Liberty House: Ringing in the Big 4-0

It's official:  DJ has been making the world more awesome since 1977!  To celebrate the Big 4-0, of course we had to happy dance with food.

Mel toyed with a lot of different ideas about where to take him for a surprise lunch.  In the end, she realized that with the excellent weather prediction for the day the focus should be on outdoor ambiance rather than type of cuisine.  We need to maximize our opportunities to dine al fresco before the autumn chill hits.  (::insert your own Game of Thrones "Winter is Coming" jokes here::)

Some online searching revealed that one of the best outdoor restaurants in northern Jersey is Liberty House.  Right inside Liberty State Park, it boasts amazing views of Manhattan, the river, and the back of the Statue of Liberty.  Sounds like a winner for a milestone birthday! 

We went for a weekday lunch and had no trouble getting a seat on the balcony, which is covered by a cloth awning so you can enjoy the view without having to deal with direct sun.  Such a comfortable seating area.

  Guinness Glazed Chicken Lollipops
Celery, Green Onions, Great Hills Blue Cheese
(a nice hint of sweetness from the Guinness)

House Made Cavatelli Seafood
Wild Prawns, Manila Clams, Mussels, Sea Scallops, Baby Vegetables, Cherry Tomatoes, Ginger & Poblano Peppers
(great spice, but the pasta was a bit hard)

DJ's Zimmern/Bourdain moment enjoying the shrimp head

Maine Lobster Cake
Champagne Mango Salsa, Avocado Mousse, Basil Oil,
French Fries
(tasty, though more cake than lobster; great fries and mango salsa!) 

A lot of the Yelp reviews said the food is average but the setting is worth it, and we agree.  We enjoyed our dishes, but the main appeal of Liberty House is its location.  When we finished our meal, we just walked down the patio steps onto the grass of the park and enjoyed an afternoon in the sun.  

We are now obsessed with Liberty State Park and can't figure out why we didn't start going there sooner!  And should we return to Liberty House, we'll likely skip the expensive entrees and focus on ordering drinks and some basic appetizers to snack on while we enjoy looking at the surroundings. Glad to have found this Jersey gem!