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A Dining Destination - The Windrift brings foodies to Avalon
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The Windrift has been one of southern New Jersey's most popular tourist destinations for more than 30 years. With its 85-room hotel, pool, beachside location and upstairs Deck that overlooks the ocean, The Windrift - located in Avalon - is hardly a secret.
But now, thanks to a massive renovation, menu upgrade and the hiring of Executive Chef Jason Pelham, The Windrift wants to be known as a dining destination, not just some place you can conveniently grab something to eat.
"We want to be known as a place where you can have fun and relax and enjoy a meal with your whole family - as a couple or with a bunch of friends," says General Manager Peter Compare. "We don't want to be that stuffy place where you only come once a month. We want people to feel comfortable here. We're at the beach. We want to celebrate that."
In the offseason, Compare and his staff were very busy making sure The Windrift would make people notice when it reopened in March. It worked.
For starters, it debuted its Blue Wave Lounge, a casual bar area that features 26 flat-screen TVs, an open-air kitchen, an ice-draft tap system, comfortable low-couch seating, new brick ovens for pizza and a temperature-controlled wine room that houses 1,000 bottles of wine that can be seen both in the lounge as well as the adjacent dining room.
"The wine room is certainly a great addition," Compare says. "It's fun to have it, but I've created another job for me. But, it's great. It's nice to have a bigger selection for the public, and we also have two blackboards for specials on wine to deviate from the wine list and offer something different on a daily basis. Our wine sales have increased dramatically. When people can visualize the wines being stored properly in a temperature-controlled environment, they want to buy it."
Compare is the first to admit that renovations may make people come to eat one time, but it's the food - particularly in the 260-seat dining room - that keeps them coming back.
That's where Pelham comes in. The former sous chef at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa's Metropolitan and one-time banquet chef at Congress Hall in Cape May took over the kitchen right before Memorial Day and is pushing out some very tasty culinary concoctions.
Recent specials included appetizers such as pan-seared Day Boat scallops with a Soba noodle salad, and jumbo lump crab and mango salad over mixed baby lettuces to go. Special entrees include: pan-seared halibut with plum tomato and leek jam over a bay-shrimp risotto cake; two petite filets served rolled in black peppercorn and served with double-cream mashed potatoes and sauteed Julienne vegetables; sesame-crusted Ahi tuna with tempura shrimp and sticky rice with a pickled ginger Beurre Blanc; and grilled grouper with strawberry salsa, saut�ed asparagus and blended rice pilaf.
"The specials are my culinary outlet," Pelham says. "I am trying to stick with trends and use fresh, local ingredients. It's my way of showing another side of what we can do. Some of The Windrift's menu is a little old school, so we are using the specials to offer a more contemporary approach and bring a breath of fresh air to Avalon."
"One of the best parts of my job right now is that I can't wait to get in to taste what Jason is offering for specials that night," Compare added. "Once the first season is under his belt, our first point of business is to get him to revamp the whole menu and really put his imprint on what we do here."
Pelham looks forward to that: "Of course, there are some things that are tried and true and have been here forever that need to stay, but I think there's room for adjustments and advancements. But all of this isn't a one-man operation. There's a team that's been here for a long time, and they really are the backbone of the place. Without them, there is no way I could accomplish any of this."
Pelham's specials complemented an already large and diverse menu that ranges from trendy casual to gourmet.
Appetizer standouts include: the Philadelphia cheesesteak spring rolls; the "Tuna Tini" served with avocado, chives and sesame with a crispy wonton; and baked goat-cheese bites with dollops of fresh goat cheese and dates on top of artesian rounds.
There's also a sushi bar with more than a dozen different rolls, an oyster-bar selection with everything from clams and oysters on the half shell to steamers and snow-crab claws, soups, salads, sandwiches, brick-oven pizza and paninis.
And popular entrees include The Windrift's legendary crab cakes from a recipe more than 20 years old, the crab-crusted halibut and Italian staples like veal and chicken parmesan.
"We didn't want the menu to be stuffy and we wanted it to be approachable," Compare said. "That way, the husband can get his filet, the wife can get a salad and the kids can share a pizza. Everyone gets what they want. But if you have a child who wants more than your typical chicken nuggets, we offer a 4-ounce filet on the children's menu. We try to make everything affordable, and the quality is great."
The Windrift's renovations and menu experimentations are already working.
"When we did all of the changes, we really wanted to cater to our existing customers, but also bring in a new experience to get customers here for the first time," Compare says. "And we're doing that. But the good news is that they are returning, too.
"The response has really been terrific, to the point that people are asking us to stay open past our usual big Halloween party. So, if all goes well, we are going to try to stay open until December. That would be great."
The Windrift
Restaurant & Lounge
WHERE: 125 80th St., Avalon
WHEN: Breakfast served 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. daily. Dinner served 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily.
HOW MUCH: For dinner: appetizers range from $7 to $22; brick-oven pizza $9 to $12; oyster-bar selection $2 to $13; soups $4 to $6; salads $5 to $12; sandwiches and paninis $8 to $15; entrees $23 to $28.
SERVICES: Major credit cards accepted. Liquor license. Disabled access through front door. Dine in. Takeout. Kids' menu. Private parties. No smoking.
MORE INFO: Call 609-368-5175 or go to www.windrifthotel.com.
BETWEEN YOU AND ME: Do yourself a favor and order from Executive Chef Jason Pelham's specials menu. They are really the dishes where Pelham shows off his skills.
Posted in Dining on Thursday, June 4, 2009 3:15 am Updated: 7:44 am.
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