Diverse flavors to savor at the annual Belmar Restaurant Tour

With nearly 40 delicious destinations to visit, the 10th annual Belmar Restaurant Tour on March 11, 2018, was by far the biggest and best one yet in the event’s 10-year history.

The tour welcomed several first-time participants as well this year, including Comfi of Belmar, Flames Brazilian Steakhouse, Jake’s Downtown, Joe’s Bagel & Grill, Main Street Donuts, Marina Grille, PizzaShop, and Relish Hot Dog & Sausage Co.

We always start the tour along Ocean Avenue. First stop this year: La Dolce Vita Italian Seafood Grill for rigatoni Bolognese, followed by a mini Nutella acai bowl at Playa Bowls. At Jimmy’s Place, owner Jimmy James offered visitors a smorgasbord of selections from his menu, including three varieties of homemade soup (black bean, New England clam chowder, and split pea with ham), deviled eggs, pizza, sausage and peppers, and made-to-order submarine and breakfast sandwiches.

From Ocean Avenue, we headed downtown to Klein’s Fish Market and Waterside Café (New England and Manhattan clam chowder), Doughboys Wood-Fired Pizza (hot buffet of chicken Francaise, penne with pesto, and fresh vegetable medley), and the lovely Sweet Tease Tea Room and Café (chai tea latte and mini vanilla scones).

Next, our path headed south along Main Street for several stops. We visited Comfi of Belmar (fresh kielbasa, fried pierogies, and French toast bites with syrup); Main Street Donuts (doughnut bites in various flavors); Anchor Tavern (loaded baked potato soup and rotisserie chicken salad on crostini); Stay Gold Café (gluten-free chicken salad, Caesar salad, vegan artichoke bruschetta, and Stay Gold cold brew coffee); Beach Haus Brewery (Winter Rental black lager); and Jake’s Downtown (crab balls with Sriracha mayonnaise and seasoned fries).

Flames Brazilian Steakhouse on Main Street offered selections of Churrasco, including homemade sausage, garlic steak, and chicken, as well as traditional feijoada (black bean stew) and bites of fresh tuna salad in pastry. Further south, at the recently opened Relish Hot Dog & Sausage Co. across from the Belmar Post Office, visitors sampled Relish’s signature hot dogs with spicy relish and other menu offerings.

Along 10th Avenue, we visited Jack’s Tavern (artichokes Francaise and potato-leek soup); Federici’s on 10th (homemade sweet sausage and Shanna salad with creamy Italian dressing); and Sweet! (sugar and butter cookies).

In Pyanoe Plaza, Chef Chris Brandl’s roasted garlic oysters earned rave reviews at his namesake restaurant, Brandl. Rounding back to Belmar Plaza, Joe’s Bagel and Grill offered bites of pork roll, egg, and cheese sandwiches, along with assorted bagels and flavored cream cheeses. Hoagitos presented Parmesan-garlic risotto balls with Parmesan cream sauce, while Jersey Shore BBQ served small plates of house-cured and smoked pork belly with corn pudding and pickled onions.

Simply Southern drew a crowd with its portions of chicken gumbo and fried chicken, while also collecting donations for the benefit of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The fund-raiser was held in partnership with Thunder 106.3, Creative Performance, and Shoreline Harley Davidson.

Two long-time Belmar Restaurant Tour participants, JB Couture Cupcakes and Mr. Shrimp Seafood Restaurant and Market, are both expanding into new, larger locations, which we had the good fortune to preview during this year’s outing. JB Couture Cupcakes recently relocated to 801 Main Street in Belmar, and Mr. Shrimp is moving to 1608 Highway 71 next door to its current location.

Owners at both establishments are still putting on the finishing touches and hope to officially open their new locations to the community over the next several weeks once construction is complete. Mr. Shrimp welcomed visitors with customer favorites from its extensive menu, including shrimp cocktail, mini crab cakes with creole tartar sauce, fresh clams and oysters on the half shell, and its signature crab dip and bread sticks. JB Couture Cupcakes featured a make-your-own-cake bar with toppings.

We always enjoy the friendly hospitality and sit-down service at Rajin' Cajun on Route 35, which this year served blackened chicken bites, scampi artichoke hearts, and jambalaya rice. At Marina Grill, we took a few moments to admire the stunning water views and enjoy the sunny Sunday afternoon while sampling the cheesy grits with grilled shrimp on the outdoor dining deck.

In all, we made it to nearly 30 of the 39 participating restaurants this year, ending with our traditional last stop at Turnstile Coffee Roasters on Route 71 for freshly brewed Sumatra roast and a house blend of Colombian and African beans. We returned home with a full belly and great appreciation for the delicious afternoon of culinary creativity provided by the chefs, tavern owners, and restaurateurs this year.

Photos by Christine Cardellino.

Read more on the Belmar Beachcomber blog

More Belmar dining stories
Upcoming Belmar events
Belmar business news
Belmar, NJ, tourism information
Visit the Belmar Marina
Area attractions near Belmar