Bayside Bottles and Delicious Dining Draw Locals to a Margate Hotspot

One of the things I miss most about living at the Jersey Shore is the proximity to a plethora of standout restaurants and bars. Tomatoes on the Bay in Margate is one of those places. An outstanding wine list and stellar food distinguish this staple of the shore, an opinion reinforced during a recent and most satisfying Happy Hour visit.

South Jersey had been experiencing record heat during my visit, so I was in the mood for a crisp white to accompany my Cape May oyster shooters, served with a red onion, jalapeno and cider mignonette. I picked a 2009 Nieto Senetiner Torrontes, a delicate and floral Argentinian white.

Make no mistake, this is a very young wine, and reads as such upon introduction. All I could think of was that someone must have squeezed a lemon into my glass prior to the pour. My briny, sweet oysters were instantly overjoyed by the marriage of citrus and sea, and the white wine-inflected migonette melded perfectly with my selection.

My father had ordered an overflowing plate of spare ribs, and as he handed me one of these carniverous delights, I spotted a South African gem on the wine list. Normally I would pair this iconic bar food, dusted in a dreamy cinnamon-clove-cardamon rub, with a peppery Zin, but I was on vacation and wanted to switch it up a bit. The Wolftrap is a Syrah, Mourvedre and Viognier blend, and its dark cherry and earth accentuated the spices that enveloped the meat, which fell off the bone in a hurry and made me tear up it was so tender.

 I was about to howl in delight...but decided I wanted to be able to walk back thru that door on my next visit, sans embarassment, and order more ribs....after getting myself caught in another Wolftrap, of course.

For more of my wine adventures, follow me on Twitter @VinoChick75.