I'm glad to hear Iberia is still worth the trip. I almost stopped off for a meal when I drove down to Delaware to pick up my sculling boat two years ago, but figured a truck and trailer and parking in that neigborhood was probably a non-starter.
I seem to recall they had valet parking--now that could have been interesting!
As for Newark, I lived there for 3 years when I was just out of college. Living in a big city (and within an hour train ride of NYC) was a great experience for me, but I was happy to move back to a less civilized place after 3 years.
The only two things that saved me living there were the Delaware Water Gap, which has some nice wild trout streams, and Sandy Hook, where the salt marsh almost looked like home.