A New Sensational Dining Experience on Absecon Island
By Marc Berman
Absecon Island offers many options for your “BreLu” breakfast lunch dining and now there is a new dining experience that thinks outside the box or should I say inside the smoker.
Water Dog is a Smoke House featuring their own very creative, small batch, House-Smoked + roasted Fish and meats. For instance check out this menu item, their house smoked pastrami herbed lox, flavorful and delicious.
Water Dog has become the talk of the town. House smoked salmon, scallops, corned beef, pastrami, turkey, Angus beef, ham, mini-meat loaf and of course bacon.
There are many ways to enjoy their smoked meats and fish. For example, “The Betty” Seared is local day boat scallops piled high in a top cut grilled brioche bun dressed lightly with their tarragon sauce.
Or how about “Dr Dan” Slow cooked pastrami, served warm on rye with house made remoulade, spicy mustard or horseradish sauce and slaw. We can’t forget a bacon item, “MVP BLT” house smoked crispy bacon piled high on a toasted brioche with lettuce and tomato with a schmear of mayo.
Or you can put together your own creation. We ordered a breakfast sandwich with corned beef, fried egg and cheese on a french toast bagel and it was sensational! Our other breakfast indulgence was whitefish on a toasted onion bagel with capers, cucumber, thinly sliced onion and tomato and this was outstanding. We also enjoyed a side of pastrami lox and it did blow me away.
Also featured, Poke Bowls served over brown or white rice or greens with avocado, edamame, corn, cucumber, daikon, seaweed salad, toasted sesame seeds, mango, green onion and crispy onion.
According to their website “Water Dog’s co-founder Dan Greenberg, brought smoking experience to his friendship with Steve Marchel (both were raised on Absecon Island), and they teamed up to become backyard tinkerers who quickly turned into mad scientists – enrolling friends and family as taste-testers that would eventually become their first customers” You can read more at www.waterdogsmokedfish.com.
How did the name Water Dog come about? “Our name and logo are our homage to “Betty” – the Portuguese Water Dog who spent 14 joyful years as a companion to one of our founders, Steve Marchel. Portuguese Water Dogs are known as a resourceful, intelligent, and cunning breed – characteristics that Betty put to use in her quest for more – and tastier – snacks”.
The staff at Water Dog were friendly, welcoming and accommodating. There is seating inside or outdoor seating in season. There is also free parking on their lot.
Water Dog is a great experience all around and should definitely be on your Absecon Island dining bucket list. Water Dog is conveniently located at: 7319 Ventnor Ave, Ventnor NJ. Open daily from 7am to 6pm.
Marc Berman is a Former Talk Radio Host, Travel Photogrpaher and Director Of Marketing for Berman Travel. Prior to that, Marc owned Marc Berman Entertainment, a very successful DJ company in Philadelphia from 1978 thru 2004. Marc is a strong advocate for Atlantic City and that’s where he and wife Susan live year round.
