Goldie's, in Asbury Park has redefined vegan cuisine. With an incredible menu, awe-inspiring design and innovative cocktails – it is the very first vegan restaurant with a liquor license in New Jersey, and will soon to attract diners from all over, vegans and non-vegans alike.

Goldie's is a project of Smith, a creative development group based in Asbury Park. Smith is passionate about Goldie’s ability to underscore and augment Asbury Park’s appeal. With its bewitching charm, eclectic and easy-going population, and of course, history of live music strumming along the oceanside town, Asbury Park is thriving. Joining the historically acclaimed stages and live music halls like The Stone Pony and Asbury Lanes, are new jazz clubs, unique public art spaces like Showroom Cinema and the Shore Institute of Contemporary Arts, a custom jean bar, vintage stores, and skate and surf shops. In the way of dining, Smith also owns Porta which was just recently deemed “Excellent” by The New York Times for its take on Neapolitan pizza and rocking good time, Brickwall, with its comfort food and extensive beer list, The Annex, a favorite local bar, and the upcoming Pascal & Sabine.

“Goldie’s is bound to draw guests who are looking for a complete dining experience, one that is not only entirely different from other vegan restaurants, but from any space guests will have seen. It is a restaurant where the meat-eater truly enjoys a vegan meal; the vegan no longer needs to make dietary amends, and everyone enjoys the pleasures of food,” says Mark Hinchliffe, a Smith Creative Strategist and Project Manager.

Goldie’s design transports guests into another realm – one that is at once shimmering and earthly. Upon entering, the eyes immediately fixate on a textured sculpture, made of woven basket reed, undulating across the ceiling. It’s hard to peel the eyes downward, but the bar calls, which is equally stunning and was handcrafted by Luke Crossman, locally known for his master carpentry in everything from furniture to surfboards. Crafted from poplar, the bar’s curves are inspired by the late modern and post-modern architects Alvar Aalto and Enric Miralles. Crossman also custom created the ethereally shaped swivel bar stools from poplar. Beautifully juxtaposing this are mod white tables and chairs with deep metallic gold cushions. Goldie’s seats a total of 66 guests – the table seating accommodates 40 guests; 16 bar seats are devoted to dining; 10 bar seats are devoted to imbibing only.

The talented Grace Crossman created Goldie’s elegant vegan menu. Crossman is a New Jersey native who cut her teeth in Manhattan kitchens before creating Porta’s hit menu. She is excited to now helm both the kitchens of Porta and Goldie’s and was thrilled at taking on the task of re-imagining vegan cuisine. The menu moves from Small Plates to Salads to Plates to Desserts and is complemented by organic and biodynamic wines, vegan beers and creative cocktails like the rhubarb with rhubarb syrup, spiced earl grey tea, and buffalo trace bourbon, the cucumber with cucumber purée, muddled lemon, celery bitters with bluecoat gin, and the blueberry shrub with grapefruit cordial, muddled cucumber and silver gekkeikan sake. Select menu highlights include:

Small Plates
Herb-crusted live cashew chèvre, warm olives, cherry compote, salt and pepper flatbread
Celery broth, summer vegetables, parsley pesto, grated garlic, lemon zest
Root vegetable fries, cashew aioli and housemade ketchup, sea salt, black pepper, chives

Salads
Lebanese couscous, green beans, parsley, chives, mint, pistachio, apricot, lemon, walnut oil
Swiss chard, frisée, asparagus, almond milk vinaigrette, herbs, grilled garlic-rubbed croutons
Roasted carrots, peanuts, toasted dulse, lime, coriander sprouts, cashew yogurt

Plates
White bean and vegetable pot pie, salad
Swiss chard agnolotti, truffled almond ricotta, garlic-pine nut cream, toasted pine nuts, pea tendrils
Chickpea socca, salt roasted beets, shiitake mushrooms, fennel seed, lemon-cashew cream, mache
Caramelized tempeh, whipped red bliss potato, grilled leek, porcini and blackberry reductions

Dessert
Ginger-lime panna cotta, blueberry purée, coconut-macadamia tuile
Ganache-soaked chocolate cake, sea salt caramel, anise-infused coconut cream
Warm smoked peach, whipped marzipan, rosemary-almond granola, almond milk granita
Vanilla bean sponge cake, compressed strawberries, hibiscus tea, burnt sugar, celery leaf

Goldie’s is located at 550 Cookman Avenue, Suite 101, Asbury Park NJ 07712. It is open seven days a week from 4pm-12am. Reservations are strongly advised. To contact Goldie’s visit www.goodgoldies.com, www.smithmade.org or call 732-774-5575.