Nostalgic Jersey Shore

Growing up at the Jersey Shore was a wonderful experience. We often say it was like Andy’s “Mayberry.” Along the way there were some fantastic restaurants and bars that no longer exist. Here’s some memories mostly from southern Monmouth County:

Restaurants

· Howard Johnson’s, Sea Girt - My mother loved their fried clams.

· Doris & Ed’s, Highlands - Owner Jim Filip created this iconic seafood restaurant. He was one of the first to understand the appeal of good wine

· Farmingdale House, Farmingdale - Hard to believe in today’s world. Fine dining. Tuxedoed waiters. Full on a Monday night in the winter. Local chef Chris Brandl got his start here.

· Fromagerie, Rumson - Perhaps the Jersey Shore’s first fine dining restaurant. Had a dinner here cooked by the White House Chef. Celebrity chef David Burke got his start here.

· Old Mill, Spring Lake Heights - Our family’s Christmas Eve tradition. Organ music. The best German fried potatoes.

· Horn & Musket, Brielle - Steak restaurant. All you could eat shrimp.

· Marlin Tuna Camp, Manasquan - Fresh fish, right on the Glimmer Glass

· Southern House, Point Pleasant - Don’t know how it would compare to today’s Jersey Shore BBQ, but back then we thought it was the height of southern BBQ

· Jack Sullivan’s, Spring Lake - Old time supper club with piano music.

· Post & Rail, Sea Girt - Now Fratello’s. Irish Riviera outpost. NY Giant’s hang-out

· Yankee Clipper, Sea Girt - Upstairs restaurant, downstairs beach bar. Oh, how we miss it.

· The Dinner Bell, Brielle - One of many iterations in this location. Currently Rella’s. Once owned by Lawrence Taylor

· Top of the Mast, Seaside Park - Many people’s “go-to” special occasion restaurant

Fast Food

· Skoukas Point Pleasant Beach - Along with Carlson’s Corner in Manasquan, the two best burgers at the Shore.

· Surf & Sand, Manasquan - THE after-bar hang-out. I think every girl I went to high school with worked here. Like the drive-in in “American Graffiti”

Bars

· Joe Crine’s, Manasquan - Stated drinking here at 16. Bartender Elizabeth would get mad when someone celebrated a 21st birthday after being a regular for years.

· The Bluffs, Bay Head - Upscale bar with all the local “beautiful people”

· Red Ranch, Manasquan - Bartended here in the 70’s. Open until 3:30am. 3 deep at 3am

· The Royal Manor, Wall - Huge venue with multiple bars and stages. 1000+ people per night.

· Ship’s Wheel, Brielle - Brielle staple. Live music

· Jimmy Byrne’s Sea Girt Inn - Upperclassmen opened the door to the Bamboo Room for us at 16. Once you were in, no one bothered you.

· The Shanty Pub, Point Pleasant - Had an amazing dish called the Barkentine. Have never been able to find the recipe. Upstairs Wine Cellar was way ahead of its time.

· Casablanca, Manasquan - A friend became infamous by driving his motorcycle up the steps and into the bar….naked.

· Pool Bar, Warren Hotel, Spring Lake - You could run into just about anyone you knew here after the beach.

· The Keynote, Sea Girt - Now Harrigan’s Pub. Was a great piano bar.

· Union Landing, Brielle - It wasn’t a summer Sunday without the raw bar and Billy Morris singing

· Hook, Line & Sinker, Rumson - Now Undici’s. Opened in 1934. The Shore’s original “Cheers”

Dr Ghassemi graduated from Robert Wood Johnson School of medicine obtaining a medical doctorate degree in 1988 . He then completed an Internal medicine residency at Medical College of Pennsylvania and a fellowship at Hahnemann University Hospital. Dr Ghassemi has been in practice for 34 years but has dedicated his practice to Aesthetic medicine for the past 15 years. He has now opened a Medspa in Spring Lake NJ. Dr. Ghassemi has been voted a Top NJ Doctor by New Jersey Monthly Magazine.