VUE

e coffee is sourced locally at Coffee Aficionado in Morganville, NJ, a brew unique to Modine that resembles a New Orleans-style blend. e dark roast gives a chocolate flavor with hints of roasted chicory, vanilla and deep berries. A cube of raw sugar and a little milk is all that's needed to achieve a perfect flavor profile. "We tested a bunch of different blends and they created a special blend for us," Rasizer told me. "We wanted to add chicory. Similar to the chicory flavors you get out of a chocolate cake, we do roasted chicory on top of our coffee everytime we brew it. It's an amazing flavor. " Rasizer, along with Bar Manager Paul Check (Talula's), have created a bar program that is predetermined on the collective vision for Modine. ey're not reinventing the wheel. Instead, they're keeping it simple, albeit while doing some pretty extraordinary things. Cocktail highlights feature the Planters Punch, which is Appleton Estate Reserve Rum with Broadbent Madeira, simple, lime and Angostura Bitters; and (my personal favorite) the Bourbon Crusta, which is made with Russell's Reserve Bourbon, maraschino, Grand Marnier, lemon, topped with a mountain of perfectly shaped ice. "We're paying homage back to the traditional ways of making cocktails. Sazerac, a crusta, a sour—we're doing it with our own twist on it," Rasizer explained. "I've done 600 bottle wine lists, and it's not what we were striving for. We want to give people really good, value- driven stuff that's interesting. We have a big focus on natural wines and Pét-Nat. e smaller list allows us to switch up the wines as oen as we like. It's all about the education of the guests, we want them to know how to make the cocktails." Looking back, it made perfect sense to open Modine at 601 Mattison. From good food and a promise to educate (literally, there's cards with instruction on how to make their cocktails), Low Country cooking is alive and well in Asbury Park. Modine began its brunch service in February and on the horizon, they've plans to open a back entrance to-go window for takeout. Aiming for a Memorial Day Weekend launch, a six-pack of beer and some cold fried chicken from "Mo To-Go" just might be the perfect way to kick off the summer of 2018 at the Jersey Shore. VUE ON DINING V U E N J . C O M 120

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