Down the Shore

Back in January, we polled our readers on which new restaurant we should try first using the gift cards we received over the holidays. And the winner was… Olea !

If you haven’t heard of Olea, you must not be on Instagram (or following local NJ food influencers), because its opening last year was buzzy. Mouthwatering reels of the Olea Board filled our feeds — which, if you’re wondering, is a 48 oz. prime tomahawk steak, king crab legs, lobster tails, and roasted bone marrow. It’s $425, so we’re saving that one for when we strike it big ;)

What we did order, however, did not disappoint. Read on for this week’s Local Business Spotlight.

Local Business Spotlight: Olea (Spring Lake)

Why go: Steak by Bud Carter (former founding chef of Butcher’s Block), a reason to dress up, and early-2010s throwback music to set the mood for a Saturday night.

Cocktail Hour

Order the Dirty Little Secret, a classic dirty martini, or the Unknown Road, a spicy martini with Calabrian chili oil. Best enjoyed from the lobby bar if you’re waiting for your table.

The Appetizers

We always appreciate a place that serves complimentary bread. But we especially appreciate one that serves warm, garlicky, buttery bread, sprinkled with parmesan and served with a side of green olives.

Buffalo Octopus: we weren’t sure anything besides chicken worked with buffalo sauce and ranch, but consider this the new “chicken of the sea.”

Cavolo Nero: kale, lemon, fennel, fried garlic, parmesan, pickled chilis, and crostino. It’s a BIG salad.

Pasta Course

Spaghetti all’Assassina: this crunchy, charred spaghetti is cooked risotto-style in tomato broth. It’s a really different type of pasta dish that originated in Bari, Italy.

The Main

16 oz. Prime Bone-In Strip: you really can’t go wrong with any of the steaks here. Served on its own or with the signature Olea butter, get a side of the crispy potatoes.

Wine pairing: Order the Schiava, which is a lighter red similar to Pinot Noir. An excellent recommendation from our waitress, Erin.

We can’t believe we’re saying this, but we didn’t have room for dessert! Portions are generous, so don’t be shy about packing leftovers for Sunday night supper. Next time, we might balance things out with a few lighter picks, because the dessert menu looked quite impressive.

Shore Points

Here are a few headlines that caught our eye this week:

50 Free Things to Do in New Jersey: New Jersey Monthly covered free fun for families, outdoors enthusiasts, history buffs, and art lovers.

New Jerseys’ 25 best plates of chicken parm: NJ.com took on the daunting task of ranking the Garden State’s best places to get chicken parm. Included were Buona Sera in Red Bank and Nettie’s House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls. Are there any they missed? (We’d also love to hear your favorite eggplant parm spots…)

Kerry Washington Will Film Her Next Netflix Series In Middletown: NJ’s status as Hollywood East continues with more Netflix projects penciled in.

Weekly Forecast

With the Spring Equinox past us, we’re loving the longer days and looking forward to more mild weekends like this past one. Here’s what the weather’s looking like this week:

Monday 3/23 - 45°/33° Light Rain

Tuesday 3/24- 44°/33° Sunny

Wednesday 3/25 - 48°/38° Cloudy

Thursday 3/26 - 64°/48° Cloudy

Friday 3/27 - 54°/32° Light Rain

Saturday 3/28 - 40°/32° Partly Sunny

Sunday 3/29 - 47°/34° Partly Sunny

And for the surfers out there, here are the weekly surf conditions in Belmar courtesy of Surf Captain:

Farmer’s Market Roundup

While we’re counting down until our local farmers market opens (we’re under 50 days now), here is our weekly roundup of markets to check out:

• Holmdel: 3/25 Bell Works FRESH Wednesday Farmers and Makers Market

• Holmdel: 3/28 Bell Works FRESH Saturday Farmers and Makers Market

And if we are missing any other markets, let us know!

Happenings Down the Shore

Below is a curated list of events you can check out this week including the rescheduled Belmar St. Patrick’s Day Parade, a speakeasy jazz night in Asbury Park, and a workshop on “the art of hosting” in Manasquan.

If there’s an upcoming event you’d like us to cover, feel free to pass it along!

Monday 3/23

Holmdel - Intro to Pickleball Clinic at Bell Works (9:30 am - register here)

Oceanport - Weekly Trivia at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6:30 pm)

Red Bank - Jazz Arts Jam Sessions at Triumph Brewing (6 pm)

Tuesday 3/24

Asbury Park - Nicotine Dolls at Asbury Lanes (7 pm - buy tix)

Wednesday 3/25

Long Branch - Book Club by Renegade Book Club at Beach Bee Meadery (6 pm)

Spring Lake - BENEATH: An Event with Author Ariel Sullivan! at Thunder Road Books (6:30 pm - get tix)

Thursday 3/26

Asbury Park - Speakeasy Jazz Night at Bond Street Basement (6 pm - get tix)

Holmdel - Space of Balance Silent Disco at Bar Bella in Bell Works (6:30 pm)

Manasquan - The Art of Hosting w/ Molly Boards at WonderLand+Sea - (6 pm - get tix)

Red Bank - Gab Cinque Band at Jamian’s (8 pm)

Red Bank - Ocean Avenue Stompers at Triumph Brewing (8 pm)

Friday 3/27

Belmar - Nikki Briar at Beach Haus (7 pm)

Belmar - Eddie Testa Band at Marina Grille (8 pm)

Holmdel - Backbeat Duo at Fox Hollow Vineyard (6 pm)

Long Branch - Heated Rivalry: Trivia Night & Fan Art Class by Little Unleashed at Beach Bee Meadery (6 pm)

Manasquan -Mike Dalton at Harpoon Willy’s (8:30 pm)

Oceanport - Big John and Lil’ Maria at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6:00 pm)

Red Bank - Anniversary Weekend with The Haven at Jamian’s (9 pm)

Red Bank - Jeff Levine at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm)

Red Bank - Jet Weston at Triumph Brewery (9 pm)

Saturday 3/28

Belmar - St. Patrick’s Day Parade (12:30 pm - learn more)

Belmar - Parade Day w/ The Daly Rituals + an Irish set from The Successful Failures at Beach Haus (10 am)

Belmar - Belmar Parade Party with Joe Baracata Band at Marina Grille (2 pm)

Holmdel - Sipping on Spring Sip & Shop with Velvet Boutique at Bell Works (12 pm)

Holmdel - Dan Stinger at Fox Hollow Vineyard (2 pm)

Keansburg - St. Patrick's Day Parade (1 pm)

Lincroft - Free Weekend Workshop Series at the Monmouth Museum (11 am)

Manasquan - Kids at Play at Harpoon Willy’s (8:30 pm)

Oceanport - Quincy Mumford at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6:00 pm)

Red Bank - Frank Rainey at The Molly Pitcher Inn (6 pm)

Red Bank - Joslyn & The Sweet Compression at Triumph Brewery (9 pm)

Tinton Falls - Monmouth County Spring Craft Show at Fort Monmouth Recreation Center (9 am)

Wall Township - Easter Celebration at Allaire Village (11 am - get tix)

Sunday 3/29

Belmar - Kyle Ahern at Beach Haus (2 pm)

Holmdel - Community Drum Circle at Bell Works (2 pm)

Holmdel - Deseree at Fox Hollow Vineyard (2 pm)

Red Bank - Jonathan Kirschner Trio at Triumph Brewing (1 pm)

Did we miss an event? Let us know.

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