The End Is Near, notes from the Target

Scrapple sandwiches, Holidays/66th.  10/24

   The first hard frost of the season has occurred, turning fields of blazing yellow soybeans into a wilted brown.  As we do the drive to the beach this week, the same frost has nipped the leaves of the surrounding woodlands providing bursts of color and making the trek down a little more groovy. But, as I hit the Route 90 bridge it stikes me as bizarre the number of seagulls that seem to be committing hara-kiri this time of year.  Dozens of disemboweled gulls litter the bridge and surrounding area as if the ever more expeditious sunset has become too much to bear.  Is this a sign; the end is near?  I find myself on 66th street...alone.  DWatt has not yet arrived. Another sign? But at that very moment Wattman races around the corner. Got it.  The last week of Daylight Savings Time is near.  Only one more session left post today.  Though there is almost no light left and barely knee-high, albeit clean surf, he will not let what few opportunities are left be missed.  Using the waning dusk and then dim moonlight to judge the small incoming sets, (feel the wave, become one with the wave) DWatt is able to scrape together a few rides and enjoy the evening's stoke.

"Of our elaborate plans, the end.  Of everything that stands, the end." 

 -The Doors

   Up the road just a few, turn left and we hit BJ's on the Water, bayside and 75th.  An Ocean City staple that we find to be a bit crowded for this time of year.  Seems it was blue hair night...like a scene from Cocoon.  No matter, we snagged a couple of stools at the bar and our bartender Jared, set us up with a couple of cold Miller Lites.  Beer selection was as primary as you can get...all the usual suspects, but we took note that the glasses were well chilled.  The wings (we ordered Hot and BBQ) came nicely seasoned, but (gasp) the sauces were on the side!  Big, meaty, nice crunch.  But the sauces were on the side!  This presentation lacked punch.  Barely a tap. No good. We still ate 'em.  Drank our beer.  Watched the game. Called it another night...
Still wondering about all those dead birds.

THE RATINGS-

Hot WIngs: C

BBQ WIngs: C-

Beer: C+

Atmosphere: C+

Overall Score = 2.06

Strange Days, notes from the Target

38th Street/Castles, 10/17

"And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough..."   -Janis Joplin

  Autumn.  Sunny days, cool nights.  Light jacket required.  Again, another breezy evening on the beach. Global warming...bull$hit.  It's been windy and thus cool or cold on just about every point of our right coast this season. Surf tonight?   Knee to thigh, maybe an occasional waist.  Jacking up at about 50 yards offshore, and breaking flat with no residual power.  The Nor'easter last week did some serious revamping to the ocean bottom, primarily the edge leading up to the shoreline.  With limited light, there ain't no time to whimper.  This is where it got bizarro.  For the first time we were zipped.  No discernible rides.  Strange days indeed.  Even in the boogie days, we could get something in the worst of conditions.  We even moved north to where the break seemed to be more consistent.  Nuthin'. Oh-fer. DWatt clearly frustrated.  The full moon rising over the horizon, a lone rider with no ride.  Only two sessions left in our weekday season.
   To recover from this disenchantment we headed back out west to Harborside, home of the original Orange Crush.  Had it, skipped it.  We were here for the wings!  It is a true local dive, with all of the essentials... flatscreens, average tap offerings but chilled glasses,  ample  bar food plus menu, off bar dining, deck and indoor bars, strong local following, even the local band.  Our barkeep wasn't the most attentive but in a bar-fight, our money was on him.  We grabbed a couple of iced drafts and ordered the Spicy Hot and the BBQ.  Both came out to us hot and well cooked, meaty, and very well seasoned.  As we settled into the night's round of football the band sliced into some Janis Joplin,  mandolin included.  Always nice to have a band.  Just not the same with 2 guys doin' Janis.  Time to go.  End the pain.

THE RATINGS-

Spicy Hot Wings: A-

BBQ Wings: B

Beer: B- (Selection)

Atmosphere: B

Overall Score = 3.13

Winds Of Change, notes from the Target

Inside the pressure washer, courtesy The Dispatch.  10/9

   The Wattman loaded in a trip to Chi-Town this past weekend changing out the usual surf day from Thursday to Wednesday.  That meant no Endless Summer Cruisers, and no Salisbury Beer Fest.  Unlike the surfing over the summer however, in this case the timing wasn't too bad.  Fall Nor'easters are not uncommon, and this week we had one blow through the Shore lowering temperatures, downing trees and branches, swirling leaves into mini-tornadoes, churning up the Atlantic, surging flood-tide warnings, tearing up our coastline and making a general F'd up mess of things.
    So as DWatt had no sudden urge to risk breaking his board...or his neck, we stayed local and nixed the thirty mile trek to an otherwise angry ocean with it's louder than usual, however seasonal, howling winds. Headed to one of Wicomico County's newest brewpubs- Tall Tales in Parsonsburg (MD) y'all.  Owned by a landscaping firm so it had all the swank accouterments. Not made for large crowds indoors, but then there weren't too many out this night.  The bar has been open about nine months, but county regs have hog tied them from serving any kind of variety of food, including our beloved wings (which supposedly are coming back soon), as well as forcing them to serve beer in 5 oz. glasses.  Local politicians need to step up to the plate to allow such businesses the opportunities to flourish.
     An outside wood fire brick oven provided us with an excellent pizza. Our beer selections were numbered as 5ounces gives a chance to check the taps without getting sloshed.  Beers were balanced, not bland.  Obviously working to improve their position among local breweries.  As we ate we discussed our balance.  Other than more time in the water, we also analyzed our food rating concept.  After all should we not limit the Journey to destinations based on wings alone?  If we do not limit ourselves to only those places that serve wings, how many more opportunities to find the righteous path will there be?  The discussion floundered, with no real answer found.  The issue is deserving of more review, and perhaps a new door has been opened for the new year. The Journey continues.

PRELIMINARY RATINGS-

Food/Pizza: B+

Beer: B+

Atmosphere: B+

Overall Score = 3.25

October Sky, notes from the Target

Mid-town mini-slice, 10/3.

   By definition you can only have Indian Summer after the first frost.  We've been no where near the first frost.  The month of October has started as one of the warmest on record. Daytime highs in the upper 80s to low 90s F. Warm evenings in the upper 60s to low 70s. So the question begs, how does one appreciate such good fortune?  Well I sit back on my porch, sip me a cold glass, and watch the traffic glide by until long after dark.  Classic. As part of the Crew, I hit the beach expecting to meet up with somewhat of a locals crowd taking advantage of the mild Autumn.  But, as I cross the dune line...not another soul for 10 blocks in either direction.  We're at 47th street mind you.  A popular OC break.  Not even a local Annette and Frankie to take advantage of the evening conditions.  The surf; true ankle high combers.  Mid-tide.  DWatt doing what he has done many times this summer, squeezing every drop he could outta every small slice of swell. And on 47th there are two pilings to mark where the jetty used to be...just for excitement.  Still managed to sketch in a couple of short fronts. Even finished with one. That's been tough this year.

"Let them have outer space.  We got rock 'n roll."   -Roy Lee, October Sky

   Drove to Olde Town.  Quite apparent this town has returned to the locals. People walking dogs.  Jogging.  Our destination was the Lazy Lizard Brew Pub.  The old Melvin's Steak House redone with a line of craft beers including a few of their own brews.  The Watt had him a Boardwalk Copper, a lightly hopped amber ale.  Myself, I enjoyed my Trophy Wife, a curvaceous but mellow Blonde...ale just the way I like it.  A fair lookin' menu that is already in need of an update.  No wings showing, but they had 'em, and we got 'em.  The BBQ and the Sweet & Spicy.  Fat, well cooked.  Very tasty, and plenty of 'em (10+ per plate!).  Plenty of blue cheese.  Big 'ol sticks of celery.  Well done spread.  TV's had our NFL on.  Big sixty-four inch flatscreeens.  Bartender with a handlebar 'stash...very attentive, friendly service. Gotta hope they make this place work.  Tough spot though. Parking a bit limited.  Definitely need to work on their PR and get the word out. Seems like a great place to repeat the effort.

Beach brewing Lizard style.

THE RATINGS-

BBQ Wings: B+

Sweet&Spicy Wings: B+

Beer  (Cool it down): B+

Atmosphere: B+

Overall Score = 3.25

Twilight Zone, notes from the Target

Mushburger gone left.  Holidays, 9/27

"Help, I'm steppin' into the twilight zone.  The place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned.
My beacon's been moved under moon and star.  Where am I to go now that I've gone too far."
                                                                                                                                       -Golden Earring

 












   Let's start by my saying, I was late.  How could that be?  Well, I had a phone call.  I do not talk on the phone that much and consequently get few calls.  But, the only time I get a call all week, and it occurs just as I was walking out the door.  All about timing.  Not been with this Crew all year. Being just a little late means burning most of the usable sunset.  Timing. Our conditions midweek have been pretty consistent thru this surf season. Knee to thigh.  Sometimes waist.  Or less. Sometimes textured, most of the time slop, rarely clean.  It's like a Twilight Zone...stuck in replay.  And for another week DWatt spent as much time walking the beach as he did drifting the surf.  Knee high chop.  Sectioned swell close to shore.  Low low tide. Give the man credit.  He will slap the water and pound his head against the sand as many times as it takes to squeeze that little bit of juice needed to make the evening worthwhile.  To drink the Stoke. And the prevailing sunset did much to help perpetuate the mood of motivation.

Sign 'o the times.

   This night we headed to that part of West OC where the "other half" plays.  Teasers Dockside Bar at Sunset Marina.  Great view of the marina and fishing boats.  Course, it's hard to call a 67 foot, multi-million dollar yacht a fishing boat but hey, it's all about perspective.  For example, from our perspective, the reason for this bar's being is the wings.  Hard as it was to get the barkeep's attention (apparently a nurse in training who needs to work on his ADHD),we finally ordered our brews.  Give him credit, always service with a smile.  Got my Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy (not much left on tap), and Wattman his Sam Adams Octoberfest.  Plastic cups seem to be the norm for these outdoor bars. Really takes away from the the cold refreshment of the beer.  We ordered the Traditional Buffalo and BBQ wings.  They came breaded.  Just outta principle, we frown on any breading.  But the sauces saved 'em. Surprisingly good.  Darkness shadowed what was left of the view.  With only a small flatscreen to catch the VA Tech/Ga. Tech game, we called it a night, and once again headed home early to wait for the next incoming set.

Them's green teasers.

THE RATINGS-

Traditional Buffalo: C+ (get rid of the breading)

BBQ Wings: B

Beer: C+ (get rid of the plastic)

Atmosphere: B+

Overall Score = 2.81