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DINING

3 minute read

Asbury Park Press

This summer, Waterman's Tavern in Brielle closed its doors — but it wasn't the end.

Renovations began, and in early November, a new concept opened in its place: Whiskey Lounge. To find out what's new, we checked in with owner Larry Grafas of Higgins Restaurant Group.

Why did you decide to renovate and rename the restaurant?

We decided to rebrand because we saw an opportunity to give the customers what they had been asking for. We saw the difficulties certain customers were having with the cost of gas prices going up, so we wanted to create an environment where we could still serve good comfort food at a reasonable cost.

While there are great restaurants in the area, a lot of them focus on fine dining, and we wanted to create an atmosphere that was more in line with what the customers wanted — and needed — during this time. And in doing that, we’ve created a place where our guests can feel comfortable coming in for either a burger or a filet mignon.

What changes have been made to the restaurant?

We did a lot of exterior changes, including recoloring the facade of the building and replacing the side entrance completely with a new staircase. Inside, we finalized the mural of the inlet that encompasses the tavern — It incorporates boats belonging to slipholders of Hoffman’s Marina.

We also replaced all of the furniture and the lighting inside the tavern to give it a more trendy and inviting feel and reopened the bar grill so guests can watch their meals being prepared.

Has the menu changed?

Waterman’s Tavern was a place where you could either order a pizza or a dry-aged steak. We’ve still kept that aspect, but now we’re incorporating more comfort food into the menu.

We now offer specialty grilled cheese sandwiches, artisanal pizzas, double-stacked smash burgers and creative sandwiches in addition to the more “fine-dining” entrees on the menu, like our dry-aged steaks, seafood and chicken selections.

Why focus on whiskey?

You don’t realize how many people love whiskey until you open a whiskey bar. Whiskey is something that can be fun and exciting to cook with in addition to just enjoying the standard drink.

We’ve incorporated whiskey into our burgers that now have whiskey-caramelized onions, into our desserts that are topped with whiskey-infused whipped cream, and our appetizers, like our whiskey-glazed bacon — just a hint so not to be overpowering, but enough to get that subtle flavor across your plate.

We also get to be creative with our cocktails as well. We have about 10 signature whiskey, bourbon and scotch cocktails that vary from sweet to spicy, like our whiskey lemonade or the classic Boulevardier.

Which whiskey is your favorite?

We actually have more than 75 different whiskey, bourbon and scotch varieties at the moment, and will soon have more than 90. I’m not a big drinker, but I do enjoy the flavor of the Japanese whiskeys, which will be coming into the bar shortly.

Prior to coming up with this concept, I never really tasted a lot of whiskey, so in the coming weeks we’ll be offering “whiskey flights” for any guest that simply wants a variety of whiskeys to taste, or maybe someone doesn’t know what type of whiskey they like. This gives them the opportunity to try a few and decide what type of whiskey they enjoy.

Go: Whiskey Lounge is open for dinner; 403 Higgins Ave. in Brielle; 732-722-8978, whiskeyloungebriellenj.com.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com.

BRIELLE, NJ - At the January 27th council meeting, the Brielle governing body passed a resolution that addressed their fourth round Prospect Need obligation of 65 affordable housing units in Brielle. As noted in an earlier article we covered on Affordable Housing obligations (click HERE), those 65-unit obligations will undoubtedly be much less as the number is subject to what is known as a Vacant Land Adjustment, which was approved by the New Jersey courts in 2023. Approval of the Fourth Round obligation by each town was required by 1/31/25.

In the fourth round of New Jersey's affordable housing obligations (2025-2035), municipalities had to adopt their obligations by January 31st, and then develop and adopt a Housing Element of Fair Share Plan by June 30th, 2025, with a final compliance deadline of March 31, 2026. The steps for towns are as follows:

At the recent Brielle council meeting, councilwoman and Community Development Chair Christine Laufer highlighted the upcoming Affordable Housing town meeting scheduled for March 26th. She began by stating “no official action shall be taken at this meeting. It is for informational purposes only. The meeting may be viewed on the Brielle Elementary School Youtube channel. I hope the public takes advantage of the opportunity to attend the meeting or view the live stream.” Click HERE for the live stream.

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That notice was then followed up by resident David Erickson who challenged the governing body at a prior meeting(s) around the January 6th resolution language that was passed and asked if the council had time to think about it. Town attorney Nicholas Montenegro responded: “We spoke to the special council, and we've been told there is no need to amend the resolution. It is as it is. The Borough has always been open to affordable housing. The Borough is now in the process of hiring a special councilor and special planner to develop the plan. And as you heard, there will be a public hearing on March 26th. The Borough has never been against Affordable Housing. The concern had been around the lack of available land. The resolution approves the numbers that have been provided to the state. So there is no cause nor reason to amend the resolution.”

Not content with that answer, Erickson continued, “This is about previous actions, not the future. This resolution states that we have been - it says we have a demonstrated history of voluntary compliance. We have not. This is a false statement in a resolution of this council. I would like a vote by this council of who stands by this resolution." In a heated exchange, “I'm asking for a vote Mayor to which Mayor Garruzzo responded, "We're not going to give you a vote. We've already passed the resolution, and we are going to agree to the resolution as the attorney just stated, without changes.

Mr. Erickson continued, ”I would like Mr. Surenian, who crafted that resolution, a couple of days later he filed a declaratory action with the superior court, stating on his license that everything in that resolution which was an attachment to that declarative action that everything was true in his opinion, so at the next council meeting, I would like an answer on whether that is true or not from your special counsel."

The debate over Brielle’s Affordable Housing obligations is far from over, with tensions between residents and officials reaching a boiling point at the latest council meeting. As questions remain about the borough’s compliance history and future plans, the upcoming public meeting on March 26 will be a crucial opportunity for residents to get informed and voice their concerns. With emotions running high, all eyes will be on Brielle’s leadership to see how they navigate this contentious issue in the weeks ahead.

There will be a special meeting meant for the public specifically on Affordable Housing which is set for March 26th @ 7:00 PM to be held at the Brielle Elementary School located at 605 Union Landing.