Coastal Cravings: Black Cactus
Coastal Cravings is an occasional feature of the Seven Mile Times where we anonymously visit a local restaurant or retail food establishment and report on our experience from door to door. Obviously, we can’t guarantee that you’ll have an identical experience; however, there’s a good chance that it will be similar to ours.
After enjoying a late afternoon lunch on our dock, we decided that we’d make a return trip to Black Cactus in Avalon for a light dinner. We’d already dined at “The Cactus” earlier in the summer and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Not sure what its plans were for the off-season, we decided to return if it was still open.
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of dining at The Cactus, its culinary vision is inspired by the vibrant flavors of coastal Mexico and can be paired with a curated bar program highlighting agave spirits and cocktails. The actual space opened back in 1974 as Town Meeting, an early attempt at fast food in Avalon. More recently it’s been a real estate office. Regardless of what your memories of the space may be, you will be more than pleasantly surprised by its expansion and total renovation. High ceilings indoors with a light coastal vibe surrounding a vibrant, U-shaped bar. The outdoor section is a totally new construction with a mix of four tops and high tops fronting a very comfortable outdoor bar.
We reserved our table online using Resy, the online reservation service that is conveniently incorporated into Black Cactus’ website. We were pleased to learn that Black Cactus was open on a midweek night, especially so late into September. Even more pleased to learn that it was Taco Wednesday – albeit the final taco special night of the 2024 season.
Approaching the host desk, we were immediately greeted and warmly welcomed by the host. The weather was beginning to threaten just a bit, so the host reconfirmed our desire to dine outdoors. Since we were in the midst of an unseasonably warm stretch and who knows how many more opportunities there might be to be out in the fresh salt air, we confirmed al fresco as our choice. The outdoor dining area has pleasant barriers to block the winds that were beginning to gust. And in the event of rain, our table was slightly covered.
We were almost immediately greeted by Kyle, our server. Kyle admitted that he was a relatively new employee but impressed us with his knowledge of both the food and drink menus. We ordered two margaritas … “When in Rome,” right? Plus, there was a recent news report out that cited tequila as the healthiest alcohol. So healthy and delicious – how can you lose? I recently read a magazine story about Don Julio Tequilia. It’s branded as “the world’s first luxury tequila.” Since I was curious about luxury tequila, I asked Kyle if “Don” was available here in Avalon. I wasn’t even a little surprised when he quickly responded, “Absolutely”!
We started to look over the menu when Mother Nature decided it was time to end our comedor al aire libre experience. Despite the light coverings on both the walls and ceiling, the raindrops were putting a damper on our plans. Before we could even look to call him, Kyle was standing tableside suggesting that he move us indoors. We began to pick up our menus and napkins, but Kyle insisted that we “leave everything and follow me.” In less than two minutes, we were seated inside the pleasant, temperature-controlled, and dry dining room. Just as quickly we had new menus, napkins and silverware. Seconds later, our margaritas arrived. The Don Julio Blanco, also referred to as silver, with lime and Cointreau and just the bit of salt as we requested, were perfect on this stormy fall evening. So delicious, yes. I’ll let you know later how healthy it was. We also opted for a bottle of Acqua Pana. Nothing against Avalon’s finest tap water, but Acqua Pana, served chilled, was a great addition to this meal.
Kyle asked if we had any questions about the menu. Our third visit to The Cactus, so we were pretty comfortable with it. Because of our late lunch, we informed Kyle that we’d pass on the Comida Menu, which is three courses and dessert. Instead, we’d share several small plates between us. We decided to start with guacamole and chips, followed by the heirloom tomato salad and finally, roast pork carnitas tacos. Kyle offered his thumbs-up on our choices. He was quickly off to put our order in. Kyle then brought us some smaller plates to allow us to share the dishes that we ordered.
First out of the kitchen was the guacamole and chips. Just to prepare you, if you are expecting a small, deep bowl mashed avocado, you’re in the wrong place. This guac is nothing short of amazing. Avocado blended with just the right amount of seasonings covered with a light layer of cucumber salsa, fresh lime, and black truffle cream. Served in a shallow cast-iron skillet with a cruet of house-made chips. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how the cucumber might work with the avocado – but it does! And amazingly well. We plowed through our chips, which were not even the slightest bit greasy and needed a second order to finish our guac. Suffice it to say, this is not your average Mexican restaurant guacamole. But then again, this isn’t your average Mexican restaurant, either.
Kyle kept an eye on our progress and as soon as we finished the last little bit of guac, he was serving our heirloom tomato salad. We opted for this dish over other tempting other selections because tomatoes are incredible this time of year. And personally, I have always found heirloom tomatoes to be even juicer and sweeter than the Jersey tomatoes that I already love. I also noted from the menu that the chef sources local ingredients whenever possible. My expectations were sky-high for this salad.
It did not disappoint. Our salad consisted of what appeared to be an even mix of red and yellow varieties of Jersey’s finest. I particularly love yellow tomatoes because they are less acidic than the red variety. Mixed in were red and yellow cherry tomato halves, red onion slivers, and what appeared to be fresh basil and oregano with a light virgin olive oil dressing. All served in a bowl that strained to contain the salad. We were pleasantly surprised by the slight amount of heat in the mix. Kyle explained the variety of pepper that was used to achieve this sensational taste but sadly, I lost the cocktail napkin that I had written it down on. Suffice it to say that as seasonal foods go, this salad is as good as it gets.
Shortly after the final tomato of the salad was shared, Kyle brought our roast pork carnitas tacos. Tender, shredded, roasted pork carnitas served traditionally with onion and cilantro on house made corn tortillas. With just a minimal amount of heat, we really enjoyed our tacos.
As Kyle delivered our check, as requested, he explained that the restaurant’s plan, at least for now, is to stay open Thursday through Sunday in the “shoulder season” with a food or bar special each day and Sunday brunch served from 10am-2pm to finish out the weekend. They are open for Sunday dinner as well.
It’s evident that the folks behind Black Cactus have invested a great deal in the restaurant, their menu and the bar. Most importantly, they’ve obviously invested a great deal of time selecting and training their staff. Kyle was attentive and responsive without being intrusive.
Businesses are always evolving here at the Shore. Every summer there are some that come and some, unfortunately, that go. We’re sure glad that Black Cactus has come to Avalon.