Cousin Vinny's Restaurant, a family-style spot with a bar, opened in Wood-Ridge at the beginning of May. Larry Cerrone, who for nearly 13 years has opened and maintained restaurants in New York City including Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village and Hummus Kitchen on the East Side, teamed with his friend Peter Flower, a publisher, to open the 140-seat restaurant.

"This is the first restaurant I've built for myself," Cerrone said. The concept behind it is to feed families at affordable prices. "If I go to an Italian restaurant, and a single plate of spaghetti costs $21, I'm insulted," Cerrone said. "I'm tired of being insulted."