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Snooki and the Situation need not apply. Single Down the Shore. The scene is smart and sophisticated.

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Snooki and the Situation need not apply. Get our editors' essential reads sent weekly to your inbox with The Gist newsletter. Reality TV may have captured a tawdry slice of singles life down the Shore. But we think it’s a paper-thin slice. Fact is, towns like Asbury Park and Long Branch have given rise to a smart, sophisticated scene. Atlantic City continues to claim some of the most enviable and energetic nightspots on the East Coast. Even traditionally provincial locales like Long Beach Island and Cape May are emerging as magnets for hip, savvy singles looking for something more than a happy hour. Here is a sampling of Shore nightlife at its best, reported from north to south. Long Time Coming Pier Village in Long Branch. Leaning against a railing and gazing at a full moon neon-bright over the ocean, Long Branch native and local socialite Francesca Attardi soaks in the atmosphere of Avenue Nuit, a third-floor oceanfront bar and lounge located above the highly regarded Avenue restaurant. “I didn’t have this growing up and think it’s just fabulous,” says Attardi, publisher of Jersey Sports News . “It’s intoxicating. I’ve brought people from New York City down here, and they think they’re in the south of France.” When one asks around about the singles scene at Pier Village—a high-end waterfront complex of restaurants, shops, and residences—the club at Avenue Nuit invariably gets top billing. The velvet rope at Avenue Nuit is probably the toughest to cross at the Shore, and its outdoor lounge—centered around an impossibly clear blue swimming pool—is consistently packed with trendy-looking 20- and 30-somethings. It’s a bit pricey. The cover charge varies (“depending on the night”), and a few domestic beers will quickly bring your tab to $50-plus. And that is to say nothing of the expensive bottle-service seating areas outside. What’s more, those who are not too keen on the persistent thud of dance music and meat-market choreography may be a bit turned off by Avenue Nuit. But if you’re looking to dance, to see and be seen, Avenue Nuit is the place. “We come here for beautiful people who are nicely dressed,” says Jenny Andrews, 28, of Lavalette, who is out with a group of girlfriends for a long Friday night. “You know you’re going to meet doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers. It’s upper-class.” Those who are looking for something a bit more low-key opt for the Wine Loft at Pier Village. Arrive here around 9 pm to find this high-ceilinged, warmly lit restaurant and bar humming with conversation and sophisticated flirtations. The servers (who are well versed in the Loft’s extensive wine list) are dressed in understated black, passing through the place like hushed shadows. Alison McGlincy, who recently moved from a Manhattan apartment to a condo at Pier Village, sits in one of the Loft’s plush lounge chairs while enjoying a girls’ night out with some of her closest friends. “The idea of the Wine Loft is very sexy, very sensual,” she says. “I have friends who used to go to the Hamptons and are now coming down here on the weekends.” It’s not a given that you will get into Avenue Nuit. Make sure you dress the part, or the gatekeepers will likely turn you away. Pier Village: 1 Chelsea Avenue, 732-923-0100, piervillage.com. ************************ A New Kind of Greeting from Asbury Park Watermark, Langosta Lounge, and Asbury Lanes. Upon entering Watermark, one immediately notices the absence of those flat-screen televisions that hang over most bars. This, says owner Russell Lewis, is quite intentional. “The concept is to promote socializing and bringing people together,” he says. “I don’t like Wi-Fi in here. I don’t have programmed entertainment. There are no televisions. There’s nothing to take you away from socializing. It’s a return to the classic cocktail lounges of the ’50s and ’60s.” With its grand ocean views, inviting leather couches, and bar staff well versed in high-end mixology, Watermark exudes smarts and class. With 8,000 square feet of interior and exterior space right on Asbury’s boardwalk, the layout is spacious and sweeping. The music is kept low enough for some close conversation, and the eclectic mix of patrons aptly reflects this town’s budding and diverse singles scene. “We’ve always got a nice cross-section of Asbury Park,” says Slim Polski, Watermark’s bar manager. “On any given night, we have every race, sexual preference, age, all in one room getting along. It’s a pretty cool thing to see.” Just a few blocks north, Asbury singles mingle at another boardwalk newcomer, Langosta Lounge, which opened in 2008. With its bar inlaid with mussel shells, televisions that often display international surf videos, and an exposed-pipe, industrial-chic ceiling, Langosta Lounge has a more casual ambience than Watermark. For singles looking to enjoy a few good pints and a unique fusion menu (don’t miss the enchiladas), this is the spot. At the opposite end of the style spectrum, Asbury Lanes, a wood-paneled, deliciously divey bowling alley/bar, brings together some of Asbury’s most eccentric and lively characters. If you’re single and can rattle off your top five favorite Smiths records—and don’t mind paying a $10 to $15 cover charge—head to Asbury Lanes. Do not miss the sublime Manhattan at Watermark, made with top-shelf rye whiskey, rather than the usual, sweeter bourbon Manhattan. At Langosta Lounge, come with some beer knowledge. The rotating tap list is exceptional. Watermark: 800 Ocean Avenue, 732-455-3447, watermarkap.com , Langosta Lounge: 1000 Ocean Avenue, 732-455-3275, kitschens.com , Asbury Lanes: 209 4th Avenue, 732-776-6160, asburylanes.com.













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