Slip Slidin' Away, from the Target's notebook.

You know the nearer your destination, the more you're slip slidin' away...  -Paul Simon
Facial spray off the lip, PM clean-up before the clouds open. Malibu Beach, 8th Street. 11/15/2018

   It was a classic Eastern Shore transition. Autumn slip sliding away. Yeah, I realized we were still in November, but the weatherman was on the money this time around. Much of the time the Atlantic gives hint of what's to come. In the afternoon the offshore gusts held up chest to head plus swell enough to create some fairly clean A-Frames of which a few hearty souls took advantage. Not us. Work. Chores. By the time it was our time it would be a somber dusk and the sky would be collapsing. Tis the season we are in. A front was moving through bringing with it a sudden burst of cold air including the wind, rain, and more rain. Times like these you didn't want to leave the house unless it was of significant importance. So for the Crew, each of us debated within ourselves, "do we cancel and stay home in our warm, dry envelop, or does the prospect of spending a brief amount of time with friends and critiquing some unsuspecting watering hole lead us out the door and into the night?" As I drove towards Berlin in a torrent of wind and rain I guess I had answered my own question. Apparently so had the Watts. We arrived one after the other to our drenched destination, Blacksmith Bar & Restaurant. While the parking lot seemed full once we entered the restaurant I noticed it was a small crowd. With the current conditions outside, I was not surprised and we were able to choose among the ample seating at the small bar. 

   For Wattman and I, it was a return visit from several years ago. However, it was LWatt's first time and she was taken by the eclectic décor of the place. Small tables and couches, a metal-worked bar, overseen by a distressed, tin paneled ceiling all gave the place a comfortable smithy character. While not exactly the beverage selection I was used too, a properly presented beverage in a chilled glass made both Watt and I immediately impressed. Course any chilled beer makes Wattman happy. LWatt went for a Pomegranate-Sage cocktail that was professionally prepared by our attentive barkeep for the evening. But, we came for the food and Blacksmith advertised itself as a farm to table type of place. The selection while small, was upscale and local. In addition to having their famous House Burger and Lump Crab Cake we also ordered...wait for it...wait for it...a Stacked Crispy Eggplant with Shaved Parmesan.

 Starting with the eggplant; since it was something I would never normally order, I moderated judgment. LWatt of course, enjoyed the eggplant the most while Wattman ate his portion without much comment. I can say the sauce was pretty good. Our burger once again, was well cooked and had a nice overall flavor but it was just lacking that special add-on to make it pop. To all of us the crab cake was a disappointment.You could see the crab meat and taste the crab, but it was overall, rather bland. Even the tarter sauce and capers on top lacked punch. Like I had mentioned before, the place went for upscale.

Their food was the feature. No TV, just basic background music. As we were finishing off our meal, the rain finally stopped. Good conversation eventually faded, and there was no reason to linger. The attentive staff and warm atmosphere always makes Blacksmith a nice place stop, just gotta bring our wallets. Thus, we headed off into the night. The Thanksgiving holiday was upon us. Our next inquest will be the annual Winterfest foray. The Patrol, as always, will be in the Spirit! 

THE RATINGS-
Stacked Crispy Eggplant: B
House Burger: B-
Lump Crab Cake: C
Beer: B
Atmosphere: B-
Value: C-
Overall Score = 2.54

              

Empty Streets, from the Target's notebook.

Morning flight, Rt 90 Bridge over Isle of Wight Bay. 11/8/2018.

   After a late spring heat-up of some choice surf. After a summer of wind and humidity that brought out the flatties. After an off-season of hurricane and nor'east coastal storm driven wind swell. We have come to the sunset of our season. More like the "hit the wall" part of our season...Standard Time. The signal to start our annual tour of Berlin. It was a quiet weeknight in town as the empty streets saw temps much colder than we've been used too, a chill I got to personally experience as I awaited the Watts arrival. Wattman had chosen the Burley Café for the week's culinary appraisal. A former coffee shop, it was a small space located directly behind the historic Atlantic Hotel. A sidekick to the Burley Oak Brewery, the joint featured the brewery's beers and the local Rise Up Coffee as well as brew pub type grub. Upon arrival we grabbed a table near the bar. The place was small, very small really, maybe sat 50 max.

So, the live music schedule tonight proved to be interesting. A veritable one man show. Like our combination barkeep/waiter.  Now, as was mentioned, this place was related to the brewery. We expected lots of Burley beer, but to my surprise there was not an alternative in the house. Not a Miller Lite to be found anywhere in the place. How any bar can hold the back the refreshing, fulfilling, the smoothness of a Miller Lite from the people of this world...well...I question it's existence. This is harsh but we, the silent majority, must make a stand against overly hoppy brews that only the likes of the Watt can enjoy. This being said, LWatt ordered a "Build Your Own JREAM," Burley Oak's sour with fruited, puréed add-ins to infuse your own flavors. A much better choice. The menu was limited, more geared to what I would consider breakfast than dinner. Thus, we followed its lead and ordered the S'more Waffle. However, our dinner side needed to be satisfied, so we added the Buffalo Chicken Waffle as well as the BBQ Chicken Flatbread. We all enjoyed the flatbread though the edges seemed a bit crisp. Could have also used more chicken. As to the waffles, they were both small in size but freshly made and looked great. LWatt enjoyed her S'more waffle, though we agreed it was more of a dessert than a dinner. I thought it needed more sweet and less bitter on the chocolate end...just sayin'.

Wattman liked the Buffalo Chicken, I found it acceptable, and LWatt thought it too spicy. No TV's anywhere, and the music spent most of our part of the night eating tacos. The place was quaint and the vibe may have been good when people...and the music...finally arrived. We expedited the close of our meal as LWatt had a business call scheduled. The future for this place in doubt since the number of other options, even in Berlin, are too numerous for a near future repeat for the Patrol. Hence, we returned to the empty streets from whence we came; into the night looking towards next week's target for survey in America's coolest small town.  

THE RATINGS-

S'more Waffle: B-

Buffalo Chicken Waffle: B-

BBQ Chicken Flatbread: B

Beer: B

Atmosphere: C+

Value: C

Overall Score = 2.63

Last Dance, from the Target's notebook.

Conclusion of the dance. Close of DST, 65th Street OCMD. 11/1/2018

I'm so glad you came

I'm so glad you remembered

To see how we're ending our last dance together  

-The Cure

   We called for an extra early session this week. There I was, waiting on an empty street as darkness quickly descended. As I had the time, I pondered this year's "Patrol". We had enjoyed the ending of  the Last Waltz, the Last Lecture so to speak, of each previous season. But, tonight is the Last Surf...the Last Dance of the year. I couldn't help but wonder once again, will this be our last session. With each passing year change occurs, and we have ridden each year's wave no matter the length of the ride. Would this be the end or just our annual break? I had little time to examine this question as the Watts finally arrived. It was low tide again and the supply of rideable waves was limited as the darkness quickly surrounded us. LWatt and I sat back, facing into the last light of day as Wattman had to work to gain position in the lineup. Conditions were semi-clean to choppy with winds out of the south joined by a strong northerly current. The waters of the Atlantic had now dipped into the lower 60's forcing the Wattman into the full rubber cover sans gloves. Between paddling, treading the sandy bottom, and several trips down south across the shore fronting us, Wattman managed to chisel himself a nice hitch from a rambling frontside. Even in the dimming light I snapped the ride with multiple pics, albeit grainy, that provided proof of a successful end of year session. Surprising both me and LWatt, Wattman started to call it a night and headed in. However, with this being the last session of the year we sent him back out into the murk for a little more. Eventually, the sheer obscurity of it all brought the jam to an end. It was bittersweet as we listened to the crash of the waves, pivoting west to exit the beach. For Watt, perhaps a few weekend opportunities to get wet before the water drops below 50. For me, the summer had finally ended...the dreaded winter months bearing down upon us. The next four, five months I will suffer. I can only hope that this time passes quickly and I will once again find myself with toes in the water, ass in the sand, surrounded by friends as once again the boys of summer are back in town.

   Watt had chosen an odd restaurant to celebrate the end of the season. Looking for something more upscale, but the Assateague Diner and Westside Bar was our location for tonight.

Formerly the 19th Hole, Wattman and I visited the spot several years ago. An all season local joint, I would bet no fancy pants, out-of-towners even knew the place existed. We pulled up to the bar with about five dudes who seemed to have been there for some time (dollar beer always brings in a certain crowd). An Internet jukebox provided classic rock and a well placed arrangement of TVs had what we needed...plenty of college football. While the selection of beverages was limited, being served in iced glasses got our approval. We started our order with Westside Wings, a spicy BBQ which we all seemed to enjoy. Just the right amount of sauce and steaming hot always made for a great wing.

The Grouper Tacos were about average. The piece of fish was large and well cooked, but the seasonings and fixin's were kind of bland. We finished with our continued burger obsession and got the Big ASSateague Burger which was the house specialty. Let's start by saying it was indeed big. With pepper jack cheese, ham, bacon, and fried pickles on a well cooked burger you would think it would have been the bomb. But with no mustard or ketchup (or onions for me) offered, it was lacking that special something to take it over the top. Regardless, it was well cooked, juicy, with enough of a party for your mouth that it was worth the gamble. Having finished the food and AC/DC on the 'box, we called it a night and paid our very reasonable tab. Good food with great pricing on everything. A surprise overachiever well deserving of another Patrol drive-by. As for the near future, the "Standard Time" Crew Assessments will begin.

THE RATINGS-

Westside Wings: B

Grouper Tacos: C+

Big ASSateague Burger: B

Beer: B-

Atmosphere: C+

Value: B+

Overall Score = 2.75