Beer for Breakfast

On Wednesday, June 23rd the United States soccer team made history as they scored the go-ahead goal vs Algeria in extra time. Despite having work at 5:00, I decided to meet some of my friends at Dempsey's Pub on Second Ave down on the lower east side.

You would have never known it was a work day as the pub was absolutely packed with both new and old soccer fans. I have been to the pub before for St. Patty's Day and it was equally as packed. Its a good spot to watch a soccer match or celebrate your irish heritage as all the workers were straight off-the-boat irish.

We were lucky enough to get there early and grab a table, but we didn't sit for long as people packed in and blocked our vision. They had the England game on as well so it was nice to look back and forth although my eyes rarely left the USA game.

Without getting too much into the game, the United States seemed to get screwed with another call allowing the game to be tied after 90 minutes. Extra time brought a goal when Landon Donovan put one in the back of the net securing the United States spot to the next round. Not only did we make it out of Group C, but we finished at the top of our group which hasn't been done in quite some time.

Our waitress worked extremely hard as she pushed through the crowds--trying to please a bunch of rowdy fans. Although she looked a little frazzled, I think she did a great job in appeasing the crowd.

The pint of Guinness was delicious, but I needed a little something else for breakfast. I opted to get the chicken tenders as I was looking for something easy to eat. The chicken tenders weren't your normal chicken tenders, but that's not a bad thing--in fact it might be a good thing. The chicken tenders seemed like they were freshly breaded opposed to frozen tenders. The honey mustard that was served with the tenders was on point! Although not my normal breakfast choice- it served to be a nice treat.

I would highly recommend Dempsey's Pub for a soccer game, especially a United States world cup match. The excitement was awesome as fans started various chants whether routing on the USA or celebrating their favorite president as the camera showed Bill Clinton. Born in the USA blasted throughout the bar as soon as the match was done. High Fives all around as people started to chug, dance, and cheer.

It was definitely one of the best sporting events I have ever witnessed and I'm glad it was at Dempseys Pub.





(Picture from St. Patrick's Day)

PJ Clarkes (World Financial Center)

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, so my roommate Greg and I decided to venture down to Battery Park to see the Red Bull airshow. I've never seen the show, but I heard its pretty cool and definitely worth watching. We didn't know what time it started so we just walked around till we got hungry.

When discussing our limited financial district options, we both thought PJ Clarkes was our best bet. We could sit in the marina right outside the World Financial Center, enjoy a burger, and maybe even catch the airshow.

PJ Clarkes does a nice job in their outdoor seating as the views of the water are awesome. We were offered a brunch menu that had many good options including a special for the day:skirt steak and eggs. Although very tempted by steak and eggs, I opted to get the Cadillac Burger which was a burger topped with cheddar and bacon. Intrigued by how good that sounded, Greg got the same thing. Disappointed that the burger didn't come with a side, Greg ordered cole slaw while I got the crispy fried onion straws. We also thought it'd be a good idea to start the meal with some buffalo wings which Greg assured me were some of New York's finest.

A bold statement, especially to a buffalo/chicken wing enthusiast. He was right on with his opinion as these wings were delicious. Put off by the menu description, I thought the wings were your typical hot wings tossed in Frank's red hot and butter (like on the back of the label). Although there is nothing wrong with that recipe (I love it)--I was hoping for more. The wings delivered as they were some of the most flavorful wings I've ever had. The wings were spicy, but not mouth-numbing. These ability to control the heat of the wings allowed the true flavor of the wings to come out--and boy was it glorious.

The burger was another treat as it was juicy and full of great flavor. The burger wasn't cooked to my liking as it was close to well; but I didn't mind as somehow it kept it flavor and juiciness I topped my burger with the side of fried onions which made the burger over the top. I almost didn't finish it because I was so full, but I couldn't leave anything behind as it was really good.

The service kind of sucked, but I didn't mind as our food made up for it. On a hot sunny day, servers must be aware of refilling water glasses--but I won't rant about something so juvenile. I thought the server could have had a little more personality though. When you're in the service industry: in the front of house--one might expect you be a people person. Maybe he was hungover from Friday night? Who knows. Service plays a huge part in a diner's experience, but this time it didn't as the food carried the service on its back.

I'd definitely go back

The Shore Scene

Parker House (Sea Girt, NJ)
"You'll feel the atmospheric energy almost the minute you walk in through the porch bar and around the inside bars to one of the many tables both indoors and outdoors. This is a place to have fun." The Star Ledger

If you're in the Belmar/Manasquan area, be sure to check out this Jersey Shore hot spot. The Parker House,like many other Jersey Shore bars, has a split personality as it offers a live band downstairs and DJ entertainment upstairs. The parker house is also known for its sunday funday!


Leggets (Manasquan, NJ)
This place could get crowded, but its always a lot of fun as the manasquan scene seems to be growing every year. As the scene grows, the amount of places to go stays the same.Leggets and The Osprey have been the two dominate bars located right across from the beach in manasquan. Both bars could get rowdy, but I feel that leggets is a little more toned down. If you are looking to really get after it and dance--Osprey is your place but if you are looking for a more relaxed spot, go to leggets.



Joe Leone's (Pt. Pleasant)
After a night of drinking in Manasquan, Stef and I headed to this Italian Deli/Specialty shop for some food. She had heard of Joe Leone's from a family friend, so she wanted to stop by on our way to LBI.

I knew she was going to love it from the moment I walked in as it seemed like an authetic italian deli with plenty of specialty foods to try and purchase. I mean who doesn't like free samples? After walking around the store, we got our sandwiches and headed outside to eat. We sat at the picnic table on the side of the store.

Chicken, Mozzerella,Peppers, a beautiful day, a beautiful girl--thats amore.

Stout

I've been to Stout a bunch of times, so this entry will be short and sweet. Went to Stout one night after work to meet my buddy. I actually met him at the bar next to Stout, which I think was the Blarney Stone? We left there after a beer because they didn't accept credit cards. C'mon, you're a bar in midtown Manhattan and you don't accept credit cards. I never have cash on me so I convinced my buddy Morven and his girlfriend to leave and go next door to Stout.

We had a few beers and one of there pizzas which was really good. I saw two tables with pizza and it looked good so I decided to go for it. The wings and steak sandwich at Stout are really good, but I figured to go with something different.

Nothing like pizza and beer after a hard days work. The thin crust pizza is very popular as the waitress bragged about it. The waitress was very nice and was always around to get us another round.

I never plan to go to Stout, but its always a good alternative if you run into a shitty bar--like one that doesn't accept credit cards.

Williamsburg

Surf Bar
I almost forgot I was in Brooklyn after visiting this surf bar which reminded me of a spot you'd find in Hawaii or another exotic location. Sand covers the floor of this cozy, laid-back establishment as surf boards line the ceiling. Music from artist like Bob Marley came through the speakers adding to the relaxing vibe.

We walked right to the back patio, but unfortunately it was packed. After standing around, looking lost, we wandered back inside to sit at the tables that aligned the wall. In all this time, we were not greeted by anyone. We couldn't even find anyone that worked there.

We sat down at the tables as far away from the noisy fan as possible while we waited for a server. We waited a few minutes before we asked the bartender if there was someone to take our order. Shortly after, a shaggy surfer-looking dude came up to us and gave us menus.

We all ordered tropical drinks as the weather was scorching. As I usually do, I asked the server what the house specialty was. He brought me a frozen mojito which was really good. I never get mojitos because I'm not a fan of the muddled mint which usually gets trapped in the straw. This pale green, frozen mojito didn't have mint pieces floating around which was a relief. I think they did a good job in balancing the alcohol, mint, and sugar which is pretty much the essence of the mojito. It was served in a tropical looking glass that was pretty big.

We opted not to get food for a few reasons. We were joking how our server was probably the cook and we didn't want to give him extra work. The menu itself also looked alittle scattered. We also wanted to explore Williamsburg as it is said to have an up-and-coming culinary scene.

Although Surf Bar had a good vibe going, I don't see myself going back. I am still finding sand in my sneakers and there are other places to explore. It was a nice escape from the city and that I do applaud.



Fatty Cue (Brooklyn, NY)
After experimenting with surf bar, I dragged the crew to Fatty Cue after reading a great review from the NY Times. Fatty Cue is is Zakary Pelaccio's funky new BBQ restaurant in Williamsburg which marries traditonal BBQ with a Malayian twist. To be totally honest, the food was good;but didn't live up to the hype I gave it. While the food won't bring me back to Williamsburg, the experience will.

We sat on the top floor which only had two tables. I enjoyed sitting up here as we were able to view the whole restaurant on our way up. We not only got to check out the decor of this three story restaurant,but we got to scope out what people were eating.

Our server seemed bossy, but in a good way. She told us "newbies" how the kitchen operates and how all plates are meant to share. I know we ordered a bunch of stuff, but the only things that are worth mentioning are the coriander bacon,cucumber salad, and the whole pig. The whole pig was a special that they do once a week so we felt obligated to get that.

The portion sizes were kind of small,but that might just be me being a fatass. Everything that we had was good and had good flavor--but I just didn't LOVE it.

On our way out, we got to meet the Pittmaster, Robbie Richter. We later found out that Robbie was the pittmaster who helped start Hill Country. Our conversation with Robbie started after he thought we were going to steal his BBQ spare ribs that were resting on the rack outside the smoker. After Courtney, gregs girlfriend, told Robbie she didn'tsee them on the menu, he immediately told us to sit down and got us a plate. We sat in the alley where there were three tables or so. We sat down with Robbie and bullshitted food for an hour or so whilewe enjoyed his nicely BBQ spare ribs. I remember him saying how the ribs were made with palm syrup and smokey fish sauce. I really enjoyed his story as well as the conversation with the rest of the table. We also enjoyed a few of their drink specials like their "recession special" which gives you a shot of whiskey,a spicy pickle back, and a tallboy PBR.

Jersey Spots

Lucas (Edison, NJ)
coming soon




Senioritas (Clark, NJ)
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Waiting Room (Rahway, NJ)
coming soon

JJ Bitting

(Coming Soon)

Novita

(Coming Soon)

Buffalo Wild Wings

(Coming Soon)