It’s been exactly 80 years since Coney Island’s Astroland amusement park introduced America to the roller coaster with the Cyclone opening in 1927. To celebrate, I’ve been eating regularly at one of our wonderful brand new restaurants in downtown Rehoboth, the Coney Island Beach Grill & Deli.

It’s a cumbersome name, I know, and when you walk in you will think you’re in a fast food joint, but once you try the food, you’ll realize that you’re in the Brooklyn, New York, kitchen of the Italian grandmother you never had. Or if you did have a New York Italian grandmother, then it will remind you fondly of her (and I’m jealous, by the way).

Every menu item is made to order. There is no steam table with hot dogs cooking an indeterminate amount of time. If you order a hot dog, you’ll have your choice between Nathan’s Famous and Hebrew National, and you’ll have to wait for a few minutes while it is specially prepared for you.

Last Sunday evening, my friend Debbie and I were pooped out after tending bar at a charity fundraising reception, and I decided to take her to the Coney Island Grill for a nosh where we sat at an outdoor table, put our feet up, and watched the masses of people on Rehoboth Avenue. The place is located up on the mezzanine of First Street Station, and the umbrella-clad tables overlooking the avenue are always in high demand.

It was a lovely evening, and I had my favorite thing on the menu: The Meatball Parm sub. It’s huge and filled with Owner Donna Lavalle’s homemade meatballs, which are the fluffiest ones I’ve ever had. It also has marinara sauce made from scratch in the store from Co-Owner Vinny Tallarico’s family recipe.

Vinny can usually be found at the grill, and Donna is usually at the register, warmly greeting everyone who makes the trek up the stairs to visit their eatery. They are easy-going hard-working people who always go out of their way to chat with customers, but the food comes first. Vinny says that’s his main priority, making sure the food is always good.

The Balboa is definitely good; this sandwich is another favorite of mine. All the sandwiches are served with really yummy soft bread that’s got a nice crunch to the crust. The Balboa is on a garlic roll and is, to me, a perfectly sized sandwich—you can eat the whole thing without feeling uncomfortably stuffed. It’s filled with hot roast beef, melted provolone, and the roll is toasted and rubbed with a little garlic butter. It’s delicious.

The meats and cheeses are all from Boar’s Head, which means no by-products, no cereals or fillers, and no artificial flavors or colors. Their motto is "We wouldn’t put anything in our products that you wouldn’t put on your own table."

One time when I was there for lunch, Vinny made me the pseudo-California version of an Italian sub—it had turkey instead of ham. We joked that he should add avocado and sprouts and put it on the menu as the Italian Californian.

Coney Island: Your Photos Wanted

Vinny and Donna want to get to know you. Inside Coney Island Grill there is one long empty wall, and they want to fill it up with your pictures. If you have photos of you on a roller coaster anywhere or at Coney Island specifically, bring them in, and they will put them up on the wall. I wanted Vinny and Donna to call it the "Wall of Fear," since most people’s roller coaster photos have them screaming in terror, but maybe that’s not such a good name for a wall in a restaurant. When you go in with your photo, let them know what YOU think they should call the wall.

As a thank you for bringing in a photo, they will give you one free fountain drink with the purchase of a sandwich. One per customer, please.