Taliercio's Challenge: The Big Apple

I did my last Taliercio's sandwich four weeks ago in a world that looked a lot different than it does today.  With Taliercio's offering curbside and delivery service throughout our statewide "stay at home" order, I'm going to try to maintain some sort of "normalcy" as we all go through this together.  Obviously, I won't be able to travel for pork rolls, so once our PEC Tournament is over next week, I'll be posting strictly Taliercio's sandwiches until we're (hopefully soon) out of the woods on this Coronavirus shit.  I had this grilled cheese planned for St. Patrick's Day two weeks ago since it includes corned beef and to celebrate New York's rich Irish-American history.  Since I'm contractually obligated to eat corned beef only in March I couldn't let another day pass before I got this grilled cheese.  In reality, this grilled cheese was more like a Reuben sandwich without the Russian dressing (The Mel Brooks panini has the Russian dressing).  The Reuben sandwich draws its origin from Arnold Reuben the owner of Reuben's Delicatessen which opened in 1908 at 802 Park Ave (but moved several times throughout its history).  

The Big Apple: Corned Beef, Pastrami, Swiss, Sauerkraut

So what's in a Reuben.  Simple.  Corned Beef, Swiss, Sauerkraut, and Russian Dressing.  The Big Apple grilled cheese (like most of the other city-themed grilled cheeses), is a variance of New York's most famous sandwich by adding in Pastrami at the expense of the Russian dressing.  Without the dressing, I found this grilled cheese a bit plain, with only the sauerkraut cutting the flavor of the meats and swiss.  Not a huge deal because this grilled cheese was still good, just put it beneath the Mel Brooks in the rankings.  Seeing as though New York is our closest city on the list of grilled cheese cities, it should come as no surprise that this is likely the most "authentic" of the grilled cheese sandwiches from Taliercio's but please when you come to visit don't call it The Big Apple.  

Overall: 7.1/10

For all of you following along with our PEC Tournament, here are the results from our Sweet Sixteen round.  Elite Eight voting will take place tomorrow! 

#1 Johnny Pork Roll (51%) def. #12 Gem's Middletown (49%)

Gem's Cinderella run has been cut short by one vote but not before giving a big-time scare to #1 seed Johnny Pork Roll.

#3 Inbetween Cafe (68.1%) def. #2 Bagelmasters (31.9%)

Inbetween Cafe and their buttered poppy roll move on over local favorite Bagelmasters.  This sets up a very appropriate Red Bank Green final between Johnny Pork Roll and Inbetween Cafe for a trip to the Final Four.

#1 Fairwinds Deli (61.8%) def. #4 Brennan's Rumson (38.2%)

A huge contingent of Fair Haven voters came out in support of Fairwinds Deli which will make them a very tough out in the coming rounds.  

#15 Brennan's Middletown (74.5%) def. #3 Allenwood General Store (25.5%)

Can Brennan's Middletown avenge their sister store's defeat against Fairwinds Deli in the Elite Eight? Fairwinds might have an easy shot at the Final Four. 

#1 Big Mike's Red Store (58.8%) def. #4 Grandma's Bagels (41.2%)

A close matchup on Instagram turned into a comfortable win for Big Mike's on the blog poll who will need to defeat one more bagel shop to make it to the Final Four.

#7 D'Alessio's (57.1%) def. #3 Joyce's (42.9%)

The Lincroft faithful did not show up for Joyce's who are bounced in an upset.  D'Alessio's will now go up against Big Mike's Red Store.

#1 Summit Diner (57.4%) def. #4 Fredy Jeremy (42.6%)

Fredy Jeremy put up a great fight against Summit Diner who will now face out of state Cinderella Bethesda Bagels in an Elite Eight matchup.

#14 Bethesda Bagels (72.9%) def. Better Bagels Boston (27.1%)

An easy victory for Bethesda Bagels who will now face arguably their first real competition in the tournament, Summit Diner.

2020 PEC Challenge Tournament: SWEET SIXTEEN

I hope everyone has been able to stay healthy (mentally too) as we move into our third week of social distancing.  Take a step back from the news and from the nightmare to enjoy some more PEC voting.  There's about to be some very, very tough decisions in this tournament this week as we will be covering the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds.  To help distance yourselves further from our current reality (if only for a few minutes), I'll also be returning to eating Taliercio's sandwiches this week.  Taliercio's is offering both curbside and delivery services for not only sandwiches but full meals for your family.  So if you're in the Middletown area, I highly, HIGHLY recommend getting yourself a tray of Chicken Taliercio and fried ravioli, and maybe join me every Saturday while I go on a brewery tour from my apartment.  Anyway, here are your Sweet Sixteen matchups.  So far all #1 seeds have survived but could this be the round where one or two get knocked off?

#1 Johnny Pork Roll v. #12 Gem's Middletown 

Gem's is making an impressive run in this tournament but might be running into the end.

#3 Inbetween Cafe v. #2 Bagelmasters

This will come down to preference.  Hard roll or bagel? 

#1 Fairwinds Deli v. #4 Brennan's Rumson

A good old fashioned rivalry game here.  Fair Haven against Rumson.

#3 Allenwood General Store v. #15 Brennan's Middletown

There's some serious potential for a Brennan's v. Brennan's Elite Eight here.

#1 Big Mike's Red Store v. #4 Grandma's Bagels

Another hard roll v. bagel matchup.

#3 Joyce's v. #7 D'Alessio's 

Not the sexiest matchup in the round but D'Alessio's success has been a nice surprise.  

#1 Summit Diner v. #4 Fredy Jeremy 

Both places use the underutilized toasted roll and hefty pork roll portions.  Sadly, only one can win.

#14 Bethesda Bagels v. #10 Better Bagels Boston

No coincidence these two places made it to the Sweet Sixteen as they're located where most of my out of state readers live.  One of these is making the Elite Eight though which is crazy.  

2020 PEC Challenge Tournament ROUND OF 32 DAY 2

It's now time to vote for the bottom half of the bracket, the Central Jersey Region and the Exotics Region.  Can Bethesda Bagels continue their Cinderella run? Can anyone stop Summit Diner? Will The Bagel Store or Grandma's Bagels win the most on the nose named bagel shop? All these matchups and more as we plow our way to the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight matchups that will take place next week.  

Central Jersey Region

#1 Big Mike's Red Store v. #8 Hole Lot of Bagels

After a cupcake first-round matchup against Newark Aiport, Big Mike's looks to continue their run against Middletown's most popular bagel shop. 

#5 The Bagel Store v. #4 Grandma's Bagels 

Which bagel shop will reign supreme and make it to the Sweet Sixteen? 

#11 Stroker's Deli v. #3 Joyce's 

The pride of Lincroft pits off against Shrewsbury's only remaining deli left in the tournament, Stroker's.

#7 D'Alessio's Bagels v. #2 Frank's Deli

Will D'Alessio's bagels be enough to supplant Anthony Bourdain's pork roll choice? 

#1 Summit Diner v. #9 H&H Bagels  

Classic NJ diner faces a classic NY bagel shop.  Only one will make it to the next round.  

#12 King of Bagels v. #4 Fredy Jeremy

After a surprising win, King of Bagels faces the king of pupusas (in Red Bank) Fredy Jeremy.  

#6 Lighthouse Bagels v. #14 Bethesda Bagels

Bethesda Bagels won clean receiving support from both NJ and DC readers alike.  Will the people's love of OBX halt Bethesda's march to the Sweet Sixteen?

#10 Better Bagels Boston v. #2 Jersey Roll

An unconventional PEC from Boston takes on a hefty competitor from the Seaside Boardwalk.  Unfortunately, this is not the description of an episode of The Challenge on MTV.  

2020 PEC Challenge Tournament ROUND OF 32 DAY 1

Everything might be closed but the tournament rolls on.  We're going to be doing 2 days of voting for the Round of 32, with Red Bank Green and Jersey Shore regions voting today, and Central Jersey and Exotics voting tomorrow.  Results will be released Friday!

Red Bank Green Region

#1 Johnny Pork Roll v. #9. Bagel Station

After vanquishing one classic Red Bank bagel shop, Johnny's faces off with another bagel challenger in Round 2.  

#12 Gem's Middletown v. #13 Willow Deli

Two huge upsets that weren't even close to losing their first-round matchup.  This is the only Gem's location left in the tournament.  

#6 Marta's Deli v. #3 Inbetween Cafe

Marta's Deli is a West Side Red Bank standout against longtime Red Bank luncheonette Inbetween Cafe.

#7 Valdetino's v. #2. Bagelmasters 

Local newcomer Valdetino's squares off against longtime Shrewsbury favorite, Bagelmasters.

Jersey Shore Region

#1 Fairwinds Deli v. #8 Slater's Deli

A tough matchup for Fairwinds Deli in round 2 against Slater's Deli who might have the most pork roll on a sandwich record. 

#12 Joe's Bagel v. #4. Brennan's Rumson

Could Joe's make a cinderella run or will Brennan's squash the dream?

#6 Sonny's Sandwiches v. #3 Allenwood General Store

Primed to be an extremely close matchup. 

#7 Butler's Deli v. #15 Brennan's Middletown

Brennan's Middletown shocked the world when it upset #2 Beckman's Deli.  Can it continue onto the Sweet Sixteen? 

2020 PEC Challenge Tournament 1st ROUND RESULTS

Interestingly, the first round of the 2020 PEC Tournament looked very similar to what we would see from the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.  A ton of 12 over 5 upsets, one seeds cruising towards difficult 2nd round matchups.  And even the very rare, 15 over 2 seed upset.  After this weekend, the "Exotics Region" now takes on a whole new meaning now that most of the country has been introduced to "Joe Exotic" from Tiger King on Netflix.  What an absolutely WILD ride that was over the weekend.  Other lockdown activities included: the bowl at Holmdel Park raising my heart rate to 180, a virtual power hour over Google Hangouts and logging 8 hours straight of Rome Total War 2.  So just another weekend in 2005 for me.  I know you came for the 1st round results and not my personal diary so let's get to it.

Red Bank Green Region:

#1 Johnny's Pork Roll (98%) over #16 Bagel Oven (2%).  

Score: 49-1.  Next matchup: #9 Bagel Station

#9 Bagel Station (57.4%) over #8 Windward Deli (42.6%)

Score: 31-23.  Next matchup: #1 Johnny's Pork Roll

#12 Gem's on Rt. 35 Middletown (73.1%) over #5 Brooklyn Hot Bagels (26.9%)

Score: 38-14.  Next matchup: #13 Willow Deli

#13 Willow Deli (72.9%) over #4 AJ's Deli (27.1%) 

Score: 35-13.  Next matchup: #12 Gem's on Rt. 35. 

#6 Marta's Deli (53.2%) over Town Bagel (46.8%)

Score: 25-22.  Next matchup: #3 Inbetween Cafe

#3 Inbetween Cafe (68%) over #14 Atlantic Bagel Rt. 35 (32%)

Score: 34-16.  Next matchup: #6 Marta's Deli

#7 Valdetino's (64.6%) over #10 Pat's Market (35.4%)

Score: 31-17.  Next matchup: #2 Bagelmasters

#2 Bagelmasters (78.8%) over #15 Atlantic Bagel Rumson (21.2%)

Score: 41-11.  Next matchup: #7 Valdetino's

Jersey Shore Region:

#1 Fairwinds Deli (71.2%) over #16 Wilson Ave Deli (28.8%)

Score: 37-15.  Next matchup: #8 Slater's Deli

#8 Slater's Deli (69.8%) over #9 Donovan's (30.2%)

Score: 37-16.  Next matchup: #1 Fairwinds Deli

#12 Joe's Bagels (80.9%) over #5 FaNagle the Bagel (19.1%)

Score: 38-9.  Next matchup: #4 Brennan's Rumson

#4 Brennan's Rumson (65.4%) over #13 Gem's Belford (34.6%)

Score: 34-18.  Next matchup: #12 Joe's Bagels

#6 Sonny's Sandwiches (77.8%) over #11 Ocean Alley Deli (22.2%)

Score: 35-10.  Next matchup: #3 Allenwood General Store

#3 Allenwood General Store (62.2%) over Perry's Cafe (37.8%)

Score: 28-17.  Next matchup: #6 Sonny's Sandwiches

#7 Butler's Deli (57.4%) over #10 Bagel Guys Deli (42.6%)

Score: 27-20.  Next matchup: #15 Brennan's Rt. 35

#15 Brennan's Rt. 35 (51%) over #2 Beckman's Deli (49%)

Score: 25-24.  Next matchup: #7 Butler's Deli

Central Jersey Region:

#1 Big Mike's Red Store (97.8%) over #16 Newark Airport (2.2%)

Score: 45-1.  Next matchup: #8 Hole Lot of Bagels

#8 Hole Lot of Bagels (64.4%) over #9 Bagel Hut (35.6%)

Score: 29-16.  Next matchup: #1 Big Mike's Red Store

#5 The Bagel Store (57.4%) over Colts Neck General Store (42.6%) 

Score: 27-20.  Next matchup: #4 Grandma's Bagels

#4 Grandma's Bagels (76.7%) over #13 Bagel Bistro (23.3%)

Score: 33-10.  Next matchup: #5 The Bagel Store

#11 Stroker's Deli (51.2%) over #6 Taylor Sam's (48.8%)

Score: 21-20.  Next matchup: #3 Joyce's

#3 Joyce's Deli (72.7%) over #14 QuickCheck (27.3%)

Score: 32-12.  Next matchup: #11 Stroker's Deli.

#7 D'Alessio's Bagel (63.8%) over #10 Gem's Port Monmouth (36.2%) 

Score: 30-17.  Next matchup: #2 Frank's Deli

#2 Frank's Deli (70.2%) over #15 Holmdel Bagel Market (29.8%)

Score: 33-14.  Next matchup: #7 D'Alessio's Bagel

Exotics Region:

#1 Summit Diner (89.1%) over #16 Brooklyn Water Bagels (10.9%)

Score: 41-5.  Next matchup: #9 H&H Bagels

#9 H&H Bagels (60%) over #8 Gambler Ridge Golf Course (40%)

Score: 27-18.  Next matchup: #1 Summit Diner

#12 King of Bagels and Subs (57.8%) over #5 Jimmy's Place (42.2%)

Score: 26-19.  Next matchup: #4 Fredy Jeremy

#4 Fredy Jeremy (71.1%) over #13 Bloomin Bagels (28.9%)

Score: 32-13.  Next matchup: #12 King of Bagels

#6 Lighthouse Bagels (57.8%) over #11 Township Bagel Cafe (42.2%)

Score: 26-19.  Next matchup: #14 Bethesda Bagels

#14 Bethesda Bagels (65.2%) over #3 Dom's Deli (34.8%)

Score: 30-16.  Next matchup: #6 Lighthouse Bagels

#10 Better Bagels Boston (51.1%) over #7 White House Subs Hard Rock (48.9%)

Score: 23-22.  Next matchup: #2 Jersey Roll.

#2 Jersey Roll (76.1%) over #15 Moody's Deli (23.9%)

Score: 35-11.  Next matchup: #10 Better Bagels Boston

2020 PEC Challenge Tournament 1st ROUND: Exotics Region

We aren't going to be talking about how basketball games should be starting at noon.  Instead, I'll have the greatest chicken delivered to my door (Cluck U Chicken), crack open a 40, and watch Return of the King to distract me from that fact.  Today is our final day of round one and it should be an absolute doozy. It's time for our Exotics region.  Wondering what in the hell I mean by "exotics?"  Glad you asked.  Better Bagels Boston referred to pork roll as "exotic meat from NJ" in their menu. These are the pork rolls that came outside the box.  Many are from outside New Jersey or outside my home county of Monmouth.  One (Fredy Jeremy) is from a pupuseria in town.  They are led by, perhaps the overall number one, Summit Diner but also include food truck classic Jersey Roll (Seaside Heights) and a surprisingly decent Outer Banks pork roll in Lighthouse Bagels.  

#1 Summit Diner (Summit, NJ) v. #16 Brooklyn Water Bagels (Framingham, MA)

Summit Diner might be the most classic pork roll, egg, and cheese in the entire state of New Jersey while Brooklyn Water Bagels in Framingham might have been the most offensive to me.  You know what to do.  Summit -1,000

#8 Gambler Ridge Golf Course (Jackson, NJ) v. #9 H&H Bagels (New York, NY)

A pre-round PEC against a legendary New York City bagelry. This will be an absolute scrap.  H&H -3.5

#5 Jimmy's Place (Belmar, NJ) v. #12 King of Bagels and Subs (Howell, NJ). 

Jimmy's Place was a surprisingly good greasy spoon steps away from the Belmar coast.  King of Bagels was just an OK bagel of I-195.  Jimmy's -10.5

#4 Fredy Jeremy (Red Bank, NJ) v. #13 Bloomin Bagels (Bloomsburg, PA)

I didn't know what to expect from a place that wouldn't typically offer a more American breakfast but they did an amazing job.  Boomin Bagels did their best.  Fredy Jeremy -15.5

#6 Lighthouse Bagels (Corolla, NC) v #11 Township Bagel Cafe (Sewell, NJ) 

Lighthouse Bagels really surprised me, or I was just caught up in the bliss of being on vacation, I can't really tell.  Township Bagel was good but I'm not sure if it warranted being in the top 33 list of NJ.com.  Line EVEN.

#3 Dom's Deli (Shrewsbury, NJ) v. #14 Bethesda Bagels (Arlington, VA)

 When I lived in DC Bethesda Bagels is all I had but now that they're playing in the big leagues it's no contest. I'm expecting a huge DC voter turnout for Bethesda Bagels so an upset isn't out of the question. Dom's -2.5

#7 White House Subs Hard Rock (Atlantic City, NJ) v. #10 Better Bagels Boston (Boston, MA)

Better Bagels Boston named this region when they referred to pork roll as "exotic meat from NJ" in their menu but White House Subs in the Hard Rock cured a pretty mean hangover and their pork roll didn't look like it came from a McDonald's.  White House Subs -7.5

#2 Jersey Roll (Seaside Heights, NJ) v. #15 Moody's Deli (Boston, MA) 

No contest, Jersey Roll should run away with this one. Jersey Roll -25.5. 

2020 PEC Challenge Tournament 1st ROUND: Central Jersey Region

Day Three of the 1st Round voting is here and there have been some dramatic contests so far.  If you haven't already voted for the Red Bank Green or Jersey Shore regions make sure to do that now.  Voting closes Friday! Here is the Central Jersey Region led by Big Mike's Red Store in Navesink but I wouldn't count out the dark horses of Colts Neck in this region along with yet another (and perhaps the best) Gem's in the tournament, the Port Monmouth location.  

#1 Big Mike's Red Store v. #16 Newark Airport

When I wrote about the pork roll in Newark Airport I described it a bit like prison food so I'll really be shocked if this receives more than three votes.  However, since 15 souls voted for Wilson Ave Deli yesterday, I have no idea what to expect.  Big Mike's Red Store is a professional sandwich, no doubt about it, and I expect them to cruise to the Sweet Sixteen. Big Mike's -40.5

#8 Hole Lot of Bagels v. #9. Bagel Hut

Hole Lot of Bagels might be Middletown's favorite bagel shop.  The line is almost always to the door and you'll never go in there without running into someone you know.  Bagel Hut seems to be the equivalent of that for Aberdeen? A 35 vs 34 matchup that could be a toss-up.  Hole Lot -3.5

#5 The Bagel Store vs. #12 Colts Neck General Store

The battle of Colts Neck is here Colts Neck General Store has one of the coolest setups in Monmouth County (I love old general stores) but we can't count out the bagels from, yep, The Bagel Store. Bagel Store -1.5

#4 Grandma's Bagels v. #13 Bagel Bistro 

Two bagel places but only one of them actually make good bagels.  I'll let you be the judge. Grandma's Bagels -10.5.

#6 Taylor Sam's v. #11. Stroker's Deli 

Unfortunately, the Red Bank location of Taylor Sam's was rechristened "Brunch" but their PEC still exists in Brick.  Stroker's Deli is a pretty typical deli but with Bagelmasters across the street, it made it from a tough conference.  Taylor Sam's -2.5

#3 Joyce's vs. #14 QuikCheck

Local Lincroft favorite stacked against a chain convenience store.  This should be an easy win for Joyce's.  Joyce's -18.5

#7 D'Alessio's Bagel v. #10 Gem's Port Monmouth

Another Rt. 36 battle between two Bayshore bagel shops.  Gem's has had a very strong fan presence in the tournament and this is arguably their best location in the tournament so this could be an easy upset pick.  Gem's -7.5

#2 Frank's Deli v. #15 Holmdel Bagel Market 

Truth be told Holmdel Bagel Market had a pretty embarrassing regular-season showing, while Frank's Deli was featured in Anthony Bourdain's NJ episode of "Parts Unknown." Frank's -20.5

2020 PEC Challenge Tournament 1st ROUND: Jersey Shore Region

Welcome to day 2 of our first-round coverage! A lot of Instagram responses during yesterday's story so I'll definitely be posting the entire round there this week.  You can also vote for each PEC at the bottom of these blog posts after all of the previews! In true Marchmadness fashion, it's looking like there will be a good amount of upsets (the Gem's support has been overwhelming).  I'll be posting all of the results on Friday so there will still be time to go back and vote on previous day's matchups through the blog only as unfortunately, IG stories only last 24 hours.  Here's the Jersey Shore region, led by Fair Haven stand out Fairwinds Deli but with sleepers Slater's Deli and Gem's Belford lurking, this might not be an easy road to the final four.  

#1 Fairwinds Deli v. #16. Wilson Ave. Deli

Should be an easy matchup for this 1 seed as Wilson Ave Deli was perhaps the lowest scored PEC this year. The road looks to get tough from here though.  Fairwinds -38.5

#8 Slater's Deli v. #9 Donovan's Reef


One of the biggest, most novel PEC's in the state against the state's best PEC environment.  Slater's has long held the title of most pork roll on a sandwich.  But the view isn't the only thing Donovan's has going for it.  Two unique sandwiches vying for a deep run in the tournament. Slater's -6.5


#5 FaNagle the Bagel v. #12 Joe's Bagel

A battle of two Long Branch bagel shops.  One on across the street from the beach.  The other a little further.  Both with a solid bagel.  FaNagle -3.5

#4 Brennan's Rumson v. #13 Gem's Belford

On paper, Brennan's should run away with a win here but don't count out the Gem's faithful.  Granted this may be the least favorite Gem's out there but who really knows.  That's why we play the games.  Brennan's -8.5

#6. Sonny's Sandwiches v. #11 Ocean Alley Deli

Two at-large entries to this year's bracket.  Can one of these teams get out of the 2nd round? I'm not so sure.  This might be one of the closest matchups of the entire first round. Sonny's -0.5. 

#3 Allenwood General Store v. #14 Perry's Cafe

Allenwood General Store graces almost every list amongst the best in the state and the poppy seed roll doesn't hurt.  Perry's Cafe is a little off the beaten path on the off-resort streets of Atlantic City.  Allenwood -14.5

#7 Butler's Market v. #10 Bagel Guys Deli

You could do worse than to take either of these to the beach.  Butler's, a local Rumson favorite, and Bagel Guys, the new kid on the Long Branch block.  Butler's -8.5

#2 Beckman's Deli v. #15 Brennan's Middletown

Brennan's may have had an unfair shot here since they gave me a bacon, egg, and cheese instead of pork roll but the fact that it didn't land them a 16 seed should tell you it might not be that bad.  Beckman's, however, is a classic PEC and one of the best in the field.  Beckman's -15.5

2020 PEC Challenge Tournament: 1st ROUND: Red Bank Green Region

It's bracket time!  We're going to start off the voting by each region by day, starting with the Red Bank Green Region.  Most if not all of these places will deliver, so if you're stuck at home and want to try some of these places, now might be a good time.  Not only will you get to enjoy the wonders of pork roll, egg, and cheese while you work from home but you'll also be helping out a local business getting through this crisis.  Without further ado, the matchups.

#1 Johnny's Pork Roll v #16 Bagel Oven

Johnny's burst onto the food truck scene slinging nothing but pork roll sandwiches, turning success into a storefront in Red Bank last year instantly becoming one of the state's most celebrated pork roll purveyors.  Bagel Oven, on the other hand, should still be considered one of the best bagel shops in Red Bank, but stumbled on the pork roll, egg, and cheese this year.  A classic staple for many life-long Red Bank residents.  Johnny's -34.5

#8 Windward Deli v #9 Bagel Station

Bagel Station might get more play for it's proximity to the Red Bank train station, but don't sleep on Windward Deli.  This might come down to a roll vs bagel preference but I'm expecting this to be a close matchup.  Windward Deli -5.5.


#5 Brooklyn Hot Bagels v. #12 Gem's Middletown

Gem's has a rabid following which could lead to a decisive upset, but in my opinion, Brooklyn Hot Bagels have such an impressive bagel as well as a good looking PEC.  Brooklyn Hot Bagels -1.5. 

#4 AJ's Deli v. #13 Willow Deli

Two delis that really came down to the bread.  In one corner, AJ's Deli in Shrewsbury, which really impressed with their sandwich in an incredibly tough market, and the other Willow Deli in Little Silver.  AJ's Deli -10.5.

#6 Marta's Deli v. #11 Town Bagel and Grill

A Cinderella run is not out of the question for Marta's Deli, who's Red Bank's West Side's top PEC provider but can Eatontown's Town Bagel and Grill stop them in their tracks with their thick cuts of pork roll.  Marta's Deli -3.5

#3 Inbetween Cafe v. #14 Atlantic Bagel Middletown


My childhood neighborhood bagel shop runs into Inbetween Cafe who came in as the final entrant in this year's bracket with a buttered PEC.  A tough matchup for Atlantic Bagel for sure because Inbetween Cafe is coming in as one of the hottest teams in the tournament. Inbetween Cafe -14.5. 

#7 Valdetino's v. #10 Pat's Market 

Unfortunately, I don't believe this superb PEC was able to save Valdetino's which appears to have been shut down but we will keep their memory alive with a run.  Pat's Market has some extremely stiff competition in Joyce's four doors down from them.  Valdetino's -10.5

#2 Bagelmasters v. #15 Atlantic Bagel Rumson  

A local legendary spot vs a local chain of bagel shops, Atlantic Bagel makes their 2nd appearance in the bracket in what could be an unlikely matchup against their Middletown location in the Sweet Sixteen.  Bagelmasters has long established themselves as a fan favorite in the Red Bank Green, even getting an endorsement from Man v. Food's Casey Webb. Bagelmasters -25.5

PEC Challenge: Inbetween Cafe

We did it.  This is the 64th PEC and final entrant in our first PEC Bracket.  And with everything getting canceled this week, this could be the only bracket in the WORLD that matters.  Since everyone (me) is fighting off the combination of sadness and anger that all of my favorite things that happen this month are canceled, I'll be releasing the bracket today.  Here's how it's going to work:

Preview blog of each matchup, one "region" at a time with an attached poll to the blog to vote on.  In addition, I'll be running each "region" on my Instagram (@agarrido4) story for you to vote on.  And finally, I'll post polls on Twitter (@ElJefeGarrido) to vote on.  Once all the votes from all three are counted at the end of next Friday, we will move onto the next round.  

Am I happy that this will likely be the only bracket I'll fill out this year? No, not at all.  But at least we have something.  And if you've never eaten a PEC, just vote on the pictures and let me know which one you think is better.  Now if you excuse me, I'm heading over to Best Buy to buy a new TV and a PS4 since this is our lives now.  (I will still be venturing outdoors for Taliercio's and PEC's as long as places are open.) 

Bread Rating: 8.8/10 (Two words.  Buttered. Roll.  I don't know why more places don't do this but it's a no brainer at a classic greasy spoon like this.  Sure the poppy seed roll might be cheating a bit but this still would have been amazing as a plain roll.)

Pork Roll Rating: 8.4/10 (Three thick cuts with egg and cheese layered in between.)

Egg Rating: 9.1/10 (Again, fried egg in butter from the heavens.  Is this the most unhealthy way to consume a PEC? Probably.  But it also might be the best.)

Cheese Rating: 7.7/10 (Yellow American cheese, on each layer.  Melted with the butter, we're really rolling now.)

Composition Rating: 8.6/10 (Nearly perfect composition, layered with pork roll egg and cheese coming with every bite.  You have to apply your own ketchup but you don't really need it on this one.  And I think it would be remiss of me to not mention the butter again.)

Overall: 8.6/10 (A classic luncheonette set up that I honestly didn't know existed but it seems everyone else in Red Bank does because the place is always packed. Just another one of the many breakfast options in Red Bank but this one might be my new favorite.)

Price: $8, cash only

Inbetween Cafe is located at 56 English Plaza, Red Bank, NJ 07701

PEC Challenge: H&H Bagels

I know everyone's been talking about Coronavirus but that's not what we're here to do.  I'm no doctor, I eat pork roll.  But I've gotta say, I think I've been living life on the edge lately.  This weekend I went to NY via Penn Station (already gross) then turned right around and went to DC to attend Monday Night Raw (large gathering of people).  So if there's any doctors out there, should I be worried? I already work from home so I'm basically self-quarantined (until I go to Boston this weekend for St. Patrick's Day) but I think I'm going to continue to live my life and maybe you should, too (also wash your hands, you animals). OK,  enough about the end of the world.  After springing forward this weekend at Dylan Murphy's (closed at 5am) I ordered my very first NYC PEC (5 hours later).  You might have heard of H&H Bagels from the Seinfeld episode "The Strike."  If you haven't I'll recap.  Kramer returns to work at H&H Bagels following an apparent 12-year strike and then is fired for dropping a piece of chewed gum into the bagel dough. The original store and bakery had been the largest bagel manufacturer in New York City before their 2012 closure (unsure if it was due to gum in the dough).   With that in mind, I was excited to see how these bagels would play out.  Everyone's always hearing about how NYC bagels and pizza are the best in the world (I disagree, they are awesome but New Jersey has the best) So how did they do? 

Bread Rating: 7.8/10 (For some weird reason they put paper wrapping in addition to the foil wrap which left the entirety of the bagel greasy and a little wet.  Even with that obstacle, the bagel was still pretty good.  Just a little jarring.)

Pork Roll Rating: 7.4/10 (The pork roll didn't have to travel very far to get here and they didn't mess up heating it up.  Maybe it could have had more on it, but that's city life.  I've found most "famous" places end up cheaping out on meat to cut costs, which to me is pathetic, let's move on.)

Egg Rating: 7.3/10 (A pretty solid fried egg, typical execution)

Cheese Rating: 6.8/10 (American yellow cheese, average, melted.)

Composition Rating: 6.5/10  (No SPK and I couldn't imagine how much soggier this would have been with ketchup applied so maybe it was for the best.  It just seems like this place kind of goes through the motions with probably thousands of orders a day but good on them for providing the Jersey people living in Manhattan what they want.)

Overall Rating: 7.1/10 (It did the job curing my hangover and gave me the fuel needed to return to Dylan Murphy's that day for some more BL Smooths, so I appreciated this PEC)

Price: $8 cause now you're in NEW YORRRRRK

H&H Bagels is located at 1551 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028 

Taliercio's Challenge: Honey Club

The ham and swiss sandwich was my Grandpa's favorite sandwich (with a pickle on the side, of course).  So today, on his birthday, we're going to pay tribute to my first best friend and have a ham and swiss (with a few other things on it).  Before moving to the Jersey Shore, I lived above my grandparents in a multi-family home in Hudson County.  Which was awesome because I got to hang out with Grandpa all day.  We would get into all sorts of adventures, taking trips out to his plane (yes, he owned a plane and he even let me, at age 7, "fly" it), to the local hobby shops (he had an incredible train display that would be set up in the basement during Christmas to go along with the dozens of WW2 model planes), getting Rippers from Rutt's Hut (basically a deep-fried hot dog), or just sitting at home playing computer games.  You heard that right, my Grandpa was an OG computer gamer. Our favorites were Sim City (which he somehow hacked to get unavailable buildings), every single Flight Simulator Microsoft made, and Doom.  Was I too young and terrified to play Doom? Yes.  Did he let me play anyway?  Also, yes. We were just two kids enjoying life.  I could only imagine what he would think now that I'm using the power of the internet to go down endless rabbit holes on Wikipedia (we would spend HOURS looking up random things on the Brittanica Encyclopedia that you needed to load by CD-ROM, haha remember those) and write about sandwiches but I hope he'd get a kick out of it.  Anyway, here's a ham and swiss for you, Grandpa, happy birthday.  

Honey Club: Honey Ham, Turkey, Swiss, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo

This was a huge sandwich, it took two bites to get all of the layers in my mouth.  Think it's too much? Complain to the Union Club of New York, who is credited for creating the Club sandwich in 1889.  Traditionally, a Club sandwich is poultry, ham, bacon with lettuce tomato and mayo and I've gotta say it doesn't get much more American than that.  Seriously, can you think of anything more "American" than the imagery of lettuce and tomato at the top of a sandwich slathered in mayo? I guess we can thank McDonald's for that.  Simply put, this sandwich was a classic.  A go-to that will never let you down.  A model of absolute consistency.  Did I need this mountain of cured meat during the first week of "Beach Season?" No. But according to my fitness tracker, I've been burning calories like a fucking furnace and my doctor declared me healthy last week so whatever. (Also, if you didn't hear, I declared winter dead on Saturday and got my ass back in the gym this week.) But seriously, I think I might have to walk this one off.  

Overall: 7.8/10

PEC Challenge: Ocean Alley Deli

Let's talk about martial arts.  I, like many other boys aged 7 (I think?), made the decision to take Karate.  Why Karate? A myriad of reasons that included: a) an early affinity for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; b) a pair of nunchucks given to me by my Bruce Lee loving father; and c) my friend Drizzy performing wood breaking techniques at block parties and I wanted to be able to do that too. But really, I (a tiny child) just wanted to know how to beat people up.  Turns out, this isn't exactly the mentality they are looking for when teaching young boys how to turn their hands into weapons.  When you first start, all they want you to do is stretch and meditate.  Be mindful of what you are doing and learn to be disciplined (Just laughed aloud at the thought of me being disciplined) in all aspects of life.  This shouldn't come as a surprise to most of you but I was SO bored.  I just wanted to flip over shit like a ninja and roundhouse kick people in the face.  I never got past white belt, which is probably for the best because I would have undoubtedly become the Johnny Lawrence of my school. (Instead, Drizzy was Johnny Lawrence, and I, still a tiny child, was one of the little Cobra Kai henchmen in the background talking a ton of shit. Whatever, we can laugh about it now.) Why am I telling you this? Because Ocean Alley Deli is in the same little strip of shops on Palmer Ave as my dojo(?), Amato's.  I don't think Ocean Alley Deli was there in 1997 so this will be my first time here.  They were incredibly friendly inside and they also offer sandwiches and Mexican dishes.  Typically, I've found these places make pretty good PEC's so let's see how they did. 

Bread Rating: 7.1/10 (A very soft roll that was light but didn't fall apart when eating it, probably because the rest was pretty dry.)

Pork Roll Rating: 5.4/10 (Pretty dry and pretty chewy, this pork roll had the consistency closer to well-done bacon.  It was a weird experience.)

Egg Rating: 6.4/10 (Typical fried egg, nothing to see here.)

Cheese Rating: 6.5/10 (Slice of Yellow American on top of the egg, with moderate melt.)

Composition Rating: 6.9/10 (Everything stayed together nicely and there was light SPK application.  This was just a pretty dry breakfast sandwich if we're being honest.  Pork roll on top, cheese, and egg on the bottom. Ho hum.)

Overall: 6.5/10 (Hate to do it to them because they were SO nice in there and the place looks like its meticulously cleaned.  Maybe the Mexican food they serve there is better?  This was an about average PEC but the chewiness of the pork roll really threw me off and it will probably throw you off, too.)

Price: $5, cash or credit

Ocean Alley Deli is located at 623 Palmer Ave, Hazlet, NJ 07734