Quickies, notes from the Target.

Bottom feeding...duking it out for scraps on a zip-line night. 47th Street, 6/25/2015.

   Change has been in the air...literally. Warm west breezes most of the day. Air temps in the mid-80's. A nice evening for a change. Then we crossed the dune line; almost no waves. Small ankle biting right handers. Maybe some knee benders. Wattman had been bragging that the water had finally reached the seventies mark. His plan was to make the most of it. This session was to be our longest night of the year. Summer Solstice hit us last Sunday. Decent surf would put us here for a while. At this point I need a moment to ask a question and express a corresponding opinion. Who do we talk to about changing the day of the summer Solstice from June to say, August? Imagine what we could do if those additional hours of sunlight were available for the next sixty days...throughout the entire heat of Summer. Yes, I know that is God's decision, but with that extended time could come extended surf.

As I stood daydreaming this unlikely event, suddenly the waves seemed to become rideable. Not just one here and there, but sets of 'em. And, just as magically, DWatt started catching wave after wave. And, I started catching pic after pic. No mag cover mind you, but considering the conditions going in, it was like my vision...spiritual, and a bit eerie. As dark clouds from a storm front moved in, I was snapped to reality. Quickie waves produce zippy-quick rides. Up and done. So we cut it short and headed for the Boards.
   Original planned stop was Grotto's latest location at the Commander Hotel, on 14th and the Boardwalk. The place was devoid of patrons...in the summer (not the height yet, but still). The bartenders..both of them, were in their own little spiritual world and we had to wait a few before getting a couple of brews from their sparse, domestic selection in, dare I say, plastic.

Rated an F for Fix Soon!

That was it. We severed ties early, and took a brief stroll down to Brother's Bistro on 11th. With a name like Brother's you'd think they keep it all in the family. You may be right. Russian household. Our barkeep, the waitstaff, even the four guys across the bar spoke with more of an Eastern Block accent than Eastern Shore. No matter. Watt and I soon had a couple of cold beers...in glass...and a Pepperoni/Sausage Pizza on the way. True to their namesake, it was a good pie. Plenty of toppings, generous cheese, and the beer made it all go down smooth. Couple of flatscreens...with the Canadian Football playing! No music, and though there were other people there, the place is so cavernous it seemed quiet. We walked off the food and headed back to the vehicles. The Journey is an end to a means. Sometimes the ends are quiet if not downright dead. Until next week.

THE RATINGS-
Pepperoni/Sausage Pizza: B
Beer: C
Atmosphere: C+
Overall Score = 2.42

 
 

Summer Reruns, the Target's notes.

Making the most of a lefty backdoor. Holiday's 6/17/2015 

   It's summertime, and that means re-runs. At least in surf conditions anyway. Sorta. I mean the water's warming. But cool winds and small, chopped up waves seem to repeat week after week. Wattman's got to be getting impatient. Like waiting for that perfect brew in a crowded OC summer bar. Hitting it each week knowing that at best, only one or two rides the entire night will be worthy. I guess that's partly why he does it. Knowing that one ride will take him to a better place. No distractions. The rush of fulfillment, if only in a moment. Short session as about an hour into it, the swell began flattening (which doesn't take much at thigh high).With the sun not yet set, Watt called "last wave" and we headed out.
   A short sojourn to the OC Towncenter Midtown on 67th and the bayside of Ocean Highway. Open air. Wrap around boardwalk. Official home of the Longboard Cafe. Started as a small place; bar and a few tables. But, has expanded with a dining loft and nice frontside outdooor deck. All the surf paraphernalia one could hope for. We opted for the bar completed with a surfer-dude barkeep (friendly smile/a laid back step behind in his work- trained that way?) and rad surf movies on the back flatscreen. We even had the O's game to the left. An eclectic yet spartan selection of local craft drafts. As our man Friday drew a couple for us and we settled on an order of Jerk Mahi Fish Tacos, Addiction Wings with a spicy-sweet house sauce, and a side of Wrinkled Green Beans- flash fried in a soy sauce. Wait time was a tad long.  Maybe the whole surfer laid back thing. However, the food arrived hot and did not disappoint us. The wings had a nice sweet tang and the tacos were good, but could have had a little less fill and a little more Mahi. The beans? Don't know about how famous, but they were okay. We do give props...the local establishments have become better at a consistent and well presented fish taco. Not the case a couple years back. We tabbed out and cruised the boards to the anchor, Ron Jon's. The usual tourist trap. Hate to break it to the Watt, but they ain't gonna help the surf. Checked a couple other shops... not long after...done. Time to rest, for the Journey never ends. Right?

THE RATINGS-

Addiction Wings: B

Jerk Mahi Tacos: C+

Beer: B

Atmosphere: B

Overall Score = 2.81

Kicked, notes from the Target.

Navigating the chunk, 47th Street break. 6/11/2015

   The week was spent in anticipation. Hope. Another surf session leaving the mugginess of the 'Bury behind with expectations to feel the heat of the Summer on the shore combined with the cool of the Atlantic. I came ready. Dressed the part. Shorts, shirt sleeves. Hope. As Andy Dufresne said, "hope is a good thing. maybe the best of things. and no good thing ever dies." In this case, I would disagree. Cold onshore south-easters'. About 15 knots. An occasional shift to south to remind us that there was warm air somewhere...just not this stretch of beach. And this wind; chopping up the barely knee high chunks Wattman had to contend with. Still in the full suit, though the 64 F water has allowed him to shed the boots and gloves. Rides that lasted little time, but Watt managed to find enough key lime size curves to slice into a few. Me? I shoulda brought a jacket.

Harbour lights. 14th & Bay

   This evening called us to the Reel Inn, a favorite of sorts. Located on 14th street and the bay in Harbour Island, a gated condo community and home to the White Marlin Open. Little less goings on this past Thursday but once you're here, it's worth the stay. First off however, let's get an issue outta the way. They serve their beer in plastic (drafts), and cans. Now readers should know by now how I feel about the proper way to serve beer. See, here's the thing. When an aluminum beer can sits in icy water for hours at a time something special happens to the contents. The brew becomes liquid gold. An elixir that cures all ailments and diffuses the days disappointments.  Add some Buffalo Wings, a couple Mahi Tacos and another round and all is right in the World. The wait was a tad long but considering a detached kitchen, understandable. A sixer of wings that we considered a little better than average. Meaty. Hot. The fish taco was served in "build your own style" with a nice cut of Mahi and three soft shells. Together with the pico and other toppings, good stuff. So, we mellowed to Jack Johnson type beach music, the Orioles on only a couple of tubes at each end of the bar and bar full of fish stories. Short time later we hit the road. My personal closing notes: Cool beach dive-go. They have Summer Shandy on draft, but it was kicked. Still waiting for my first Summer Shandy of the season.

THE RATINGS-

Buffalo Wings: C+

Mahi Tacos: B

Beer: C+

Atmosphere: B

Overall Score = 2.63

Foolin', notes from the Target.

"Do with me what you will. Break the spell take your fill."   -Foolin'/Def Leppard. Holidays, 5/28/2014.

DoNe!

   Ya know, this time of year we're usually dealin' with cool waters but we'd still have the warm trades. Right now, we struggle to stay above seventy degrees on the beach. The ocean water barely tipping the sixties. Like the weather gods are foolin' with us huge. Thursday evening we cross the dune line to a stiff southeast onshore and temps a good 10 degrees lower than the street. 66th Street. Holiday's (Holiday Inn Oceanfront). Sloppy, knee to waist right handers. Jacking up, then falling powerless. Section here, section there. Somewhat strong northbound current; enough that the Watt walked a block so south before grabbing a short rip into the empty lineup. With so few worthwhile sets, Watt was forced to jump just about any possible looker. Few rides. Actually spent more time walking back down the beach...south. Until, jaded from the struggle, he drifted into a swirling riptide, mostly closeouts. No last ride. The last of it took 45 minutes. What can I say? I left the chill for the warmer side of the dunes. Yeah, I know we don't leave one alone in the water. But hey, there was a group of Russian immigrant workers from the hotel hangin' on the shore. At 62 F, the water's probably warm to them. "Help" is understood in any language, right? I figured he'd be safe. Frustrated, but safe.
   We headed to the 45th Street Village...again (no drownings today). Been there a couple times already, and each time Shallow Waters Restaurant had yet to be open this year.  This time, complete with a name change, the Assawoman Bay Brewing Company Brewpub was open for the season. Business not exactly booming yet as there were only four others at the bar and a family on deck. We are met by an impressive lineup of local and state craft brews. Order up for a couple Assawomans (politically correct?). Chilled quality beer into a warm glass. Your own brew dude. How did you get this so wrong? We ordered the BBQ Wings and the house Chicken Burger. More of a chicken sandwich. Nice surprise. Very tasty. The wings, meaty and well cooked, were a bit over-sauced for my taste but the Watt liked 'em. Chatted with our barkeep about the local beer scene. Empty bar... what else did he have to do? Wipe down the sticky bar maybe? Place has got potential. Great deck and bay view. Plenty of local craft drafts. Place has got legs...just needs to learn how to walk. Walk on!

THE RATINGS-

House Chicken Burger: B

BBQ Wings: B-

Beer: B-(chill that glass)

Atmosphere: B

Overall Score = 2.88