An Insider’s Look at the 2011 Avalon Housing Market

Local realtor Rick Ogen and Avalon homeowner Bob Watters took the time to answer some questions about Avalon’s housing market. If you have any questions you can email Rick Ogen at rogen@avalonrealty.com or check out the real estate listings for yourself at Avalon Real Estate Agency.


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The Windrift: Fries, Gypsy Wisdom, and Joey DeNoble

A trip to the Windrift is the perfect way to get in the shore mood after work on a Friday. Located at 80th and the beach, the Windrift overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and all the beachgoers who have come to enjoy it. Because of traffic, driving to the shore on a Friday afternoon can take up to two and a half hours. The best cure for the “sitting in traffic blues” is beach fries and beer. Lucky for us, the Windrift supplies both of these and more.

Last Friday I went to the Windrift with Shauna and my parents for some much needed relaxation after a rough Friday drive. I recommend the $5 beach fries and a $15 pitcher of Miller Lite. The fries are steak fries covered in seasoning and one order is enough for two people. We also ordered a buffalo chicken cheesesteak, beef nachos, and sliders for dinner. Everything was delicious, but be careful of how much you order. Everyone was so stuffed from the fries that we could barely touch our dinners.

In addition to great food, the Windrift also has excellent entertainment. Joey DeNoble of the band Gypsy Wisdom was playing a set while we were there. Joey is well known as an amazing singer and guitar player in the Philadelphia and South Jersey area. The set included everything from Nirvana to Elvis and other shore favorites. Gypsy Wisdom began playing after Joey and will be playing at the Windrift every Tuesday night this summer. Tuesday is also the Windrift’s famous wing night, so make sure to check it out.

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Pedicures for Men and Women at Avalon Nails

I am man enough to admit that I got a pedicure with my wife at Avalon Nails this past Sunday. Located next to the Paper Peddler at 25th and Dune Drive in Avalon, Avalon Nails offers a full range of spa treatments for men and women. The service is friendly and the atmosphere offers an environment accessible to the girliest girls and the manliest men.

I do not usually take good care of my feet (WARNING: poorly groomed feet pictured in the slideshow below), so I like to get a summertime pedicure to make my feet ready to be seen in flip flops. Avalon Nails makes sure that for $30 I can erase an entire winter of poor foot care.

A lot of women understand what a pedicure entails, but I have so little pedicure experience that I would like to let the men with funky feet know what happens during a pedicure at Avalon Nails. When I walked into Avalon Nails I was seated in a massage chair and put my feet into a foot bath. A foot bath is like a bird bath, but for feet. After bathing my feet the pedicurist massages them, cuts my toenails, massages them again, puts on different moisturizers and other liquids that I assume contain magical anti-smelling ingredients, and then massages my feet one more time. The whole experience lasts 20-30 minutes, but it makes my feet look and feel great all summer. I had the option to get my toenails painted any color that I wanted, but I respectfully declined.

For a quick way to treat yourself (and anyone else who looks at your feet) to some pampering, look no further than Avalon Nails. Men are always welcome.

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P.K. McCool's Is the Place to Go in Avalon for Burgers and Fries

P.K. McCool’s is a great place to go after beating your wife and friends in mini-golf. With their assortment of burgers and fries even the sorest loser is bound to smile.

Walking into P.K. McCool’s, located at 27th and Dune Drive in Avalon, is like taking a trip into a 1950’s diner. Every time I walk in I want to make sure that my Mom and Dad kiss at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance and then run to the clock tower for a quick ride in a Delorean. Fortunately, there were no Biff sightings to ruin our meal.

Despite what the sign says, the restaurant is only open for breakfast and lunch. Their window says they close at 3:00 p.m., but we were there until at least 3:30 p.m. so they will accommodate late lunches. I started off with their specialty fries smothered in sour cream, ranch dressing, bacon, and cheese. The only way not to enjoy these fries is to have a heart attack while eating them. One order is more than enough for four people.

All of their burgers are made with 50% bison meat and 50% Angus beef. I couldn’t tell which half of my bacon bleu cheese burger was bison, but the whole thing was delicious. Customers have the option to order a 100% bison burger for one dollar extra. All of the burgers are in the $10 range and they are worth the price. After indulging in fries I could not finish my burger, so I took half home and had it for breakfast the next morning. The burger was even good cold.

P.K. McCool’s is a great place for families or couples on the go. Their quick service and friendly attitude is a great addition to any mini-golf adventure. Be mindful, P.K McCool’s is cash only.


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Pirate Island Mini Golf in Avalon, NJ

There are a few different mini golf courses in Avalon, but only one of them has pirates. Pirate Island Golf opened in Avalon in 1994 and is partly owned by Pat Croce. This past Saturday I challenged my wife Shauna and our friends, Jen and Sean, to a round of mini golf (or “putt-putt” as the Ohioans call it).

Pirate Island puts as much care into their course as they put into their décor. It is the only place on the island where you can walk through caves, putt next to a waterfall, and cross a rope bridge. If all the adventure makes you thirsty, Pirate Island provides vending machines throughout the course.

Families enjoy Pirate Island because the course is meant for all skill levels. A family with two small kids was playing in front of us and we thought that we would have to wait for the kids to finish fooling around, but the kids were better mini golfers than we were. Anyone from toddlers to senior citizens will enjoy Pirate Island and be able to shoot for par on most holes.

We ultimately didn’t score as well as Rich Baird, the man who shot the first perfect game of mini-golf since 1979, but we did okay. If the goal was fun and not being killed by pirates, we were all winners.


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Final Scores:
Shauna – 51
Jen – 50
Sean – 50
John - 48

Avalon Craft Fair on 30th Street

The Avalon Craft Fair took place on June 11th between Ocean Drive and Dune Drive on 30th Street in Avalon. Artists and small businesses from around the area took part in the event which featured everything from tie-dyed t-shirts to chocolate covered bananas. One local vendor, Halestorm Glass, was selling hand blown glass jewelry and figurines. The owner, Eric Hale, makes all of the hand blown glass pieces himself. Another favorite vendor at the Avalon Craft Fair is Coastal Postal Design, a stand that sells old photos of New Jersey shore towns. My wife purchased the photo of Lucy the Elephant shown below. As the photo says, Lucy is “the only elephant in the world you can go through and come out alive.” Coastal Postal Design also has a studio at 1127 West Avenue in Ocean City.

Don't miss the next craft show on June 25th.
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Beers of Avalon: Victory's Yakima Glory

One of the joys of the shore is that plans can change at the last minute and a planned night out can change to a fun evening sitting in with family. Or my wife and I got lazy and drank at home instead of going out to Jack’s Place last Friday, June 3rd.

Being too lazy to go out is partly possible in Avalon thanks to Fred’s Liquor Store and their selection of beers. Summer is the perfect time to try new beers and Fred’s doesn’t fail in offering a large and varied selection. Part of the reason we didn’t make it to Jack’s Place is a selection from Fred’s called Yakima Glory, a very hoppy selection from the brewers at Victory. It’s made from hops grown in the Yakima Valley region in the state of Washington and brands itself as a spring beer. At 8.7% ABV (alcohol by volume), it is a little too heavy for summer. The hop flavor isn’t much different from Victory’s Hop Devil, but Yakima Glory is more alcoholic than Hop Devil’s 6.7% ABV. If you are drinking for taste, stick with the Hop Devil. If you show up late to the party and need to catch up while enjoying a hoppy beer, choose Yakima Glory.

Yakima Glory can be an ambition sucker if drunk too early in the day. What started as a happy hour beer was strong enough to turn into a night cap and destroyed all thoughts of going out to Jack’s Place for some nightlife and entertainment.

When It’s Cold Down The Shore: Avalon Library and Primo’s Hoagies

A cold weekend down the shore is perfect for indulging. If it’s too cold for the beach it’s just the right temperature to order comfort food and watch a movie. Avalon’s Public Library has a huge selection of DVD’s and everything is free as long as you bring it back on time.

A good movie deserves a good meal. Avalon usually frowns on chain restaurants, but Primo’s Hoagies is still small enough to have a Mom and Pop atmosphere. I recommend the “Audiablo” (Thumanns Home Style Turkey Breast, Thumanns Oven Roasted Beef, Hot Pepper Cheese and a Blend of Spices), but there is a wide variety to choose from on their menu.

It’s not quite the beach, but good company, good food, and a good movie are still a recipe for a great day in Avalon.

First Day at 17th Street Beach in Avalon

June is a crapshoot in Avalon, NJ. There is potential for some of the most beautiful weather the island has ever seen with the sun lightly warming the skin while a light breeze keeps the heat at bay. Last weekend was not one of those weekends.

Despite less than perfect conditions, not even bad weather can keep these people off the beach.
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The Diving Horse Restaurant Review

My wife, my parents, and I ate at The Diving Horse on Saturday night. The Diving Horse restaurant is one of the new additions to Avalon’s BYOB community and is just starting its second year of business. We made reservations during the week leading up to Saturday and the only times available were 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.. We chose 9:30 p.m., but if you want to eat at a certain time make sure to call for reservations early.

When we first arrived the Hahn wine we brought with us was the only good thing about the restaurant. It's a small eating area and people are packed in, so the noise level is naturally loud. On top of the conversational noise there was rock music playing at a volume more like a club than a pricey BYOB. The noise level was annoying and we couldn't hear the waitress when she told us the specials, but our seating made up for it. We had a window seat overlooking Dune Drive, Avalon’s main thoroughfare, and could see people walking by dressed up to go to The Princeton.

The second disappointment of the night was the menu. They have a special Steakhouse Night on Saturdays described as “prime meats hand selected by Pat LaFrieda.” My Dad and I had assumed that there would be numerous prime meats and we would be able to sample all of them. Not so. There is one meat selected every Saturday night and the restaurant only orders 25 of them. This week’s steak was a 12 ounce filet mignon, but there was nothing special about its $54 price. With our hearts set on prime meats we had to start from scratch in deciding what to eat.

I’m unhappy when a restaurant tries to change the bread experience. At the Diving Horse a server brings around a basket of bread and serves each person with one small slice and a community butter. The server described the butter, but we couldn’t hear him over the noise so we just called it “red butter.” It was delicious. I will frequently eat two or three pieces of bread before dinner and I felt gluttonous when I had to ask the waitress for “another round of bread, please.”

All of the night’s disappointments were forgotten when the food arrived. Though it is pricey, the food was outstanding. Before the food came out my Mom said, “I’m glad we’re trying this, but I would never come back.” After dinner she was talking about what she’ll order next time.

For appetizers we tried Steamed Blue Bay Mussels, Gazpacho, and Ballotine de Quail. Though I forgot to take pictures before we ate, the photos of our empty plates in the slideshow can show what we thought of the food.

The mussels were good, but no different from mussels ordered anywhere else. Until the Diving Horse I never had the opportunity to try the other appetizers. The Gazpacho was poured over watermelon and tasted like summer. It looked like tomato soup, but it tasted like a light, fruity, less spicy bloody mary. The Ballotine de Quail was like a quail crabcake stuffed with sausage. The taste was phenomenal, but with only two small cakes it was not enough to be filling.

For the main course my Dad and I had the Roasted Chicken Breast, my wife Shauna had the Hudson Canyon Scallops, and my Mom had the NY “Butcher’s Wife” Cut of steak. We all tried each other’s meals and it was all fantastic. If you have had chicken breast, scallops, or steak before, multiply the taste by 100 and that’s how our entrees tasted. The portions weren’t huge, but they were filling. The Diving Horse is one of the few BYOBs I’ve been to where I didn’t feel bloated the next day from overeating. Nobody had leftovers to bring home, so don’t expect to make two meals out of this experience.

The dessert menu has some good choices and we were all excited about the “Kit Kat,” a large Kit-Kat served on top of chocolate and peanut butter. The excitement ended when the couple next to us ordered the “Kit Kat” and it was tiny. It looked delicious, but for $40 we could have gotten Wawa desserts and still had some leftover, so that’s what we did.

After our stop at Wawa we went home and enjoyed Jack & Jill ice cream sandwiches, Ben & Jerry’s Boston Cream Pie, and Ben & Jerry’s Cheesecake Brownie far more than we would have enjoyed the Kit-Kat.

I give the Diving Horse 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to my friends, but I would warn them about the prices before my recommendation.

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Bars In Avalon

Avalon has two main hotspots for nightlife, between 20th and 24th Streets and around 80th Street. I’ve always been attracted to the area between 20th and 24th Streets because I can walk/stumble home without worrying about a designated driver. If you are driving drunk in Avalon, THE COPS WILL GET YOU. I was once in a car pulled over twice in 15 minutes because of suspected drunkenness and everyone was sober. There are three bars to go to in this area of Avalon and all have a different style.

The Whitebrier attracts Avalonians in their mid to late twenties who have rented for the summer or have spent the day on the beach. It’s completely acceptable to show up sunburnt and sandy.
Location: 260 20th Street, Avalon, NJ 08202
Deals: Happy Hour in the Octopus' Garden (Whitebrier's outside area) is from noon to 7 p.m.. The special is buy one get one half price sushi and reduced price drinks.
Facebook: Whitebrier

If you’re interested in dressing up and going out you’ll enjoy The Princeton. It’s a little pricier than the other bars, but it has three different rooms that cater to everybody.
Location: 2008 Dune Drive, Avalon, NJ 08202
Events: This weekend has seven DJ’s, two bands, and one solo acoustic act.
Facebook: The Princeton

The Rock ‘N Chair is smaller than the other bars, but it can be just as fun. You’ll notice that they don’t have any specials because they have one special that keeps their customers happy: there are very few young people. If your kids are old enough to hang at the Princeton you may be old enough to hang at the Rock ‘N Chair.
Location: 2409 Dune Drive, Avalon, NJ 08202
Events: Love & Branca is playing Saturday night.