The view from our table on the Shrimp Box's patio: sunset beyond some of Point Pleasant's commercial fishing fleet. Pretty sweet.

Point Pleasant Beach seafood staple the Shrimp Box’s Web site brags that this Inlet Drive restaurant overlooks nothing but the harbor. A casual Tuesday night dinner with friends very much proved this to be the case. We hit up the Shrimp Box on a recommendation from my cousin’s neighbor. He had eaten there every night this week and loved it. He seemed to be quite serious about this, so we took his word and pedaled over from my cousin’s house. (and then rode bikes to Martell’s Tiki Bar, but that’s another story for another time.)

The three of us sat right down at a table on the Box’s patio and were treated to a spectacular sunset over the water. Not 20 feet away, some of Point’s commercial fishing boats are tied up, so you know the fish has got to be fresh. Friendly young servers flit around clad in t-shirts that urge you to “drink outside the Box” and a seasonal bar has set up shop beneath a canopy.

Dusk at the entrance to the Shrimp Box's patio - Outside the Box, where, yes you can think, drink and eat.

We split a coconut shrimp appetizer, which was awesomely coconut-y and accompanied by a tangy orange dipping sauce. The shrimp were massive and impressively butterflied. The spicy sauce was a nice touch with the sweetness of the coconut coating.

My cousin, in poor form, ordered a chicken sandwich, which she liked enough to wrap up and take for lunch the next day. Our other dining companion ordered the sauteed – not fried – crab cake and raved about it. I ordered the fish and chips and was thoroughly satisfied with my decision. My mind fails to recall exactly what type of fish it was, but it was white,  flaky and beer-battered – just as fish and chips should be. (One gripe: the side of green beans were too dark-green-looking and I, being a new green bean fan, was not having it. I’m fairly crazy though, so don’t let this deter you from enjoying vegetables at the Shrimp Box.)

Everything we ate was exceptionally fresh and the casual dockside setting was the perfect backdrop to our ladies’ night. After three entrees, one appetizer, two glasses of wine and a beer, the damage was just $62 – insanely reasonable for the Shore in July. While all the neighboring seafood restaurants - like Red’s, Spike’s and the Wharfside - are excellent, the Shrimp Box definitely deserves a visit. Before 6 p.m. on a weekday or Sunday and 5 p.m. on a Saturday, you can snag a sunset dinner: entree, beverage, chowder or a trip to the salad bar, potato, veggie and dessert for $12-16. Not too shabby at all.

The Shrimp Box is located at 75 Inlet Drive, Point Pleasant Beach. For more information, call 732-899-1637
or visit www.theshrimpbox.com.