Craft Beer and Club Sandwiches...

Buckalew’s LBI

101 North Bay Avenue

Beach Haven, NJ 08008

buckalews.com/ 

I come here all the time on the weekends during the summer. Its my favorite bar on this side of the island, mostly because the bartenders arent a-holes and theres never a cover to get in. Getting gouged 5 bucks for a Budlight on top of paying 15 -25 bucks to get in to some of the others in the area is just awful. 

The beer list here is always rotating and they have some really nice craft selections. Sometimes they have a problem changing the taps, but when they are all on, it really is a great selection. The food is solid too. Last time I ate there, I had the Buckalews club and it was bangin. It came with oven roasted turkey and ham instead of lunchmeat and it was stuck in between some great bread. Its huge! I have heard the sushi is awesome too, but I havent tried it yet. They always have sports on the tvs so it makes for a great place to watch any games you are looking for too. 

Good people, good food, good drinks, its always a good time at Bucks! Be aware that they close earlier than a lot of other bars on the island. Theres no telling when it might be, but once the lights come on, sometime between 12 and 1, finish up and hit the road. Go for a great beer or the barrel aged bourbon! Cheers!

Tour de Taco Part II...

Tour de Taco Continued…

We had a pretty long ride to the next stop too after Honest Tom's. We trekked up to Shifty's Tacos and grabbed some more beers and our tacos. Here I wound up ordering the shifty taco, a combination of chicken, chorizo and maduros. Again I wish the taco had another tortilla layered with it, but the flavor was very good. It was spicy and sweet and not overly stuffed which is nice. Sometimes when tacos are stuffed with too much fillin, it falls out and the taco cant support it. It was a little too juicy for me though. I don't need juice flying out the other end and splashing everywhere as it falls out. Flavor was real good though. I'm a taco purist, but this place very successfully does things not so authentically. Definitely worth a visit.

Stop number seven was up next. We made our way over to the oval to hit up Vernalicious. I had ordered the pulled pork taco with cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, cilantro, guacamole and a squirt of bbq sauce. The combination of these things does not sound all that delicious, but in practice, holy crap it was good. I think the real key to this taco was the charred tortillas. Double layered, charred to perfection. I was surprisingly fond of these flour tortillas, but I think it was because of the char. It took a little bit of the chew out of them, and added another depth of flavor. They held up really nicely with the pulled pork in them. The pulled pork wasnt overly juicy, which was great because it didnt run out of the taco when it was bitten into. The guacamole was fantastic! It was super limey and had a nice bit of heat to it. The thing that tied it all together surprisingly was the cheddar cheese. I thought it was going to overpower it, but it simply brought it all together in a flash of cheesey goodness. This was a very nontraditional taco, but one of my favorites of the day. I will definitely be back to Vernalicious to delve into more of their deliciousness.

I was really starting to feel the fullness about now. Luckily we had a bit of a wait once we made it to Taco Riendo, the 8th stop on our tour. I wound up ordering the taco de cachete or steamed beef cheek taco. They had an amazing outdoor space and their selection of traditional Mexican cuisine is fantastic. The taco was perfect. Two steamed corn tortillas, filled with exactly the right amount of cooked beef cheek, and then topped with cilantro and onion as only the purest of tacos are. I seasoned it up with a bit of lime juice and the spicy orange salsa which I am pretty sure may have been chile de arbol. It was absolutely perfect. The heat was intense, but it didnt overwhelm the taco at all. This was one of my favorite tacos of the day. Everything about was in perfect proportion. Everything was seasoned right, it was just a really well executed taco. They have a nice selection of jarritos as well, so that always wins points with me. It was a great spot and is definitely worth a return visit when the taco hunger strikes me again.

I was really looking forward to stop 9 on our tour because I had heard a lot of good things about it. Sancho Pistola's was the stop, and it was awesome. It was the first place of the day that had a full bar, so without hesitation, I ordered a margarita. A large reason for this was I was 8 tacos deep and I had zero room in my stomach for a beer. Thank god I got a margarita because I had one of those experiences you look back on and say damn, that changed my whole outlook on things. The pickled watermelon margarita on the rocks. Holy crap! I need this in my life every day for the rest of my life. I had every intention of only having one, but after tasting it, and immediately sucking down the whole thing in mere seconds, I had to have another one. It may have been the best drink I have ever had, and it changed my perspective of rocks vs. frozen margaritas. All rocks, all day, forever going forward. No more frozen.

To pair with my margarita, I had ordered the chicken tinga taco. Chicken tinga is a shredded chicken in a tomato and chili and chipotle sauce. Its sweet and spicy and just a little bit smokey too. It is great in tacos, and it was great in this one. Mine was a little bit cold by the time I got to it, not the fault of the restaurant, but my own, but the flavor was awesome. It was accented just a bit by the onion, cilantro and queso fresco dusting it received on top. The menu is fantastic in terms of both beer and food. No its not the most traditional place in the world, but its not trying to be. Its a reinvention of classic Mexican dishes and cocktails and they are done amazingly well. I will be back oh so soon.

Onto the last one, Loco Pez. Here I wound up ordering the al pastor taco. It is one of my favorite styles of taco, and I hadnt tried it yet that day, so I gave it a shot. I also ordered a classic margarita, because my friend had told me they were his favorites in town. While I cant say it was my favorite it was a very well done margarita. Again rocks all the way, and always salt on the rim. I sucked down another two of these bad boys quickly. I also scarfed down the taco. Thank god it was small because I had 9 others inside me already. The flavor was really good though. It had really nice, sweet a spice to it. The little tortillas were packed full of al pastor goodness. The decoration was really weird and not at all what I was expecting, but I am glad the name makes more sense now...Pez dispensers everywhere. Its a really fun atmosphere. I would definitely go back again.

I had about a 4 mile bike ride back to my apartment from there after all the tacos and margaritas, so it was an adventure to say the least. My firned told me before I left, tell your fiancé I am sorry I sent you home drunk and full of tacos. He wasn’t sorry, and I didn’t come home empty handed, so she couldn’t be mad. It was a hell of a day. I would do it over and over again. Next year, you're comin with! Cheers!

Tacos, Bicycles, Beers and Margaritas

Tour de Taco 2014 Part I

One of my friends from work is a taco fanatic, a taco connoisseur if you will. He eats, sleeps and breathes tacos, so a few years back, he began organizing a taco bike ride around the city called Tour de Taco. This particular Tour de Taco, my first time partaking, was over twenty miles long, with 10 different stops along the way. We began the day at Jefferson Square park as a large group, paid up, and prepared ourselves for some Taco bike riding with some pre ride margaritas. 

We began our ride over to 8th and Watkins to visit arguably the best spot for tacos in the city, South Philly Barbacoa, a taco cart parked at that corner on the weekends. Benjamin Miller and his wife are in the cart every weekend selling only two kinds of tacos, pancita and barbocoa. They keep it simple, but they do it oh so well. I had a strategy of getting one taco at each place that we were going so I could partake in each stop, and I ordered one pancita taco. Pancita is sheeps stomach stuffed with other organ meat cooked in a spicy sauce, and it is outstanding. They double layered the tacos, so everything held up nicely. They were clearly extremely fresh, and topping the pancita with cilantro, onion and lime was the perfect way to season it all.

Our next stop was Los Gallos at 9th and Watkins. I had been to Los Gallos before, so this time I wanted to try something different. I thought it would be a good palce to try carnitas, so I did just that. I loaded it up with tomatillo salsa and cilantro and onion as I always do. The pork was super tender and the double layer tortillas are always the key. It holds up well to everything and the flavor really shines through. The salsa was fantastic. It was a nice flavor combination of the tomatillos, spices, lime juice and cilantro.

Two down, and then we were on to El Jarocho on 13th and Ellsworth. It was nice to be able to ride in between taco spots because it helped to not get over full. When we got to El Jarocho, I was very excited because I had ordered the chicken stuffed jalapeño taco and I was super excited to try it because I had never seen it on a menu before. it was definitely the right choice. It may have been one of the largest jalapeños I've ever seen and it was packed full of shredded chicken. After the jalapeño was stuffed, it was then battered and fried. The heat wasn't overpowering, and the flavor was amazing. The salsa I added to it though was straight fire. Like liquid lava. It was awesome. The taco was very juicy, definitely worthy of a few napkins. Double layer tacos are the only way to go. Best news ever is my new house is three blocks from here. I see a lot of tacos in my future.

Three tacos deep at this point, and I was in heaven. The next bit wasn’t too bad of a ride. We went over to Taqueria Veracruzana on 9th and Washington. It is a really small little spot but with tables outside to sit and enjoy. We also grabbed beers from the next door shop and drank them with the taco de campechanos I ordered. When it came out, it smelled fantastic and tasted even better. Again double layer tortillas, perfection. Campechanos is a mixture of chorizo and beef. The chorizo renders awesomely and then seasons the beef leaving it juicy and spicy. A little cilantro and onion and some salsa made it awesome. So totally coming back to this place. Awesome tacos and cheap. Don't miss it.

The next bit of the ride was a bit rough. I don’t ride a bike all that often, so its not always easy for me, but while it was a bit of a rough ride, it definitely opened up some room in my quivckly filling belly. The next stop was Honest Tom's Taco shop in West Philly. Here I ordered the breakfast taco with bacon. I loved the flavor of the taco. The eggs and potatoes were seasoned really well and the guacamole was definitely super limey with a great crunch from the onions. I wish that it was a double layer tortilla and that the bacon was cooked a bit more. I like my bacon crunchy and this fell pretty flat as it was a bit rubbery. There was a line out the door, in addition to our whole crew, which is usually a good sign. It is definitely worth a visit. TO BE CONTINUED...

A Night Above All the Rest...

Vetri vs. Zahav Cage Match @ Alla Spina

1410 Mount Vernon Street

Philadelphia, PA 19130

 

By now you know that I really look forward to the Cage Matches that the Vetri crew hosts at Alla Spina. I was even more excited to hear that they would be facing off against one of my favorite chefs and restaurants for their first attempt at an outside the family cage match. They would face off against Michael Solomonov and team from Zahav. My fiancé as usually stalked the phone lines and called right away and was able to score us some seats. We were able to snag a seat for one of my best friends as well, (what up Chu!) and although he was late and my fiancé wound up leaving early because she felt ill, it was a great night nonetheless. It was one of those food experiences you look back on and realize, holy crap that was frigging unbelievable. It was a night and an experience I will never forget. 

The ingredients for this matchup were corn, chicken thighs, feta cheese and watermelon, and again you don’t have to use them in that order. First courses from the teams were both cocktails, and dishes were a chilled watermelon soup from team Vetri obviously utilizing the watermelon, and shakshuka from team Zahav, utilizing the feta cheese. The watermelon soup was a beautiful plate and a very delicious dish. It had a great balance between watermelon and olive oil flavors, and the chunks of watermelon cut and placed in the dish first were a nice touch as well. The shakshuka was simply divine. It is a egg dish, cooked in a warmly spiced tomato base and in this case topped with lambs tounge and feta cheese. I really couldn’t help myself from devouring this dish. I just kept piling it on my plate. Wow what a start from both teams, but I had Zahav ahead because of the deliciously rich and soulwarming nature of the shakshooka. It was outrageously good, and I have been craving it ever since. 

Second courses were up next and we received a few beers from both teams, as well as curgliones in a butter sauce with corn from team Vetri and a raw lamb kibbe niah from team Zahav utilizing the corn as well. Again both dishes were outstanding. The pasta from Adam Leonti was tender, incredibly fresh and coated in a delicious brown butter sauce. It added a bit of richness to the dish without making it heavy. The kibbeh nayeh from team Zahav was delicious in a totally different way. The raw lamb mixed with the yogurt sauce and peaches were a great combination, but eventually became too much for me to continue with. I gave team Vetri the nod on this one because I am a sucker for any type of fresh pasta cooked in a brown butter sauce, and this one was particularly fantastic. This was going to be a battle to the end. It was a matchup of Philly restaurant titans, the best of the best, and it was already going so well.

Third course were up next, featuring red wine from team Vetri, and Madiera from Brian Kane and team Zahav. This was my first introduction to the man that has taught me more about booze and restaurants than I ever thought I would learn. He now runs Abe Fisher, another fantastic offering from the Solomonov crew, go check it out! These drink offerings went with a chicken thigh saltimbocca with watermelon rind agrodolce from team Vetri and a chicken thigh and foie gras dish over Persian rice from team Zahav. The chicken saltimbocca was fantastic. The chicken was cooked perfectly, with a nice sear on the exterior and a juicy and flavorful center inside. The sweet and sour sauce with the watermelon rind was the perfect Both dishes were outstanding. However the Zahav dish was simply perfect. The richness of the foie went together incredibly well with the charred chicken and beautifully cooked rice. I have never had rice that good and amazingly flavorful. The dish was simply superb, and although they were both incredibly delicious, I had to give the nod to team Zahav for an overall fantastic pairing and execution of their dish.

Dessert was on its way, and I was absolutely packed full, but I knew the end was near and I had to persevere. We were served a sweet port from Team Vetri and a Vanderghinste Oud Bruin, a dark brown, yet lightly fruity beer from Team Zahav. Pairing with the sweet port was a feta cheesecake from team Vetri with cherries and pistachios that was absolutely outrageous. The feta cheesecake didn’t have a taste that you would expect from Feta cheese. It wasn’t salty or briny like feta usually is, but it did give it a more savory flavor, a flavor that I absolutely fell in love with. It was like a piece of art, and pairing it with the sweet cherries was perfection. The dessert from team Zahav was not nearly as successful. It was a kanafeh, a sweet cheese dessert wrapped in shredded phyllo dough and topped with a watermelon sauce and cubed watermelon. While the dessert was ok, I just didn’t think the watermelon paired well with it. It was too sweet, and definitely overpowered the kanafeh itself. Team Vetri was the hands down winner of dessert.

This was a battle of epic proportions. Thrilla in Manilaesque if you will. Solomonov and Vetri are two giants in the food world, and in Philadelphia, they are the best of the best. Their teams are unmatched and incredibly talented, and the food and drink that was on display that evening was nothing short of mind blowing. Team Zahav barely etched out a victory in the end, but they did. That’s the way I scored it, and that’s the way it ended up. The student, Mike Solomonov, a former sous chef for Marc Vetri, took down the master. They all seemed to have a blast taking part in this, and so much of it went to benefit a great thing, Rooster Soup Company. (check out more information on that here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/3806479/radical-hospitalty-and-the-rooster-soup-company) If you ever get a chance to take part in something like this, you will not want to miss it, but you may have to fight me for a spot! Cheers!