Eating and Blogging and Fried Pickles

Hello faithful readers. I know I posted recently that I planned to do a lot more blogging, and certainly that is still the case. However, I have been saddled with some technical issues with my laptop and blogging like this from my phone is difficult. Don't worry though I have a new computer coming in the mail so I should be able to get back on the horse soon. In the meantime I wanted to say a little something about a fried pickle appetizer I had at The Mill Tavern in Westfield.

Now I have reviewed their Jellystone burger before and found it playful and unique.  Their take on fried pickles is similar in that regard. Instead of the usual chips these pickles were cut lengthwise. I thought this allowed the pickle flavor to stand up to the breading a little better. And speaking of the breading I much preferred their lighter cornmeal crust to the usual thick batter.  All in all very enjoyable, and a good value at only $4.50 for a large portion.

All Around Good Ish Review: The Local

"Hey, hey, hey. *What* is going *on* here?", a great high school principal was once famous for saying that. And if you think about it it makes sense to ask that question in more contexts than just wanting to find out what Zack's latest scheme is.  It actually probably makes more sense than journalism teachers that say you should start your articles with an "attention grabbing quote". (See what I did there?) But in any case that is precisely the question I asked myself when over the weekend The Girlfriend and I rolled up to The Local Eatery and Pub in Westfield to grab a bite to eat.  For people that are less food knowledgeable (not any of you readers I'm sure) The Local could be a slightly confusing place.  Is it an upscale pub? That is certainly in the name.  There is a full bar.  There are a lot of flat screen TVs. But wait, I thought this was a serious restaurant right? I mean there are menu items like mac 'n cheese with bacon lardons and a cheese steak made with braised beef tounge.  Those are definitely things foodies tend to wet their pants over. If it's a serious food place though is it stuffy and uptight, or can you eat in a relaxed atmosphere?  The truth is that is why I think I found this place to be so special.  It's all of those things.  I can have a beer and watch football.  I can eat some seriously bad ass food, and I don't have to feel like a pretentious d-bag to do it.  Let me talk a little bit about why and maybe you'll realize why you should get your butt into this place the next time you get a chance.

When The Girlfriend I arrived at the restaurant I have to admit it looked a little unassuming.  It's at the back end of a kind of strip mall in what used be a really crappy run-of-the-mill bar for 40 somethings.  However, when we walked inside we were impressed with the modern interior while still feeling welcomed in a casual restaurant/pub kind of way.  We were told there was a 30 min wait without a reservation, but we were able to quickly find a seat in the bar area as it was first come first serve.  The restaurant was busy so we took some time to look over the menu and we decided to start with the baked goat cheese appetizer and ordered the bbq bacon burger (my entree) and the fish and chips (for The Girlfriend).

The baked goat cheese came out first and it gave us a little hint of what the dining experience was going to be like.  The goat cheese was served fresh out of the oven in a dish of olive oil and roasted garlic.  It was served with a small loaf of fresh baked bread.  The flavors worked beautifully together and everything, including the bread, had a degree of freshness in its taste that is damn hard to beat.  I think my  favorite part was that the roasted garlic had become quite soft in the olive oil and I was able to cut it and spread it easily on my slice of bread along with the goat cheese.  Goat cheese is something that I see used on Food Network all the time, and up to this point my experience with it had been limited.  However, after trying this appetizer at The Local I would probably knock down a defenseless Alex Guaraschelli to get some more.

I know that in reviews where I really like what I had I can sometimes be prone to hyperbole, but trust me that is not the case when I say that the bbq bacon burger that I had at The Local was maybe the single greatest food item every conceived or prepared anywhere by anyone in the history of all mankind.  Ok I jest slightly, but seriously this mother $*!#@ is so good that I'm surprised Al Gore hasn't claimed to invent it yet.  Every aspect of it was nailed.  As I've lamented before I'm often incredulous when restaurants ask me how I want my burger cooked because it's usually going to come out medium well anyway.  Not the case here.  I asked for medium rare.  The waitress gave a wry smile as if to say "I'm glad you ordered it the right way" and that is exactly how it was cooked.  The meat itself had a ton of flavor, but all of the other elements only added to it.  The house made bbq sauce was the right note of tang without being sweet or overpowering. The carmelized onions added a natural sweetness, and the bacon was of the perfect type that allowed you to bite into it without sloughing off of the burger itself.  And oh yeah the fries that came on the side where of the hand cut variety and perfectly crisp.  Delicious.  The Girlfriend's dinner choice was just as good.

I was a little bit surprised when she decided to go with the fish and chips because she usually isn't a fish person (or a Phish person you dirty hippies), but she said she just felt like it would be good.  She was right.  The portion size was impressive with 2 very large white fish fillets and the same fries I mentioned above.  She said she couldn't believe how fresh the fish tasted so I had to try a piece (or 3).  She was right.  I've never had F&C that tasted quite like that.  The breading stayed on, but the fish was very tender and flaky.  The house made tartar sauce was distinctive also in a very good way.

Also, I don't always comment about service, but I feel obligated here.  Our server for the evening, Taylor, was extremely good at her job.  Despite being very busy in the crazy bar area side of the restaurant she tended quickly to our every need and made herself available for any questions if we had them.  If the owners of the restaurant are reading this know that you have a very good staff member there.

Ok ratings time, but let's face it these are practically  a formality at this point.

Taste 10/10 If this was Spinal Tap and these ratings went to 11 I would give it here. Why? Because this one was 1 better.  I'm not kidding the burger jumped to the top of my list of favorite burgers, and I can't wait to go back and try some other menu offerings.
Value 10/10 This is really the icing on the cake.  You can go to The Local and have a great, not good, great meal for a price that doesn't make it just a "special occasion" place if you have an average budget.  The Girlfriend's F&C was 12 bucks, and my burger was 11.  The app was more expensive at $9.50, but if we had forgone that we could have got out for under 30 bucks.  Win.

BBQ Review: Big Hoffa's

The Random Dude Eats Random Food Summer of BBQ Love Tour was on hiatus for a bit while the band was experiencing some "creative differences" i.e. I actually got a little bit tired of eating so much pulled pork (I never thought I would say that).  However, before that happened The Girlfriend and I were able to make it over to Westfield for some bbq from a place I had heard about from various people, Big Hoffa's. 

Far from being a place where a corrupt labor union leader is buried in cement, Big Hoffa's is a very uniquely styled bbq restaurant.  Actually it would almost be more appropriate to call it a bbq stand.  There are tables and chairs on the inside and it's fairly comfortable place to eat, but you do order at the counter when you go in and it is quite small.  The Girlfriend and I walked up to the counter and we both decided to get the same thing: 1/2 lb of pulled pork, 2 sides and 2 of their soft garlic rolls.  I have to say I quite enjoyed this particular brand of bbq.  My pulled pork was not dry, but it was also not swimming in juice which can be the downfall of bbq at other places like Bender's.  The sauce was a good mix of smoky/sweet/spicy.  This is probably my second favorite sauce among all the restaurants I've been too around here.  The coleslaw was exactly what I expect and what I want.  Nothing outstanding but good.  The fries here I thought were a little bit special.  First of all I was impressed that fries were offered as a side choice instead of out-of-a-bag chips.  Secondly I was impressed with the fact that Hoffa's is not afraid to put a definite spicy kick into their french fries.  I loved them, but The Girlfriend thought they were maybe a bit too much.  Personally, I love places that want to set their fries apart in a manner such as this.  The rolls were really nothing special.  They were nice and soft, but they tasted somewhat like rolls you might buy at the grocery store heated up and covered with a little garlic butter.  They served the purpose of being a vehicle for the pulled pork quite nicely if you decided to split them and make some slyders.

On a non-food related note the decor at Big Hoffa's is well...a little bit bizarre.  It's set in the front part of building that contains other shops and has a very bizarre paint job on the outside.  That's probably the reason I drove past this place so many times without realizing there was a bbq place there.  Also, the inside forgoes the traditional Southern/pork theme that seems to permeate the interior of normal bbq restaurants.  Instead, Big Hoffa's is decorated in what I can only describe as attack of The Pirates of The Caribbean.  Jolly Rodgers hang from the ceiling and one wall is adorned with what looks like a large mural of Captain Jack Sparrow (Sorry no pictures.  It was a little dark, and it was hard enough to get a pic of the food.).  While it's a little on the strange side it certainly is memorable.  Also, there were a couple of other random touches I enjoyed:  a blackboard noting what type of woods they were smoking with today and the availability of house-made pickles.



Taste 8.5/10  I really don't have anything to complain about when it comes to Big Hoffa's.  It has moved to second place in terms of pulled pork enjoyment out of all the places I've tried so far...a close second to Squealer's.
Value 9/10  Know this, if you go to Big Hoffa's you will leave full.  It's the only bbq place I can think of that gives you meat, 2 sides with very healthy portions and rolls and it's delicious.  The kicker is that even with drinks included 2 people can eat here for UNDER 20 dollars.  I can get down with that.