The roadside Israeli restaurant beckons to us, promising falafel, hummus and other Middle Eastern fare.

It's a hole-in-the-wall, to be sure, situated in a lot that looks like a construction site. But it is painted a cheerful, fire engine red, with the name of the restaurant, Keepshuto, emblazoned in English and Hebrew on a sign on the roof.

It's the first stop as we explore the kosher food scene in Lakewood, a 24-square mile township in northern Ocean County.

We're sizing up the place from our car, which is idling on busy Clifton Avenue, waiting for a chance to make a hard left into the parking lot. Our guides, Lakewood resident and kosher cookbook author and recipe developer Sarah M. Lasry and Zahava Perlstein, a 16-year township resident and a community organizer, speak of the authenticity of Keepshuto, the nuances of Israeli cuisine, and of the sweet owner, who doesn't speak much English yet.

We're sold. We are ready for an Anthony Bourdain-like experience. If we can only get there. Perlstein, who is behind the wheel, seizes her first opportunity and makes a safe landing in the unpaved lot.

We chose Lakewood for our food tour because it is the fastest-growing municipality in the state: More than 40,000 of its estimated 102,000 residents were born here or moved here in the last two decades, according to the most recent estimates from the Census Bureau. It is home to an ever-growing Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Tensions often arise over how to best accommodate everyone's interests in this diverse town, which also has a significant population of Latinos and Latino immigrants, and of non-Orthodox senior citizens in age-restricted developments.

The school system is troubled. Traffic and parking are problematic. Cultural traditions often clash.

Legitimate concerns sometimes get overshadowed by hateful rhetoric.

In light of all that, we decided to try to make a connection through food.

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Food tells a story, and we wanted to hear Lakewood's, beginning with that of the Orthodox community. Neither of us is Jewish, and we knew little about what it means to keep kosher.

In very simple terms, keeping kosher involves following dietary rules established in the Torah: You can't mix dairy and meat in the same meal; you can't ever eat shellfish or meat from animals such as pigs, which have cloven hooves, but do not chew their cud. Animals need to be slaughtered and prepared in a ritual that follows Jewish law. Kosher kitchens need separate dishes for meat and dairy foods.

To learn how chefs create modern kosher cuisine, we turned to Perlstein, whom we met through the Asbury Park Press' Unity Project, an initiative aimed at improving relations between Orthodox and non-Orthodox residents in Lakewood and neighboring communities, and to Lasry, who, in the early 2000s, kick-started the area's kosher food scene with her Howell restaurant, Tastebuds Cafe.

Lasry guided us through menus of traditional dishes — a slow-cooked Sabbath stew called cholent, the most luscious hummus, melt-in-your-mouth pastrami — and street food-style plates of fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, brick-oven pizza and top-notch ramen. (You can follow along in the video above.)

We met chefs who aren't afraid to experiment and owners who were more than happy to share their food with us.

If you're not familiar with kosher food, we encourage you to explore. Go ahead and use our trip as your guide.

Eating good food won't solve Lakewood's problems, but patronizing these restaurants is a friendly gesture, a way of connecting.

And you're sure to get a good meal.

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The wood-fired pizza oven draws you into Cafotteria, a kosher dairy restaurant in the new Avenue Shoppes center just north of FirstEnergy Park.

But there's plenty more to Cafotteria, with a full breakfast menu of omelettes, Benedicts, pancakes and French toast, and a lunch menu of salmon, tuna and veggie burgers, plus salads, a coffee bar and bakery-style desserts.

The restaurant is airy, bright and spacious. There's no waiter service — order at the counter and grab a number, then take a seat and wait for your food — but there are two big rooms with tables, so you can grab and go or hang out for a while.

Owned by Akiva Reiner, Cafotteria is the sister restaurant of Ottimo Café, an upscale kosher dairy restaurant in Howell.

If you're wondering about that "dairy" designation, as we were, here's the deal: Kosher rules don't allow you to mix dairy and meat products. We knew that meant, for example, that cheeseburgers are not allowed in a kosher diet. But observant Jews also must wait for a certain amount of time after eating meat before they can eat dairy. The amount of required time varies according to custom.

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So for our day of "Street Food Gone Kosher," we began with the dairy restaurants.

We went to Cafotteria seeking the street food-style snacks: fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and newfangled tater tots as imagined by Chef David Pereg.

Kelly-Jane: Try the potato tots, filled with whipped potatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. They're like crunchy pierogi. Dip them in the accompanying avocado ranch and spicy mayo. Addictive! The margherita pizza was fresh and saucy, with just a hint of char on the crust.

Sarah: It's always fun when a dish comes with a story, and this was the case with the fried peanut butter and jelly. "It's my getting-back-at-my-mom dish," Pereg told us when he delivered the crispy sandwich, which tastes like the PB&J you know and love, only better. "She always kept the peanut butter in the fridge, so I made the hottest peanut butter I could."

A tip: Open only until 5 p.m., so start your food tour here.

Go: 10-12 America Ave.; 732-367-0005, cafotteria.com.

When we visited Pizza Plus, the place was packed with moms and little kids. It was noisy, lively and fun. The popularity affects nearby parking, so be prepared to walk.

Pizza Plus is a dairy restaurant, which means you won't find any meat on these pies. But after one slice topped with caramelized onions, with their magical, sweet, rich flavor, you won't miss the pepperoni.

If owner Moshe Lankry is there when you visit, be sure to say hello. He is warm and welcoming.

Kelly-Jane: This is standard boardwalk-style pizza, with crust of medium thickness and lots of juicy cheese.

Sarah: I eat a lot of pizza. Like, a lot. When Lasry told us Pizza Plus served the best pies, I was a little skeptical. But the pizza here impressed me, and I have been eating caramelized onions on my pies since.

A tip: The pizza is delicious as is, but Lasry likes hers dipped in tahini, a move Lankry laughingly likens to putting ketchup on steak.

Go: 241 Fourth St.; 732-367-0711, pizzainlakewood.mystrikingly.com.

No frills, and no fooling, this is fantastic Middle Eastern food.

It's a humble setting, in a dusty lot. Order at the counter. There are a few tables inside, but in good weather, we recommend the picnic tables on the deck.

"It's really off the beaten path, with really delicious food," Lasry said, adding that the string lights overhead add twinkle at night.

In the kitchen, herbaceous, crispy falafel and chicken shawarma are piled into pitas or laffa, a flatbread that resembles a large, thick tortilla. Meats are pressed in a panini-style sandwich called mentoast and served with garlic sauce, pesto and a sweet chili sauce.

The flavors at Keepshuto are unreal, coaxed into being by the affable chef, Simon Susan.

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Kelly-Jane: I will be back for the falafel — tender, zesty, not the least bit dry and loaded with parsley. The hummus was creamy and satisfying.

Sarah: I am wishy-washy on falafel; I can take it or leave it. But I would definitely take Susan's. It was so crispy. He served the falafel atop hummus swirled with a seriously spicy pepper-based condiment called harif and with the fluffiest pita I have ever eaten. I also couldn't put down the crispy mentoast, which was filled with corned beef pastrami, corned beef, turkey corned beef, pastrami and beef bacon.

Also, don't be worried when you see "baby chicken" on the chalkboard menu (I was).

Kelly-Jane, again: Ha, right, Sarah? "Baby chicken" had me concerned, too, until we were told it simply refers to dark meat. Slang is a funny thing.

A tip: The dips served with the mentoast are great on their own, but Lasry recommends mixing them. Now, so do we.

Go: 37 S. Clifton Ave.; 732-731-9498.

Yosef Mutterperl is a character. As the owner of South Side Sandwich Shop and Smokehouse, he runs a convivial restaurant. He will talk your ear off, and have you laughing the whole time. Ask him about his recent catering job in Alaska (!) and you'll appreciate the high demand for his culinary skills.

Mutterperl, also a member of the Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department (insert smokehouse joke here), knows he is exactly where he is supposed to be. "It's a lot of work," he said of the restaurant business, "but you really gotta love what you're doing."

And what he's doing is expertly smoking meats, pastrami and brisket that slow cook for 20 to 24 hours and fall apart with the touch of a plastic fork. He serves burnt ends by the pound, scoops chili onto fries, and wraps beef hot dogs in burger meat and beef bacon, then smokes them and brushes with barbecue sauce.

Kelly-Jane: Even if you do nothing but inhale the fragrance of the smoked meats, you will leave here feeling full.

Sarah: There is nothing better than tasty, tender meat that melts in your mouth, and Mutterperl nails it. The brisket and pastrami have that sought-after crusty bark on the outside, the result of hours in the smoker. I have never had better.

A tip: Ask Mutterperl about his wall of souvenir magnets — some collected during his travels, others given to him by friends and customers.

Go: 315 Cedarbridge Ave., 732-961-6126. Southside Sandwich Shop and Smokehouse is on Facebook. Mutterperl also has a food truck.

Consider yourself completely in-the-know if you're familiar with this hidden take-out joint. Mike's Chicken Crunchers is tucked away among warehouses in an industrial park.

Nonetheless, busy families do find it and pick up take-out bags bulging with "crunchers," boneless chicken rolled in corn flakes or pretzel bits and served with dips.

The menu also includes Peruvian grilled chicken, barbecue chicken sandwiches, salads with chicken or steak, corn dogs, fries and other snacks.

Kelly-Jane: I got such a kick out of this place. It's like a chicken speakeasy — I thought we'd have to say, "Joe sent me" in order to get in. The chicken tenders had excellent crunchability and weren't greasy at all. The onion rings were delicious loops, perfectly crisp.

Sarah: My favorite thing about Mike's Chicken Crunchers was Mike Abadi himself. The young owner first launched his business by delivering his original, cornflake-battered tenders and sauces by the bag to peoples' doorsteps, unsolicited. Imagine opening your front door and finding a bag of crispy fried chicken at your feet? Genius.

As for the food, I enjoyed the crunchy tenders and all the accompany dips: roasted garlic, Buffalo, creamy ranch and barbecue. One dish that sounded delicious was a rib-eye and chipotle mayo sandwich with roasted peppers and crispy onions. Next time.

Go: 40 Chestnut St.; 469-278-6249, mikeschickencruncher.com.

West Gate is an enormous community of townhouses, rental apartments and commercial space. If you're new to the area, you might mistake it for a private development, because it is set back off New Egypt Road, near the Jackson border.

But anyone can go inside, and we were happy to discover Snaps in West Gate Plaza, also home to a pizzeria and a wine shop.

Chef Yussi Weisz bakes his own bread, grinds meat for Snaps' exquisite burgers, and tinkers with casual cuisine from multiple regions, ethnicities and styles: Southern, Mexcian, Asian fusion, vegetarian, and, of course, Jewish. Look hard enough and you can see the chef's wheels spinning: He is always creating, always thinking of the next big thing. After all, when is the last time you saw ramen on the menu at a kosher restaurant?

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Kelly-Jane: The egg in the Vietnamese-style ramen was ideal, with a semi-soft yolk, and the vegetables were wonderfully tangled with the noodles. I loved all the Asian food. Crinkled fries had substance to them.

Sarah: Everything Weisz served us was delicious, from the juicy burger and chili fries to the sweet-and-spicy General Tso's chicken. But I was most impressed with the Reuben, an incredibly tasty sandwich of pastrami, grilled tomatoes, pickled red onions and truffle mayo on toasted corn rye bread. Snaps is a meat restaurant, so there's no Swiss cheese, but you won't miss it. Not even a little bit. The sandwich is perfection.

A tip: To see Weisz in action, check out his online cooking show at yussiweisz.com.

Go: 84 Hillside Blvd., West gate Plaza; 732-370-4745, snapskosher.com.

On a Thursday night, Yapchik is packed with hungry Yeshiva students, filling plates at the buffet. This is the big spread before Shabbos, or Shabbat, the Sabbath, when observant Jews do not cook.

Yapchik, named after a popular deli dish in Jerusalem, provides a vivid introduction to traditional Jewish cuisine. Packages of gefilte fish, kugel and matzoh balls fill refrigerated shelves. Pulled brisket, tongue sandwiches, and kishka, a type of sausage, are all on the menu.

The students chow down on cholent, a slow-cooked Sabbath stew of meat and beans, and platters with meats, pickles and cole slaw. Customers order at the counter and bring their heaping plates to tables.

Executive Chef Berish Rapaport orchestrates it all, and with a smile.

In the fall of 2019, a fire destroyed Yapchik's kitchen, forcing the restaurant to close temporarily. When it reopened in December 2019, customers encountered a modern addition to this old-school hang-out: kiosks for automated orders.

Kelly-Jane: Hearty baked beans, zippy pickles. And the kugel! Chewy and not too sweet.

Sarah: Yapchik was the last stop on our tour and the first where I felt truly out of my element — and I loved it. "I can learn a lot here," I thought as we passed shelves packed with to-go containers of unfamiliar foods. I marveled at the mounds of meat behind the counter, the heaps of breads and pastries piled on nearby tables. This was a place to EAT. The cheerful Rapaport delivered a platter of potato-and-beef yapchik, essentially a potato kugel with meat; cholent made with beans, meat and barley; marrow; jerky; pastrami, and coleslaw, a much-appreciated shot of tang after all that meat. I left feeling full, both in belly and mind.

Kelly-Jane: If you really want street cred, try pcha, or ptcha, served as a tidy block of meaty gelatin that is spread on crackers. Sarah did. She's the brave one.

Sarah: I wanted the complete experience! But in the future, I'll pass on that one.

Go: 1757 Madison Ave.; 732-987-6800, yapchik.com.

Kelly-Jane Cotter loves storytelling. She likes to find the sunny side of people. She has been a news and features reporter for more than 30 years. Follow her @KellyJaneCotter or reach her at kcotter@gannettnj.com.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey more than 15 years ago and has held a variety of positions since, but the work she does now is her favorite: food writing. Her favorite stories to write are the ones that make a difference for the Shore’s mom and pop restaurants. Follow her @jersey.shore.eats and share your food stories by emailing sgriesemer@gannettnj.com.