A Long, Long Time.

     Okay, so sorry for the lack of posting. There have been a few things going on and for some reason this just took a backseat. Don't worry, though, I have still maintained my just slightly over-critical mindset and approach to dining out, and here is the lowdown of what I remember since my last post in April.

    Cinnamon Bay Caribbean Grill - I have passed this place about a million times since it has been in its location on the ocean side of the boulevard in Harvey Cedars, and have always heard it was good, but for one reason or another had never been until we went there for Father's (or is it Fathers') Day. I will go there again. Unfortunately, it's been a while, so I can't remember what I ordered, though it was some sort of beef dish, and I also can't remember what anyone else ordered. What I do remember, however, is that everything was delicious, and I mean everything. The place had a never easy-going atmosphere and it is BYOB, which is always nice. The waitstaff was very good, laid back but professional, except for one young waiter who for one reason or another was allowed to where a hat while waiting, and a pretty stupid one at that, which for me was annoying but I could imagine for someone from an older generation who grew up with the mindset that hats come OFF when you go indoors it would be downright unacceptable. That, and the fact that one of the sides that were ordered (I think it was macaroni and cheese of some kind) never came out, were the only qualms I have with the place. Still, while this last one seems major, it is a minor slight for two reasons: One, because when we got all the food, we realized we had ordered too much food, and that we were kind of glad the dish didn't come out. Two, because when we told them kindly that we didn't receive the dish so would like it removed from the bill, the owner (I think it was the owner) not only apologized and took it off, but also cooked us up a new order and gave it to us, on the house. Smart guy.

     Barnacle Bill's Grog Shop: Located right on the water at 1 First St. in Rumson, this bar had "classic sea-themed pub" written all over it. Not literally, but almost, because all over the siding around the entrance, pictured above, there was scrawled and scratched the names and messages of patrons past. This same unique character that greets you on the outside continues to the inside as it is on the dark side, with seafaring paraphernalia everywhere, lots of brass fittings and dials and portholes and all that sort of thing. For being such a cool looking bar, I was disappointed with the beers on tap, which numbered four, and were all kind of standard. The burger I got, a mozzarella burger, was barebones, w/ no vegetables or antyhing, but was delicious none the less, and huge. I almost didn't finish it, but by taking my time was able to emerge the victor. Hail the conquering hero. It came with potato chips, which always kind of irks me, especially because I think it was eight or ten dollars, but for a few bucks were got a basket of steak fries which were really good. Someone I was with got an order of Fried Zucchini with I think a horseradish sauce (I might be remembering wrong, though). Anyway, they were really good as well. In the end, everyone was satisfied, especially my friend Ryan, when, after insisting that the complimentary shells from the complimentary peanuts were allowed to be thrown on the floor beneath the table, and pointing out examples, and being right but us feeling weird and putting them in an extra bowl instead, threw the bowl full of shells on the floor as we got up, to prove his point, and my eyes met another patron's, and all I could do was smile and exit gracefully. I will go there again.
   
The Pinecone - Upon moving to Tuckerton, I was excited that I would be living within a bike ride's distance of a good ice cream place. I had been there before, and it was good. Unfortunately, we went there twice in a row, and Jeannine, who doesn't care for ice cream so much and rarely orders it, was both times disappointed. The first, they gave her the wrong flavor ice cream, and the second, the ice cream was freezer burned, very freezer burned. Plus, they play the weirdest music for an ice-cream place on the loudspeakers outside. I've determined it must be some sort of soundtrack station on satellite radio. I felt like I was in surrealist film, with the gaudy lawn statues, weird music, and strange goings-on of a women (with a somewhat desperate tinge to her face) and her small child. Unless desperate, I'll never go there again, mainly because of Jefreeze. See below.

Jefreeze Old-Fashioned Ice Cream - This tiny ice-cream establishment is located on Rt. 9 in West Creek. The ice cream is better and cheaper than the infamous Pinecone's and the atmosphere is fun (especially if you're a family with small children, as there are sticky checkerboards and ice-cream coated hula-hoops everywhere). I'll go there again, and again, and again, especially in the Summer.  I got a sundae with peanut butter-vanilla swirl, wet walnuts, caramel, and bananas on it the other day, and it was perfect.

Amy's Omelette House - The place is located at 444 Ocean Blvd in Long Branch. Have been here twice, and both times it was delicious. The one time was after surfing Monmouth sometime over the Winter, and the food was really good then, and the waiter was friendly, almost a little too friendly, as he dwelt on my beard and his admiration of said beard a little too long, but oh well. Went there last weekend, and the food was still very, very good, but the waitress did her job but was not exactly friendly, but in a way that made you laugh when she left, which is fine with me when I'm eating delicious pancakes smothered in caramelized-cinnamon apples. The coffee's good too. There's a pastry place in the same plaza which has delicious pastries for fair prices. I will go back to both of them again. 

Oyster Creek Inn - Went to this place just last night. As you can see on the map above, the Oyster Creek in is way out in the middle of the salt-marsh in Leed's Point. You drive through a wildlife refuge to get there (watch out for turtle crossings between the months of May and August), and when you get the very dead end of the road, the building stands next to a couple of run-down fishing cottages. Everything about the screams classic backwoods seafood restaurant. They do have a bar, a couple of them actually, which was nice because the wait was 45 minutes to an hour (they don't accept reservations). I was a little bummed because the tap wasn't working, and they had some alright, although common, beers on tap: Stella, Harp, Blue Moon, and the stalwart Yeungling. The bottle selection was lacking, and the only thing I saw that I wanted was Newcastle Brown Ale, which I have since decided I do not like.
    Anyway, we eventually sat and ordered. For appretizers: fried mozzarella (only four sticks, which was kind of a let-down when seeing them scattered sparsely on the place, but were still tasty), and cup of Manhattan chowder, which was actually really flavorful and not that salty, which is always a plus, but was on the thin side, according to me, for chowder. I like my chowder thick.
    The food came, and we knew immediately that we had done right with this place. Jeannine got one of the evening's specials, King Crab legs, which were huge. It got me thinking: here in New Jersey, we come across all manner of wildlife. But every sort of creature you can think of that you see in the wild here in our Great State, from felinae to fish, crabs to insects, can be found elsewhere in the world in a much, much larger size. King Crabs are as giants compared to our smaller local crabs (although King Crabs are not really true crabs, but I don't want to get too far off topic).
    Anyway, Jeannine got King Crab legs, which were delicious, and I got a Seafood Pie, which in my opinion was even more delicious. It was: crab, shrimp, and scallops all cooked into a bisque and baked into a oblong puff-pastry shell. It was really good. The prices are just a tad on the steep side, Jeannine's was $35.00 and mine was $19.00, but they do give you a salad, choice of starch and vegetable. It won't be my go-to seafood place, but I will definitely go there again.

Okay, so that took way longer than I thought it would, but there's a run-down of what I've been meaning to post. I'll try to keep up on it, and that way I won't spend an hour writing this on a Saturday morning. Initially I was waiting for the rain to pass, but it's been sunny for a half hour now, and I have stuff to do.