Chef Al Paris Brings “Smart, Casual” to Diamond Beach’s Coastal Blue

With over thirty years of experience and the mastermind behind the menu, design, and finances of over a dozen new restaurant ventures, Chef Albert S. Paris has at last brought his exceptional skills and vision to Cape May County. Coastal Blue Oceanside Grill is situated in the new and chic Icona Resort of Diamond Beach and is a testament to Paris’ firm belief in “smart, casual cuisine”.
“The face of cuisine is changing,” he states. Fine dining dishes continue to lose their formality and inaccessibility. This is the core philosophy of the “smart, casual” movement. “My currency is your appetite and knowledge,” states Chef Paris. “I love knowledgeable clientele who have had a great deal of both fine dining and international cuisine experiences. But there is no reason to create dishes with pomposity.”
Coastal Blue’s signature Crabcakes are an excellent example of this distinct reduction in pomposity and a renewed focus on clean flavors. Prepared with no breading or starches, they consist of jumbo lump crabmeat prepped in a clarified butter basting and bound with whipped egg white. As they bake this meringue melts away, leaving only its moist finish.
Paris has carefully crafted Coastal Blue’s menu to suit Diamond Beach’s resort crowd. “It is my job as a chef to give you what you want,” he explains. “In the summer, we crave lighter, less filling dishes. By taking a seasonal approach to eating, I am able to enhance individual ingredients, offer diners dishes to satisfy their cravings, and therefore make their job easier. They don’t have to know what they want, because I have designed a menu that presents them with what they want. I aim to make it easier,” he finishes.
“Each time you approach a new restaurant project, you first create an illusionary customer…You write a script for who that customer will be, who they will be with, and what they will want. From there, everything aligns.” Paris conducted this same creative process when crafting Coastal Blue’s varied menu of summer soups and salads, oceanside appetizers, entrees, and stackburgers and tacos. “I can honestly say that every item on this menu was created just for here,” he says.
A culinary force on the Philadelphia scene, Chef Albert Paris has acted as both executive chef and owner of Mantra Asian Pub and Pat Bombino’s Italian Generational Cuisine. Most recently, in partnership with the Bynum brothers, Paris debuted the critically acclaimed “Heirloom” cookery in the upscale Chestnut Hill neighborhood. Heirloom is a notable member of the farm-to-table movement utilizing fresh, local produce in the majority of its American style dishes.
While a chef in the Napa Valley region of California, Paris recalls his exposure to produce in its purest form, while rooted in the ground of nearby farms. Paris became aware that “produce doesn’t come in plastic, it comes in dirt” and that “livestock can walk their way to market,” he jokes. Getting “in touch with the source” was a formative career experience that has never left this accomplished executive chef.
Paris first brought his talent to the Jersey Shore community as a Corporate Executive Chef at Atlantic City’s “The Sound of Philadelphia”. While there, Chef Paris was awarded “Best Meal in Atlantic City” by Philadelphia Magazine in the June 2005 edition. Yet in reference to his latest Diamond Beach venture, “it is an opportunity that really found us,” states Paris. After the dust had settled following Heirloom’s inaugural days, Chef Paris was approached by Icona CEO Eustace Mita about the possibility of designing an eatery in this location. “As soon as I saw the space, I just couldn’t deny the potential.” A former arcade, Coastal Blue now boasts a relaxed ambiance, set in cool tones characteristic of the “beach design”.
“The real star of the show is the ocean,” states Paris. The uniquely open dining room features panoramic window fixtures allowing diners 360° views of the gorgeous Wildwood Crest beach and surroundings and truly highlighting its seaside setting. Coastal Blue’s poolside terrace further accentuates “the star of the show” overlooking the waters of the Atlantic. “Diamond Beach is different. It offers a Palm Beach experience in South Jersey,” explains Paris. Coastal Blue’s modern décor reflects this resort state of mind.
Plans are in motion to build upon Coastal Blue’s already established reputation as a seaside dining destination. In 2014, a terrace will be constructed on the restaurant’s roof that will accommodate up to 250 people and offer optimal space and scenery for special events and private parties.