This meatball pizza in Toms River, NJ is a must-try

Zi Marie's is a great pizza place in Toms River. Owner Umberto welcomed me and Jodi in with open arms this weekend. We held a meet-and-greet for local residents to talk about the common sense solutions our state needs.

The best part of the small business tour is that we get a chance to meet people face to face and local businesses benefit from the surge of customers. The place was packed and people were eating.

For us, that meant trying the "Bill Spadea Special" which included Zi Marie's meatballs which are outstanding. We took home a meatball sandwich that was complete with the pleasant surprise of more melted cheese than any hot sandwich I've had recently and bread that was top shelf.

The most challenging part was leaving Zi Marie's for the next event and having the hot pizza aroma fill the car. Of course, by the time we got home after a long 14-hour day, we were super hungry. The pizza and the sub did the trick.

On a side note, Umberto introduced us to a local donut shop in Tom's River which provided a much-needed sweet break for our team. OB-Co's Donuts on Fischer Boulevard provided a dozen donuts that were out-of-this-world.

A great way to feed the team and have a sweet end to a great weekend.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.

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