Independent claws: The cayenne-dusted softshell crabs are the perfect summer dish. (photograph by michael persico)
For me it's not summer till I tip back some Cape May salts. Tucked inside their small sun-bleached shells, these tiny briny oysters brought back from the precipice of extinction by Slow Food U.S.A. illuminate the ethos of eat-fresh, eat-local. If you're not a follower of that gospel, do it 'cause Cape May salts are really freaking delicious.
Presented on a bed of ice, these just-shucked babies make a fitting start to dinner at Quahog's, a Stone Harbor seafood shack celebrating sustainable, local and not-almost-extinct fish.
This isn't the place for farmed salmon and Chilean sea bass. Instead executive chef/owner Lucas Manteca and his chef de cuisine Carlos Barros prepare Jersey gems like blue crabs, oysters and Great Sound steamers as well as the "trash fish" nobody wants to take to the prom. Whiting, pollock, Brazilian pacu and Atlantic croaker--a buttery weakfish relative roasted whole--are streaked with bright chimichurri and served alongside peppery watercress salad.
Three uncommon fish grace Quahog's blackboard menu nightly. The first is roasted whole, like the croaker. Another's filleted and grilled. And one's Yuengling-battered ("because that's what the kitchen drink," laughs Manteca) and fried with Old Bay chips. What's for dinner depends on what Manteca is getting from local fishermen, roadside shellfish hawkers and purveyors like Brooklyn-based Wild Edibles, a company that grades its catch according to a sustainable star system.
Quahog's philosophy isn't airtight when yellowfin or mako sneak onto the menu, though when that happens, Manteca is using bycatch from independent fishermen rather than high-impact fish farms. The Alaskan king crabs are obviously from out of state, and the lobsters--their sweet meat mixed to order with Sriracha, mayo, tarragon and celery leaves for a heavenly lobster roll hugged by a challah bun from Route 9's Victory Baking--are from Maine.
With concrete floors and exposed wood beams, Quahog's looks like it could have been airlifted from that New England state, but a cool bit of memorabilia in the men's room reminds you where you are. Hanging on the wall, a framed faded page outlines the house rules from a circa-1960 summer rental. My favorite: "Where children will sleep, use a rubber or plastic cover on the mattress." Gotta love the Jersey shore.
Quahog's dining room and lantern-strung outdoor patio is populated with sun-kissed shoobees, Avalon bluebloods in madras shorts and dishtowel bibs, and sweet old ladies toting bottles of Mondavi and Boneva. Overhead, seagull statues cast watchful wooden eyes upon the monster lobster and clambakes atop the red-checked tablecloths.
Manteca's very pregnant wife Deanna Ebner--they met while surfing in Costa Rica--strolls the dining room in flip-flops and chats with customers. She asks me how I'm enjoying the cornmeal-and- cayenne-dusted softshell crabs. Does "perfect summer dish" suffice?
The dish is a harmony of peak-of-season seafood and produce. The crabs are meaty and sweet; the strawberry-rhubarb sauce is naturally sugary with an unexpected crack of fresh ginger. There's an accompanying tuft of arugula festooned with more Jersey strawberries and cherry bell radishes from the farmstands on Route 47.
Contemporary touches nod to the couple's other Stone Harbor restaurant, Sea Salt. There's that curious (and awesome) whisper of cinnamon in the light, lovely cherrystone clam chowder made with house-steamed clam juice. Orange-chipotle barbecue sauce lacquers a stack of ribs butchered not from pig or cow but freshwater pacu, a cousin of the piranha.
Missteps do occur, like the tough Middleneck clams in a broth that doesn't deliver the menu's promise of fennel and lemongrass. Third-degree burns blacken sections of grilled corn on the cob, while the scallops in the Vitamin C-rich ceviche are sliced too large.
The soft cocoa cakes bookending a Fluff-filled whoopee pie are disappointingly dry, while the otherwise-perfect Granny Smith apple pie just isn't right without a big scoop of vanilla. Stick to the puddings: dense dulce de leche-drizzled banana bread and Arborio rice infused with cinnamon and orange.
Whatever you can't finish the able staff will happily box up in a biodegradable clamshell made from sugarcane and corn.
On your way out, past the rusted fishing rods and yellowed maps of Seven Mile Island, the hostess thanks you in a Bulgarian accent and offers a copy of the Blue Ocean Institute's color-coded pocket guide to ocean-friendly seafood--a thoughtful parting gift from a restaurant with a conscience.
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1. Jennifer said... on Sep 6, 2008 at 12:57PM
“September 4,2008. My husband and I enjoyed our meal here. The atmosphere and vibe were great along with their various "board specials".This place is a B.Y.O B.The staff will chill your wine/beer for your meal.The decor was simple and cozy.They have an indoor dining room with A.C. and a pleasant outside patio. My husband had the orange glaze pacu ribs for entree' and fried oyster for an appitizer both were cooked to perfection. I had the steamed mussles with fennel which was very satisfying.We did not have room for dessert but all of them sounded delicious!!!! The wait staf was very pleasant and prompt. We will make this out first stop next again and hightly recommend this resturany”
2. Steve Clark said... on Aug 25, 2008 at 06:17PM
“I had dinner there August 18, 2008. The meal was excellent, along with prices-particularly down the shore. I had Pacu fish ribs, which was both exotic and delicious. Many of our party had the lobster roll and loved it. We topped it off with rice pudding that was delicious. The restaurant style is casual, yet has gourmet style food. The service I thought could be a touch better and more enthusiastic....but overall the food was delivered in a timely manner and the waitress was very knowledgeable. I highly recommend it...and would go back in a minute. If you're looking to step out for high quality, interesting food-with fair prices-and to stay away from the overpriced seashore "been here 30 years" fish/italian places...this is it.”
3. messngr said... on Jul 6, 2008 at 06:11PM
“During my yearly pilgimage to the island I was attracted to this restaurant by the wonderful review. Enjoying the food is one important part of the expereince. Another make or break part is the service. If you are like me and would consider a meal to be ruined by poor service, then stay away. Our evening was totally ruined by the failure on the part of the kitchen/wait staff/ who knows that casued our meal to arrive punishingly late. The appetizers were 40 minutes into our arrival and an additional 40 for the entrees. The entree was served to our group over a five minute period completely forgeting a side order and arriving with bowls for our consumed shell fish 15 minutes into our meal. I used a serving tray for my leftover shells. My appetite had left me in disgust as I lay witness to table after table receiving their meals prior to ours. No surprize that they arrived after us. The explanation we received was that the kitchen was busy. At this pace they will not have to worry about that ! I will not return to this restaurant.”
4. Anonymous said... on Aug 2, 2009 at 09:54PM
“Quahogs was the worst dining experience I ever experienced. To make a long story short and to give you the highlights.
-there were 11 of us and 5 had their food 20-25 minutes before the rest came out for 3 others and didn't come out for the other 3.
-When there was a big bug in the food on one plate my sister-in-law was told to "eat around it" by the rude manager. She said these things should be expected since we were seated outside. WOW!
-The waitress was rude multiple times (such as when she rolled her eyes when she was told about the bug.
-My wife and 3 1/2 year old son finally left after our food never came. We have never left without paying a check before, but this was just rediculous.
-One girl in the party ordered chicken tenders and fries and received a whopping total of 4 french fries...yes, 4. The manager said this was her serving size.
They gave 2 samll dishes of chick peas and saltine crackers for appetizers...lol...real high class.
Don't waste your time or $$.”
5. Beverly said... on Aug 27, 2009 at 07:59AM
“The restaurant tries too hard to be something it is not-as many summer places do. However, one would think that since you tend to make all your money during the summer, you would receive excellent service-without any FLAWS
We ordered dinner, the food took it's time, but we were not in any rush. When we received the check, the one entree was $5.00 more than the menu had reflected.When we asked the waitress about this she said the menu hadn't been updated! How unprofessional, the manager was no where in sight- why wouldn't the menu be updated in prime season? This left a bad taste and we will NEVER return and will make sure we tell everyone we know not to patronize this restaurant.”
6. Anonymous said... on Aug 31, 2009 at 07:48PM
“The house salad was OK. The fish taquitos were small but tasty. The fish ribs were a bad idea. The grilled scallops were acceptable, but at $5.50 per scallop for a total of 4 scallops in the entree, it was way over priced. And the key lime pie was good but not $8.00/slice good. The cost for two adults was $84 including tip. Seriously pricey.
Some of the reviews said the classic clam shack fare was good. If I ever go back I'll have to try that. But I wouldn't bother with the fru-fru food. It is too expensive for what you get.
”
7. Anonymous said... on Sep 1, 2009 at 05:14PM
“I ate there last night, and it was delicious. The baby arugula salad was fresh, and the goat cheese vinaigrette was the perfect balance. The pacu ribs were outstanding (and really filling), and the tuna ceviche was better than I've had before. What I like about this place is that it seems like the kitchen knows how to season food (so rare for the Jersey shore), and everything was outstanding.”
8. quita said... on Sep 5, 2009 at 03:17PM
“We eat here every summer when we go to the shore. This restaurant is a gem among the lackluster choices in the Avalon/Stone Harbor area. Their food is very, very good and very fresh. The salads and vegetables are organic and, I believe, come from local farms. My husband always orders the pacu ribs and they are delicious. The various bakes (lobster, snow crab) are wonderful and come with clams, potatoes and roasted corn on the cob. (These bakes are huge, by the way.) The house salad is delicious and served with a vinaigrette. The roasted veggies and grilled asparagus are excellent and the old bay fries are not to be missed. When we were there a few days ago, they had made-to-order guacamole as an appetizer special and it was wonderful! I can't comment on desserts because we are always so full from dinner that we have no room left.
As for some of the reviews that say the food took a long time, we've never experienced that when we've dined here.
”