One of the saddest casualties of the pandemic in Asbury Park was when Modine, a personal favorite and a key part of Cookman Avenue’s always-buzzing restaurant scene, shut down. It was unique in that it was one of the only kitchens in the area specializing in Lowcountry cuisine, a particularly delicious spin on traditional Southern cooking found in coastal cities such as Charleston and Savannah, but rarely this far north. After Modine’s demise, Lowcountry fare became a rare find at the Jersey Shore, until recently, when Palmetto Southern Kitchen + Bar opened its doors on Asbury Park’s boardwalk, serving this regional cuisine. Naturally, my wife and I made a beeline there to try it. Palmetto fills the space most recently occupied by the Break, a temporary concept that opened last year as a placeholder while Palmetto was being fully fleshed out. The current concept is a collaboration between acclaimed Shore chef and Hell’s Kitchen alum James Avery and the local restaurant group BarCo Brands, with Avery overseeing the menu as well as operations in the kitchen. The atmosphere is modern and trendy—just fancy enough to not disappoint your date, but laidback enough to avoid being the oddball within its boardwalk setting. The menu focuses on rice and fresh seafood dishes. Seating is available inside or al fresco, with diners sitting directly on the boardwalk, getting a nice boost from the lovely seascape views, warm salt air and squawking seagulls. [caption id="attachment_826820" align="alignnone" width="778"] Jalapeño pimento cheese dip Photo: Heather Willensky[/caption] We visited the restaurant twice. The first outing was for lunch, and right off the bat, we jumped at the sight of a pimento cheese dip, a Lowcountry staple and a must-order if ever there was one. This version was made with jalapeño, and the addition of the spicy pepper proved to be worthwhile. The homemade crackers that came with it were buttery and good enough to eat on their own—not that you would, with a dip this tasty staring you in the face. The charbroiled oysters, though, were a miss—forgettable and lacking the signature char and garlic-butter drench that often makes them so delightful. Fried chicken thighs, a Southern staple, are available on the dinner menu as boneless fried chicken, and come paired with mashed potatoes, green beans and country gravy. But our favorite version was the fried chicken sammy, featuring a juicy and infinitely flavorful thigh with a thick crunchy breading, topped with cabbage and a creamy Alabama white sauce that was tasty, but still allowed the seasoning on the chicken to shine through. The addition of homemade sweet and spicy pickles landed the final knockout blow. The shrimp and grits we had at dinner were tasty, too, and benefited from smoky bits of Benton’s ham and a nice punch from the blackening spices—although the dish was a bit more gravy forward than what I prefer. [caption id="attachment_826819" align="alignnone" width="778"] The smoky, creamy shrimp and grits Photo: Heather Willensky[/caption] The grits were creamy and played a pleasant, reliable sidekick to the shrimp, which were cooked perfectly and tasted like they were somehow just pulled directly out of the gulf that is nearly 1,300 miles away. Cocktail lovers have a nice menu to work with. The honeysuckle daiquiri, with its mix of Santa Teresa 1796 rum, lemon and orange juices, honey syrup, and mint, was a standout. It also managed to disprove the old theory that orange and mint can never coexist harmoniously. [caption id="attachment_826822" align="alignnone" width="778"] Honeysuckle daiquiri Photo: Heather Willensky[/caption] We closed things out with the caramelized banana pudding. Generally speaking, I am not a huge banana person, but the dark rum and gorgeously caramelized bits of sugar coating the bananas gave a perfect tip of the cap to bananas foster, while the crushed Nilla Wafers brought in a nostalgic textural crunch that won me over in the end. It’s good to be back in the Lowcountry. HOW WE REVIEW: Restaurants are chosen for review at the sole discretion of New Jersey Monthly. For our starred fine-dining reviews, our critics visit a restaurant at least twice with a guest, always maintaining anonymity to avoid preferential treatment, and the magazine pays for their meals. Stars are assigned by the dining-section editor in consultation with the reviewer. Four stars = extraordinary; three stars = excellent; two stars = very good; one star = good; half a star = fair.

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