Considered the place for serious seafood at the Jersey Shore, the menu is divided between time-honored, mostly simple preparations and a selection of modern-day entrées, which are admirably done and uniformly appealing.
By: Pat Tanner
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Doris & Ed’s |
HIGHLANDS Doris & Ed’s has been considered for many years to be the place for serious seafood at the Jersey Shore. It’s been in operation for 35 years and has garnered numerous awards under owner Jim Filip since 1978.
My expectations for this restaurant were high, and in at least one regard it met and surpassed them. The wine list, for which Doris & Ed’s has won Wine Spectator awards for the last 15 years, is exemplary. The chardonnay selection, a specialty, runs about 150 bottles in every price range, from $21 for a 1998 Chateau Ste. Michelle from Washington state to $175 for a magnum of Sonoma-Cutrer 1996 Vieilles Vignes. One chardonnay-savvy companion picked out an exceptional bottle from Argentina: a 1995 Catena ($62). Not that other whites and reds in general are neglected here; we also enjoyed generous glasses of Pinot Gris Reserve, 1995, from King Estate ($6.50) and 1997 Rabbit Ridge Merlot ($7).
The menu is divided into two parts, titled "The Shore Yesterday" and "The Shore Today." The name of the first section gave rise to some smart-alecky quips at our table about the age of the seafood therein, but is meant to connote time-honored, mostly simple preparations like steamers, Manhattan clam chowder, big platters of broiled or fried assorted seafood, and, of course, lobster tails and Alaskan king crab legs.
"The Shore Today," as you may have guessed, refers not so much to the timing of the catch (although Doris & Ed’s is known for its insistence upon freshness and quality) as to the sylishness of the preparations. Here is where executive chef Russell Dare can strut his stuff, which he does admirably.
Our dinner began with little gifts from Chef Dare: nicely crisp crostini topped with duxelles. I agreed with one companion who thought the grayish mushroom mixture tasty but more appropriate to autumn than a summer evening at the Jersey shore. And I do mean at the shore: The restaurant, in Highlands, overlooks Sandy Hook Bay. The bar and dining room, which seats 90, is situated on the first floor of a 100-year-old small hotel. The whitewashed walls of vertical beaded wood and amply paned windows give the room a bright, relaxed seaside flair reminiscent of, well, The Shore Yesterday.
Among the "today" starters, we tried four plump shrimp dumplings, lightly fried and full of shrimp flavor ($9.50). But the hot chilies in the accompanying bright orange sambal dipping sauce masked their flavor with too much heat. A tian of avocado and Alaskan King crab ($9.75) was beautifully presented with bright green accents of mache and chive oil. The crab was superb but the avocado was sorrowfully mushy. My companion who ordered chilled basil-tomato soup with jumbo lump crab meat ($4.75 a cup) was thoroughly delighted, although I found that the basil didn’t cut through the heavy cream base.
From "yesterday" we ordered steamers ($13.50), and these were perhaps the most disappointing dish of the meal. While plentiful, they were a bit tough and dry from overcooking, some were sandy and their broth only so-so.
The only other dish we ordered from that side of the menu was one of the fancifully named seafood platters. King Neptune’s Bounty ($24) netted broiled fillet of flounder, scallops, shrimp and Alaskan king crab, and it is in that order of descent that I enjoyed them. The thick-cut flounder made me remember that this mild fish can have a wonderful, nutty flavor if left unadulterated (I didn’t even taint it with the lemon or melted butter that came with the platter). It had been coated ever so lightly in white cornmeal (I think) which kept it moist.
Used to be you could count on scallops being sweet, but not these days. Yet here they were as sweet as could be. Shrimp, however, seemed less than pristinely fresh, and my sliver of crabmeat was unpleasantly salty. Bottom line: I expected perfection and got halfway there. Two pan-roasted potatoes and a sprightly mix of colorful summer vegetables were pleasant, if not thrilling, accompaniments.
Entrées come with house salad or cole slaw and, while it may seem odd to have a cole slaw course, I recommend it far and away above the mundane salads, which are often laden with too much dressing. The crisp and refreshing cole slaw, on the other hand, is a model of its kind.
Chef Dare’s selection of modern-day entrées is uniformly appealing. Neither side of the menu kowtows to vegetarians or meat eaters, although the latter can choose among filet mignon, New York strip and ostrich. The ostrich preparation sounds particularly appealing. It is basted with fresh thyme and accompanied by cranberry beans, cipollini onions and horseradish demi-glace ($29).
One of our favorite entrées was sautéed Florida grouper ($28) with fresh herb gnocchi and tomato confit and "aspiration," the chef’s term for tomato water. The fish was as fresh and sweet as could be, the gnocchi light and flavorful with a hint of garlic, and the tomato flavor deep and satisfying.
Wild Alaskan King Salmon encrusted with peppercorns ($29) was featured over kernels of Jersey corn and asparagus in a sherry cream sauce. While the dish was pleasant, the flavors seemed to detract from what should have been a standout salmon. Instead, it tasted no different than Atlantic, even farm-raised salmon.
In terms of fish, we enjoyed with more gusto the halibut that came encrusted with beautifully caramelized Vidalia onions and a dollop of tropical fruit butter. But in addition to tender, moist, flavorful fish, the $29 entrée featured lobster hash, which was so salty and so peppery my companion had to request water to wash it down.
Service at Doris & Ed’s runs like clockwork professional, knowledgeable, unobtrusive. What it is not is warm. I began to notice a distinct lack of affect when I first called from my car on the trip down to say we would be fifteen minutes late. I thought I was being particularly thoughtful; the person on the other end of the line was clearly annoyed. When, after a couple of wrong turns, we showed up 30 minutes late, I apologized in person.
Again, no acknowledgment, no response, and worse we were seated right by the kitchen door. It turned out that this wasn’t the awful spot it can be in some restaurants, but we felt we were being punished nonetheless. Then, the furrowing of brows was the response when we took too long pondering the menu. After making it through the rest of the meal without incident, I was totally put off by our server’s refusal to provide me with a take-home copy of the itemized bill. ‘No fax machine,’ she said, and clearly was not about to hand write one for me. So she stood by while I did it myself.
Desserts got mixed responses at our table. My generous goblet of cinnamon ice cream was pure delight, as was one filled with fresh raspberries and whipped cream. But we couldn’t detect peaches in the peach and blueberry pie, and the wedge of fudge-like chocolate pave had a strong, unpleasantly bitter edge to it.
The after-dinner beverage selection matches in scope and discernment the spectacular wine list. Although we were not up to trying them on this go-round, next time I’d gladly skip dessert for something like the Marchese Antinori 1993 Baron Bornemisza Tokaji ($11 for a three-ounce glass or $59 for a bottle), a quartet of Graham’s Tawny Ports from the last four decades ($23), or any number of the cognacs, eaux-de-Vie, single-malt Scotches or small-batch bourbons.