By Donald Wittkowski
Get ready to ditch those diets. Not just for a day. Or a few days. But for the entire week.
You can worry about shedding the extra pounds later on.
Sea Isle City is preparing to showcase its culinary scene by bringing back its popular Restaurant Week for the second straight year. It will be held June 4-10.
Sea Isle’s Chamber of Commerce and Revitalization, which gave a sneak preview of Restaurant Week during its monthly board meeting Tuesday, is promising the event will be even more successful than last year.
“It will be bigger and better,” said Christopher Glancey, the Chamber’s president. “I thought it was a great success for us and the restaurants last year. I’ve always said that the restaurants are one of our greatest assets in Sea Isle.”
Foodies will have the opportunity to savor all Sea Isle has to offer during Restaurant Week’s prix fixe menu that includes four courses for $34.
Despite its small size, Sea Isle likes to boast that its restaurants are as good – if not better – than any at the Jersey Shore. One restaurateur said the town will prove it during Restaurant Week.
“Sea Isle is very fortunate to have such a diverse group of restaurants,” said Mike Monichetti, owner of Mike’s Seafood & Dock Restaurant. “I would say that Sea Isle is by far the tops at the Jersey Shore. We have everything from sushi to fine, white-tablecloth dining.”
Mike’s Seafood on Park Road is one of the famed local eateries in the heart of the Fish Alley neighborhood, an enclave of family-owned restaurants and fishing boats rooted in Sea Isle’s early history as a small commercial seaport.
Restaurant Week will include eateries throughout Sea Isle – from casual, old-school taverns to gourmet waterfront restaurants.
Last year, there were 15 participating restaurants. The Chamber of Commerce hopes there will be more this June.
“People know of Sea Isle as a restaurant town,” Glancey said. “They can go to the beach during the day and enjoy a variety of dining at night. We are lucky to have an abundance of restaurants.”
The Chamber is using Restaurant Week as a catalyst for more business in early June, traditionally a slow time on the calendar because it falls between the big Memorial Day weekend celebration and the start of the full-fledged summer tourism season.
Restaurant owners are counting on the event to elevate Sea Isle’s dining scene to an even higher level. They hope to tempt visitors to come to town a little bit earlier in the summer season by appealing to their appetites.
“I’ll put Sea Isle’s restaurants up against any restaurants at the Jersey Shore,” Monichetti said. “Other than the beaches, the restaurants are the most important and biggest draw for Sea Isle.”
Hoping to capitalize further on the event’s popularity, Sea Isle officials are already talking about the possibility of having a Restaurant Week in the fall.
Visit www.seaislerestaurantweek.com for a list of participating restaurants and menus for Restaurant Week. Glancey said more restaurants are expected to be added to the list in coming weeks.
