Outdoor Entertaining: Takeout For Your Staycation
It’s August already. Summer is waning, and I’m tired of cooking. After several months of a houseful of grown kids and grandkids, Gigi needs a break. We’ve done months of quarantining and now a couple months of social distancing, and everyone in my family has been a model citizen, but the kids are getting antsy and the adults are just plain tired. So, our August theme will be one that pays homage to all the wonderful restaurants in our towns working tirelessly in challenging situations as they reinvent ways of doing business. Let’s call this Gigi’s dinner staycation. Each night for a week, we will alternate family homes with each family member bringing a favorite dish from a local establishment. We will include apps and desserts since there are so many takeout options to choose from. The hostess will provide only the necessary plates and utensils, drinks and ambience, while each guest will arrive with a takeout favorite app, entree and dessert. All will be served family style, creating an actual buffet of our area’s best takeout. I can’t wait.
This first night of staycation dinner will be “dress to impress night” – everyone needs a reason to step it up a notch these days. Maybe another day will be a no-shower happy hour and yet another a pool party. The possibilities are endless and the food options plentiful.
We are, of course, all about outdoor dining, and this will be no different. With only some pretty décor and a signature drink to prepare, this event is a piece of cake! A few clippings of flowers will do nicely. If you have an abundance of pots planted and they are not too heavy, drag them around to your space. Use what you have. I have some nice rhododendron blooms, and arranged with some wispy asparagus greens they make a lovely display.
Now, let’s explore the dining options. We all agree we want to begin with a big bowl of steamed littleneck clams from Avalon Seafood (609-967-7555, avalonseafood.com). Get them steamed already. Remember, you are not working in the kitchen this week.
Next up is Fred’s Tavern (609-368-5591, fredstavern.net). It’s our go-to appetizer place. Always a crowd pleaser, we have a couple requests for Fred’s chicken wings – eight wings tossed in your choice of sauce (BBQ, Buffalo, Teriyaki, Honey Hot Sauce, or Pineapple Chili). We choose one Buffalo sauce and one BBQ. Granddaughters Lina and Ruby get excited for a Fred’s family-size nachos plate – house fried tortilla chips topped with chicken, black olives, jalapenos, Mexican cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole. Let’s hope they leave something besides the jalapenos for the rest of us.
Are you ready for your entree? I’ll order my favorite from Quahog’s Seafood Shack in Stone Harbor (609-368-6300, quahogsshack.com). This place is the real deal. It’s one place where I always get my favorite Lobster Roll platter – fresh Maine lobster, celery, chive, tarragon mayo, toasted bun, coleslaw, Old Bay fries, corn on the cob. I’ll feel like I traveled to Maine! Daughter Liz’s all-time favorite is Quahog’s seafood stew called Moqueca – clams, mussels, shrimp, fish, scallops, edamame beans, chorizo, achiote oil, coconut milk and green rice. It’s delicious. Remember, Quahog’s now has a bar and a nice variety of specialty drinks. Check out the menu on its website.
Avalon’s Concord Café (609-368-5505, concordcafe.net) is next for daughter Julie and son-in-law Bob. Julie’s favorite is the Concord Salad with Caribbean chicken and the ever-so-good poppy seed dressing – we get the large, and we finish every bite. Bob is the cheesesteak man and the sandwich for him is Jimmy’s Special – fried onions, peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, sauce and cheese. Of course, an order of the mac ‘n’ cheese wedges – bite-sized portions of breaded mac ‘n’ cheese – is a necessity, as well. Kids are up next: Penny, Lina and Ruby are major fans of perhaps the best chicken fingers around – white meat tenderloin served with a yummy honey mustard dip.
Son-in-law Travis is the easiest of the bunch to please. He likes it all, but tonight, after his chicken wing app, he’ll be fancy and choose Cape May Point Scallops with wild mushrooms, chickpeas with a truffle cream sauce from the Avalon’s always amazing Diving Horse (609-368-5000, thedivinghorseavalon.com). It’s open for takeout at 5pm daily.
So much for the entrees we all promise to share; let’s talk about dessert. Everyone agrees on Isabel’s Bakery and Café in Avalon (609-967-5776, isabelsinavalon.com). Tonight, we choose a decadent individual carrot layer cake that just happens to be gluten-free for Liz, a couple of slices of the salty caramel torte that looks amazing and, of course, cupcakes for the kids – chocolate frosting, please! Don’t think for a minute, though, that Isabel’s is just for dessert. The wonderful menu offers breakfast and lunch options, and new last year, Isabel’s is offering farm-to-table pop-up dinner (Summer Salt) on Friday and Saturday evenings.
I think I’ve got the food covered, except for maybe a good loaf of bread to break. A quick, safe stop at Bud’s Fresh Market, if you’re in Stone Harbor (609-796-5694, budsfreshmarketnj.com) or Avalon Market in Avalon, (609-967-4151, avalonsupermarket.net) will take care of that. Did you know you can also order groceries for delivery from Avalon Market? Try it.
Remember, the hostess provides the drinks. New homeowners Liz and Bob are on the hook for that. Luckily, they’ve discovered they can call Fred’s Liquor Store (Avalon, 609-967-4121, or Stone Harbor, 609-368-5591) and order a quick delivery. How convenient. Tonight, they will choose a nice rosé, so refreshing for a summer evening, and probably a selection of beers.
What a treat. It’s all so good, and, try as I might, I just can’t make food like this, so I’m happy to take it home. Tonight, though is just the beginning. With a whole week of dinner staycation planned, I already have some other takeout favorites in mind. Tuesday, of course, will be Windrift night (609-368-2101, windrifthotel.com) for some wings and a little sushi, followed by a little Mexican food from Tortilla Flats (609-987-5658, tortillaflatsavalon.com) or if you prefer, some sandwiches from Moran’s Dockside (609-368-1321, moransdockside.com).
The next night, we’ll venture off to Cape May Court House, starting with some Matthew’s Seafood (609-465-3005, matthewsseafoodmarket.com), followed by the Bellevue Tavern (609-463-1738, bellevuetavern.com) for some salads and sandwiches, or a full entrée if you choose. After that, for even more seafood back on the island, our choices include The Watering Hull (609-830-3106, thewateringhull.com) in Stone Harbor, and the consistently good Sylvester’s (609-967-7553, sylvesters-avalon.com) across the 21st Street bridge in Avalon. And if you are out and about early enough in the day, pick up some bagels at Avalon Coffee (609-967-4499, avaloncoffeecompany.com) for the next morning.
Now, that’s my kind of staycation. And since we are all staying put right now, we might as well make it fun and delicious, while at the same time supporting our local eateries that add so much to our beach vacations. Do your belly a favor and give yourself a break – do your meal prep on the phone and stay out of the kitchen for a week. It will still be there waiting for you when you return. Cheers to the new dining out!
