Stone Harbor and Avalon have always been a great South Jersey Shore destination. Beautiful beaches and lovely homes with some terrific restaurants. But there was never anywhere to stay like the Reeds at Shelter Haven Resort that offered these amenities.
Located on the bay with great views and just a couple of blocks to the beach this new boutique hotel sits on the corner of the main shopping district in this tony little town. It is just what this area needed. The resort has two restaurants, The Sax for intimate fine dining and the Water Star Grill ( sit inside or out) with great views of the bay. Inside there is a beautiful bar area in the lobby and they have facilities for weddings, affairs and events. Weddings would be picture perfect here and the accommodations for family and guests are amazing. The resort has 37 uniquely designed suites and guest rooms and a place for your business meetings with all the latest audio and video technology required. It is a beautifully appointed resort with a beachy vibe. They don’t have spa facilities but I have heard they are working on it. (But you didn’t hear that from me!)
My husband and I had lunch outside at the Water Star Grill. It was such a beautiful sunny day, a perfect setting to relax and enjoy our meal. They have sofas and umbrellas to just sit and enjoy a cocktail too. I am sure it would be a great place for happy hour later in the evening. They even have an outside kitchen to prepare your food. The menu had a variety of choices for the meat eater or vegetarian to choose. However, I would like to see a few more vegetarian options.
My husband decided on the Grilled Free Range Chicken Breast Sandwich on focaccia parmesan bread accompanied by a tomato, Bermuda onion and red tip greens dressed with oregano, garlic and shallot olive oil and a cute silver tin bucket filled with crisp french fries. I loved that they are using some free range meat and local produce which I think is always the way to go! Local and with the least amount of chemicals is a must for freshness and healthy in today’s health conscious society.
I chose the Summer Watermelon and Feta Salad with baby iceberg lettuce, grilled peaches and tomatoes with ginger honey dressing. The combination of sweet and savory is always a palate pleaser for me. Would have liked a little more of everything and grill marks on the peaches.
We started with an appetizer of Hummus with drizzled olive oil and cucumber and grilled pita slices. The hummus was creamy and mild and I preferred the cucumbers my husband ate the pita which had nice grill marks. All the dishes were tasty, but I felt could use a little more finesse. They are new this year and I am sure they will up the bar. This location is stellar! I will definitely be back for dinner at the Sax.
On the day we were there for lunch at the Water Star Grill, Oprah Winfrey was staying at the Reeds! We heard she was in for a visit with Stedman who was visiting his family in a nearby town. My husband’s business associate Steve Harbaugh and his cute baby daughter Angelina managed to get a picture with Oprah. Her visit speaks volumes about the Reeds and the level of quality at this Resort.
Check them out at www.reedsatshelterhaven.com info@reedsresort.com –9601 Third Avenue, Stone Harbor 08247 — 609-368-0100 and on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter
Michele Errichetti is from South Jersey born and fed. She comes from an Italian family where they eat, live, and breathe FOOD. Michele was cooking and eating under her grandmom’s feet every Sunday for “gravy” and at home with her mother (a Medigan or American) during the week. Nowadays, she cooks for her two sons, husband, and father most days of the week. She takes “Girl Road Trips” with her friends at least once a month that always culminate with you guessed it, FOOD. She hopes fresh, local, organic, and free range will become the norm. Michele is searching Atlantic County for everything that has anything to do with good food and she’s taking you along for the ride. – See more at: http://www.jerseybites.com/the-team/#sthash.CuJC1oRq.dpuf
