Changing Times, from the Watt's notebook.

Still lots to trim. Even the asphalt isn't completely laid down. Main Street, Berlin. 11/17/2022

     Changing times, and we're not just talking the clock being set back. It seems the seasonal change has brought with it a quieter character than in years past. Weekly closing times are between 10 and 12pm. Seriously. Some places aren't even open Mondays thru Wednesdays. Surf has been quiet this week, and is pretty much done for the year... unless ya get out on a weekend. That time is fading fast as well. 

     Thanksgiving's coming up. Christmas right beyond that. And the streets of Berlin are starting to burn bright. We returned to town for a pre-holiday Crew meet of sorts. Yet, there was a quiet in the air that laid further evidence to the aforementioned change. Boxcar On Main...our critique of the evening. Not even 7pm. If'n I was a gamblin' man, I'd have bet we were the last patrons of the night. Which meant we didn't have to wait long for that first brew, or food off the menu. Decent draft selection, and I chose a nice double IPA. Chilled, but not iced, glass.

Our food choices included the Stout Braised Pork Belly. Seared in a stout with pork au jus, it was tender but could have used more seasoning. Next, the BBQ Wings, which were big and meaty. Hot, with a good coating of sauce. The sauce was tasty, yet kinda "standard." The best of our choices was The Burger. A blend of chuck, rib meat, and brisket. Very juicy, and cooked just the way we ordered it... which is not always the case in some of the places we'd been. We stuck to the basics- cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle. Excellent thin fries on the side. We babbled for the next half hour or so. That's what friends do, easily. A single TV in front of us with extreme biking. No real music per se. I mean, we were the lone patrons, which is unusual no matter where we have gone. See? Times they be changing. Target has been healing. LWatt has a business trip coming up. I have been planning our Christmas Lights installation such that I can avoid trying to disable myself this year. Lots going on over the next couple weeks. As we headed across the street to our vehicles, we stopped to check out a local shop, complete with a bar and amateur night happening. Even when seemingly quiet, you can find noise in this town. Good times. Thinking a couple more weeks before the next Crew meet. Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat! 

THE RATINGS-

Beer: B-

Stout Braised Pork Belly: C+

BBQ Wings: B-

The Burger: B+

Atmosphere: C

Value: C+

Overall Score = 2.54

Reset, from the Watt's notebook.

Late Autumn sunrise over the Assawoman, 11/3/2022.

     Time to reset. The last week of "Savings Time." Blame it on work. Blame it on lack of intention. Whatever the issues, recovery will be needed. Looking back, I cannot remember a last of the season opportunity that was missed. The waves were not epic. Yet, at knee-plus they were ridable and would have provided stoke for the last water session. But it was dark by the time I was home from work. Typical of this year. We need to find that driver. The inspiration lost. Like I said, time to reset.

     Speaking of reset, our establishment of choice this evening was The Sterling Tavern on Main Street in Berlin, reset from what was formerly Fins Ale House...yeah, we'd been there. They had enclosed the front porch, however we chose seats at the bar in hopes of faster service as the place was buzzin'. There was a pretty decent beer selection that I chose from, Target settled on an iced tea since he was still in healing mode, while LWatt eyed a Pomegranate Margarita.

From the menu we selected the Bacon Cheeseburger, Shrimp Tacos, and Thai Chili Wings. As we had previously mentioned, the place was buzzing, very busy, and the food took enough time to come out that I was already on my 2nd beer (big surprise!). The burger was well cooked, but could have been more seasoned. The tacos were very good and would have garnered a higher rating had they not been cooled down from the wait. The wings took top honors being plump and juicy, well cooked and fairly hot, with a delicious sauce. They had a local singer crooning chill music upstairs and college football on the flat-screens. Our bartender kept things lite with small talk and good recommendations across the menu. Tab was a wee bit on the elevated side, but that seems to be a trend everywhere. All in all, a very pleasant experience was had as we enjoyed our meal discussing life as it hit us each day. The Sterling is doin' good things here. This would definitely be a location at which our Crew would eventually do a return engagement. Onward to the next retreat.

THE RATINGS-
Beer: B
Bacon Cheeseburger: B
Shrimp Tacos: B
Thai Chili Wings: B+
Atmosphere: B+
Value: B-
Overall Score = 3.04

Lost Ride, the Target's notes.

I'm fallin' so I'm taking my time on my ride. -Twenty One Pilots
Taking the swing at a lefty, 66th and Holidays. 10/27/2022

     The "Season" had ended. The Watt wanted one last chance to get in a surf in 2022, and to regain the quickly fading year. Hence, we met at the beach as the sun was dropping. Mother Nature and Father Time always pass their own judgments. With the water in the lower 60's, the full wet suit was required. Waves were thigh high with occasional chest. All that can be implied...the added weight of the suit... the mind was willing, but the body did not always follow. Thus while rides may have been lost, after several paddles into the break attempts were made, feet hit the deck, and sometimes, yes sometimes, that was what was really important.

OC Skyline in the fading sunset.

     With Halloween 'round the corner, Wattman decided Dead Freddie's Island Grill to be the appropriate choice for the evening. We have critiqued this tavern several times. It had not been a favorite, but I could not remember exactly why. We found a couple seats at the bar as most of the tables had been taken up by groups of golfers on vacation. At least that's what they looked like. The night did not start off well. Ordering our drinks, LWatt asked for a coffee beverage and was told they didn't have any coffee. How can a bar/restaurant not have coffee? In addition, several of their beers were tapped out. After the Watt finally made his selection, it was served in a plastic cup. Plastic! It turned out my iced tea was the best of the beverage choices. From the menu, we ordered Barbeque Wings, the Seafood Quesadilla, and the Blend- a half 'n half of Cream of Crab and Crab Soup. Five wings, the count called out on the menu, were so small I wondered if they came from a Cornish Hen. The quesadilla was decent, nice flavor, but could have used more seafood.

The blended cream and tomato crab soup was pretty good. Ordered a cup...the cream of crab was the above average portion, but overall was not warm enough. The one standout point of the entire bar was the view. Wall to wall TV's so matter where you sat you did have a great view of the Thursday Night Football game. The night drew to a close and the bill came due. That is when I remembered our previous reviews. Overpriced and below average food had been our comments. Even a wall of TV's cannot make up for that failure. No worries, like the next wave that's coming, another retreat is always nearby.

THE RATINGS-

Beer: C

BBQ Wings: C-

Seafood Quesadilla: B-

Blended Crab Soup: B-

Atmosphere: C+

Value: C-

Overall Score = 2.21

Hibernation time...dreamin' of the next wave.