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Stewart's of Wildwood adds to the summertime experience
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After spending five hours keeping up with five kids running from amusement ride to amusement ride on Morey's Piers in Wildwood, the idea of sitting down for a meal was pretty inviting. Eating outside overlooking the beach on a lovely, late-spring evening sounded even better.
I went to give more money to the parking-lot attendant, then inquired in an information center where to find Stewart's of Wildwood, which we have wanted to try since it opened a little over a year ago; our group hoofed it from Mariner's Landing to our destination about six blocks north. The walk didn't seem long, what with all the Boardwalk sights to take in.
Stewart's is an eye-catching building - very retro, with a jukebox-shaped entry arch that lights up at night and a revolving sign on top. It is on the east side of the Boardwalk. You can order food from a window countertop on the Boardwalk side, or eat downstairs in booths or at the 1950s-reminiscent counter with swivel stools.
Our party, including my husband and our three kids (ages 3, 8 and 9) and two 11-year-old nieces, headed upstairs to the rooftop deck.
We seated ourselves at two tables with umbrellas on the beach side of the roof - kids at one table and my husband and I at the other. A manager quickly brought a cup of crayons for the kids to draw on menus, which was nice. We admired a hanging sculpture of Elvis driving a car and marveled at the beach, which seems blocks wide here.
My 3-year-old son ordered a vanilla milkshake ($4.29); his eyes got big when it was delivered topped with a ton of whipped cream and a cherry, which he immediately popped in his mouth.
The girls were hungry, so their eyes were bigger than their stomachs. Three got root-beer floats ($3.99 each). They also asked for a basket of cheese fries ($4.99) and mozzarella sticks ($4.99). Three kids ordered from the $4.99 children's menu - a grilled cheese, a cheeseburger and chicken fingers. The cheeseburger turned out to be two small sliders; the rolls were cute, but too hard (as in not soft) for my son to eat.
About the kids' meals - the price tag is reasonable, as it includes fries (or celery sticks and ranch) and soda (or milk), but my kids had ordered extra fries and root-beer floats, so we didn't really get our money's worth. I should have asked the server to bring them each a little cup of cheese for fry dipping. In short, I should have supervised better; they ordered way too much food and didn't eat much of it.
The other two ordered Philly cheesesteaks ($6.99 without fries, $8.48 with). My husband ordered a cheeseburger basket with fries ($7.48) and I the buffalo-chicken-wrap basket with fries ($8.48).
The cheeseburger disappeared quickly and my wrap was tasty, with a good amount of sliced grilled chicken in spicy sauce and blue-cheese dressing. The original Stewart's was founded in 1924 mostly as a venue to sell the famous root beer. So, of course the floats and fountain drinks are awesome. The food is fine for the most part, too, but I would comment that the fries could be a lot better. They are the crinkle-cut variety and rather pale and tasteless.
Stewart's offers a respite from the Boardwalk hustle bustle and an unbeatable view, which, it seems, comes at a cost. Prices are a couple dollars more per item than you'll find at Stewart's Drive-In in Vineland, where we spent way less than half as much last spring, albeit we had two fewer kids with us at the time.
On the walk back to the car, we stopped to let the kids throw some darts at balloons at a Boardwalk game. For $5 a pop, they each got a toy (various stuffed animals for the girls and a plastic sword for my son). Our Boardwalk adventure was complete, and summer hasn't even started yet.
Stewart's of Wildwood
WHERE: 2901 Boardwalk (at Magnolia), Wildwood
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays; 9:30 a.m. to close (depending when crowds die down) weekends
HOW MUCH: $82.44 before tip
SERVICE: Kids' menu; takeout and party platters;Visa and MasterCard.
INFO: 609-770-8538; stewartsofwildwood.com
Posted in Dining on Thursday, June 18, 2009 3:10 am
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