Craig LaBan’s Guide to Jersey Shore Dining 2023

From Atlantic City to Cape May, the new spots worth eating and drinking at down the shore this summer.

I’ve always contended that the Jersey Shore is one of the best parts of living in Philly. In just a short drive from my Center City steps, I can stride into the brisk Atlantic surf and inhale the aroma of fresh doughnuts wafting on a salty breeze over from the boardwalk. The light is noticeably brighter on the coast. The ocean air is crisper. Take a big breath: The bustling city suddenly feels a world away. That separation is part of the Shore’s timeless magic. But there have also been times when I’ve dined unenthusiastically at the Shore and wondered why the vibrant energy of Philly’s restaurant scene often feels so much farther than it actually is. Trends take years to make their way down the Atlantic City Expressway. The tight labor pool and unforgivingly swift pace of vacationland’s 100-day season too often stifles ambitions and the benefit of momentum.

This year, though, the Philly vibes are stronger than ever. There are some old city favorites with new branches by the beach, including an essential Philly gastropub playing a major role in Atlantic City’s revitalization. Multiple chefs are doing weekly Philly-to-Shore kitchen commutes, and several veterans of Philly’s fine-dining world now live full-time by the sea. There’s more: A burst of serious specialty coffee (and crusty Philly bread deliveries) is coming from two Kensington expats showcasing Philly’s current pop-up chef fervor. There’s a new BYOB experience from an East Passyunk-based chef worthy of a good bottle in historically dry Ocean City. And did the owner of John’s Roast Pork really teach a restaurant friend’s kitchen how to make a cheesesteak homage to his legendary South Philly sandwich stand at the Shore? Read on!

Stars of the southern Shore

Maison Bleue Bistro

What’s Georges Perrier doing in Cape May? A youthful portrait of Philly’s legendary French chef is the first thing you see at Maison Bleue Bistro, the sharp new spot from the team behind Jardin at the Hugh, where Perrier’s 1997 Le Bec-Fin cookbook is enshrined in the foyer. Chef-partner Michael Schultz has come a long way in the two decades since he worked at Le Bec and Le Mas Perrier. He ran restaurants in Key West, private cheffed for M. Night Shyamalan, and returned home in 2021 to Jardin, establishing himself as one of New Jersey’s most talented chefs focused on plant-based cooking and sustainability.

But he’s channeling some Perrier here. One bite of the lusciously prime steak-frites dripping with maître d’ butter, or the tender duck confit dabbed with fresh cherry jam, and it’s obvious Schultz has (mostly) set aside his vegan ways here to embrace the omnivorous French canon at Maison Bleue. In tandem with executive chef and partner Anthony DePasquale, they’ve also lent these standbys an updated touch, steeping a floral essence into the pureed sauce for duck à l’orange, swapping out pork in the pâté for an impressive vegan rendition with ground walnuts bound with crushed lentils and tangy quince. Coq au vin? Bouillabaisse? Spot on, but lighter. And you’d never guess Schultz’s silky crème brûlée is plant-based. I expect timeless design style from co-owner John Vizzone, a former creative director for Ralph Lauren; Maison’s nautical blue stripes conjures a soupçon of Brittany chic. But my favorite details here are the 1933-vintage Peugeot hubcaps used as sustainable platters for Delaware Bay oysters broiled with buttery Basque piperade — the epitome of luxurious Jersey Shore-French fusion. 📍 Maison Bleue Bistro, 311 Mansion St., Cape May, 609-435-5554; maisonbleuebistro.com

Turtle Gut

At first, they just wanted a good cup of coffee. So when former ninth-grade math teacher Joe Pettinelli and designer Eva Basilio Garcia moved from East Kensington to Wildwood Crest to take over Rita’s Deli, the corner shop across from Sunset Lake and Turtle Gut Park, they outfitted it like a coffee geek’s dream. With Joe’s wood-paddled Slayer espresso machine cranking and specialty beans from star roasters like Proud Mary, Little Wolf, and Tiny Arms, they’ve quickly established themselves as one of the Shore’s primo destinations to caffeinate. But this married couple also had a much broader vision for this bright space, from their smartly curated shelves of artisan ingredients to a breakfast sandwich that is easily one of the best at the Shore, made with perfect Smith Poultry eggs and blueberry sausage from nearby Wildwoods BBQ. Silky ricotta pancakes. Ricotta-stuffed maritozzi buns. Avocado toast on Mighty Bread Co. sourdough? Yum.

But when Eva and Joe talk about “bringing a taste of Philly to the Shore,” there’s another aspect at play — the collaborative instinct to use their breezy corner space at night to showcase pop-ups from some of Philly’s rising stars, from Char Pizza to Baby’s Kusina. The most intriguing pop-up, though, has been Joe and Eva’s own weekly cioppino nights, when the coffee shop transforms into a $60 tasting menu showcase for great local ingredients, from airy fritto-misto and ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms to a deeply steeped, fennel-infused seafood stew brimming with fresh fish, clams, and scallops from nearby Dock Street Seafood and crusty loaves from Eeva in Kensington to mop it up. The only thing better than a perfect, crema-topped shot of Joe’s espresso to cap the meal is an unobstructed sunset over the bay to make it golden. 📍 Turtle Gut, 7609 New Jersey Ave., Wildwood Crest, 610-675-4846; turtlegut.com

Atlantic City rebooting

I’ve heard for so long about how Atlantic City is on the rebound, with a rising entertainment district called the Orange Loop (its three-block zone off the Boardwalk named for streets in Monopoly) and investment from Stockton University. I’ve been unimpressed with early efforts. But this year feels different. The recent additions feel more ambitious and more sustainable, including two restaurant-bars that replaced a pair of former sex clubs. Are A.C.’s seamier days in the rear-view mirror? It’s a process. But there are now several worthy places where you can drink a toast to some tangible, tasty progress.

Good Dog Bar

“That’s a good looking dog!” is something you hear a lot at the Good Dog Bar, the just-opened Atlantic City sibling of the canine-themed Center City gastropub where most every table ends up sharing pooch pictures with their friendly server. Next time, we’ll just bring our Buttercup to the festive dog-friendly patio beside this long-awaited addition to Atlantic Avenue. It’s a transformation of the old RolePlay swingers club into a bilevel eating and drinking haven that should become an anchor for the city’s southern end, where hundreds more students are set to move into new residences for upperclassmen on Stockton’s A.C. campus this fall.

The Good Dog, owned by Heather Gleason and Dave Garry, has proven over 20 years to be an enduring Philly gastropub model of quality food, fair prices, warm hospitality, and cold drinks. One key is a talent like longtime chef Carolynn Angle, who’s commuting all summer to maintain a menu that takes bar food to the next level with wit and global style. The daily empanada specials are always fun (chorizo-potato and pork cheek gochujang were recent examples), and A.C.’s Dominican-born sous-chef Luis Batista makes perfect tostones to pair with tuna tartare. The menu has plenty of veggie-friendly options, like seasonal asparagus with quinoa. There’s pickle-brined chicken fried into tangy wings and a fantastic chicken sandwich special, too. But the Good Dog to me will always be synonymous with its blue cheese-stuffed burger (and my music video debut). It still rocks. But this location also has its own burger idol, an “AC Smash” stack of griddled quarter pounders layered with cheddar, white onions, and oozy horseradish mayo on a local Formica’s roll. It’s a good looking burger from the Good Dog, and promises to be a new hit. 📍 Good Dog Bar, 3426 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, 609-808-3038; gooddogbar.com

Cardinal Restaurant

Michael Brennan has come a long way from eight years ago, when the onetime food runner at Le Bec-Fin and eventual CIA-trained chef first burst onto the Shore dining scene with an ambitious 38-seat Ventnor BYOB called Cardinal Bistro. After a pandemic detour running the 500-seat pub menu of Josie Kelly’s Public House in Somers Point, he was ready to tackle another stab at Cardinal, but on a larger scale. The new Cardinal Restaurant fits the bill, with 218 seats between its warehouse-like dining room, multiple bars, and sprawling outdoor garden — plus expectations of the Orange Loop’s fledgling momentum riding in the balance. No pressure.

The cavernous space (formerly Bourré) has a celebratory vibe, but isn’t a natural for intimate dining, no matter how much greenery is planted inside. (The glassed-in “stripper shower” from the various gentlemen’s clubs that once occupied this address has been turned into a wine cellar.) But when Brennan is at his best, he has the skill to draw a crowd with dishes like roasted halibut over curried carrot puree, fried Brussels sprouts with hoisin, and pork tenderloin over parsnip puree drizzled in Bordelaise. He’s developed a strange tick of overusing vegetable purees to keep food from sliding off plates in the hustle of transit. But they also made some dishes unfortunately heavy for summer, like the otherwise appealing eggplant schnitzel, or the celery root mash with chicken in vermouth cream sauce that obscured the tasty spinach spaetzle. The overall flavors were good, when not overwhelmed by bush-size garnishes of tarragon, and the service was attentive and outgoing. Can this Cardinal grow quickly into the cornerstone of the Orange Loop’s next chapter? I’m rooting for Brennan, even if it’s too early to know. 📍 Cardinal Restaurant, 201 S. New York Ave., Atlantic City, 609) 246-6670; cardinal-ac.com

La Tía Peruvian Cuisine

“Tía! Tía! Make me a ceviche!” That frequent refrain from hungry family members during the pandemic is exactly why Rosa Aldarondo and her niece, Maria Uceda, got back into the restaurant business, drawing on experiences at their family’s earlier restaurants in Elizabeth to open a Peruvian take-out counter in Linwood called La Tía. It ended after two years when the international food court called the Exchange closed last fall. I remember their shrimp ceviche vividly because the opaque white leche de tigre broth that cured the seafood — a gush of citrus jolted with ginger and chiles — was among my most electric summer bites of 2022. Luckily, Uceda and Aldarondo have been on the move, laying plans for a new branch in Ocean City later this summer (in the old Surf Cafe, 715 E. Eighth St.) and they’ve already jumped right into a no-frills corner spot in Atlantic City previously occupied by another Peruvian place called El Gran Chalán.

But La Tía has already begun winning fans like the local postman eating beside us, who gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to the daily $14.99 lunch combo special of soulful chicken soup and tallarines noodles in spinach-basil pesto. The ceviche naturally remains a draw, and I loved it as an accompaniment to the arroz con mariscos, a turmeric-tinted rice dish brimming with seafood. Stir-fried beef lomo saltado and the shredded gallina chicken in a creamy yellow pepper sauce are other popular classics, as well as a Jalea that offers a bounty of beautifully fried mixed seafood laced with tangy criolla onions. For dessert, Maria’s mom Maritza Rosado makes flan, mazamorra purple corn pudding, and picarones fritters, reaffirming the obvious: La Tía is a flavorful family affair. 📍 La Tía Peruvian Cuisine, 2641 Arctic Ave., Atlantic City, 609-904-6239; on Instagram

The Seed: A Living Beer Project

New Jersey’s craft beer industry has grown dramatically over the past decade to 155 breweries today, despite brewers’ continuous fights to battle challenging state regulations. But quality has not always been exceptional. That’s why The Seed: A Living Beer Project has fast become such a draw. Launched in 2020 by brewer Amanda Cardinali and her husband, Sean Towers, a marine biologist for Rutgers University, the Seed now makes some of the area’s most intriguing lagers and barrel-aged saisons, with a focus on using New Jersey-grown grain. The dark-roasted savor of As Simple As Shadows? has become one of my most recent obsessions, the pilsner malt from Rabbit Hill malthouse in Shiloh blended with dark roasts from Germany that lend it toasty chocolate-coffee notes balanced by hops into an impressively refreshing sipper. But when I sat down at the Seed’s friendly tasting room counter to sample its freshest range on draft, it was the elegant saisons that stood out, especially Poetry In Motion, a play on bière de coupage that blends a hoppy fresh saison with an oak-aged brew that’s acquired some tart barrel funk.

“We really focus on these living beers because they continue to change and develop over time,” says Towers. As this this promising brewery (next to Little Water Distillery) becomes a serious alcohol tourism draw in its own right, I couldn’t think of a better beer metaphor for fast-changing Atlantic City itself. 📍 The Seed: A Living Beer Project, 807 Baltic Ave. Unit 4, Atlantic City, 609-246-7324; theseedbeer.com

Nobu Atlantic City

Perhaps you’ve never eaten at a Nobu, the iconic modern Japanese restaurant brand launched in Tribeca in 1994 by celeb chef Nobu Matsuhisa and famous partners like actor Robert DeNiro. But Nobu’s distinctive style of Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine has been so influential over the past three decades, it’s likely you’ve tasted something inspired by one of his signature creations, from crispy rock shrimp in spicy mayo to sweet miso-marinated black cod. For fans of Philly’s Morimoto, launched in 2001 by Nobu’s onetime executive chef, Masaharu Morimoto, these flavors will be especially familiar. That is all to say that dining within the posh confines of the new Nobu at Caesars in Atlantic City — one of 56 Nobus worldwide — is not especially novel.

The question is whether it’s worth spending $100-plus per person? The short answer is yes, with caveats. Nobu can’t match some of Philly’s best omakases for creative rare luxury fish. But the Jersey Shore has precious few destinations for great sushi. And even if this menu is a greatest hits album, the quality and craftsmanship are superb. You’ll also realize why so many of these dishes — braced by the citrus, spice, and delicacy of Peru’s Nikkei style — became iconic to begin with. From the caviar-topped toro tartare ringed by zippy wasabi soy, to the tiradito fan of gossamer-sliced flounder lit with tiny dabs of fiery Peruvian rocoto peppers and soy sat, each bite offers a burst of dynamic, subtle flavors. The miso cod melts with buttery soy sweetness. The beef Toban Yaki, whose dome is lifted tableside to reveal sizzling filet bathed in sake steam, is pure steak dramatics. And then you look up through floor-to-ceiling picture windows of this second floor dining room and gaze out across the Boardwalk to the historic Missouri Avenue beach dusk. This is the only Nobu worldwide with such a seaside perch, which means the pure New Jersey-ness of it, in fact, makes this Nobu a little novel, after all. 📍 Nobu at Caesars Atlantic City, 2100 Pacific Ave., Atlantic City, 08401; noburestaurants.com

Making waves in Ocean City

The Betz Room

I’ve summered in Ocean City for two decades because it’s both peaceful and central to my eating missions up and down the coast. But upscale dining there is nonexistent and I’ve never had a glass of wine with a restaurant meal — until this summer. That’s because Ocean City is a historically dry town due to its roots as a Methodist retreat. The town even snubbed efforts to allow for BYOBs (for fear of “drunks or inappropriate behavior”). In the past decade, though, a handful of supper clubs have taken advantage of loopholes that allow for BYOB through private club membership fees.

Among the most intriguing is the new Betz Room, a 28-seater whose pressed tin ceiling, tile floors, and booths resonate with a vintage glow. For a modest $25 annual membership fee, it’s accessed through a separate entrance at the rear of the historic Chatterbox, itself recently revived by the owners of Philly’s Green Eggs Cafe (which shares the kitchen). It’s a fine showcase for chef Geno Betz, 32, a Le Bec-Fin alum who’s also worked at Lacroix and Farm & Fisherman. Betz commutes weekly from his other post as executive chef of Stateside on East Passyunk, owned by the same partners. Working solo in the kitchen, he keeps the menu simple and relies on treating quality ingredients with finesse, from a zesty steak tartare minced from the trim of his excellent filet mignon, to fresh tagliatelle tangled with crumbled sausage splashed with Sambuca. The seafood risotto was memorably infused with tomato cream lifted by a whiff of smoke. Opt for the excellent domestic cheeseboard over the lackluster desserts. But absolutely don’t miss the crispy chicken roulade laced with truffles and topped with more. Set over buttery corn with smoky nubs of bacon, it was so good alongside the juicy Qupé syrah I brought that it almost felt “inappropriate” in that wild and crazy Philly BYOB kind of way. Which only emphasizes the obvious: The Betz Room is the kind of classy project that proves how Ocean City can evolve into the 21st century without losing its low-key character. 📍 The Betz Room, 504 E. Ninth St., Ocean City, thebetzroom.com

Green Eggs Cafe at the Chatterbox

There are a dozen great breakfast places for eggs in Ocean City, from Sand House Kitchen to Hooked on Breakfast and Cafe Beach Club. But few deliver the kind of wacky, over-the-top indulgences that have made Green Eggs Cafe an icon of Philly brunch, from red velvet pancakes to the massive Kitchen Sink skillet with biscuits, sausage gravy, and cheese over scrambled eggs. That’s why Stephen Slaughter, one of the partners who last year gave the historic pink Chatterbox diner (est. 1937) a makeover with a hybrid Green Eggs menu, occasionally just sends out one of their over-the-top stuffed French toast or Benedict concoctions compliments of the house. “People are afraid of things they don’t know but ... So, here: don’t just order eggs, get something crazy!”

Case in point: I’d never order the cinnamon bun French toast monstrosity that unexpectedly landed beside my breakfast burrito. But when I sliced into its tall volcano stack of hollowed-out French toast rounds and unleashed a lava flow of creamy cinnamon sauce and candied pecans, I had to admit it was a beautiful monster, indeed. Even more intriguing , is this other savory South Philly backstory. Green Eggs co-owner William Bonforte is good friends with John Bucci Jr. of John’s Roast Pork. As a thank you for construction help with Bucci’s legendary Snyder Avenue sandwich shop, Bucci taught the Chatterbox crew some of the secrets to his award-winning cheesesteak. Ribbon-chopped beef and caramelized white onions. Melty Cooper Sharp cheese carefully tucked into every fold. A fragrant mound of steamy meat and cheese so bountiful, its seeded roll can barely contain its goodness. It isn’t an exact copy — but the family resemblance to my Philly favorite (and now a Shore fave, too) is legit! 📍 Green Eggs Cafe at the Chatterbox, 500 E. Ninth St., Ocean City, 609-399-0113; chatterboxoc.com

La Autentica Mexican Grill

The Jersey Shore has cultivated a stellar collection of Mexican restaurants over the past two decades. And new to our Ocean City rotation is La Autentica, an Asbury Avenue storefront where the Sánchez family moved their longtime Mexican market from Eighth Street during the pandemic. Last year, they added a grill to service takeout and a colorful little side dining room. Owners Juan and Yolanda Sánchez showcase their border town roots — he’s from McAllen in southernmost Texas, she’s from nearby Reynosa in Mexico’s Tamaulipas state. Their region’s cuisine is meat-centric, from carne asada to soulful birria which, as Juan says, “must have goat or it isn’t birria.”

They blend tender shreds of it here with beef for delicious tacos that get seared with Oaxaca cheese and consommé for dipping that has eight hours worth of simmered goaty guajillo depth. But everything on the menu tastes like someone’s mother made it, from the mashed-to-order jumbo avocados Yolanda transforms into noticeably rich guacamole, to the steamy tamales (a Thursday special), squash blossom empanadas, and a sublime mole rojo (served on Wednesdays) that is worthy of the trip, its bone-in chicken simmered to tenderness in a deep red brew of chiles, peanuts, and tortillas. Juan’s mother, Edelmira Gonzales, is in the kitchen, too, and her wet burritos — stuffed with rice, beans, carne asada, cheese, and avocado, then covered in her signature tomato-cheese sauce — is a hearty blast of childhood comfort for Juan, now 50: “I always said if I ever own a restaurant, wet burritos are definitely going to be on the menu.”

Lucky for us, the Sánchez family made it happen. 📍 La Autentica Mexican Grill, 1018 Asbury Ave., Ocean City, 609-399-0027; on Facebook

Taking Ocean City’s shifting tides in stride

I’m still mourning the loss of Voltaco’s, the iconic sub shop and old-school Italian takeout standby that closed last fall after 68 years — the second gut punch to Ocean City old-timers after the closing of 98-year-old Ward’s Pastry Shop. Such history is impossible to replace. But I’ve found some reassuring hoagie solace nearby in the continued revival of Florida Cold Cuts & Liquors in nearby Ventnor City (7301 Ventnor Ave., 609-822-3545), a classic in its own right whose rebirth under new ownership I wrote about last summer. A recent revisit showed this corner deli’s continued bright makeover continues, with a sharp facelift in the off-months and a more extensive selection of both natural wines and excellent specialty groceries. Most importantly, the subs remain elite, built with care on Atlantic City bread with excellent house meats, and distinctively fresh chicken and tuna salads. The fresh-baked tavern ham edged in clove-y spice, in particular, remains unbeatable.

So where to sate my craving for homey Italian red gravy favorites? We paid our first visit to another Ocean City fixture, Mario’s Pizzeria & Restaurant (1510 Bay Ave., Ocean City, 609-398-0490) where I lucked into the Tuesday night special — lasagna — that brought a doorstop-size bundle of fresh noodles wrapped around fluffy ricotta, hearty crumbles of meat, and faintly sweet red sauce. An equally ample freshly fried chicken parm was also simple and predictable, but also satisfyingly homemade. Our most pleasant surprise was the crispy, thin-crust pizza called the Old Italian, a white pie dusted with garlic and oregano topped with fresh tomatoes and slivers of white onions that were cooked just to that fleeting moment where roasty sweetness and fresh crunch still coexist. Given that Mario’s was founded in 1977, this is old news to longtime fans. But for us this was the “new” spot to replace an even older favorite, and we’ll be back.

More OC pizza news: Mike Fitzick, who in 2016 become the Shore-based Instagram sensation known as Pizza_Jew, has been making waves in Philly with his still-new Northern Liberties pizzeria Bar1010, the Neapolitan-style follow-up to his now-closed hit in Linwood called Bakeria1010. But he couldn’t stay away from the beach for long. So he’s back to commuting for a summer gig now, too, reinvigorating Ocean City’s Express Pizza & Subs (719 Battersea Rd.) with a corn meal-dusted thin-crust pie that rolls through a conveyor belt oven on screens, sometimes with Hawaiian pineapple and ham on top. “Everything a traditional pizzaiolo would be against,” Fitzick says. “It’s the anti-pizza!” Coming from one of the region’s most followed pizzaiolos, though, you can expect the lines to cue up.

LBI Pies at La Riva

“This is not a Jersey-style pie — at all,” says Brian Sabarese, describing the inflated-edged 12-inch rounds that emerge from the wood-fired oven at La Riva, the breezy Neapolitan-inspired pizzeria he opened midsummer last year in Barnegat Light.

Cue the pizza boo birds weaned on big thin-crust Jersey rounds, who’ve complained loudly in online forums that these pizzas are too small, too pricey, too puffy. I’m not one of them. I consider Neapolitan-style pizza its own distinct food group and appreciate its focus on delicacy and minimalist perfection. Sabarese, a Passerelle alum who with brother Paul also owns the Arlington and seafood-focused Daymark, which shares its liquor license with neighboring La Riva, has developed a complex dough fermented over multiple days. I also love the setting here, airy and bright, with roll-up garage doors that let the island’s brightness fill the room and illuminate the colorful negronis, spritzes and blue water glasses dotting the pale wood tables. A menu of simple but appealing plates — meatballs, puffy ricotta gnudi clouds in quick-cooked tomato sauce, oven-roasted chicken in lemon sauce — is the right idea to frame a focused repertoire of eight familiar red and white combos.

But succeeding at something simple can also be tricky, because it requires a subtle touch. La Riva is still seeking consistency. In some cases, it’s just a matter of boosting quiet flavors with more salt for the chicken, or an extra blush of marinara for the baked rigatoni. But La Riva’s blazing pizza oven offers the biggest learning curve, not only because a lazy Susan spinning inside can stretch these rounds into unintended ovals, but also because of its blazing 729-degree heat. Even after just 90 seconds inside, the crusts on our otherwise tasty marinara and white pies tasted scorched. This restaurant is so close to becoming something lovely, with a few easy tweaks. Hopefully, they can also tame that fire. 📍 La Riva, 408 Broadway, Barnegat Light, 609-342-1928; larivalbi.com

Rough Surf

Opening a new restaurant at the Shore is never easy, but these three notable newcomers have had some particularly noticeable early stumbles.

Rubia

It’s no small task following a classic like Marabella’s, the Italian standby in Stone Harbor that closed earlier this year after half a century. But turmoil has wracked the opening month of its successor, an underwhelming global tapas lounge that was a mess of chaotic pacing at my meal, with tiny, expensive dishes that ranged incoherently from Cuba to Africa without the culinary wherewithal to cook any of them convincingly (if cooked at all: we were served half-raw shrimp twice). It’s no surprise a kitchen change was made within the first few weeks, but the concept itself may be irreparably flawed. 📍 Rubia, 9426 Third Ave., Stone Harbor, 609-830-2556; rubiatapas.com

Brine BYOB

One of two new concepts this year from the busy Kara Group of Cape May (George’s Place; Shamone; Petunia), this upscale BYOB has arguably one of the prettiest locations at the Shore, a dockside marina patio beside Schellenger Creek. The menu has genuine Mediterranean appeal, but too many plates were dry and scantily sauced (swordfish kebabs; duck confit; lamb chops) or carelessly finished (errant flaps of connective trim in the “butchers Bolognese”) to merit entree prices in the mid-$30s and up. 📍 Brine BYOB, 1231 NJ-109, Cape May, 609-884-0833; kararestaurantgroup.com/brine

Betty’s Seafood Shack

With the beloved 50-year-old “Smitty’s” Clam Bar in Somers Point on an annual closure watch due to potential development, it’s essential the Shore cultivates a new generation of casual destinations for simple seafood done right. This sunny new Margate space from the folks behind Water Dog Smoke House has so much potential, from its bayside view to a menu of seafood fried, sautéed, or blackened. But early season execution was lacking. The lobster roll and crab cake were bursting with meat, but had virtually no seasoning. The stuffed clam was swamped in sauce. The lettuce wraps were flaccid. There were also crucial mistakes in the early gluten-free notations that made us nervous. This shack can easily succeed, and I hope it does, but must first work out the kinks. 📍 Betty’s Seafood Shack, 9315 Amherst Ave., Margate City, 609-246-7411; bettysseafoodshack.com