Island Grill
From the spring of 1996 to the fall of 1997 was an eventful stretch for Andrew and Allison Yoa, the fresh-faced owners of the Island Grill.
After meeting and becoming friends while attending West Deptford High School (both graduated with the Class of 1990), the two went their separate ways in college. He went to Johnson & Wales, while she went to Temple. They remained friends throughout, as their parents were friendly with each other. Moms, being moms, started asking the two, “Why don’t you two date each other?”
“They had started really becoming suggestive, saying we should go out together, go to movies, that sort of thing,” Allison said. “We just sort of gravitated toward each other.”
That was in 1995. When the spring of 1996 arrived, Andrew, who had graduated with a degree in culinary and restaurant management in 1993, had leased the building that formerly housed Pepper’s restaurant on the corner of First and Atlantic avenues.
Andrew, whose family has been spending their summers in Ocean City since the 1930s, and Allison opened Island Grill in March 1993 when they were both 23 years old.
“People didn’t react very well to that. If there was ever a problem, they were like, ‘Who’s this kid coming out of the kitchen?’ ” Allison said. “But the customers, for the most part, were very excited about the kind of food Andrew was serving. We didn’t expect to be as busy as we were, but that was a good problem to have.”
They did very well that first summer, and managed—despite spending every single day together in the kitchen and restaurant--to still like each other very much. So much so that Andrew decided to surprise Allison that fall.
“One morning he says, ‘Let’s go check out the waves (Andrew loves to surf).’ So we do, and we’re walking out onto the beach and I realize I’m walking alone for a few steps. I turn around and there he is on one knee on the beach,” she said.
Allison was shocked and thrilled at the same time.
“He took care of everything. We had talked about possibly getting married one day but I was totally surprised,” she said. “He picked out the ring and everything.”
They married in January 1997, worked their second season that summer and bought the restaurant outright in November 1997.
Almost four years later, as they were each about to turn 29 years old in June, their family expanded.
Alex was born March 30, becoming the couple’s second baby.
“Our first baby was this restaurant,” Allison said with a laugh. “Seriously, this took a lot of our time, but we love Alex very much. He’s a beautiful baby. I wouldn’t trade being a mom for anything. He’s the most wonderful baby, so I decided to spend this past season doing more office work so I could keep him with me,” she added as Alex was cooing in the background. “It was definitely a strain this summer having the baby and the restaurant, but we made it through.”
Allison credits Andrew as being major reason for that, especially because of his work ethic.
“I’ve never seen anyone—and I’m not just saying this because he’s my husband—work as hard as he does. He’s the chef, he works our fish market, he does the catering--we’re full-service caterers, too….He goes from morning until night, and he does it seven days a week. In October, when we’re closed on Mondays, he’ll have his first day off since March.”
Don’t feel too bad for Andrew, however, being that he’ll be spending the off-season with Allison and Alex on the family boat in the Florida Keys. He’ll have earned it, though.
“He like a workhorse, he just goes and goes. I don’t know how he does it,” Allison said.
One of the things they’ve done at Island Grill over the past six years is attract a loyal crowd that relies on their consistency. Another thing is they’ve attracted an adventurous crowd with their Safari Menu. On it are such curious items as kangaroo, ostrich, alligator, bear and South Texas antelope.
“When we started we stayed with the basics: steaks and seafood, broiled or fried. In the third year we started with buffalo, then we got into ostrich. Now, we sell more ostrich than we do the New York Strip,” Allison said.
Before this past season started, the Yoas tore out the old Hendershots ice cream shop and replaced it with the fish market.
“The market has done 100-fold better be than the ice cream ever did. It was a great addition,” Allison said. “People can come up and get the grilled ostrich (served with a mushroom and lump crab demi glace) to go, or they can take it home themselves and cook it.”
The Safari Menu has even attracted a bit of a cult following, with people calling and almost whispering, “What do you have tonight? Ostrich? Venison?”
Even children have gotten into it.
“Kids love to order the kangaroo and then hop on out of here,” Allison said. “It’s cute. For the most part, everyone’s been real happy with it. We’re considering expanding it to rattlesnake, but it’s $30 a pound wholesale, so we’re not sure the customer’s ready to pay for that yet.”
Hey, if they’re ready for moose or snake, you could argue they’re ready for anything.
“Our customers are great, and
they’re very loyal. We love doing this, we’ve even thought about
expanding the operation but we’re not ready yet for that. Right now we
just want to keep doing this one place, and doing it well,” Allison
said.
Rob Seitzinger can be e-mailed at
seitz@catamaranmedia.com or you can
comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
ISLAND GRILL
100 Atlantic Ave.
(Corner of First and Atlantic)
Ocean City
391-9616
ON THE MENU
Hours: Lunch and
dinner served seven days a week through the end of September, 11:30 a.m.
to 8:30 p.m. Closed Mondays in October. Closing for the season in
mid-November.
Chef’s Favorite Dishes: Dinner--Crew’s Platter (crab cakes); Island Special (four large shrimp and a four-ounce Maine lobster tail); Pasta, chicken and crab (sauteed chicken, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms and basil in a white sauce served over linguine, tossed with jumbo lump crab).
Special Safari Menu: Thursday through Sunday only; selected items vary from Blackbuck Antelope, Wild Boar, Bear, Elk, South Texas Antelope, Lima, Buffalo/Bison, Kangaroo, Venison, Lake Victoria Perch, Ostrich, Alligator, Pheasant, Moose, and Snake. The Grilled Ostrich is the most popular, served with a mushroom and lump crab demi glace. It even outsells the New York Strip.
Prices:
Appetizers $3.99 to $8.99; Lunch $5.99 to $13.99;
Dinners $11.99 to $25.99.
Parking: Street
parking, hard to find a spot in the summer but much better this time of
year.
Reservations: Recommended in summer and on
Saturday nights through the Block Party weekend (Oct. 6-7).
Capacity: 99.
Credit Cards:
MC/Visa/Discover.
Rob Seitzinger can be e-mailed
at seitz[at]catamaranmedia.com or you can comment on this story by
calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Check out his Cape Cuisine food blog