By TIM KELLY
“At Mike’s it’s all about being fresh.”
With that, Mike Monichetti summed up why his Mike’s Seafood & Dock Restaurant walked off with the Press of Atlantic City’s “Best of the Press” award for South Jersey’s best seafood for 2019.
It’s much more than that, of course. Freshness, though, is at the top of the list.
“We sell freshly caught seafood each and every day,” says Monichetti, whose family has operated the landmark business at 4222 Park Road in Sea Isle City’s historic Fish Alley since 1911.
“We buy our seafood from our friends we’ve known for 25 years and dock their boats right behind our restaurant,” he continued.
Mike’s Seafood beat out (in order) The Crab Trap restaurant of Somers Point, Dock’s Oyster House of Atlantic City, Oyster Creek Inn and Boat Bar of Leeds Point, and Crabby’s restaurant of Mays Landing.
“It’s amazing. I was blown away by it,” Monichetti said of the honor, and particularly of the fact Mike’s Seafood is lesser known overall and was judged the best of a geographic area covering four counties.
People sent in written votes on their favorites and also voted online. A first round of voting eliminated approximately 10 contenders, leaving the five finalists. Mike’s customers turned out and turned their favorite seafood palace into the first place winner.
“We have an incredibly loyal customer base,” Monichetti said. “I’m very grateful. They spoke up and they were heard.”
According to Monichetti, there are other elements that worked in his establishment’s favor.
“It’s the consistency,” he explained. “People come in with expectations and we’re able to give people what they want.”
He said his kitchen staff and cooks, headed by Joseph LaRosa, are another big advantage.
“Each and every one of those cooks has been with us for 25 years or more,” Monichetti said.
The fact that Mike’s operations are pretty transparent also has a lot to do with his restaurant and seafood takeout facility’s success.
“Right out back, you can see the (seafood) come in here,” he said. “You see the lobster boats, the scallop boats, the tuna ‘longliners’ (a commercial fishing technique that uses baited hooks positioned at intervals the length of the vessel). Every morning we cut all the fish by hand. Our salmon is flown in fresh daily from Alaska.”
Monichetti didn’t stop there. “It’s the people who stick by us, our base of incredibly loyal customers. It’s our large portions, it’s our professional staff,” he noted.
There is also a vibe at Mike’s that is friendly and a big part of Sea Isle history. On a weekend night in the summer, Mike’s Seafood routinely has a long line of fans going out the door and stretching far down the street. However, nobody seems upset, just the opposite.
“Look at the people waiting in our line. Nobody is being rude or getting frustrated,” Monichetti said. “They’re all laughing and having fun. In fact, the other night I was chatting with some people from the line. They had made friends while they were waiting and asked if we could seat them all together.”
Only at Mike’s, a Sea Isle institution, and now officially the best of South Jersey.
