Sara B.
Yelp
It was my first birthday celebration in JC and I really wanted to go somewhere special for my b-day dinner out with the mans. Yes, there are like 5 places right in my hood that look dope and are on my to-try list. But, I wanted something little less run of the mill and off the beaten path.
Maritime Parc is located in Liberty State Park (next to Liberty House) and has some seriously intense views of the NYC skyline. It's such a romantic spot, and if you are trying to impress someone, whether it be a date or even parents in town, I'd suggest taking them here in a heartbeat!
Okay, so ambiance aside. I wanted a delicious birthday meal, and the real reason this spot stood out was because of the eats. The menu boats a delicious array of seafood and meat options, and it all sounds decadent.
The rundown:
-Gin and grapefruit juice. AKA a cup of gin with a splash of grapefruit juice, but I guess no one ever complained about a drink being too strong. Am I right?
-Bread basket with a dipping sauce that had cauliflower and feta cheese. It was a little bit hearty to dip bread in, so I ate it as a standalone salad which was actually delicious.
-Seared octopus atop a bed of pork belly hash. Although it was an octopus dish, there was more pork belly then octopus which I thought was a bit odd. I would have appreciated more octopus, but all in all it was still very tasty.
-Crispy fried string beans, fried to absolute perfection. The siracha aioli was the perfect dipping sauce.
-Seafood pasta. Normally at restaurants like this there would be a ton of pasta (the cheap stuff) and a skimpier amount of seafood (the good stuff). Completely not the case here. My bowl was overflowing with hearty chunks of shrimp, scallop and crab. The cream sauce was rich and flavorful. Definitely a sinful dish, but calories don't count on the birthday.
-Seared scallops over a bed of corn salsa. This was my BF's entree, and I snuck in a couple of bites. The scallop had the perfect sear, and there were four large on hearty bad boys on the plate.
-Too full to order dessert, but they gave us doggy bags with complimentary chocolate peanut butter oatmeal banana cookies (an absolute mouthful) and they were insanely good. Confession, I actually ate mine for breakfast the next morning.
Maritime Parc made my birthday dinner a great one, and it just makes sense to come here for a special occasion dinner. With great food and city skyline views, you really just can't go wrong.