Down the Shore

Sandwiches, ice cream, and pizza, the three food groups

Jul 29, 2024

Hi friends,

I’m back from a weekend at the beach, which was full of sandwiches (savory and ice cream based), sleep (going to bed early on vacation is a powerful move), and swimming in the ocean, which was calm and just the right amount of chilly. It was a quintessential summer weekend and I’m so grateful to Karen and Rich for hosting us!

I hope your week is off to a good start. Now, let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

Paid subscribers heard about this herby lemon mayo I made for tomato toasts with Julia. It was delicious and I recommend putting it on everything. Greenmarket heirloom tomatoes are worth the splurge this time of year!

I did indeed make kale sauce with my epic bundle of kale (it was $4 for the equivalent of 3 or 4 supermarket bundles). I love this sauce and it was another excuse to use my immersion blender, which is the best new kitchen tool I’ve gotten in years.

Down the shore, we made lots of breakfast bagels and beach sandwiches. Karen made a huge jar of pickled veggies that we put on everything from cream cheese to cold cuts. My favorite sandwich was pesto, burrata, tomatoes, lettuce, and balsamic glaze, with a side of potato chips of course.

why does everything taste so much better at the beach

Something to order:

Julia’s parents took us to dinner at Sirena in Pier Village and we got to sit outside right on the boardwalk. Julianne and I split the pesto and tomato pastas, which were delicious—the pesto was served traditionally with pine nuts and green beans. If nduja is in any dishes, be warned that their version is painfully spicy according to the meat eaters at the table.

On Saturday night, we headed to Asbury Park, which has so many great spots to eat. We tried Catbird, a byob pizza place on a lake in a residential part of town (Hillary’s friend recommended it, thank you to them!). We waited a while in the front yard, where they offer watermelon and water (and you can drink whatever you’ve brought). Once your table is ready, you order and then the food comes out quickly. It was worth the wait for the pizzas (and we had a really good mussels appetizer). Try a white, a margherita (what I judge a pizza place by), and a special (we got an eggplant and pesto one).

After dinner, we headed to Cookman Creamery, which was so good. They have an equal number of dairy and non dairy flavors and make ice cream sandwiches to order. I got the espresso (and sang the song as I ate it) and everything looked so good.

Next time you’re at the grocery store, wander to the frozen section and get some mini drumsticks. They’re the best few bite frozen treat.