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