Summer 2011 Shore round up

Its been a feast or famine summer for us as far as dining out at the shore goes. Some weekends meals are spent squeezed around the dining room table with the whole family, eating burgers, hot dogs, or pizza. And other weekends, like this one past, we've been able to sample the local cuisine without too much of a headache.

Everyone knows that Memorial Day Weekend, Fourth of July Weekend and Labor Day Weekend are off limits for dining out. Too many people, too little space. So if you want to get to a popular restaurant during the summer months, you're best bet is one of the in between weekends.

Our culinary tour this weekend was very diverse, from Atlantic City's best to a Sunday evening sub sandwich on "seashore" bread. We did it all. So here's where we've been eating when we escape the city, and what we think of it.

Knife and Fork, Atlantic City: When we say this is an Atlantic City establishment, we mean it. The Knife and Fork has been around since the days of Nucky and the rest of the Boardwalk Empire crew. It certainly has had its ups and downs. Several years ago the Dougherty family (owners of Doc's Oyster House) bought the Knife and Fork and restored it to its former glory. The inside is cozy and old school. Dark wood and old fashioned fixtures certainly contrast the gaudy decor of some of the neighboring casinos.

The menu is diverse and can satisfy any craving. Perfect french onion soup was enjoyed along side a bowl of crab and corn chowder and a beautifully decorated plate of yellow and red beets with goat cheese. For our entrees we had quiet the variety. We had a perfectly cook strip steak, a delicious and moist pork chop, and exotic filet of halibut and a well stuffed (with crabmeat) flounder. Despite our food babies we couldn't resist ordering the Jersey fresh Blueberry Tart. And it was insane. There's nothing like a Jersey blueberry in the summer, so add sugar, butter and put it in a graham cracker crust. Amazing.

We've driven past the Knife and Fork a million times and had never been in. It certainly won't be another 29 years until we get there again.

Barrel's of Margate: Oh Barrels...That was our reaction to the unilateral change made by the hostess regarding our reservation time. Barrels is notorious for booking too many reservations and having a lobby full of angry hungry people wondering what the hell is going on. We arrived at 8:25, knowing that just 25 minutes before that we had called to see when they could seat a party of 2. 8:30, no problem, we were told. We finally were seated at 8:51 and as we walked into the dining room an old man looked at us and said "worth the wait". He was more than right. This wasn't our first time at Barrels so I don't know why we expected anything different from the teeny bopper running the hostess stand.

Things ran much more smoothly once we were seated. Barrel's olive oil garlic dip alone can make up for an hour plus wait. We filled up on bread and decided to forgo the Caprese salad. Steve was looking for some protein, but couldn't resist the cheese lasagna, so he ordered the lasagna with two meatballs. Both the lasagna and the cheese gnocchi were piping hot and covered in Barrels marinara. If we had any will power and had resisted the bread and olive oil, we both would've cleaned our plates but we were actually excited to bring home leftovers, so we could experience the flavors all over again. Unfortunately for us, we left them in the fridge when we headed back home on Sunday. Hope my parents enjoyed it!

So we've determined that you need to do one of three things to enjoy Barrels food without getting frustrated. 1) Be prepared to wait, despite a reservation. 2) Go in the winter when its only half as busy. 3) Take out.

Atlantic City Sub Shop: The most important thing about a sub, hoagie, grinder or sandwich is the bread. Atlantic City Sub Shop is owned by Formica Bakery, so you're pretty much guaranteed a delicious sub. Another great thing that we love about them is that they are literally on our way home to Philadelphia. One last taste of the shore before heading out for another work week. They are not in Atlantic City, so no need to worry about parking. Their Tilton Road location is much more convenient than anything by the casinos, and once you're inside, sitting in a booth fashioned to look like a boardwalk rickshaw, and surrounded by old time pictures of Steel Pier, you feel like you're there.

The "Regular" is filled with all your typical italian hoagie fixins. All the right proportions too! I was a little adventurous and ordered a spinach veggie sub. Sometimes traditional sub shops have veggie options on their menu for show, but don't really master the proper way to prepare it. I opted for no cheese, which made me think there was a chance of one bland-ass sandwich. But much to my enjoyment the sauteed spinach, red peppers and onions stuck together perfectly. Just enough salt to bring out the flavor of each veggie and not too much grease to negate the fact that this was all vegatables.

We completely enjoyed our late lunch at the Atlantic City Sub Shop. Sometimes you really need a nice meal before the trek home through all the shore traffic.


A well rounded culinary weekend for sure. Still haven't been to Smith Clam Bar, so we'll be trying to fit that in soon!