Tastes like summer: Grab these foods while the weather is warm

Sarah Griesemer, Asbury Park Press
·3 min read

You've heard of Christmas in July? How about summer in January?

These few days of nice weather have us craving the foods we love in the summer, like soft-serve ice cream, boardwalk pizza and freshly caught seafood. Of course, these are best enjoyed at a beachfront restaurant, with a cocktail in one hand and a cool breeze blowing.

Outdoor dining won't return for a few months, and summer tomatoes, blueberries and peaches are months away. Still, we can enjoy some of summer's best dishes before the wintery weather returns.

Where to go? Here are some ideas:

Seafood boil from Topsail Steamers

The Low Country Shrimp Bay Bucket from Topsail Steamers in Ship Bottom has shrimp, andouille sausage, corn, potatoes and seasonings. Cocktail sauce, butter and paper for serving are included.
The Low Country Shrimp Bay Bucket from Topsail Steamers in Ship Bottom has shrimp, andouille sausage, corn, potatoes and seasonings. Cocktail sauce, butter and paper for serving are included.

The Long Beach Island location of Topsail Steamer, which assembles seafood boils you cook at home, is closed through next month. Their steam pots, though, are available through Goldbelly, an online marketplace that ships food from companies nationwide.

There are more than half a dozen options, from a Low Country-inspired pot for two, filled with jumbo shrimp, andouille sausage, corn, potatoes and seasonings, to a party-sized pot with shrimp, snow crab, littleneck clams, lobster tails, andouille, corn, potatoes and seasonings ($119 to $264). Go: Topsail Steamers, which is open seasonally, is at 2608 Long Beach Blvd. in Ship Bottom; topsailsteamer.com.

More:7 new restaurants opening at the Jersey Shore in 2023

Lobster roll from Atlantic Offshore Fishery, Point Pleasant Beach

A lobster salad roll from Atlantic Offshore Fishery in Point Pleasant Beach.
A lobster salad roll from Atlantic Offshore Fishery in Point Pleasant Beach.

When a restaurant and its adjoining seafood market are run by a commercial fisherman with his own fleet, that means lobster rolls are not just for summertime.

This restaurant near the Manasquan River serves a cold lobster salad roll, and one with hot lobster poached in butter, with fries and coleslaw on the side. Both come on fresh rolls from Liscio's Bakery in Glassboro.

Go: 212 Channel Drive; 732-206-6958, atlanticfisherynj.com.

More:From Mexican food to desserts, here are 5 things we're excited to eat in 2023

Boardwalk pizza from Maruca's Tomato Pies, Seaside Heights

Those of us who call the Shore home know that even in winter, it is worth a trip to the boardwalk for a slice of hot, crispy pizza. Not many places are open now, but longtime favorite Maruca's is. You can eat there or take it to go, and their Trenton tomato pies with a signature swirl of sauce on top also an be ordered through third-party delivery apps.

Go: 601 Ocean Terrace; 732-793-0707, marucaspizza.com.

More:Made a New Year's resolution to eat better? Here are NJ restaurants and bars to try

Hot dogs from The WindMill

A classic WindMill hot dog from the West End location in Long Branch.
A classic WindMill hot dog from the West End location in Long Branch.

Your backyard grill may be covered for the season, but hot dog cravings can be satisfied at this favorite spot.

For a late night dog, The WindMill's Belmar, West End and Red Bank locations are open until midnight on Saturdays (Friday, too, for Belmar and West End.)

Packages of the restaurant's pork and beef hot dogs also are available in local stores and online.

Prefer the hot dogs at Max's Bar Bar and Grill in Long Branch? The restaurant reopens in March.

Go: The WindMill is at 1200 River Road in Belmar, 444 Ocean Blvd. North in Long Branch, 22 Bridge Ave. in Red Bank, 18 S. Main St. in Asbury Park, and 586 Ocean Blvd. in the West End section of Long Branch; windmillhotdogs.com.

More:The WindMill restaurants have a new owner. He says 'everything will be kept the same'

Fudge, taffy and more at Van Holten's, Brick and Seaside Heights

Van Holten's Chocolates has all the sweets and snacks you love in the summer, from chocolates and gummy fruit slices to specialty popcorn in flavors like fried pickle and chipotle.

But for a true taste of summer, pick up some fudge in flavors like cookies and cream, peanut butter swirl, chocolate, M&M crunch, Elvis Presley (with peanut butter, banana and bacon) and Half Baked (with brownie and chocolate chip cookie dough).

Go: 819 Boardwalk in Seaside Heights, 732-830-2220, and 1893 Route 88 in Brick, 732-840-0888; vanholtenschocolates.com.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com.

Staff writer Gabriela L. Laracca contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore restaurants offer food perfect for warm weather