Has anyone tried the meatballs at scalas? This guy at work was telling me they are fantastic and this dude EATS!
Although itās not a fit for my skill set, I just came across a job posting for Exec Chef at Sirenaā¦
Once Chef Kenny left a few years back, it hasnāt been as good, hopefully the new chef will be as good as chef Kenny
Where did he go? I didnāt even know he left but I havenāt been to sirena in quite a while.
I think Beach Tavern in Monmouth Beach
Happy hour at Johnny Pianconeās is the best deal in Monmouth County. Bar area only, and itās a small bar area. Seating can get competitive so get there early.
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I have to check this out. What are your favorites?
The stuffed scallops and mini Sunday gravyā¦(itās not mini). Pork, meatball, sausage rigatoni with a glob of ricotta, I think itās $7.00.
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I liked the meatballs at Scalas. Iām also a big fan of their spaghetti and meat sauce. TBH Iāve never been disappointed by anything there so far and me and my family have tried various pizzas, pastas, cold and hot sandwiches.
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I am going to try this place asap. Sounds tasty and economical.
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So I tried Johnny piancones happy hour. I arrived and every seat was taken, but after a few minutes a high top opened so I grabbed a seat flying solo.
The menu for happy hour is extensive, plus they have a daily happy our special list. I didnāt count but there are probably 25+ dishes to choose from when you add both together, maybe even 30. Yeah it is a lot!
I chose the sunday gravy āminiā dish for 12.00.
To be honest, Iām not sure why I order red sauce when dining out. I canāt remember the last time I got one out. Iām generally never impressed but this was just OK for me. The meatball was one large one but kind of gritty to me. The sausage link was not speaking my language and the pork was just meh. Donāt get me wrong, this not a bad dish but I think Iām overly critical when it comes to red sauce dishes. The sauce itself with the rigatoni was the best part for me. I really like the sauce and the portion is large. It may not appear that big but Iām guessing it would fill up most people. Bread was half decent, and toasted. They serve it with whipped butter that isnāt rock hard. Kudos
15.75 for the dish and 1 miller lite before tax/tip. My goal was to have one lighter beer and not get full. Then tank the Sunday gravy dish and follow it up with some seafood. My eyes were bigger than my stomach.
Anyway, I will be back to try a few more happy hour specials. The pricing seems to be pretty good and people seemed to be chowing down. Up next I think I want the anti pasti, crab stuff scallops and maybe proscuitto wrapped shrimp.
Not a great pic butā¦
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My coworker got lunch today at el rincon de la costa.
He ordered the Mexican version of a"mixed" grill and this thing was pretty damn big! I might try one tomorrow. It has pork, chorizo, chicken, and shrimp
ā¦maybe more lol.
It comes in a tray with the traditional cooked onion and jalapeƱo, avocado slices, cheese, cactus. Etc. You also get rice, beans, tortillas and some sauces. It is similar to linos dish but cheaper and I think 15 bucks. You can definitely get two meals out of this, unless youāre the mixed grill champion of HO 
This looks like a good one.
Has anyone been here? @goodparmesan
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I am not sure if these will come out OK but here is the menu. I still need to get to Keyport and try the spicy shrimp Greg likes. I will be there sooner later to see my accountant so I think that will be the time. I will give the Diablo shrimp a try here too. @gcaggiano
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So there is a new place opening up called āa to z toppingsā
It is going right across from tuzzios. My first thought was pizza but there are literally 3 pizza places on the corners so this would make 4. I canāt see that happening but what do you guess and does anyone know anything about it? Google didnāt show me much. Burgers? A taco style place like bubakoos? Iām intrigued. It is like a food riddle Iām trying to figure out.
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So I finally dined at el arriero, a Colombian place. More details to come but letās say I didnt leave hungry. The picada is an assortment of meats for 25.00 and although it is for 2 people, this could easily feed 3.
And this time I wonāt be presenting any mixed grill challenges to anyone ; )
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Looks delicious! Your new phone is working out great. Excellent pics!
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Thanks Greg. They are looking pretty good to me too so I am happy about that. This place was one of the most ācolorfulā restaurants Iāve been to, in the literal sense of the word.
The pique was great. It was so good I literally finished the bowl with a spoon after I was stuffed with meat, bread and plantains. It had some slight heat and an awesome cilantro profile. Donāt tell anyone I ate this like a soup lol. I want to see if I can get a container to go one day. It would be killer with skirt steak.
For dessert we stopped by a Mexican raspado truck called Dāice. This was my second time trying this Mexican favorite. For us gringos, this is Mexican shaved ice. It is kind of like their version of a snow cone but you drink it with a straw and they often put fruit in them. I got a lime flavored one and possibly dumped 3/4 of of flask of tequila into that bad boy
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Stopped in to La Valentina a couple nights ago. The meat molcajete was so good I wanted to try the Molcajete Mariscos. Certainly not as good as the meat, and would probably not order it again.
Also had the ceviche stuffed avocado, which we enjoyed.
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Also stopped in to El Rodeio to check it out. We were there Monday night and were thinking about the Rodizio. Not many people in there so figured would pass on the rodizio for another time. While we were there, a couple did order the rodizio and it did look fresh and tasty. Next time, maybe after the Haskell on Sunday.
Had a typical Brazilian plate with sausage, beans, rice, pork chop, collards and egg. GF had steak with garlic and ff, rice and beans. Would order both again. Good meal for $44 before tip. BYOB.
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Just a FYI the Haskell is this Saturday the 20th not Sunday!
