GARDEN STATE VIEWS - THE CHARLESWORTH RESTAURANT AND HOTEL

 THE CHARLESWORTH RESTAURANT AND HOTEL

Let me start this review by stating that the Charlesworth Restaurant and Hotel is strictly a byob. If you are like me, and like to have a martini before dinner, you will be sadly disappointed if you are not aware of this before you go. They do however, have delicious lemonade made with organic cane sugar with just the right amount of sweetness, so if you want to bring along your own bottle of vodka, you can just add a little to a glass of their fresh lemonade, and you will have a wonderful drink. 

This restaurant sits right on the water, and the dining room has long glass windows, so there is a beautiful view of the bay. They also have live dining music for your pleasure, so between the view and the music, this restaurant is worth a visit. 

The view of the bay from the back deck of the restaurant as the sun was starting to set

The restaurant is located at 224 New Jersey Avenue, Fortescue, New Jersey. Fortescue is a community in Downe Township in Cumberland County. It is located on the southern coast on the Delaware Bay, and is a big fishing community. 

The restaurant is not elegant in appearance. The building is really old, except for the parts that were re-built after hurricane Sandy knocked down a lot of the building. It just has your basic, older, tables and chairs, with the tables being covered with royal blue linens. The atmosphere is simple and light, with a lot of the locals dining there. Nothing fancy. The staff is very friendly. 

Their menu is not extensive, but they do have several good options, with several seafood choices of course. Their crab bisque was delicious. Very simple, basically just the crab and the stock, and it tasted really good. The only thing I would have liked better about it, is if it had a little more crabmeat in it. There wasn't enough in it for my liking. 

For dinner, I chose the Garlic Seared Salmon. It was very good. I had a choice of two sides, to which I ordered the herb butter mashed potatoes, and the saut'eed spinach. The mashed potatoes were pretty good, the spinach I must say was superb. Just the right amount of garlic and seasoning. I loved the spinach, would highly recommend. I was however disappointed, that dinner did not come with a salad. The rolls that they serve with dinner are flaky and sweet. Really good with butter. 

My husband chose the Seafood Platter. This was served with flounder, a crab cake and two scallops. My husband was a little disappointed that there wasn't a little more variety in the dish, such as clams, a few more scallops, and maybe a few shrimp. He did however rave about one of his sides, which was string beans amandine (this is their spelling of the dish). He said they were delicious. 

 

So on a scale of one to five stars, with five being the best, and a one being the least, I would have to rate this restaurant at two and a half stars. I hope you have found this review helpful, and as always, get out there, and see what is cooking in the garden state.