By Donald Wittkowski
Lucas Manteca is busy hiring staff, training his employees, creating the recipes and developing the menu for his new Beachwood at the Dunes restaurant in Sea Isle City.
With all those things to do – along with handling countless other responsibilities associated with opening a restaurant – it would seem the pressure would be unbearable for Manteca.
Think again.
“We’ve done it so many times before, it’s not pressure,” he said reassuringly. “It’s part of the job. At the end of everything, it just happens.”
Located in Sea Isle’s Townsends Inlet section, Beachwood at the Dunes is a contemporary seafood restaurant that will be “as vibrant, buzzy and relaxing as the barrier island it’s on,” according to its Facebook page.
It is the fourth restaurant at the Jersey Shore owned by the 41-year-old, Buenos Aires-born Manteca. His restaurant portfolio also includes Quahog’s Seafood Shack in Stone Harbor, the Red Store in Cape May Point and the Taco Shop at the Cape May County Airport.
Manteca had a soft opening for the Beachwood on April 13 and thus far has been offering sandwiches, small plates and casual platters in the bar area on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
With the approach of the summer tourism season, the restaurant’s dining room will operate on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting May 23 and will expand to seven days a week after Father’s Day weekend June 16.
Beachwood occupies the space that formerly housed Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House. Doc Magrogan’s had served as the anchor for the Dunes restaurant, banquet hall and condominium complex at 8600 Landis Avenue since 2016, but pulled out this year.
Manteca has big plans for his new eatery at the Dunes. Teasing its sophisticated style and Manteca’s international background, the restaurant touts itself as having “Argentinian roots, and influence from New England, Spain, and South America.”
Capitalizing on its ample space, the bar and eatery will be divided into three main areas, each with its own distinctive vibe.
The high-energy bar will feature what the Beachwood describes as a “casual but sophisticated” atmosphere complete with globe lighting and a glass wall that opens accordion-style whenever weather permits.
The dining room is tucked behind a newly installed wall to create an intimate space separate from the bar. The menu will include contemporary coastal cuisine featuring fresh seafood dishes and seasonal vegetables. Entrees will average around $30.
“We have a specific style of cooking,” Manteca explained. “We have a very light and fresh seasonal approach. The pastas are homemade and the fish is grilled and served with tons of vegetables.”
The third part of Beachwood, meanwhile, will transform the Breakwaters ballroom and banquet facility that was in operation during Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House into a lounge-like “social space” by adding sofas, low chairs and music.
“We want to create the feeling of a South Beach hotel lobby,” Manteca said, adding that bossa nova and jazz will be the types of music filling the room.
The social space is expected to make its debut in July or August. Manteca envisions it as a cool or mellow place for having a cocktail or something small to eat before or after the main dinner.
Manteca has teamed up with Dunes developer Christopher Glancey for the Beachwood. Also part of the operation is Manteca’s business partner, Federico Fusco, who, like Manteca, is from Argentina.
Helping Manteca with the restaurant will be his wife, Deanna Ebner, a designer who grew up in Avalon. Manteca met Ebner when they were both living in Costa Rica. A surfer and traveler, Manteca got into the restaurant business by opening his first eatery, called Natural Mystic, when he was just 19.
Leaving Costa Rica behind, Manteca and Ebner lived in Miami for a few years and then moved to New York, where Manteca attended the prestigious French Culinary Institute.
Manteca and his wife also spent some time in England and Spain before establishing their restaurant business at the Jersey Shore.
The Sea Salt Restaurant in Stone Harbor was their first place. Sea Salt opened in 2005, but is no longer in business. Manteca and his wife followed with Quahog’s Seafood Shack in Stone Harbor, the Red Store in Cape May Point and the Taco Shop at the Cape May County Airport.
Manteca estimates that the Beachwood is about the 12th restaurant he has opened, either as the owner or the executive chef.
“It’s exciting for us because it’s something that we’ve done so many times and it’s something we enjoy,” he said. “Now, we’re seeing everything come together.”
Beachwood at the Dunes is located at 8600 Landis Avenue, Sea Isle City. Call (609) 263-3627 or visit www.beachwoodsic.com.
