By Hannah Wickford
Point Pleasant, New Jersey, brings visitors back to the good old days with an old-fashioned boardwalk complete with arcade games and a carousel. With its location on the northern part of the Jersey shore, Point Pleasant is a popular summer destination. After a day at the
beach, the locals and tourists can head into town to enjoy a relaxing dinner at one of the city's best restaurants.
Europa South
In an area where seafood restaurants are plentiful, Europa South brings a new twist to fresh fish. The restaurant creates authentic Portuguese and Spanish cuisine that incorporates fresh, locally-caught seafood. The main dining room is warm and inviting featuring exposed brick walls, hand-painted tiles and back-lit stained-glass ceiling panels. For a special date or gathering of friends, ask to be seated at the large red-velvet corner booth in the back of the room.
Diners can choose from the four-course prix fixe meal, order from the a la carte menu or share a few dishes from the tapas menu. A children's menu is also available. The a la carte menu features a selection of appetizers, soups and salads as well as seafood, poultry, beef and pork entrees. Popular dishes include Spanish sausage flambéed with Portuguese fire water, red snapper fillet stuffefd with Portuguese crab-meat stuffing and carne alentejana (slow-cooked pork with clams, garlic and cilantro). Large groups can order traditional Portuguese dishes including leitao a bairrada (whole roasted suckling pig).
Europa South
521 Arnold Ave.
Point Pleasant, NJ 08742
(732) 295-1500
europasouth.com
Jack Baker's Lobster Shanty
The Lobster Shanty offers its guests an elegant dining experience complete with spectacular water views. The main dining room is spacious and offers end-to-end windows, crystal chandeliers and white tablecloths. It is all about the seafood at the Lobster Shanty, and its chefs make sure that they purchase the freshest that is available.
The menu features a variety of appetizers, soups, salads and raw bar selections. Entrees feature poultry, seafood, beef, pork and pastas. Popular dishes include the day boat scallops, the lobster, shrimp and scallop sauté with a sherry-infused buerre blanc and the prime rib au jus with a tomato-horseradish sauce. Reservations are suggested.
Jack Baker's Lobster Shanty
81-83 Channel Drive
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742
(732) 899-6700
pointpleasantlobstershanty.com
Spano's Italian Ristorante
Spano's chef and owner, Joe Spano, draws on his heritage to create authentic Italian cuisine. The recipe for sauce draws on his mother's background in Naples, and his father's Barese ancestry is reflected in the various vegetables and pastas used to create the dishes. The thoughtfully-prepared menu offers a variety of appetizers, salads, sides and pastas as well as poultry, seafood, beef, veal, pork and vegetarian entrees. Customer favorites include veal stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto, Chilean sea bass over wilted spinach with a white wine sauce and bucatini amatriciana.
Spano's Ristorante Italiano
719 Arnold Ave.
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742
(732) 701-1600
spanos.net
Resources
About the Author:
After attending Fairfield University, Hannah Wickford spent more than 15 years in market research and marketing in the consumer packaged goods industry. In 2003 she decided to shift careers and now maintains three successful food-related blogs and writes online articles, website copy and newsletters for multiple clients.
