen is not a gluten-free restaurant, Adrienne has extensive experience in preparing custom meals. During her eight years as an in-home chef, she cooked for clients with many food allergies. If given a day’s notice, she can make almost anything gluten free for a customer, including breaded chicken cutlets. She is hyper-aware of allergies, so all precautions are taken to keep food safe.

The restaurant also specializes in thoughtful catering. This means going above and beyond having a customer just order a party package off a menu. Each catering menu is personalized based on the customer’s food preferences and budget.

Chef Adrienne is a Ramsey resident, and has been a personal chef in the area for years. She also delivered soups throughout Ramsey, Mahwah, and Upper Saddle River for seven years. “I hope to become a part of the fabric of the area. I love getting to know the families and watching their kids go from toddlers to teens,” she says.

Visit The Little Kitchen at 875 Route 17 in Ramsey. Look for them online to learn more.

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All Photos: © Nate Weidner ProductionsLogo: © The Little Kitchen