Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Homage, tales from the Watt.

Honoring the home port. Smitty McGee's, West Fenwick, DE 2/7/2019
   Our season never officially starts until we do Smitty McGee's. I mention this as Target had reminded me a number of times since our Tall Tales tarriance. Our history goes back to the early 2000's. Fifteen plus years. As a much larger League of Eccentrics we were bound to one surf break... Holiday's, with pools to rinse the salt, bathrooms and surrounding covered parking as changing areas... and one post-surf assemblage... Smitty's. Dollar Yuengling drafts. Fifty cent wings. No surprise in our choices. As our cohorts dropped off one by one, we were forced to open up our avenues of criticism. Instead of (or in addition to) each other, we ventured out to critique other haunts. When I met LWatt, I introduced her to the Eccentrics left. Combined with Smitty's, her ambition was born. Enrollment was in her future. I find myself commemorating because it explains our roots. The lineage of the Crew. The reason why we pay homage through our return each year. 'Course, I had another influence as well. Lifetime member of the League of Eccentrics, Cheeks Wix. The man joined us. I reached out. He reached back. We got 'im there. Hence, this was a historic reunion. A de facto tale of beer and wings.
"It's a day kids live for. Schools close, roads disappear, grown men weep."
 -Hal Brandston, Snow Day.         
Two days later, the rained washed it all away. Snow-masked shorebreak,
OCMD. 2/1/2019.                                                                -Dispatch photo
   It's been an on and off Winter. Luke warm for a few days. Wind-chilled teens for a few days. Mixed in some snow. Rinsed off with rain. Do it again. Fun. Found myself longing for Spring at the very least. Smitty's off season meant half the place was shut down.
BBQ & Old Bay
 As it was a Thursday, we were hoping for Randy Lee, or at least some form of elite live music. Not to be. But, we did get low lighting (a bit too low), cool temps (kept the jackets on), excellent piped '80s tunes (we are a 70s/80s Crew), and plenty of flat screens. Our server dude was a regular Johnny-on-the-Spot with beers to start, including a Yuengling for Cheeks. Not the coldest, but acceptable. No side orders here.
Mild & Key West
 Wings only. Four peeps, four styles. None of them were losers. All were meaty and well cooked. LWatt and Target's Old Bay and BBQ topped out. Cheeks' Mild Buffalo a close second, and my Key West (garlic) while tasty, were the only ones that we left a couple in the basket. Guess we're not a garlicky Crew. All in all, a pretty satisfying session. Good to see Wixy. Good to get together. Good to do the Smitty's start-up thing. The latest Quest begins.
THE RATINGS-
Old Bay Wings: B+
BBQ Wings: B+
Mild Buffalo Wings: B
Key West Wings: C+
Beer: C+
Atmosphere: B-
Value: B+
Overall Score = 2.86