When compiling a “best of” list, manywriters stick with a Top 10.
But with summer just around the bend, why limit ourselves when theJersey Shore is packed with new offerings for you to put on your summer bucket list,.
To outdo Nigel Tufnel of "Spinal Tap,'' let's take it to12.
1. Have a laugh at the Atlantic City Comedy Club
Sure, the A.C. casinos regularly have their headliner comedians at hefty ticket prices, but Bridgestone Entertainment and the New York Comedy Club have collaborated to bring club-style standup back to town at the Playground Pier (opposite Caesar’s on the Boardwalk), in order to showcase the rising stars of the comedy world.
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“The shows aren't like when you pay big bucks to see Jerry Seinfeld, with 5,000people in a dark theater and just a spotlight on the comic,"said Matt Bridgestone, comedy producer and writer for the Justin Bieber Roast on Comedy Central. “Here, we create a more intimate setting. I get a lot of requests from groups of people that want to sit in the front rows and have us make fun of them."
Unlike most comedy clubs, the tickets prices will range from $15 to $25, include a live DJ and on Saturdays, a free after party in the T Street section of the Playground.
Although there will be a full bar, bottle service and food available, there will not be a required minimum purchase (turning the “two drink minimum” standard on its head). Shows will run seven days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with three shows on Saturdays. Gilbert Gottfried will headline the summer wrap-up show on Aug.19. A suggested age of 16 is recommended for earlier shows, but it is 21 and over only for any shows beginning after 10 p.m.
The Playground Pier, 1 Atlantic Ocean on the Boardwalk, Atlantic City. (609) 318-4494. atlanticcitycomedyclub.com.
2. Bloody Marys, your way
With the trendiness of brunch, the Bloody Mary has made a big comeback, and has gone far beyond the simple celery garnish.
But North End American Grill in North Wildwood is upping the game this summer with its new bottomless Bloody Mary Buffet Bar at brunch. For $15, you can create your own artful monstrosity with garnishes and toppings like bacon skewers, cornichons, antipasti skewers (salami, provolone, tomato and artichoke), stuffed olives and even pickled asparagus. You can add heat with an assortment of hot sauces or horseradish, and even rim the glass with Old Bay seasoning, cracked pepper or celery salt.
There’s also daily happy hour specials from 4 to 7 p.m., and live music outdoors from 6 to 10 p.m. daily. Brunch (and that Bloody Mary bar) will be available on Sundays only from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., starting on May 27, and expands to both Saturdays and Sundays, starting June 17.
206 Olde New Jersey Ave., North Wildwood. (609) 435-5691. northendamericangrill.com.
3. Sip the latest creations at The Continental
Stephen Starr is fresh from this year’s James Beard Awards with the Outstanding Restaurateur award under his belt, so it might behoove you to toast this Jersey Shore/Philly triumph with a few offbeat drinks at Starr’s retro-chic Atlantic City bar.
The Continental has just rolled out its summer drink menu, which ranges from the unusual (such as the “Aloe Me to Introduce Myself“ made with Bluecoat Gin, Chareau Aloe Vera Liqueur, lemon, lime and tonic) to the sophisticated (the Limonata made with Smirnoff Vodka, apricot brandy, Limonata SanPellegrino and lemon), to the tiki-inspired (The Painkiller with puss*r’s British Navy Rum, pineapple, orange, nutmeg and crème of coconut).
Playground Pier, One Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic City. (609) 674-8300. continentalac.com.
4. Bannon’s Ocean Café
Cute little breakfast and lunch cafes serve inexpensive comfort grub up and down the Shore, and everyone has their local favorite. Bannon’s Ocean Café is one of the newest, having opened just this spring, but along with pancakes, omelets and burgers you’ll find a few fun surprises worth seeking out, like the fried Scrapple Bites (servedwith apple butter for dipping) and the Breakfast Burger (topped with bacon, cheese and a fried egg, served with a side of home fries). There are also a few classics you don’t see on a lot of Jersey Shore breakfast café menus, such as Creamed Chipped Beef and Sausage and Gravy over Biscuits. Open daily from 7 a.m. to3 p.m.
333 E Montgomery Ave., Wildwood. (609) 846-7716.
5. Chew on a ‘Fractured Prune’
Ocean City visitors may already be in the know, but this year, the Wildwood boardwalk is getting its very own Fractured Prune Donut Shoppe, which some say might be the final word in doughnut nirvana.
“A lot of people would say our doughnut is the right combination of crispy on the outside, nice and fluffy on the inside,” said Ken Jenkins, co-owner with his wife, Joanne, of the Ocean City and Wildwood locations. “We don’t have customers, we have fans.”
As if this wasn’t enough, these doughnuts are made to order, with combinations of toppings you can choose from the menu like The Lumberjack (maple glaze, bacon and cinnamon sugar), the O.C. Sand (honey glaze and cinnamon sugar), the Trail Mix (banana glaze, nuts, coconut, chocolate sprinkles) or you can have them create your own combination. But if you order just a plain vanilla, Ken promises, “We won’t talk about you.”
Unlike the franchised stores, these Jersey Shore locations are considered “independently owned legacies” —which means they get to put their own toppings on the menu (like the Holy Cannoli, with vanilla glaze, powdered sugar, graham crackers and mini chocolate chips) and frequently ask their customers for suggestions. They also offer a monster dessert, the Hole-In-One (vanilla ice cream served on top of a doughnut, with your choice of toppings), and breakfast sandwiches, which are served on a bagel, multi-grain bread or English muffin, with the exception of the Prunewich (egg, cheese, and a choice of sausage, bacon or ham or pork roll between the halves of a hot doughnut).
There’s also Café Kreyol pour-over coffee (a coffee sourced from Haitian farmers that pays over the fair trade rate and teaches the growers how to be self-sustaining), lattes and chai teas. Opens Memorial Day weekend.
2006 Boardwalk, North Wildwood. (609) 425-0386. facebook.com/prunenw
6. Mangia mangia at Mia Mia
Despite losing both her mother and father towardthe end of 2016, Mia Chiarella, the self-proclaimed “little chef that could,” together with her supportive boyfriend, Joe Schulte, opened Mia Mia Raw Bar and Ristorante in December (at the same location as the Chiarella family’s much-beloved restaurant, Gia) and have been packing the dining room ever since.
“’Mia means ‘mine,’ “ said Chiarella, who also has appeared on ABC’s ‘'The Taste’' and Food Network’s ‘'Kitchen Casino.'’
"I’ve taken over this space to do food my way. Gia was a celebration of my family’s past; Mia Mia is a celebration of the present and future.”
Chiarella is focused on authentic Italian flavors (“using the techniques my dad taught me”), but combined with a summer seasonal bite, most notably represented by the addition of a raw bar. The focus will be on fresh fish and seafoods sourced as locally as possible; house-made pastas, mozzarella and burrata, Italian bread and rolls and desserts; and herbs and salad greens grown in the restaurant’s rooftop garden.
“I like fine dining, but I also like just having a glass of wine and oysters, “said Chiarella. “ I wanted to get away from the heaviness of Italian food. I’ll still keep a chicken or veal parm on the menu, but I wanted to create a more contemporary restaurant, more beachy, cool, and light.”
BYOB. 3001 Pacific Ave, Wildwood Crest. 609-408-6525. TasteMiaMia.com.
7. Park your paddle board and dine dockside
Dig the farm-to-fork kitchen at North Wildwood’s The Establishment? This summer, you’ll be able to paddle your way right up to its casual sister eatery, The Shack, located at Grassy Sound Marina. Set to open within the next few weeks for breakfast and lunch (there is no official opening date yet), the BYO also will open for dinner in time for Wildwood Restaurant Week (June 18-23), with a full menu available by the Fourth of July.
The restaurant will feature bayfront dining with spectacular views, a menu showcasing fresh and locally sourced seafood, live entertainment on weekends and ten slips allowing boaters and paddle boarders to dock and dine.
4001 Old North Wildwood Blvd, North Wildwood. (609) 522-0682 facebook.com/theshacknww/.
8. Get your geek on all summer long
If you love a good Con weekend experience or you’re a competitive gamer, you don’t have to wait around this summer to nab tickets for a single event. Beginning on Memorial Day weekend, the newly reopened, 1,300-room Showboat now hosts the summer-long Atlantic City Fan Xpo (ACFX).
The permanent space will feature new themes every weekend, but always with a convention-like atmosphere complete with a 100,000 square foot show floor for cosplay, pop culture vendors, merchants and artists, a board gaming floor for communal gaming and the three-story Surf Bar for geeky nightlife.
The 2,800-seat Sandbox Theater houses an advanced LAN center with state-of-the-art gaming machines for friendly competition and eSports competitions. Themes scheduled so far include Poke-fan, Horror and B-Movie, and Heroes of the 80’s weekends.
ACFX at Showboat, 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City. acfxpo.com.
9. For free fun, hang out in downtown Wildwood
The Downtown area of Wildwood has been getting a little livelier with events like the farmers market and family movie nights, but this year new events are being added in anticipation of the mid-August opening of the Byrne Plaza on Pacific Avenue. The new park will feature plenty of green space and a concert shell for performances, but even though it is still under construction the town is not waiting to introduce two new events this year: “Downtown Fitness in the Plaza” and a “Downtown Wildwood Music in the Plaza” series.
“The Downtown area has really been thriving, with new shops, cafes and bookstores. And Pacific Avenue is located near a restaurant row,” said Ben Rose, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority. “The Byrne Plaza will be an all-encompassing venue, and I think its opening will be a really great center-city event.”
The Fitness series will feature a variety of classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:00 a.m. from June 26 to Sept. 1, and the Music series will showcase a new act every Thursday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. from July 6to Aug. 31.
All events take place on Pacific Avenue between Oak and Schellenger Avenues, in Downtown Wildwood. For more information on free summer programs, go to wildwoodsnj.com.
10. Take a new ride on an old coaster
The Great Nor’easter may have been installed on the Wildwood boardwalk back in 1995, but it’s gotten a makeover for this summer that makes it a whole new (and much faster) ride. Special crews have come from Holland to change the tracks and install new “Freedom Flight Seats.”
The inverted coaster will now take you through a rollover, sidewinder and double spin at speeds of up to 50 m.ph.
Morey’s Surfside Pier, 3501 Boardwalk, Wildwood.
11. Check out the latest shop that’s part of Ocean City’s “Retail Renaissance”
Mama, opened in March, goes above and beyond the typical Shore boutique. Owner Gina Ozhuthual, a 1997 graduate of Ocean City High School, hopes to create a full experience for her customers (who she calls “Boho Babes, Mamas and Littles”), who want to enjoy a “California-inspired, unique, free-spirited, luxury lifestyle.”
That said, alongside all of the breezy clothing, accessories, beach wear, jewelry, children’s clothing, toys, baby sets and a home collection of blankets and pillows, the upscale store offers a relaxed and fun atmosphere, complete with a teepee in the middle for children to play in while their “Mamas” shop. One-on-one style sessions over coffee are available, as well as discounts and rewards shopping.
41 Asbury Ave., Ocean City. bohemianmama.com.
12. Every day is Taco Tuesday in Cape May
Key West Taco has long satisfied taco cravings for those spending an afternoon, a night or a whole blissful week in Cape May.
And now, taco lovers can also indulge in tacos from James Beard-nominated chef Lucas Manteca.
Fans of Red Store in Cape May Point know the lure of Manteca's culinary creations.
Manteca also guided the culinary paths of Sea Salt, Quahog's Seafood Shack and the Ebbitt Room at the Virginia Hotel, as well as Philadelphia's Hoof + Finn. He runs Red Store with his wife, Deanna Ebner.
The new Taco Shop is conveniently located besideCape May Brewing Company, making it very convenient to marry beer with taco, taco with beer.
1288 Hornet Road,Rio Grande;tacoshoptacos.com
