Chef Mike Jurusz spent the winter diving into writings by the world’s top restaurateurs, researching dining experiences worldwide, trying out new recipes in his home kitchen, and thinking of ways to create a new restaurant that would exceed the ever-stellar reputation of his last.
Chef Mike’s ABG, the beloved oceanfront restaurant that began as the Atlantic Bar and Grill in South Seaside Park before Jurusz turned it into one of the Jersey Shore’s premier hotspots for upscale dining, shut its doors for the last time after New Year’s Eve, making way for the building to be demolished in favor of new condominiums that were planned after a sale of the property by its longtime owner. Declaring himself a “free agent,” he kept an open mind about moving to a new town, a new state, or opening a seafood restaurant or a Florida Keys-inspired eatery. But fine dining at the Jersey Shore needed a chef who could deliver, and the pairing of Jurusz and Seaside Heights – a town experiencing its own renaissance with soaring property values and an influx of new seasonal and full-time residents – was a prospect too good to pass up.
“I’ve been off for four months and was losing my mind,” said Jurusz on Friday, less than 24 hours after announcing his new restaurant, Chef Mike’s Legacy, would be opening this summer in Seaside Heights. “I’ve been working on menus, developing recipes, and studying the Michelin star.”
The new restaurant will open in the Hershey Hotel property on the Boulevard after a heavy renovation of its interior. Long operated as a break, lunch and dinner eatery aimed at attracting hotel guests, the venue will be transformed into a high-end dining experience for those who can score a reservation, complete with a state-of-the-art kitchen, modern bar and newly designed outdoor seating areas with immersive lighting, fired heaters, and what promises to be one of the most ambitious bar and dinner menus the Shore area has ever seen.
The Hershey Motel property, being offered for sale in Seaside Heights, Dec. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
Cuisine from Chef Mike’s ABG in South Seaside Park. (File Photos)
“The new culture today in the food service industry is hospitality,” said Jurusz. “We are going to be hospitality-driven – fine dining, taking care of people, treating them like a ‘diamond in a jewelry box.’ Everyone has to feel special when they come here. We’re going to deliver that experience from the time you’re greeted to the time you leave.”
The menu is poised to include some of the best-selling dishes from ABG – scallops, filet mignon medallions, creamy lobster bisque soup – alongside a number of new creations that came from Jurusz’s intense study of the Michelin way of preparing and presenting a meal.
“We’re going to be doing food a little more elevated from ABG, and our cocktail program will be elevated too,” he said. “We’re really going to be pushing the boundaries of different cultures and cuisines, and we’re not afraid to mix and match.”
Jurusz called the new style “transcontinental fusion,” where the artfully-prepared food will be presented with world-class style and paired with drinks that go beyond the standard bar order.
“We want the smoking drinks, the fire, pouring sauces on dishes – the theatrics, which no one is doing around here right now,” he said. “This has really re-energized me and recharged me. The mindset is to give that Michelin service, food and drink, and set the pace and tone for that.”
Cuisine from Chef Mike’s ABG in South Seaside Park. (File Photos)
The restaurant will have 80 seats inside and 30 outdoors, plus the bar. It will operate year-round and will feature a Happy Hour from 4 to 6 p.m., with its own selection of specialized drinks and shareable menu options. There will be seafood towers with oysters and crabs, Ceviche and poke tuna, vegetarian options and a wide variety of cuisines that will be presented with the personalized attention that propelled ABG to the top of diners’ lists each summer – and beyond.
About half of the staff from the previous restaurant will return, including Jurusz’s sous chef and top assistants who have become intimately familiar with long-standing favorite dishes and the way a high-end restaurant should be run. In Seaside Heights, Jurusz said he hopes to be a pioneer in the fine dining space. Locations in Point Pleasant and other areas were considered, he said, but seeing the transformation of Seaside Heights over the last decade, as well as a close relationship with the town’s leaders and residents, lured him to remain on the barrier island and forge ahead in a close by – but different, and changing – community.
Cuisine from Chef Mike’s ABG in South Seaside Park. (File Photos)
“With all the new buildings, hotels and retail spaces, the town is moving in a new direction,” Jurusz said. “When people see what we do, it’s going to bring in more big chefs and high-end restaurants. You’re going to see an evolution over the next five years, and we aim to be the pioneers.”
Jurusz said kitchen renovations are literally beginning this weekend, and while the goal is to have the restaurant ready for Memorial Day weekend, perfection and meeting guest expectations is key, so the renovations will be combined with intensive staff training to ensure the experience is as advertised from day one.
“There’s no fine dining restaurant in Seaside Heights, and we’re coming in as pioneers,” Jurusz said. “We’re going to stake our claim.”
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