The joy of fishing fishing off the dock in Highlands with his dad and brother to owning his own seafood restaurant in the borough will be celebrated Monday, August 19 when the Mayor and Council officiate at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the borough’s newest restaurant, Saltwater Social.
Saltwater Social, located at 128 Bay Ave. has been open for several weeks but representatives of the borough and the Highlands Business Partnership will officially welcome the dining room and pub at ceremonies beginning at 2 p.m. today.
Chef Mike Metzner, who owns the new dining facility with his brother Nick and sister-in-law Sherilyn Metzer, is the former owner and chef at Mike’s Little Red Store in Navesink.
But the Johnson and Wales University graduate has always wanted to own his own restaurant with an accent on fresh fish in the borough where he and Nick fished with their father as youngsters.
In addition to graduating from one of the nation’s leading culinary universities, Mike also studied under Chefs Four Diamond Award winner Nicholas Herrera, David Santos, former chef at Restaurant Nicholas and Craig Shelton., a pioneer in the farm to table movement in the culinary field.
Saltwater Social is both an elegant quiet dining room experience with a nautical theme, as well as a separate downstairs traditional bar with TV for watching sporting events.
The upstairs dining room offers a wide range of fare, from soups and salads, to sandwiches, dinner entrees, a kids menu, and delicious desserts. They have huge selections of sharable plates, with a great cocktail and local craft beer menu.
Saltwater Social also offers catering onsite and offsite, with both a catering menu and a custom boutique menu, where Mike sits with the customer and creates something unique to fit their iddeas. The restaurant offers catering at in-home parties, and various venues, as well as the restaurant made available for private parties of up to 80 people.
Saltwater Social is open Tuesday through Thursday, 4pm –11pm and Friday through Sunday, 11am – 11pm. For more information about Saltwater Social visit saltwatersocialnj.com or call 732-444-2055.
