This Restaurant Has the Best Bacon Appetizer on the Planet

Get to this restaurant in Sea Bright for the most amazing meal, including this one dish that will knock you right off your feet. It's so amazing that even the moodiest teenage boy will magically become happy after one bite. It's like heaven in your mouth. Get the idea yet?

I finally had a chance to get to David Burke's DRIFTHOUSE on Ocean Ave., located right on the beach. This place is as gorgeous as they come, with a spectacular view of the ocean.

Located at the Driftwood Cabana Club, you do NOT have to be a member to dine. And, in fact, you don't even have to worry about summertime parking because the valet will do it for you!

Having missed celebrity chef David Burke from his Fromagerie days (you probably have seen him judging on many of Bravo TV's Top Chef episodes), I have been hoping to get a chance to dine at one of his amazing restaurants again, and this one is local and, well, incredible!

If you can possibly still book a table for Valentine's Day, I suggest you try, but really, any night will do (closed Mondays.) You and your significant other will thank me later (or your teen boys who love bacon will, lol!!!)

Here are the most amazing things on the menu that we tried, ranked:

#1: Clothesline Bacon is not just a food...it's an experience! A crowd-pleaser! A must-have! It is served to you with fanfare -- a blow torch!!! Torched by the server right in front of your table, you then take scissors and cut off pieces of the most delicious bacon on earth hanging from clothes pins. Once that first bite hits your tongue you are done for. I am talking instant love. Seriously, I have a crush on this maple and black pepper glazed bacon. It is the most tender, flavorful cut of meat I have ever eaten and I am completely unapologetic when I tell you I could eat this bacon any day!

#2. The Cheesecake Lollipop Tree: A cone of cotton candy surrounded by pink cashmere and chocolate tuxedo cheesecake pops served with a pot of the most delicious whipped cream you have ever had. I can't think of any better way to end a meal.  No matter how full you think you are, it would be a sin to not try this! Again, what teen boy isn't going to smile at this, and pretend to be cool while secretly feeling like he's a 5-year old at a carnival? And I adored the dessert wine pairing: Inniskkillin "Vidal" Ice Wine...a must try for adults!

#3. The hot, freshly made in-house, flaky, perfect Popover served to your table instead of 'the usual' bread basket. David Burke knows art and how to elevate any meal to the next level. So to start your meal with this is just the perfect introduction to what's to come.

#4. The Wet Aged Filet Mignon and the Tuna Steak Au Poivre. Both cooked to perfection and stunningly delicious. The perfect entrées among all the other great dishes you'll want to try.

#5. Angry Lobster Dumplings...dipped in that 'Angry sauce' and lobster reduction....the taste and texture of the dumplings is perfection!

We also enjoyed the Octopus and Chorizo Kabobs and the Toasted Coconut cake served with Mango sorbet. But I didn't have a chance to try the fresh oysters straight out of the Barnegat Bay (there is a special tank that holds them with running water for you to see!!! You are not getting anything fresher that screams Jersey Shore than this!) There was only so much food I could eat at one sitting so you KNOW I am heading back to DRIFTHOUSE for dinner again to get those oysters and so many other wonderful menu items I now want to try.

And I MUST try their brunch. I can't even imagine anything better!!!

Chef Burke, I have always been a huge fan of yours. But now I am IN LOVE with your Sea Bright restaurant.

And the next time you want to hang out for a burger on the sand, don't forget about the Nauti Bar which is down on the beach at the same location. It is open to the public during the 'off season' (in the summer it's for beach club members only) so get over there and have some casual food, fun and drinks while you can (it was pretty packed last Sunday as people stepped out in the warm February air.)

And may I say that Rich & Chad are the musical duo on Tuesday evenings who perform an amazing array of songs with just the right tone for the room. Loved them.

P.S. Thank you, Janice, for being our awesome server, and especially to Rich, the Assistant Manager who went so far as to call into our morning show and have some fun and laughs with us the morning after we dined there :) Hope you got to hear that, it was hysterical!