IN THE NEWS

Throwdown in Keyport:
Andrew Araneo of Drew’s Bayshore Bistro beats Bobby Flay

From NJ.com

He had the home court — home kitchen? — advantage, and he had killer cornbread: Andrew Araneo of Drew’s Bayshore Bistrotriumphed over Food Network star Bobby Flay in an informal throwdown that drew more than 1,000 people to the Keyport waterfront earlier today.

The dish: Araneo’s voodoo shrimp in a spicy Worcestershire cream sauce served with jalapeno corn bread. Flay credited the cornbread with putting Araneo over the top with the judges, including Saveur editor-in-chief and “Top Chef Masters” judge James Oseland (the next season starts July 24 with Jersey Shore celeb chef David Burke). (View Full Article)

Bobby Flay Throwdown Recap

Courtesy of New Jersey Going Strong

Drew’s Bayshore Bistro Blackened Cajun Sirloin

Courtesy of Ralph Riccardi

Join Drew Araneo of Drew’s Bayshore Bistro as he prepares one of his many specialties, blackened cajun sirloin. A true professional at the art of blackening, Drew suggests you might not want to try this at home. Watch the video to see why.

Two Southern Cuisines From a Northern Fan

From the NY Times

AT Drew’s Bayshore Bistro in Keyport, the chef and owner, Andrew Araneo, cooks the happy, brash dishes of Louisiana and the Carolina-Georgia coast: crab meunière, gumbo, shrimp and grits, crayfish, jambalaya and étouffée.

But Mr. Araneo, a 2010 James Beard Foundation semifinalist for best Mid-Atlantic chef, claims no bred-in-the-bone understanding of such fare. He grew up in Keyport and fell for roux by reading about it in the first cookbook he ever owned, “Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen,” and by visiting New Orleans and Chapel Hill, N.C. (View Full Article)

2014 Top Chefs & Their Inspirations

From NJ.com

ON DAY 5 of our best choices in American cuisine, we offer … DREW’S BAYSHORE BISTRO

On the day that renowned chef Paul Prudhomme died, Drew Araneo, of Drew’s Bayshore Bistro in Keyport, put redfish on the menu. Araneo hadn’t served redfish in a good long while, despite coaxing from his fish guy, who promised an exceptional catch. But on that day in October, redfish felt right. Araneo’s first cookbook was Prudhomme’s tome on Louisiana cooking, and blackened redfish was a Prudhomme signature. (View Full Article)

Global tastes at the Jersey Shore:
Drew’s Bayshore Bistro, Keyport

From NJ.com

You needn’t bring necklaces of shiny beads to toss around, though you’ll feel like you’re having a gastronomic celebration at Drew’s Bayshore Bistro, the latest stop in our tour of ethnic eateries at the Jersey Shore. (View Full Article)

18 Best Restaurants in New Jersey

From Thrillist.com

After undergoing a post-Hurricane Sandy renovation, Drew’s Bayshore Bistro is twice as large. The cuisine is Gulf Coast-/Low Country-influenced and made with locally sourced produce. There’s always a pork du jour dish as well as the oft-ordered super-spicy city jambalaya. (View Full Article)

At Drew’s Bayshore Bistro Good Times Roll for Foodies

From NJ.com

If you’ve never been to Louisiana, you might find it incongruous to walk into a restaurant that announces, with a cheery sunburst of a sign in the window, that its chef is a James Beard semifinalist, only to see that same prestigious award-winning cook behind a kitschy piece of junkyard art that  announces “Beware of Attack Chef.”

If you’ve been to Louisiana, you wouldn’t be fazed. (View Full Article)