Located next to the largest elephant in the world is the sprawling Ventura's greenhouse in Margate, NJ. For years this beach front restaurant with the massive deck was known to me as a nice burger and wings joint that served expensive drinks. It was a little oasis after a long day of sunning yourself. Popping in at 4:00 for a snack and cocktail made sense, going at 8:30 for fine dining did not.
Well a friend of mine told me I was wrong and I should check the place out. I have now made two stops into the restaurant and I am happy to report the food and the menu are nice. The inside dinner menu offers an array of veal dishes that we sampled and loved. Their meats, rack of lamb and steaks are also well prepared and nice cuts. The seafood choices for a restaurant on the beach are limited, a little disappointed. But they do offer some nice pasta dishes that incorporated some additional seafood that does even things out.
We found the service to be very professional and Ken the upstairs bartender is very versed in his wines. The prices were average. The wine selection is vast and they always have a few specials. In all Ventura's is a restaurant that I can recommend to others.