Featured on Lavallette-Seaside Shorebeat

Within a matter of less than a decade, seasonal businesses at the Jersey Shore suffered two unavoidable setbacks: Superstorm Sandy’s wrath, followed by the pandemic which shook the restaurant industry to its core. But many businesses adapted, and in the wake of indisputably negative events came new opportunities for businesses – and especially restaurants – to re-invent the concepts that drive local commerce.

What became a unique silver lining to an otherwise tragic event was a re-invigoration of the Shore dining scene, with more local restaurants offering increasingly unique menus, al fresco dining, and the combination of city-inspired offerings against the backdrop of the coastal environment.

Few restaurants have captured that concept more than Sinner’s Steakhouse, located directly across from the Manasquan Inlet in Point Pleasant Beach. At Shorebeat, we were excited when Sinner’s became one of our sponsors because it has been a personal favorite of our family since opening three years ago – and as the upscale steakhouse enters its fourth summer, we had the opportunity to chat with manager Robert Edelhauser about how this restaurant re-imaged a space that had been vacant since the storm and created an experience for diners that is difficult to find elsewhere.

While the Jersey Shore is historically known as a coastal retreat from the hustle-and-bustle of New York and Philadelphia, there is no dispute that many of the best – and often most harmonious and classically-styled – restaurants in the world can be found tucked in the nooks and crannies of the city streets. Bringing that concept to the Shore, however, has always been a challenge: how does one combine a dark, intimate setting with the naturally bright environment of a beach town?

It’s a concept that has rarely been executed as well as Sinner’s Steakhouse, which took over the space once occupied by Shipwreck Point at 20 Inlet Drive, overlooking the picturesque waterway, but retaining the streetside escape that candle-lit eateries boast in Manhattan. The menu, of course, is king.

“A family can feel as comfortable as a young couple as a date,” said Edelhauser, describing the subdued tone of the large windows overlooking the inlet, coupled with the darker, more intimate setting inside.

Sinner’s is indisputably upscale, but simultaneously casual, featuring a bar, the standard dining room, a covered terrace on the side and an open-air patio that became popularized in the post-pandemic era. The restaurant, by way of its classic steakhouse offerings alongside fresh, local seafood, has carved a unique place in the Shore dining scene, with reservations encouraged during the season, especially on weekends.

“There are a number of classics that pair with everything that are surprisingly tough to find – a classic wedge salad, thick-sliced pepper bacon, beef carpaccio, garlic whipped potato and cream of spinach,” said Edelhauser. “The vision was to take those classic elements of a traditional New York steakhouse style and bring it to the Shore.”

The menu offers locally-sourced ingredients with its signature steaks, including marinated skirt steak, filet mignon, a cowboy cut and a ribeye for two. The steaks are brushed with olive oil and served with the restaurant’s house-made steak sauce. Sinner’s also features a special pork chop scarpariello, pan-roasted salmon, steak carbonara and seafood fra diavolo

Sinner’s Steakhouse, Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. (File Photo)

Sinner’s Steakhouse, Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. (File Photo)

The local seafood – quite literally – is sourced from the fishing boats that dock just a few blocks away.

“For us, it’s really important that we provide fresh seafood, especially because of where we are,” said Edelhauser. “We have such a fantastic opportunity at our location to have access to amazing seafood, so you’ll see things like king crab, fresh oyster, fresh fish, our crab bisque, and the seafood tower (which is absolutely massive).”

The seafood tower is an experience in itself, and sure to garner looks from fellow diners upon its appearance at one’s table.

“If you look at a French brasserie in New York where you’re getting chilled lobster tail, oysters, cocktail shrimp, little neck clams and ceviche all on the same tower, it’s really incredible,” Edelhauser said. “But to be able to look out at the inlet and enjoy fresh seafood like that is something that is really special, because we have an upscale-casual atmosphere that can become a tradition for people who visit.”

The “fresh off the boat” seafood includes the aforementioned tower, along with an impressive raw bar that also makes its way into the side options, including a steamed lobster tail and crab bisque soup with a touch of Sherry.

The drink menu also shines, including a house favorite, the smoked Old Fashioned, which literally arrives with smoke in tow.

“We serve the wood and smoke on top of the glass, and you get to see them pull it off and taste how it infuses into the cocktail,” said Edelhauser.