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There are categories when it comes to restaurants. The basic takeout counters, complete with greasy sandwiches wrapped in paper. Then there are the a la carte gems that specialize in no-frills fare. Steakhouses, tasting menus—you name it. The point is: There are many kinds of restaurants in the world—and specifically in New Jersey—and there’s a place in my heart for all of them.
Still, some dishes are special. Sometimes I leave a restaurant with a different level of satisfaction. Sometimes I wonder if there is a limit to the excellence of a restaurant or if it is simply constantly improving. I have this feeling every time I eat at one of Chef David Viana and Neilly Robinson’s restaurants. The enormous care that goes into the concepts – and the dishes based on them – is palpable.
Read my review of Heirloom at St. Laurent from 2022
The duo has dominated the restaurant scene between the blurred borders of Central Jersey and the coast since Viana joined the team at the original Heirloom Kitchen eight years ago. Since then, they have known only greatness. And in their second location Heirloom in St. Laurentthis virtuosity is fully showcased.
It starts as soon as you arrive in front of the restaurant. Heirloom is located on the first floor of The St. Laurent boutique hotel in Asbury Park, in the middle of a residential neighborhood. The hotel and restaurant are housed in a historic building built before the turn of the 20th century. A neon red sign lights up and reads: “SAINT LAURENT” above the entrance door of the hotel. But it is the side door that interests us, because through the side door you get to one of the The best restaurants in New Jersey.
The Miami Vice Negroni, a tropical variation of the classic bitter cocktail
When you first enter heirloomYou are greeted by a spacious dining room, an open kitchen and plenty of natural light, provided it is still light outside. White marble tables and minimalist chairs made of light wood cover the room. As the evening progresses, the space becomes more and more intimate. The dining room offers the perfect mix of modern charm and a touch of vintage decor that still comes from the skeleton of the antique building. The tin ceiling is particularly intriguing. It is a relic from a time when builders still worked carefully – when design was what made a room.
Each table is carefully set: a striped napkin, a stone rest for the cutlery with white handles and beautiful thin, smooth water glasses. When you sit down, a maître d’ hands you a book in light brown leather containing the restaurant’s menus.
Heirloom offers a three-course prix fixe menu for its dinner, complemented by a truly impressive cocktail menu and a well-thought-out wine list. You can start with a Dirty Shirley—a vodka and rosé vermouth-based highball, sweetened with house grenadine and topped off with lemon-lime foam. It’s both a science experiment and a cocktail, but not in an overbearing way. It’s playful—it taps into the youthful aspect of dining, where food and drink evoke nostalgia. Of course, the Shirleys of my childhood weren’t spiked with vodka, and they certainly weren’t made with fresh pomegranate grenadine or topped with ISI foam, but you get what I mean.
The “Dirty Shirley” in all her glory
In contrast, a strong, stirred cocktail will do. I’m going to say something bold. Heirloom’s Miami Vice Negroni is the best cocktail I’ve had all year. The Negroni version is a blend of gin and coconut rum and also contains white vermouth, pineapple liqueur and strawberry-infused Campari. It’s the perfect cocktail for the middle. It’s spiritual in its composition, but has a lighter, more tropical twist. The combination of tropical flavors and aperitifs – sometimes referred to as Aperitifs— is one of my current favorite trends in bartending. For me, it’s the ideal start to any meal.
Your meal will consist of a cascade of artfully presented and carefully curated dishes, led by Executive Chef Mike Smithling, Head Chef Alfonso Ezpinoza and Executive Sous Elio Lapaix.
Iconic bread service with fresh bread rolls, Nduja butter and seasonal jam
But before you dive into the plated meal, I urge you to order the optional bread roll service. Unless you have a gluten allergy, there’s simply no reason not to. Four sweet, fluffy Parker House bread rolls are served with a bright orange butter blend of spiced and smoky Nduja salami, and accompanied by a seasonal tomato jam.
This seasonal flair is something you’ll find throughout the menu, and especially in the first course. Take the foie gras, for example, which is seared hard and surrounded by a chorus of red and white strawberries. It’s a bright pop that something as rich as a piece of warm foie gras desperately needs. Portuguese-style French toast cubes and a Sichuan-flavored maple syrup make the dish stand out. Foie gras – in all its beauty – can be as controversial in taste as it is in concept, but at Heirloom, the richness is effectively masked, in some ways enhancing its luxury.
Delicious foie gras platter with strawberries and sugared toast cubes
The theme of seasonality is continued by crispy roasted pork belly with blackcurrants and a cocoa crumble that evokes earth (in a good way!) and plays with a monochromatic palette, with just a hint of bright purple from the currants. Contrasting this is a summery peach carpaccio – beautifully layered with a dollop of labneh mint, crisp red onion and shingles of Benton’s country ham, an air-dried ham from Tennessee and a product that I prefer by far to prosciutto.
Between the appetizer and mains is a good time to peruse the wine list, which is as unique as it is distinctive at Heirloom, with its strong focus on farming practices, organic options and women-led winemaking. If you’re smart, ask for a wine pairing to accompany your entrees. Heirloom’s wine director Nicole Castro Garro takes care of that. It’s OK not to know what you want, and I wish more people understood that. At a restaurant like Heirloom, asking for help is not only OK, it’s encouraged. It’s a great way to discover something new—be it a grape variety or a producer. Garro recommended the Jolie Laide Glou d’Etat, a Grenache blend from California, a brightly acidic red wine, full of red fruit and pronounced tannins. A wine to pair with food, so to speak.
Pork belly with currants (left) and peach carpaccio (right)
After the first few sips of your new favorite wine, you discover the area where I think Viana has always shined best: plated mains. Local Barnegat Bay scallops, bursting with sweetness, are seared until crispy and just cooked through. Accompanying the scallops is a mix of chanterelles and blanched broad beans, seasoned with a tangy nasturtium vinegar, further enhanced by a leek puree with allium. It’s a remarkable dish that highlights the culinary team’s keen ability to create flavors in a thoughtful way that challenges diners.
Jerk-seasoned duck (left) Barnegat scallops with leeks and favas (right)
And one thing must be clear: All of Viana’s restaurants serve duck. This is not a recommendation, but rather an order. This is what the chef has become known for in his three restaurants. A duck dish modeled on the Jamaican jerk dish shows a varied cuisine without straying far from the central concept of Heirloom. The fat is perfectly rendered so that the skin is just a glazed layer on the perfectly pink, solid interior of the meat. The perfectly cooked duck is accompanied by braised collard greens, diced mango and a duck confit-filled pastry inspired by the classic beef patty found throughout the Caribbean and in hundreds of New York bodegas. It is both playful and impressive – and of course, it tastes incredible too.
For dessert, expect seasonal cobblers simmering in cast iron and topped with silky ice cream that slowly melts. Or maybe you’ll opt for banana semifreddo with crunchy peanuts and glossy, custard-like banana. In contrast, beetroot and chocolate pavlova or melon and chocolate “yodels” show that you can choose between the expected and the unexpected. Whatever you like.
Beetroot Pavlova. Expect the unexpected.
As New Jersey’s restaurant scene continues to grow, Heirloom at St. Laurent shows what thoughtful, well-executed cuisine can do. Chef David Viana and Neilly Robinson have created a place where every detail—from the seasonal dishes to the impeccable service—contributes to a dining experience that resonates long after the meal is over.
Heirloom’s continued pursuit of culinary excellence is abundantly clear. The culinary journey promises a meal full of innovation and a welcome dose of nostalgia – challenging you with its confusion while comforting you with a sense of familiarity. It’s this refreshing approach to eating that reminds me why I do what I do. It’s because of restaurants like Heirloom at The St. Laurent. For this reason.
Want more like this? Read the story of Heirloom’s sister restaurant Lita
About the author(s)
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Peter discovered his passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He used to cook, waiter and bartender at top restaurants in the tri-state area. Outside of food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and all things New Jersey.
