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 [email protected] –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
The first item we were given was a signature drink created by the food and beverage director Richard Spaulding, the Garden Lemonade. Made with basil infused vodka, the drink went down with no problems by my husband. Before we all settled on our appetizer and entrée selections, we were presented with an amuse-bouche.
Appetizers were soon abounding as were smiles and silence. In food terms, that is a great sign. The Artichoke Ricotta Dip was one of my favorites during this beginning course. It was great from beginning scoop until the last schmear on my toasted baguette. The Tamarind Crusted Scallops were delicious as well. The sear on the crust perfectly contained all the lovely juices within.
Salads came next and they were almost as pretty as the views. The Ked Knot Salad, with pomegranate-glazed duck breast and a butternut squash ginger vinaigrette, was quite the show stopper. It’s rare you see duck on a salad and it’s probably even more rare that you’d even want that combination. Well, after this version, you will be smitten on some duck salad. The meat was portioned perfectly, letting the radicchio and endive play an active role. The mix of a sweet glaze and bitter greens was well thought-out and thoroughly enjoyed. The other salad I kept on going back for was the Calamari. The dressing, a lemon oregano vinaigrette, was airy and vibrant. It was exactly what the tender rings needed to take the stage and shine. One more notable in the “green” category was the Galloping Hill Salad with its decadent buttermilk ranch vinaigrette. That dressing was so good it made me surprisingly forget about both the grit-crusted tomatoes and goat cheese crumbles enveloped inside.
Dinners were presented next and as much as I’d love to say the Glazed Duck, Oven Roasted Branzino and Crispy Chicken had jaws dropped, I have to give top honors here to the burgers. The Red Knot Burger is topped with aged Gouda, smoked tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms and onions and it was lethal. The meat was cooked to, as requested, medium rare and was plated just so. The velvety texture of the beef was like a cashmere pillow upon where the expensive cheese laid. It was like better met better and greatness was born. Next I tried the Cheddar Burger, this sent me overboard. Again, the meat was downright dangerous. This burger was requested rare and, as one who prefers a bit more brown on my beef, I honestly had no complaints and would have demolished that patty if given the chance. Respectively, both burgers sported a buttery brioche bun.
Terry Krongold
September 6th – 8th: 
Amy Casey
But, back to the beer: roughly 170 different beers will be on tap (so to speak) on the show floor, and an additional 15 – 20 rare beers will be sampled to VIP ticket holders during a special preview hour. A general admission ticket gives you access to limitless samples and the chance to meet and chat with brewers and company reps who will be happy to help you find the brew of your dreams. Food vendors – including the popular “
Deanna Quinones
The immense and consistent adulation of Dunellen Hotel’s triple onion soup is not unwarranted. It’s gotten people (including me) into the door and heightened the standards of one of my lifelong favorite foods. Unsurpassed in its richness and flavor, it’s a must-try for first course. Deep, beefy broth is molten beneath a thick crust of swiss and provolone cheeses so plentiful that they drape the sides like tapestry waiting to be pried off with your spoon. The cheese is baked atop a raft of crusty bread that maintains its integrity against the broth. The only thing holding this soup back from perfection is the sometimes-undercooked onions that I end up straining for more broth in my final bites.
Jessica Perry is a lifelong New Jersey resident and Journalism and Media Studies graduate whose love of music, food, and writing about both have taken her far beyond the Garden State lines. She hasn’t heartwarming childhood memories of Sunday suppers, but she does have a lifelong commitment to eating across the map and fervently consuming food media. While she loves traveling and sampling from her nationwide restaurant document, little can compete with readily available pork roll and 24-hour diners. When she’s not eating, she’s at a punk show or researching where to eat en route to one. She’s always accepting recommendations for the best brunches, bagels, burritos, buffalo wings, barbecue…you get the idea. Not to mention she will happily dole out some of her own whether you’re in Long Beach, N.J. or Long Beach, Calif. – See more at: http://www.jerseybites.com/the-team/#sthash.cptivYzE.dpuf
