No Retreat, notes from the Target

"Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go instead where there is no
path and leave a trail."  -Ralph Wald Emerson.  The Journey.  Feb 28th.

 

















   The cold. Outside.  Our world. So far, no retreat this year.  Each passing day we glance at the sky hoping.  Hoping for consistent sun.  Hoping for a southern breeze to warm our piece of the Right Coast.  To no avail.  But with no change in sight what is a crewman to do?  Seek out shelter. Perhaps one that provides a brief respite, a cold beer, and a few hot, tasty wings to overcome the troubles of the day.
   We've all heard of the World Famous Five-star Dive at 16th and the Boards, but those ratings are being saved for the Sun.  Nay, this week we bounced thru the sister location on Sunset and Rt. 611 in West OC. Peppers boasts of their wing offerings, however this location failed to live up to the namesake.  Entering the bar area we found a sparse local population, but the barkeep brightened our spirits as a couple of Dos Equis drafts dropped in front of us seconds after our arrival. The wings come in 6 and 12 counts so we chose 3 rounds, 6 each...Hot Buffalo, Jerk, and Raspberry Chipotle.  A side of chips and homemade salsa.  The chips were warm, the salsa not bad, but lacking... salt, sugar, spice... something.  The wings arrived Hot. This is where all remaining compliments terminated. The Raspberry Chipotle tasted like the sauce was watered down.  The Jerk - plain, no discernible taste...certainly no Jerk kick.  The Hot- not.  Good, but not spicy. Bland. That sums up all three pretty accurately. And the atmosphere matched. Music on poor speakers barely loud enough to hear. Nothing on the tube. Bland.  The prices.  Whoa, the PRICES!  Did anyone tell these folks it's off-season?  Only the North OC Green Turtle exceeded these. Over a buck a wing! $4 beers! We ordered 2 iced teas before we left...$2.50 each!  It makes ya wonder what they mean by "5-Star."
   Harsh - /HARsh/ - Unpleasantly coarse.  Disagreeable or jarring to the senses.  Cruel or severe.  We know the Journey is young and our rules are harsh (as were this night's wings), but we're willing to bet this one'll be one of our lower scores for the coming year.

THE RATINGS-
Hot Buffalo: C
Jerk/Raspberry Chipotle: C-
Beer: C+
Atmosphere: C-
Total Score: 1.93