‘Seafood’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Visit: Bahr’s Landing {Highlands, New Jersey}

May 3, 2019 · Narrative, Restaurant Review

A landmark restaurant on the waters of the Jersey shore, let’s visit the historic Bahr’s Landing in Highlands.

My kids and I were down the shore last week for a few days, and we spent one of those days poking around Sandy Hook. On the way back, we were looking for a place to eat lunch on the water and we stumbled upon Bahr’s Landing in Highlands. I had read about it recently, but, surprisingly, despite the fact that it’s been around for ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE YEARS, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it until just a few weeks ago.

We popped in on a weekday for a late lunch, and there was no wait for a non-water-view table, but of course we wanted that precious water view! After just about fifteen minutes, we were seated and greeted by our waitress.

Being we were down the shore, I was focused on eating seafood. Since my kids don’t like any kind of fish whatsoever, I take advantage when we’re out and how could I not when we’re eating right on the water? I really debated about what to get because so many things were calling my name, like the whole belly clam sandwiches and the lobster roll, but I ended up going with the Oyster Po’ Boy Sandwich. Instead of a side of fries, I opted for vegetables, which were roasted sliced carrots that day (and a tad heavy on the butter). My daughter went with chicken fingers (natch!), and my son chose a Caesar Salad with Chicken. The food came relatively quickly and although our waitress was more than a little forgetful, the service was reasonable.

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Recipe: Shrimp Ceviche

December 11, 2017 · Narrative

Fresh, tropical, healthy, and so easy to make … let’s talk Shrimp Ceviche.

Who says you can’t have ceviche when it’s thirty degrees outside and the middle of December? Certainly not me! If you’ve been a regular reader, you know that I don’t always do things according to the calendar. I might make a hot soup in the middle of the summer, not share Thanksgiving recipes until after the holiday passes … and get a craving for ceviche in December.

But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. Just maybe not always practical.

When my ex-husband and I were together, we used to go to a Hispanic grocery store some forty-five minutes away, and one of my favorite things to get there was a super fresh ceviche from their seafood department. We used to get two containers of it, one to eat in the parking lot before we made our way home, and one to actually bring home. I’m pretty sure that was the first time I ever had ceviche, and I promptly fell in love. Ceviche, for those that don’t know, is a seafood dish, usually served as an appetizer, that is popular in Latin America, where the main ingredient of raw fish is “cooked” or “cured” by accompanying citrus juices.

Despite my love for ceviche, I have, surprisingly, only made it once in my entire life, and it wasn’t a true ceviche. I think I have avoided making it more often likely because the whole “the seafood ‘cooks’ in the citrus juices” thing makes me a little uneasy, and, well, so many recipes, so little time.

But last week, ceviche popped into my head and all the sudden, I wanted some. Weird, I know. Maybe because cold weather was coming, and I really hate the cold and was trying to think of warm, tropical vibes. Who knows, but here we are.

Ceviche is seriously the most crazy simple thing to make, I really should make it more often. And so should you. Simple, healthy, refreshing. What more could you want?

Just a few simple ingredients and very little hands-on time, and you’ll be rewarded with delicious bites of seafood punctuated by fresh lime juice and flavorful cilantro. Although typically served as an appetizer, I made this my lunch for a few days. Shrimp works well, but you could also substitute a firm white fish like flounder or tilapia.

Enjoy!

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Review: Delaware’s Big Fish Grill {Wilmington, DE}

October 18, 2017 · Narrative

Looking for casual dining in Delaware? Let’s visit Delaware’s Big Fish Grill in Wilmington.

Although we only planned to visit Delaware for a whirlwind day trip in August, I wanted to make sure to squeeze in a meal at a local restaurant, and my requirements were simple. I wanted the place to be on the water (or at least super close to it) and to have seafood on the menu.

I did a quick search on a few different sites, scanned some reviews, and found Delaware’s Big Fish Grill. It was only a few miles away from the DuPont Environmental Center that we had visited, which was perfect because we arrived for lunch a little after 3 pm and our crew was STARVING.

The restaurant was very easy to find, and it has an ample parking lot. Because I had pored over the menu already at home, I knew exactly what I wanted to order.

The Chesapeake Bay Fried Oyster Sandwich.

The kids settled into our booth, and figured out what they wanted and our waitress came over.

Which is exactly when we found out that the lunch menu selections stop being available at 3 pm (it was currently 3:10 pm). It doesn’t note it on the menu or on their web site, and had I not already scoped out the menu, I might not have even noticed the differences between what I had seen online and the menu the waitress had handed us. The lunch and dinner menus are reasonably similar, except there are less sandwich options on the dinner version, and, most notably, no fried oyster sandwich.

She offered to get the manager for me, and he came over. I explained that the hours for the lunch menu weren’t noted online (and 3 seems awfully early to think about dinner), and it was only ten minutes past 3 … could he help us out and rustle up some fried oysters? He was completely amenable and agreed right away.

The kids menu has a good variety, is reasonably priced and, perhaps just as important, it had non-seafood selections for my fish haters.

While we were waiting for our food, the kids kept busy with the puzzles on the placemat and checking out the decor. It’s a pretty large restaurant and bright and airy, with a full bar and music playing in the background

Our food arrived within about twenty minutes or so, which gave the kids exactly enough time to visit the nearby restroom some 23 times.

My sandwich came with a choice of a side item, and I went with Neva’s Potatoes. I honestly didn’t even ask what they were; I just saw potatoes and was looking for something different. The next day, a friend up the street told me she dreams about those potatoes, so I clearly made the right call. They were kind of like a mashed potato casserole with a slightly crispy topping. So good, and my mouth is totally watering now just thinking about them again. Apparently the Neva’s Potatoes are a pretty hot item – just look at what a quick google search turns up (and now I’ve added “make a copycat recipe” to my list of things to do).

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