Here Nice, There...Not So Much, notes from The Target

Line 'em up! 5/17

   At home it's a gorgeous day.  Sunny skies. Warm. So, we do what we do on Thursdays...we head to the beach feeling the stoke already.  But, once again the affects of a cool Spring Ocean have brought drastic changes to conditions.  A cool northeast wind blowing a tight 15-20 knots chopped up the surf sectioning the hell out of it.  Even the most feverish attempts at manufacturing a ride were flawed.  Truth be told all we found was a cold solitary beach with nothing to show but a new set of trash cans neatly rowed for the upcoming Memorial Holiday weekend.

Watt's weakness; the backside.

 










   However, it is Cruisin' Weekend in Ocean City.  Hot rods, muscle cars, loud exhausts, screaming tires, and old men playing with their toys reminiscent of times gone by. I found myself asking, "so where are the hot cover girls that stand next to the cars in the photo shoots?"  Magazines only? Hmmmm.

   So, post session we head to a true local surf shack and one we've hit before, Belly Busters.  Part of local history for more than twenty years, it's been a surf dive the entire time.  Perfect location to view the parade of cruisers.  
   Simplicity here is everything; from the decor, kitchen-bar set up (just one bathroom, and ya gotta go thru the kitchen to get to it!), to the food offerings.  And what's not to like: a 12 seat wooden plank bar, and picnic bench style seating both inside and out.  Clearcoated pine walls are all the decoration needed here.  We stick to the protocol...icy cold brews and an order of both Spicy Buffalo and BBQ style wings.  The food is delivered BB style- plastic plates and a roll of paper towels.  Don't let that fool ya.  They are perfectly cooked, large, meaty, and under nine bucks!  The Buffalo was good but not a stand out- the Bar-B-Que however, was outstanding.  We have always been surprised that dives can put out such a quality product, but this place has been doing so consistently for years.  Crabs, shrimp, subs...all good.  Hard to judge the atmosphere with only a couple of TV's and a sound system that did not reach over the night's crowd.  All we could hear was the scream of headers as the cruisers pulled away from the stoplight outside.  And outside is where we finished.  As we watched, we weighted the merits of this fine, locals favorite, establishment.  Belly Busters is always worth a return trip!

The T-Man on point.

The Ratings:
Buffalo Wings/ B
BBQ Wings/ A-
Beer/ B
Music/TV/ C-
Atmosphere/ B
Score: 2.95