Summer Eats on Seven Mile Island

One of the best things about this blog is food- sampling and reviewing it. I recently was in Avalon and Stone Harbor, New Jersey, two fabulous beach communities along the southern Jersey Shore, with ample places eat, stay, play, and shop.

After Memorial Day it does get a bit quiet and many restaurants offer a fabulous event- Restaurant Week! If there’s one thing that I know, it’s food. 

Recently, I decided to enjoy the fabulous offers of Restaurant Week here on the island, and I was greatly pleased. 7 Mile Restaurant Week was held June 3-12 with over 30 restaurants with unique offerings for the week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I began with lunch at the Windrift where my friend Di and I enjoyed salads, chicken tenders, French onion soup, and guacamole. 

The ‘drift view adds so much to the lunch experience, and people were just getting into the swing of things as more patrons arrived for drinks and apps.

After a walk along the beach in the afternoon, the next logical step was dinner time! We decided to dine at the Whitebrier, a place my friend hadn’t been to yet. 

We sat outside, and with the sun setting over the gardens in the courtyard, it was beautiful.

There’s a new chef, Derek Clayton, at the WB, and he put his own spin on things- which I enjoyed. We began with sushi, and that hasn’t changed- fresh, flavorful, and fun, the WB’s sushi is a menu people always come back to enjoy. 

Next, the chef brought out cheddar and ale soup with barely grain salad. Both of these sounded a bit heavy for me, but in the spirit of adventure, I jumped right in and was happily surprised. 

The soup- encompassing sharp cheddar with the local 7 Mile IPA and homemade sourdough croutons was just enough for a cool summer evening- having the IPA cut through the cheddar with a slightly bitter, mild, bite gave it a really smooth flavor.

Then we tried out the barley grain salad. Since I’m trying to eat more whole foods, this fit right in. 

Served chilled, the pearled barley tower with fresh veggies and a lemony mustardy sauce was exactly enough- the way an appetizer should be.

Dinner entrees were bangers and mash, moules frites, or Scottish salmon. 

Di and I went for the salmon, which was incredibly flavorful over a beer- blanc reduction, which is a hoppy twist on the classic burre blanc sauce. 

Beer and butter happily melded with quinoa, squash, and kale (all healthy things I wasn’t sure I’d dig) but I did. 

And the salmon was perfectly prepared- light and flaky and delicious.

The moules frites incorporated Prince Edward Island mussels doused with beer broth and fries- another ingenious flavorful combination of slightly bitter beer, hearty russet potato fries, and sweet PEI mussels. 

We didn’t try the bangers and mash, but had I had any room left, I would have ordered them too because they sounded amazing.

I loved the beer theme with all the entrees, and the chef said they are adding a few of these to the menu for the summer, like the Scottish salmon.

Finally, it was time for dessert and coffee- and the Guinness stout chocolate cake with fresh whipped cream was the absolute perfect way to end the night. 

Less sweet with a smooth dark chocolate taste that was just enough sweetness.

After all this, my friend Lor invited us out for drinks and munchies at the Chair, (Bobby Dee’s Rock ‘n Chair) but alas, I was too full, and after just one drink off we went home.

But, I always wake up early, and at 7am, I was at my favorite summer breakfast place- Stone Harbor’s Bread and Cheese Cupboard. 

“Welcome to a new season!” I announced to the ladies as I walked through the door! 

Summer yay- and my favorite early morning treat for my early morning ritual- walking to the Cupboard for ham & provolone rolls and coffee (and don’t miss their amazing sticky buns- best on the island), then walking to the 96^th street beach to watch the sun come up and see the dolphins frolicking in the salt water. 

It’s always a perfect morning.

That night was dinner at Marabella’s, Italian was on the menu. 

Beginning with cheesy delightful mozzarella sticks- one of my favorite apps, and this fried mozz was delectable.

Then we moved on to salads, and Di made sure her pasta was gluten free, and Matt, the chef and a friend, came out to chat with us and ensure it was exactly up to par for her. 

I had linguine and clam sauce, and it was amazing- fresh salty clams, buttery sauce over silky linguine.

Dessert was coffee and in-house-made cannoli of course- sweet and creamy studded with chocolate chips.

Now that the season is in full summer mode- definitely check out all the fabulous restaurants the island has to offer- from stuffed hoagies at Seven Mile Island Deli on 31^st and Dune, to Green Cuisine for salads and quiche on 96^th, sushi at the Whitebrier on 20^th, crepes at Crespella Gourmet Creperie on 96^th, linguine and clams at  Marabella’s on Third Avenue, French Toast at Brian’s Waffle House at 24^th and Dune, Sax for and the freshest seafood at Oceanside.

Story and photos by engchik with additional reporting by DL Cooney. Thanks to the Whitebrier and Marabella's.

Thank you to Jen K!

The Future of Wellness is Super Cold

In my blog travels, I’m always on the lookout for the latest trends, hot spot, fun food, hit book, or awesome home décor. I was on FaceBook recently and my friend Doug was checking in to a place in Avalon, New Jersey called Orange Cryo Wellness. There are locations in Conshohoken and Northern Liberties, too.

Since I was headed to the island, I decided to try it out, and Bar, who is running the shop and Courtney, who also works there, they helped me understand the science of Cryo Wellness.

Watch me explain Cryo!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG-tGOzFooQ

I had been hanging out and sunning myself on the beach since finally warm weather arrived, and when it came time for my appointment- I got nervous. Go into a freezing cold tank of ..what exactly?

The treatment boasts better sleep, tighter, firmer skin, anti-aging benefits, easier recovery from injuries and hangover, and burns hundreds of calories per 3 minute session.

Athletes use this therapy for recovering sore muscles, and a lot like an ice pack- but this is whole body dry, cold air.

In the warm tones of the shop on Dune Drive, a few blocks from the beach, Orange Cryo’s manager Barb showed me the tank, and I began to strip down and suit up- you must be completely dry, and hope into your waffle-weave robe, then put on socks and Crocs to protect my feet.

I was pretty nervous, but Barb and Courtney explained it well, and Courtney got in to show me how it’s done. She was shaking with cold, but then it was over and she felt great!

In I go- I'm freezing!
https://youtu.be/SB2wwlmBabE

The Orange Cryo Wellness was born from Whole Body Cryo Therapy, which was first invented in Japan by Dr. Yamaguchi in 1978 to reduce pain and inflammation in his rheumatoid arthritis patients. In the following two decades, the technology was further developed in Europe while medical research supported the healing impact of the cryo treatment on our endocrine, immune and nervous systems.

How does it work:

Stepping into an open-topped cryosauna, for no longer than 3 minutes, your body is briefly exposed with extremely cold air, with temperatures as low as -256 F. When I stepped in to the open top chamber, I closed the door then handed out my robe, and Barb handed in my clothes.
And yep- I was only wearing gloves, socks and Crocs. Then then the cool air started, then I got cold.

But I stress it was a dry cold- not like jumping into a cold pool or a wintry day. This air circulated and after- I felt energized!  It was a fast two minutes at only negative 120 (in the video I say it was 120 degrees, it was NEGATIVE degrees!). I tried to fidget a bit and talk to Barb to take my mind off it.

Done! https://youtu.be/3c_PF2k-0lI

And then it was over! All day I felt really energized even when I was back on the beach. I started to get tired on my drive back to Philly, and I did sleep well that night!

This was a cool experience, and one I would try again. I was nervous but i got over that fast once I got in the chamber. And I must stress cryo therapy is for healthy, sober individuals. Please see a doctor if you are ill, and remember cryo therapy is to enhance your health, not cure any illness or disease. Check with your health provider if you are unsure.

Packages start at $25 up to monthly memberships and also just for facials. The cold is very theraputic for hangovers, detox, sore muscles, and tiredness.