That house cured bacon is no slouch. It goes great with the port wine mustard and charred slaw.
We had another sensational dinner at Tillie’s with @Rich and his lovely wife. Details and pictures are in the main WFD thread below.
What's for Dinner #46 - the June Is Busting Out All Over Edition - June 2019
We had another fantastic dinner at Tillie’s. Details and pictures are in the below link.
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Tillie’s just got an excellent write up by Esther Davidowitz, so it’s not just me that likes it 
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We had another excellent dinner at Tillie’s.
The outstanding comp of the month was tender grilled octopus with red kidney beans, scallions, and pork in a spicy romesco sauce. I also brought a nice bottle of wine for Chef Wirt as appreciation.
We also shared an excellent smoked pulled pork shoulder with red cabbage and grits.
For entrees Mrs. P had pan roasted swordfish with sweet corn, NJ chanterelles, and giardineira. I had a dry aged grass fed rib eye with green beans, spinach, and blue cheese. It was cooked Pittsburgh style with a nice char on the outside and perfectly medium rare on the inside. It all went great with a 2015 Muga Reserva Tempranillo. Thanks to @Barca for your excellent wine recommendation!
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That there! WOW.
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It had an excellent smoky flavor and would have made a great sandwich.
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That octopus was a nice comp, indeed! Love romesco, too.
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Yes, the octopus was very tender and had a nice char to it. The romesco sauce had a nice kick to it.
Chef Wirt is very talented, and has been very generous to us. We go there once a month and he always prepares something special for us. I try and bring him and his wife Karen a bottle of wine every other month or so in appreciation.
We had another excellent dinner at Tillie’s. The outstanding comp of the day was smoky pork shoulder, with lentils, spicy chilis, collard greens, garlic puree, and topped with a beautifully poached egg. I brought Chef Wirt a bottle of wine in appreciation. We also enjoyed the always awesome fried chicken thighs, Cajun shrimp and grits, and halibut. It all went great with a 2016 Domaine La Fourmone Gigondas.
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A day after we ate here last Saturday we found out that next Saturday the 26th is going to be Tillie’s last night 
We went back tonight for one final dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. Below are the details and pictures.
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What a shame… Any clue as to the chef’s plans?
Yes. I’m really going to miss this restaurant.
I have a vague clue but he couldn’t fully give me details until November 4th, since a person that he will be replacing is not aware of it yet. He will not be working in a regular restaurant. I’ll supply more details in November when I get them and it is safe to do so.
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Really surprised they are closing. From the pics, the place appears to be very successful.
The food was fantastic but they never really got the business they deserved. They did ok on Friday & Saturday but not the rest of the week. Also, the people in that neighborhood (mostly families with small children) are not as adventurous eaters as we HOs are. They were also located in an off location away from the main strip. Their lease was coming due at the end of October, and the chef received a very good offer to be an executive chef (including benefits) in a large non restaurant (food court type of) environment creating new menus and being in charge of about 30 people. His wife is also studying to become a nurse with hopes of working in her new profession beginning early next year. They have 4 young daughters, and it was pretty much the husband and wife working in the kitchen by themselves all of those hours (Wednesday through Sunday), while the parents baby sat. These new opportunities were too good to pass up. It will be nice to have insurance for their large family, and also nice to not have to worry about the day to day stress of running and managing a restaurant (like equipment breaking down and floods that have closed the restaurant down in the past). As much as I will miss them I am very happy for their new opportunities. They are wonderful genuine people and I wish them only the best.
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Doing good business on Fridays and Saturdays while the rest of the week is weak is the story for so many NJ restaurants. The prohibitive cost of liquor licenses for most restaurants is a major problem re: the bottom line since drinks and wine are the real money makers.
Running a “mom and pop” restaurant, which is essentially what Tillie’s is, is never easy. Considering that it started with just the two of them and then over time they had four daughters (!), what they accomplished and that it lasted so long is truly admirable.
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Yes, I am amazed that they lasted 4 years considering the circumstances.
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Chef Wirt just let it out on his Instagram account that he will be working at Sojo Spa in Edgewater starting in November. From what he told me, he will be revamping and managing the food hall menu at the spa and hotel, with a chance of opening a restaurant in the future. He will be in charge of about 30 people in the kitchen. It seems like you will have to pay a fee to enter the spa/hotel if you want to just dine there. It looks like a beautiful place right on the water. There is currently no emphasis on food but the owners want to change that. I wish him the best of luck.
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