Marie Nicole's
Jim Barnaby knows Five Mile Beach as well as anyone. He grew up spending his summers in North Wildwood and CHECK THIS has been living there full-time since 1985, when he bought the Cork and Bottle liquor store in Wildwood.
He later bought the Concord Inn in Stone Harbor and observed the nuances of each barrier island, how each forged its own identity, like Victorian Cape May and the conservative seasonal-only resort that is Seven Mile Beach.
He saw the Wildwoods as the place for amusements and Boardwalk fun, but not for fine dining. Now, with the addition of places like Restaurant Maureen in Wildwood and Claude’s in North Wildwood, he sees that changing, especially with his entry into the renaissance, Marie Nicole’s, at the southern end of the island.
“The only places around were the Italian places, the Chiarella’s, Alfe’s, Piro’s, that’s all there was. When Seapointe Village went up (in Diamond Beach), I knew there was a need for a place like this,” Barnaby said.
He looked at Scoundrel’s, a vacant restaurant building, but was scared off by its size.
“I’d never seen a kitchen that big,” he laughed.
So he went after Monzo’s and came close to having a deal, but it fell through at the 11th hour. The people who bought Monzo’s wound up calling Barnaby after one season to ask if he was still interested in the Diamond Beach location, which technically is part of Lower Township and not Wildwood Crest.
Asked if he had lost his enthusiasm for the deal since the new owners were selling after only one year, he didn’t hesitate.
“Monzo’s was here for 15 years, so I knew it could work. The location is great, but I’ve been in the business long enough to know that will people will come for the food,” he said.
He also knew from experience that people on the island were either going north or south to eat.
“The idea of opening Marie Nicole’s was to give people an option instead of having to go off the island. I talked to Steve and Maureen Horn (Restaurant Maureen, formerly of Cape May, now in Wildwood) about this and they said when they were (in Cape May), half their customers came from Wildwood and another 20 to 25 percent were from Stone Harbor and Avalon,” he said. “So if half their customers went there from here, the people here needed an option.”
Barnaby still had the liquor license from the now-defunct Superbox in North Cape May.
“I thought I had a done deal at Monzo’s so I bought that license. When they called to see if I was interested a year later, I still had it,” he said.
And so, in June, Marie Nicole’s, named for Barnaby’s mother (her first and middle names) was born.
“We opened on June 26, which is my parents’ wedding anniversary. We were close to being ready around then anyway, so we thought maybe opening on that date would bring us a little luck,” he said.
They didn’t need it. The upscale menu has won over many locals, and Barnaby believes things will only get better once the new convention center begins to better things business-wise all over the island. Motels will improve, higher quality stores will open, and better restaurants will find their niche.
“(The island is in) the process of changing the perception of what’s going on here. When you bring in a new convention center and you bring in new people, you need upscale restaurants, not the places where you get a fried veal cutlet with something slapped on top of it,” he said.
“I’m 51 now and I don’t go to clubs and or out dancing. My wife and I, we go out to dinner with friends. That’s what we do. We enjoy food, we enjoy wine, that’s the type of place we’re trying to establish here,” he added.
Barnaby and chef Rob Tyndle, who ran Café Loren in Avalon for a few years and had stints at The Golden Inn and The Windrift, among others, are continuing to attract people from the island by offering a pre-fixe holiday menu, which is four courses for a moderate $35 ($45 with wine).
“We’re doing this menu at this price because we want to get more locals to try us. They’ll see they’re getting real quality food here,” he said. “Plus it’s our way of doing something different for the holidays.”
Something the Wildwoods may not be familiar with, but will enjoy getting used to.
Rob Seitzinger can be e-mailed at
seitz[at]catamaranmedia.com or you can
comment on this story by calling 624-8900, ext. 250.
Marie Nicole’s
9510
Pacific Ave.
Wildwood Crest
522-5425
ON THE MENU
Pre-Fixe
Holiday Menu -- $35 ($45 with wine)
Open Friday through Sunday
Call for reservations
Course One—Potato Leek soup
(served with sauvignon blanc).
Course Two—Fresh field green salad
finished with lemon thyme vinaigrette.
Course Three—Rosemary Roasted Pork Tenderloin, or Chicken Piccata, or
Grilled Salmon
(served with pinot noir).
Course Four—Three Mousse Tower: Belgium chocolate, white chocolate and lemon mouse layered between phyllo crisps.
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