Upon arrival I was excited to see the door handle to this establishment was a giant whisk! This restaurant definitely had a vibe before that first step in.
I don’t know if it was the smattering of light brick on the walls or the thick ropes strung with lights along the columns as you walk inside, but this place definitely felt like a night out from the onset.
It’s a BYOB, (and you know how I feel about those), but I’m working on opening my mind to them. Certainly, many Jersey Shore diners love a good BYOB restaurant. For me, it’s something about picking the wine before I even know what I’m eating that never quite sits right, not to mention the transport. Yes, I’m a wine snob, I like my cabs at 62 degrees and my sparkling well chilled, but I’m not bougie. At any given time when I’m not heading out you’ll find me in an Amazon tank top and well-worn flip flops, year-round, basically the uniform of anyone who grew up in Florida.
We brought a half bottle of Moet and an organic Barolo from Italy. I highly recommend the half bottle of champagnes if you want to go from a glass of sparking to red wine with dinner at a BYOB and it’s just the two of you. I loved that our waiter iced our bottle quickly and we enjoyed it crisp and sparkling. They swung me in favor of the BYOB experience.
We started with the grilled artichoke, which was delicious. I didn’t realize you could stuff canned artichokes, but the chef did it with a pack of flavors using warm ricotta, prosciutto, and a delectable sauce.
Then we tried the clam appetizer. I will note here that this restaurant has been featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” with Guy Fieri, and the Skratch Kitchen episode was actually airing for the first time the same night we visited the restaurant.
Guy Fieri loved this clam appetizer so you should give it a try and see what you think! Next, we tried the Caesar salad, and you know how I feel about that. If a restaurant can nail a great Caesar, then usually everything else falls into place. The Caesar dressing was delicious here, but the shaved raw brussels sprouts were a bit too hard and raw against the delicate greens. The brussels sprouts kept clogging up my fork and that perfect bite that I knew was in there kept eluding me, but I would definitely buy that Caesar dressing if he sold it (hint hint).
I ordered the cod entree and my husband had the pork chop. The cod was cooked perfectly, but that pork chop entree commanded all forks at the table! The chop was juicy and we both loved the sausage with that dish, it was full of flavor.
I am not a dessert person, but the dessert was delicious! It was light and lemony with large fresh blueberries and mint. Very refreshing, the perfect end to a summer dinner.
The owner and chef, J.T. Dunn, went to each table at the end of the evening and asked how we liked our meal, which was very hospitable and charming. He is clearly passionate about his food and when asked he told me his favorite dish is the olive oil and breadcrumb pasta that he puts on the menu because he just loves it. I love that his heart is clearly in this kitchen. He created a charming place with a great vibe and a mix of good food.
Skratch Kitchen has just scratched the surface of its potential and I have hope for its continued success. I give it a 3.2 and hope to try it again during winter as the menu frequently changes, love that too!
Maria O’Donnell is a food and wine writer at the Jersey Shore and you can follow her @foodwritergirl on Instagram and @CookingwithMaria on Facebook
