Woody's Ocean Grille Opens With a Grand Slam

Owner Chris Wood met a woman at the door around 7:45 p.m. to help her carry cases of oranges back into the kitchen. After only being officially open for business for less than 5 hours, was out of a key ingredient to their signature drink, the Orange Crush.

“I did not expect for us to be this slammed,” said Wood about the opening night. “It is like the perfect storm, part two!”

Woody’s took the place of Ichabod’s in Sea Bright at 1 East Church St. off of Ocean Ave. After , and a few set-backs, the restaurant opened with a grand slam. Families and locals, most looking to get out of their homes after being without power for 3 nights after , flooded the new restaurant. Many patrons happily waited for over an hour to be seated.

"The water came right up to the door," said Wood about the flooding Sea Bright faced after the storm. "We got really lucky. We were very excited to open tonight and look at this crowd!"

The bar on the lower level of the restaurant was packed, four people deep with patrons drinking off a wide selection of wine, beer and specialty drinks (including the Orange Crush, which is topped with fresh squeezed O.J. and tasted like a light, creamsicle) while they waited.

“We didn’t get all of our deliveries because of the storm, but it is what it is. We are making due with what we have,” said Wood as he ran from the dining room into the kitchen.

Once seated, everyone was more than satisfied with their food. Dishes looked colorful and beautiful and the average eye could not tell that anything was missing. Patrons enjoyed a delicious "coastal cuisine" offering everything from P.E.I. mussels in a coconut sauce, shrimp tempura tacos, pulled pork sliders, and grouper entrees.

Woody's is open serving dinner until Thursday and then lunch and dinner from that point on according to a post on their Facebook page.

Check out the photos above to see some of the dishes offered at Woody’s Ocean Grille.