Ongoing construction on Bay Avenue in Highlands has made visiting the restaurants there a bit of a challenge lately, but to avoid this area and miss out on a dinner at Fresh would be a mistake.
Small, fine dining places like this, which feature locally sourced fresh food, deserve our continued support year-round, but even more so at times like this. The outside of the building is quite modest and unassuming, so when you ascend the few steps from street level to enter the intimate, warmly furnished dining room, it is a pleasant surprise. A feeling of walking into an exclusive supper club is a first impression. The attention to detail in regards to the decor and setting reflects a similar attention to the cuisine.
The farm-to-table, locavore theme is reflected in the menu choices, which offer a variety of salads and seafood dishes for starters. One of my guests opted for the Baby Arugula Salad ($14); the large plate of greens included apple, goat cheese, roasted beets, candied pecans and a lemon-honey vinaigrette. It was satisfying and refreshing.
The Grilled Octopus ($22) called to me and I was rewarded with two very large tentacles, served with arugula, capers, grilled lemon and salsa verde. I was won over with the first bite of the juicy, tender octopus, which was perfectly cooked and not at all rubbery, which is a common flaw in many restaurants. Highly recommended!
One guest at our table opted for the Spicy Tuna Tartare ($18). This pretty plate featured a large round of diced tuna topped with wasabi tobiko (green flying fish roe) and sat upon discs of cucumber. It was dressed with miso vinaigrette and sriracha aioli. A few large wonton crisps provided the crunch for the dish. Although this is another appetizer frequently seen on area menus, this version was a step above due to the fresh taste and nice zip of spice.
Local Little Neck Clams ($17) were steamed in white wine and garlic. My guest enjoyed the mild heat of the dish and her only complaint was that, although the portion was good-sized, she could have eaten twice as many because it was so tasty.
Sweet Pea Risotto accompanied the roasted Bell & Evans chicken breast ($30) which also came with grilled asparagus and a sherry thyme jus. The chicken was perfectly cooked, crisp on the outside and moist and tender within.
A large portion of Seafood Arrabbiata ($39), a mix of mussels, clams, scallops, fish, tomato, chili and linguine, had a nice spiciness to it, but my guest, who is a lover of “hot” foods, wished for even more heat, since arrabbiata means “angry” in Italian. That said, he enjoyed all of it.
Grilled Faroe Island Salmon ($32) was plated with potato puree, garlicky spinach, chipotle aioli and a citrus crema. The thick slab of salmon had a nice sear on the outside, was done rare as requested, and was juicy. The freshness of the fish was readily apparent and very enjoyable.
With its slightly crispy exterior and soft and meaty inside, one diner really enjoyed the Pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass ($44). It was served with fingerlings, rapini, roasted cippolini, lemon butter and tapenade. My guest enjoyed the mild spiciness of the preparation and said it was addictive.
Fresh is BYO and has nice-sized, good-quality wine glasses, which I always appreciate. For our white wine, we opened a 2021 Sella & Mosca Monteoro, a vermentino from Sardinia, Italy. It was a blend of tropical fruit and had a noticeably crisp acidity to stand up to the seafood appetizers and the fish entrees. Our red wine was a 2004 Shea Wine Cellars Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley of Oregon. It had more body and substance than a typical domestic pinot, but retained all its balance, making it very enjoyable, especially with the arrabbiata, chicken and salmon dishes.
House-made New York-style cheesecake was rich and creamy, but not overly sweet. Bob Sacks
The House Made New York-style Cheesecake, ($11) was not overly sweet and had a nice creaminess, which made it all too easy to finish. Plan to share this delectable dessert.
As previously mentioned, the room is small and charming, which makes for gracious dining. However, when the restaurant is completely full, there is a somewhat higher level of background noise, which creates a need for louder conversation at all tables. The night of our visit, a large birthday party occupied a good portion of the room, so it was not typical.
The name Fresh is very appropriate since the ingredients are indeed fresh and locally supplied whenever possible. Chef/owner William Nassar previously owned Piccola Italia in Ocean Township and now also owns Nana’s Kitchen in Middletown as well as Fresh and strives to support area food growers and purveyors whenever possible. The restaurant also offers catering.
Make the effort to visit Fresh in Highlands and work around the minor inconvenience of the temporary road work in town. You will be glad you did!
Fresh
144 Bay Ave.
Highlands
freshhighlands.com
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, writes about food, wine and restaurants in this column. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob.
The article originally appeared in the May 23 – 29, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
