Crispy calamari elevated with Cholula hot sauce was addictive. Bob Sacks
“Big Mike” Metzner, executive chef at Restaurant Nicholas for many years, decided he wanted a different approach to his career feeding people. He left and opened Big Mike’s Little Red Store in Navesink, basically a deli serving sandwiches, salads, soups and takeout dishes at the outset.
More recently he started doing a limited number of weekly fine dining sit-down dinners in-house. It was only a matter of time before his talent and creativity outgrew that small but charming location, and voilà, he left that storefront and opened Saltwater Social in Highlands. This lovely place has three levels: a downstairs bar and lounge area, a mid-level loft and an upstairs dining room. The weekday night of our visit all were filled. Clearly, Chef Mike has built a large and loyal following from his previous humble home.
The menu includes a few of his notable dishes from the Little Red Store as part of a large dinner and drink menu. Tuna Tartar ($19), cubes of raw tuna sitting on squares of crispy rice, was dressed with unagi sauce and sriracha aioli. The sriracha lent a spicy kick to the dish. It was light and satisfying.
Tuna tartar with the soft tuna on crunchy cubes of rice made a nice contrast. Bob Sacks
Mikey’s Calamari ($20) was a special of the evening. The crispy rings were plated with Cholula Hot Sauce (a bottled sauce a bit milder than Tabasco), ranch dressing and cilantro. The seasonings presented the calamari in a tasty new way.
An order of Mikey’s Pan Pizza ($17) was topped with Bianco tomato (organic, canned), Parmesan-Reggiano and olive oil. This resembled bread with a thin tomato paste topping rather than a true pizza, but made for a tasty side accompaniment to the other appetizers.
A bowl of crispy Apple Salad ($15) was more than large enough to share amongst the four of us. Honey crisp apples, toasted pecans, kale, romaine lettuce and shaved Manchego cheese, all dressed with a lemon honey vinaigrette, was tasty and refreshing. It was a good counterpoint to some of the spicier dishes we had ordered.
We did not have enough room to try a signature appetizer dish of General Tso Bao Bun ($17), made from organic chicken, orange soy, cucumbers, cilantro and pickled onions on a bun, but now we have one more good reason to return. When it arrived at a nearby table, it looked so interesting that we regretted not ordering it.
From the Entrée section of the menu, one guest opted for the Seared Jersey Fluke ($35), plated with brown butter, lemon and broccolini. Two very large pieces of fish, perfectly cooked, had a light coating of crumbs and were served with a brown butter and lemon sauce, fresh broccolini and an arugula salad.
Shrimp Tempura ($22), five large fresh shrimp, battered and fried and served with chili aioli, were impossible to ignore and were gone quickly.
A special of the night, the Seared Salmon ($38) arrived rare as requested and shared the plate with Dutch runner beans, yellow squash, spring onion and a smoked tomato vinaigrette. The good-sized serving of fish was juicy and moist and was one of the dishes of the night.
Another signature dish, Poppa ($18) was a brisket blend burger patty with Niman Ranch bacon, cheddar cheese, red onion, tomato and “Big Mac” aioli, served with a side salad, but we substituted fries for an additional $3 and were rewarded with a large quantity of their crispy goodness.
There is a modest, but well-curated list of wines by the glass and the bottle, from which we chose a Blue Quail Organic Chardonnay ($12) from Potter Valley, California, for a white, which was nicely buttery and not overly oaked. A glass of J. Lohr Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon ($16), a red from Paso Robles, was a step above the regular J. Lohr, smooth and full-bodied. Vidal Fleury Cotes du Rhone ($11), a blend of grenache and syrah from the Southern part of the Rhone, was richer and fruitier. There are also 12 different tequilas, various whiskeys, and a variety of cocktails available. Many guests were enjoying these drinks at the bar as we walked in.
From the Dessert section of the menu, Mom’s Crumbcake and Cookies ($13) was the perfect dessert to share. Everybody got a bite of the assorted homemade cookies and light-as-air crumb cake. There was also Toffee Sponge Cake ($13), Banana Split ($13) and Chocolate Mousse ($14) listed, but we were too full to try them this time.
The service was gracious and knowledgeable, the pace a bit leisurely, undoubtedly due to the fully packed house, but every dish arrived hot and cooked to the degree of doneness we had requested.
The transformation from a simple deli to a full-service restaurant is impressive, and Big Mike has taken all the qualities from his former location, smoothly incorporated them into the new setting and gone above and beyond. It is often said that bigger is not always better, but in this case, it appears that the transition to full-sized, dine-in eating at Saltwater Social has only served to provide a better canvas for Big Mike to display his culinary talents, and the diners are the winners.
Saltwater Social
128 Bay Ave.
Highlands
Saltwatersocialnj.com
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, writes about food, wine and restaurants in this column. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.
