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"The sweet is never as sweet without the sour." -Edmond Ventura, Vanilla Sky
Still a joyride...a foamy burst ending one of the few of the night.
Holidays and 66th, 10/24/2019 |
This time of year, the colors tend to fade as fast as they explode. It ain't much, and if you don't catch the glimpse, or you don't jump the ride, or you don't get to the bar early, it'll close and be done in a gasp. The shoulder season is finishing up. We have one more surf (weather permitting) after this post. Last couple sessions have been pretty vanilla. Water in the low 60's, dribbling in thigh high or less swell with absolutely no power. If I caught 'em, their rides were short. And the sessions were short as well. With the midweek workday, by the time we crossed the shoreline we had less than 45 minutes of water-time. Like last week, it was all about timing and getting in position fast...not my forte. There was a slight sandbar out there, and then it dropped off again just before the shoreline. The sets would jack a bit as they hit the sandbar and then die out. If I wasn't on 'em immediately, I'd miss. We're talking minimal surf; caught some, and missed some. It was a very vanilla session.
Nothing helps bland like a little local excitement. The evenings meal stop was a true locals joint and one which the Crew
last visited in 2013, the
Original Crabcake Factory. Taking up the bottom floor of a condo complex, and cornering 120th and Coastal Highway, open concept garage style doors led directly from a small balcony dining deck to the bar. A large, theater style screen took up the back wall of the bar with several flatscreens surrounding. A pretty good number of taps lined the far corner wall.
In LWatt's opinion our barkeep was already at a disadvantage. He was a Packer fan. Regardless, he quickly had Target and I our beers, and LWatt a cider. The only faux pas was, with the exception of Target's Stella, service in plastic cups. Always a major concern with the Crew...and in this case, no sand or dirt floors. And, if you can serve one type, you should be able to serve all in glass. The menu was loaded with plenty of choices. We studied the options and chose the BBQ Pub Wings, the Blackened Shrimp Skewers, and the Crab Quesadillas. We were excited about the entire foray. A mild evening, door open to the beach air, a locals bar decked for Halloween, Thursday Night Football, and we were ready for a savory meal. At this point it was like watching the sets roll in, paddling into position, seeing the waves rise and...they just wither away.
That was tonight's pub grub. The wings were FRIED! No bueno. And instead of tossing them, they just squirted BBQ sauce on 'em. The skewers came out cold. The quesadillas were the best of the three. Crispy, and filled with crab and cheese, they were fairly appetizing. However, they too were only luke-warm. Like the waves earlier in the evening, the meal built up our hopes only to disappoint in the end. The local vibe was enhanced with a good selection of classic rock which helped abate the "blah" vanilla chow. But it was the tab that really threw us. Prices that exceeded the taste was always a burden we refused to find acceptable. This was no exception. The Redskins were playing, and the place seemed to be a Redskins bar, as it filled with fans. As a fan myself, this was always a plus for me. Still, the Redskins were on their way to losing...again. Not sure I could count that as a poor reflection, but it didn't help either. As our critique pertained to the Journey, when it came to return engagements we have often said "only time will tell." As to Thursday night's Crabcake Factory experience, only time will heal. No worries, this is why we do what we do. The bland only makes the stoke brighter. Next!
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THE RATINGS-
BBQ Pub Wings: C-
Blackened Shrimp Skewers: C-
Crab Quesadillas: B-
Beer: C+
Atmosphere: B
Value: C-
Overall Score = 2.21 |
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