First, a quick "thank you" to Eater.com, which Tuesday published a well-researched article about Asbury Park's recent resurgence -- both in foodie status and economic standing -- over the past 15 years.

The website said our little city by the sea has "improbably become the Jersey Shore's hottest dining destination." We agree -- and good on them for finally recognizing what we've known for years.

But then Eater did the thing it seems everybody has been doing lately; something that drives us beach-bum New Jerseyans utterly insane. It labeled Asbury Park "the Brooklyn of the Jersey Shore."

You read that right. Yet another publication marginalizing a brilliantly revitalized shore town. All the "hipster" stuff you'll find there -- Eater's word, not ours -- is just a facsimile of bigger, better Brooklyn.

After all, our city's thriving arts community, powerful musical scene, and blossoming food culture is just little brother New Jersey finding its way, right? It's not like Asbury Park has a history -- cultural, musical, culinary -- every bit as rich and varied as Brooklyn's. Apparently we wouldn't know Coq Au Vin from Coke and Veal without the "Real City" to pop in and check our spelling.

This doesn't look like Brooklyn to us. (Mark Brown | For NJ.com)

So here's a message for Eater, Vogue, New York Times, and every other trendy travel story that paints Asbury as the next chic place to be seen and pad your Instagram portfolio: Enough with the dopey comparisons. Can't we just have this one, without all the backhanded "just like New York" compliments?

It's not just the publications that are guilty of this. It's the people, too. Walk around Cookman Avenue for a day and see how many out-of-towners say, "This reminds me of Williamsburg" or "Bushwick has a place just like this."

Well, maybe.

But do Williamsburg and Bushwick have the magnificently briny smell of the Atlantic Ocean wafting through the air?

Do they have The Stone Pony and its insane collection of signed guitars, from Springsteen to Dropkick Murphys and Dinosaur Jr.?

Do they have a Silverball Museum, with walls of playable pinball machines dating back to the '50s?

Asbury Park enjoys its own unique atmosphere; a blend of old-school family Shore culture, emerging arts prowess and a far more easygoing aesthetic than the bustle of a New York borough. It just isn't the same.

Town wanderers who make such comparisons -- starts with B, rhymes with pennies -- are the same folks who likely won't visit the city's actual Main Street, where past impoverishment is still very visible, yet spots like La Tapatia Mexican restaurant are pulling in terrific business during the city's boom.

If this sounds like a gross overreaction to a generally positive food article, you'd be correct -- sometimes you have to stand up for your locals. New Jersey has, is and always will be compared to and mocked as a mere extension of New York culture, with no ostensible identity of its own.

But us New Jerseyans know this not to be the case. Many of us actually like to live here for what's here and the Jersey persona we know to exist, and not just what's nearby.

Are there a few similarities between Brooklyn's trendier spots and Asbury Park? Sure. It attracts similar sorts of arts-savvy 20-somethings. Heck, the House of Independents music venue even hosts an "Emo Night Brooklyn" party once a month.

But here we have a city, in a state long overlooked for its particularities, trying to do its own thing, with dozens of business owners trying to build original concepts. And all they get from travel blogs and tourists is "Brooklyn South."

So to our friends on the other side of the river, if you're writing about us, great. But you can do better, we know you can.

And if you're visiting and this is your chosen attitude, take it from me, a year-round Shore resident: kindly go to Johnny Mac's, get your free pizza, and hit the high road back to Bushwick.

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.