Laguna Grill & Martini Bar, Brigantine

The island of Brigantine, NJ is small... very small. There have never been very many options to stay on the island AND have a 'nice' dinner out, and with the closing of Steak 38 the options became fewer still. That being said, you can always count on Laguna Grill & Martini Bar. While the deck area is basically a late night party bar (DJs, drink specials, the whole 9), the indoor restaurant itself is very nice, and has a delightful menu. They're open all year long and serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

While I have been to Laguna for lazy breakfasts, fancy dinners, and late night drinks, on this particular visit we were there for lunch. Matt and I were joined by J and M and we were just interested in finding somehwere to eat where we could all grab something fast but good. There was snow on the beach and J wanted to get a better look at it, so we couldn't beat Laguna's location... it's right on the water and has huge windows, so you can see the whole shoreline. Matt and I both ordered sandwiches... a grilled veggie panini for Matt and an Italian style one for me. Matt's was great... loaded with lots of the standard grilled sandwich vegetables (ya know, zuchinni, eggplant, roasted pepper) and topped with melty mozzarella cheese and a pesto mayo. Mine was stuffed with sliced mozzarella, fresh tomato, prosciutto, pesto, and roasted pepper. Both were pressed perfectly and were nice-n-toasty. The pesto sauce on each of them really brightened up the flavors of the respective veggies, and the salty ham on mine was the perfect balance against the creamy, mild cheese. Throw some crunchy waffle fries onto each plate, and call it a day. Very satisfactory lunch fare.
M went with a burger, and it looked insane. It was a giant burger, literally smothered in bacon and cheese. While I did not try this bad boy, I could tell that M was really enjoying it. He said it was cooked perfectly and from the looks of it, I believe him! J ordered a personal sized buffalo chicken pizza. I don't know what person this was sized for, but the pizza was bigger than we expected it to be... two people could absolutely share one. The well done crust was adorned with a generous helping of spicy, breaded chicken. Both bleu cheese and cheddar made an appearance on the pie in their natural states, and of course there was bleu cheese dressing for dipping. There was just the right amount of heat, the crust was chewy and delicious, and the chicken was tender. A totally successful pizza, indeed.

While the lunch fare at Laguna is as casual as can be, the dinner options are a lot more advanced. Items on the menu include sushi, steak au poivre, shrimp wellington, and tuna spring rolls. The 'deck' is a favorite for locals, and is open late night all year long. The rum runners at Laguna re not to be missed... by far my favorite Summer time drink, EVER. If you ever find yourself on the little rock that is Brigantine be sure to check it out!

Laguna Grill & Martini Bar

http://www.lagunagrill.com/

1400 Ocean Ave

Brigantine- 08201

609- 266- 7731

Andres Pizza Palace, Brigantine

Ok. I'll get it out of the way. I worked at Andres for the better part of my college career. It doesn't necessarily mean that I would endorse it (hey, in some cases it might mean I would bash it... disgruntled employee and such), but it just happens to be good. I assure you I will be nothing but fair in my critique. Now, moving right along....

First thing out is the bread... my favorite. They have a focaccia bread that they make in house, and it's awesome. My friends all refer to it as the pizza bread, but whatever you call it, it's delicious. Tomato, onion, rosemary, a little Parmesan... soft on top with a chew to the crust. Yum! They used to have homemade garlic bread in there too, but on my last few visits it was noticeably absent (Hey Andre! If you're reading this, bring it back!) For dinner I had the grilled chicken Solari, named after one of Andre's regular customers. My plate was loaded with three large chicken breasts (seriously, no one could eat that much chicken!) delectably grilled and adorned with a strong cheese sauce (could be Gorgonzola, could be bleu cheese, who knows... but it's sharp and tangy and creamy and rich.) I usually hate grilled chicken. In fact go read over my previous posts... I'll wait...have I ever ordered chicken? Nope. That's because I'm not a huge fan. It's usually too dry or too boring for me. Not here. The breasts were cooked perfectly. Juicy but with serious grill marks, perfectly seasoned and tender. Nothing boring about them. The scalloped potatoes were also fantastic... creamy, a little salty, falling apart on my plate. (I know, I know... a lot of heavy food on one plate. Normally I'd agree and say 'cheese sauce AND scalloped potatoes!? What were they thinking!? But not this time... because I LIKED it, thats why). Besides, they threw several stalks of asparagus onto the plate for good measure, so there. That makes it healthy right? Anyway. I like this dish. A lot. It may not be the prettiest to look at, but it sure was tasty to eat.

Matt got whole wheat pasta and what I consider to be the best sauce that they make, which is the spicy sausage blush sauce. Huge chunks of sausage in a perfectly seasoned sauce. It's not nearly as spicy as the name would insinuate, but it does have a lot of flavor, enough heat to please any palate, and a great tomato kick as well. There is a touch of cream in the sauce, which makes it thicker and richer, and deepens the flavor... it is truly not to be missed. Oh. The portion was HUGE. He worked at it for a good thirty minutes and it didn't look like he even made a dent... in fact, we BOTH had his leftovers for dinner the next day. One order of pasta at Andres = dinner for three. Sweet.

While the food is fantastic here, I do have to point out that it's pretty pricey. The pasta dishes less so, but the entrees are all between 13-32 dollars (which is a lot for a beach town Italian joint). They also serve sandwiches and pizzas (note:try the Rosemary pizza... a beautiful tomato pie with lots of garlic and fresh herbs.. AMAZING), which are definetley MORE reasonable, but like I said, a bit pricey. The other issue is this... ya know how at most places when you order, say , a chicken parm entree it automatically comes with pasta and a salad? Not here. With your entree order you have a choice of salad OR soup OR pasta. Just something to know.

Look. The food is worth a visit for sure, and I think that their pizza is the best on the island. To me the quality is absolutely worth the price, and with the portion sizes you're actually kind of getting two meals in one (know this... you WILL have leftovers... even if you're famished when you get there you will NOT be finishing your meal). Try it out! Tell them you know me!

Andres Pizza Palace
1312 West Brigantine Ave

Brigantine, NJ
609 266 1124