Dine Alfresco On our Ocean Front Deck

“Set astride the sands, with a heart-pounding view of the ocean, this upbeat, upscale contemporary American is the foodie's all-around favorite and a statewide destination.”

Andrea Clurfeld, Asbury Park Press, July 30, 2005

**** (four Stars)  New Jersey Life, August 2003,  Situated within the beach town’s historical 1920’s bathhouse, Matisse features spicy, exotically seasoned fusion food, inspired by chef Anthony Wall’s stints in hotel kitchens from Asia to South Africa.  The food is fun, casual, original and priced just right.  Check out dishes like soft shell crabs, seasoned with mint and sesame seeds, and jumbo grilled shrimp with shredded noodles and mange tout peas.

Bestweekends.com, August 2005

Matisse
1300 Ocean Ave., Belmar
Excellent

I have long enjoyed Chef Anthony Wall’s cooking from the time Matisse was next to a fast food stand on Ocean Avenue in Belmar. A few years ago he moved to the building vacated by McDonald’s on the boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic. Eat inside amidst whitewashed walls, local art and large paned windows onto the ocean or outside on the deck over the sand. A full moon washing across the water makes this an extra special place for dinner.

Chef Anthony Wall has been cooking for over 25 years, was named one of the top chefs in the country in 1998 and even defeated Emeril Lagasse in a cooking competition in New Orleans. He worked with Steve Wynn to open restaurants in Las Vegas and Mississippi and was Executive Chef for the Grand Hyatt in New York before opening his own place in Belmar. His cooking style has been described by Anthony Giglio of NJ Monthly as “…New Continental… It's familiar foods spiked with Asian flavors like ginger, chili peppers, cumin, coriander, and savory-spiced fruits.”

I like to start with either the Atlantic seafood trio, which, changes daily but can be something like shrimp dumplings, smoked salmon on toast, and tuna tartare in an Asian-style pesto. Or, the selection of three appetizers which also changes daily and is kind of a culinary adventure. I have also had the Vermont Goat Cheese and Spinach Ravilolis with Toasted Almonds and Sugar Beets which was delicious. At one point he had clams in a wonderful wine and garlic broth that was so good you nearly used a loaf of bread to lap up the broth after the clams were gone. Unfortunately I haven’t seen that on the menu in a while.

My grandmother used to make a brown butter spinach dish and I haven’t experienced that taste until I had the Brown Butter Seared Ahi Tuna with Peppercorns, Crispy Shallots and Port Wine Sauce. Just wonderful. Seared Red Snapper was delicately cooked with ginger, garlic, cilantro and soy and served with a Sesame Sticky Rice. A perfect example of Walls’ use of Asian spices. Another favorite was a Tarragon crusted Rack of Lamb with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a rich Burgundy Au Jus.

For dessert, I usually opt for the Imported Cheeses with Fresh Fruit, but have tried the delicious Trio of Crème Brulee and the Chocolate Torte with Rasperberries.

Service is good, but on a busy Saturday night can be a little spotty. Either servers have too many tables or the kitchen is slowing things down.

Appetizer, salad and soup prices range from $4.95-$11.00, with the Trio of Appetizers priced at $21.95 but is good for two people. Entrees range from $21.95-$27.95. BYOB.

Dress is smart casual. Reservations are accepted. All credit cards. Breakfast and lunch are served during the summer. Sunday Brunch year-round.

2003

November 14, 1999 
(Section E Page 11)

Gives Matisse 
3 out of 4 stars:

"Excellent. Stands far ahead of other restaurants in it's price category"

Clurfeld says  "The kitchen scored a hat trick with a trio of boffo entrees. Don't miss the braised chicken...that I will learn to make if it takes me the rest of my life. What a spirited winner..."

"I want to keep it just for the folks who truly appreciate chef-owner Anthony Wall's sincere, carefully crafted takes on global soul food, dishes that charm with concise and precise flavors".

"Wall's food touches you, and since that doesn't happen every day of the week, you find yourself lured back to this cozy dining room across from the Atlantic"; 

"Matisse is a food lovers restaurant".

"Reserve a table at Matisse, but make sure you walk the beach or the boardwalk before dinner so you arrive with the proper appetite for Anthony Wall's oh-so-lovable food. I'll meet you at the door, and together we'll fend off the posers."

 "Too good a restaurant to leave to the Trendy".

"You remember what you eat".

Read the review in acrobat format!

July 02, 2000 

Chilies, ginger, curries, cilantro, cumin and lime are the dominant accents in today's new Shore cuisine, far surpassing the Italian elements paramount a decade ago. These days, I'm eating myriad salsas, salmon, a diversity of dumplings, sushi everywhere, wasabi in everything from salad dressings to mashed potatoes, lamb blasted with curries, goat cheese, dishes with influences from Mexico and the Caribbean islands, fruit as a companion not only to pastry but to savory ingredients, and brownies, brownies, brownies, sometimes plumped with peanut butter and nearly always plopped with a mound of freshly whipped cream. Italian isn't gone; it's just that the best of it has grown up, parting from the Americanized extremes of northern and southern menus and drawing on reasonably authentic fare from, say, Tuscany and Sicily instead. I'm living healthier.

That's good. But don't try to force me out of a job yet. My work here isn't quite done. The food is hugely, wonderfully, remarkably better than it was 10 years ago, thanks to the advent of talented newcomer chefs who have revitalized the Shore dining scene with their beautifully conceptualized, superbly executed food. You only have to check out Terrence Tice at Caspita! Cafe in Matawan, Urs Moser at Parkside Bistro in Manasquan, Anthony Wall at Matisse in Belmar, or Joe Lakavage at Blue in Surf City to see how impressive this new wave of chefs is.

Published in the Asbury Park Press Summer Guide 4/26/00

Right across from the ocean is Matisse (Belmar; 732-681-7680), the domain of Anthony Wall, another chef who graced the Shore with his awesome abilities last year. I had mussels stinging with ginger and chilies, seductive goat cheese ravioli and braised chicken that's the culinary equivalent of a hug during one stunning supper there, and they've resonated in my dreams ever since. You cannot miss Matisse this summer, unless you're into serious sensory deprivation.

The Times... at the jersey shore	November 18, 1999 (Page 9)
"There is no doubt it about it, Tony is a master at what he does and his creativity shows in each meal that is served." "Matisse...where a meal is a work of art". "...the Seared Snapper with Ginger and Cilantro Soy is out of this world"! "Filet Mignon Au Poivre in a light Brandy Sauce melts in your mouth" "Tony is a very personable guy, he makes sure that every night he goes into the dining room to talk with the customers. He wants to hear their comments.  Chef Wall states "I am open to suggestions, I want to get to know the people who come in and I want them to know us to"
NJ Monthly	June 2003
On the Waterfront Sometimes the view can be as important as the meal. By Valerie Sinclair and Anthony Giglio The Atlantic seafood trio is a perfect start to a meal in Matisse's dining room with many views. Photograph: Erik Rank Whether it's the sound of waves crashing against the Shore's 127 miles of Atlantic frontage or the sight of sailboats gliding down a river, there's something soothing about dining near the water. And when the beautiful vistas are combined with good food, what could be better? Food: New Continental Ambience: Bright and lively Service: Youthful and cordial Wine List: BYO Price Value: Pretty reasonable In my teens and twenties, during the many summers I spent in Belmar with my buddies, I remember thinking that the McDonald's on the beach at Thirteenth Avenue was about as good as it got on the "morning after." That was a very long time ago, and the space that once housed those golden arches on the sand is now Matisse, a restaurant for grownups. Matisse isn't new though; it opened across the street four years ago and took over this primo beach space in 2001. What a coup. Not only is it a stone's throw from the high-tide mark; it's about the only game in town for good food. It has everything to do with Chef Tony Wall, who's been raising eyebrows ever since he beat Emeril Lagasse in a New Orleans seafood cook-off in 1989. After that, he helped open restaurants at the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas and the Beau Rivage casino in Mississippi, where he served as executive chef. He then spent ten years as executive chef at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan before opening Matisse. Wall's menu, despite the restaurant's French name, is not French at all but rather New Continental. That sounds vague and open to interpretation, so let me clarify it: It's familiar foods spiked with Asian flavors like ginger, chili peppers, cumin, coriander, and savory-spiced fruits. We begin by sharing the chef's selection of three appetizers served on a tiered rack, which, when we visit, features finger-licking-great mussels braised with ginger and sweet chilies, tasty oysters Rockefeller, and a so-so salad of artichoke hearts, mozzarella balls, and unripe tomatoes. We also try the Atlantic seafood trio, which, during our visit, includes delicate, sweet shrimp shumai (dumplings), smoked salmon on toast, and terrific tuna tartare dressed in an Asian-style pesto. Other starters are a sometimes tough, sometimes tender grilled calamari with arugula and delicious lemon preserves, tasty Vermont goat cheese ravioli with candied walnuts and butternut squash, and excellent shrimp with a fabulous orange-radish dipping sauce. I like Matisse's savory three-onion soup far more than the New England clam chowder, which tastes like Old Bay Seasoning. There are three salads: a romaine with Caesar dressing that's chopped to bits, a baby spinach salad that looks beautiful but has a dressing that needs help, and a simple mixed-green toss that's the best bet for grazing. Main courses are hearty and inventive, if slightly inconsistent. Brown butter–seared ahi tuna in a port wine sauce is perfectly rare one night but dried out another. A seared red snapper with ginger-garlic-cilantro-soy sauce is indeed seared the first time I order it, but battered and fried on the next visit. A "soy-lacquered" salmon fillet with miso broth is cooked beautifully, as is the skillet-braised duck breast with pomegranate syrup. Sweet-and-spicy Szechuan-style shrimp with shredded noodles and sugar snap peas is more of a pasta dish than a shrimp dish; still, it's pretty good. But the best dish on the menu is the tarragon-crusted rack of lamb with sweet mashed potatoes and Burgundy jus. Desserts include a well-executed trio of crèmes brûlées, in mocha, vanilla, and ginger. It's far better than the warm apple cake with vanilla ice cream, or the chocolate torte, which, like all the baked goods here, tastes as if it's been warmed in the microwave. —Anthony Giglio 1300 Ocean Avenue, Belmar (732-681-7680). Open daily (June through September), 5:30 to 10 pm. Wheelchair access easy. American Express, MasterCard, Visa. Dinner for two averages $85. Additional write-ups from Zagat's, Asbury Park Press, Coast Star and Star Ledger  to be posted soon!