LBI Restaurant Week kicks off Friday. Here's where to eat
It might not be time for a beach day on LBI, but plenty of restaurants are open and ready for Long Beach Island Bites Winter Restaurant Week, which kicks off Friday, Jan. 27.
Nearly two dozen eateries on and off the island will take part in the 10-day event, organized in 2017 by the founders of the Long Beach Island Bites Facebook page.
Restaurant week runs through Sunday, Feb. 5.
“You can try some of (the restaurants) best meals in a less rushed atmosphere, which you wouldn’t be able to do usually because it’s hard to get a reservation during the summer," co-founder Nicole Sexton told The Asbury Park Press in 2022. “This is a calmer way to try a lot of the great establishments that are on or around the island."
From Latino Flavor Grille in Stafford to Tucker's Tavern in Beach Haven, here are some of the participating restaurants and their restaurant week menus.
The Old Causeway Steak & Oyster House, Stafford
The offer: Three courses for lunch ($25 per person) and four courses for dinner ($40 per person).
On the menu: Start things off with clam chowder, oysters or short rib-topped potato chips, then try an oyster BLT with Old Bay aioli, coriander-crusted pork chop with pineapple soy glaze, or char siu-style chicken with crispy rice cake. For dessert, there's coconut and raspberry bread pudding.
Go: 1201 East Bay Ave., Manahawkin section of Stafford; 609-488-1327, oldcauseway.com.
More:Sandbox Cafe says goodbye to LBI after 20 years. This other local spot is moving in
Latino Flavor Grille, Stafford
The offer: Four courses for dinner ($40 per person); reservations recommended.
On the menu: Start your meal with Baja shrimp tacos or Puerto Rican-style chicken empanadas, then try Colombian beef stew, a Peruvian steak dish called lomo saltado, enchiladas Suizas with Manchego cheese, and seared scallops in chile de arbol sauce.
Go: 31 N. Main St., Manahawkin section of Stafford; 609-994-2652, latinoflavorgrille.com.
More:Twisted Steaks food truck to open Plumsted restaurant
Dune 18, Ship Bottom
The offer: Four courses for dinner ($38.99 per person).
On the menu: Rock shrimp tempura, flatbread pizza, and whipped ricotta crostini kick things off. Dinner choices include ravioli in vodka sauce, sesame chicken teriyaki, and Icelandic cod with cherry vinegar peppers. For dessert, there's red velvet cake and cookies and cream mousse cake.
Go: 1916 Long Beach Blvd.; 609-494-3354, dune18.com.
Tucker's Tavern, Beach Haven
The offer: Three courses ($45 per person).
On the menu: There are nearly a dozen appetizers to start your meal, from roasted lamb tacos with tomato confit to oysters on the half shell. Then move on to local tuna with Creole risotto, flounder francaise with crab orzo, and fish and chips with malt vinegar aioli. For dessert, try espresso tiramisu or flourless chocolate truffle torte.
Go: 101 Southwest Ave.; 609-492-2300, tuckerstavern-lbi.com.
More:Deli classics, family recipes on the menu at Manasquan's new Off Center Food Supply
LBI Pancake House, Ship Bottom
The offer: Four entrées options ($14.99 each).
On the menu: Try a Jersey omelet stuffed with pork roll and American cheese, French toast with lemon curd and blueberry compote, eggs Benedict with Canadian ham and sauteed spinach, or huevos rancheros.
Go: 2111 Long Beach Blvd.; 609-361-8108, lbipancakehouse.com.
More:The Year of the Pizza: This journalist is on a quest to eat the best NJ slices in 2023
Salt Kitchen & Bar, Ship Bottom
The offer: Three dinner courses ($45 per person).
On the menu: Korean fried oysters tucked in bao buns, lamb sliders with Gruyere, and blistered shishito peppers start the meal, which continues with short rib pappardelle, clams with squid ink pasta, and roasted chicken with sunchokes, among other choices. For dessert, affogoto with limoncello.
Go: 350 W. 8th St.; 609-991-8001, hotellbi.com/dining/salt-kitchen.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore: LBI Restaurant Week 2023 begins Jan. 27
