PEC Challenge: Katz Luncheonette

Every morning before logging into the old blog machine (not my real job), I've been joining my dad on a hike/walk through Monmouth County's prestigious park system.  Will I review every single one of these parks? I don't know.  But I figured I'd start with today's park and my personal favorite, Hartshorne Woods.  Over 794 acres of a hilly forest overlooking the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers along with the Atlantic Ocean with some of the highest elevations along the Coast make you wonder how this could possibly be New Jersey and not Northern California. (No redwoods were the dead giveaway to me but I digress).  The park is named after Richard Hartshorne, an English Quaker from London who purchased the land from the indigenous Lenape Tribe for thirteen shillings ($30.87 in today's money, yes I just did the historical calculation of a now-defunct currency and adjusted it for inflation, no big deal.) Because of its desirable defense location due to its high elevation, the U.S. Government purchased land in 1942 (now the Rocky Point section of the park) on the Hartshorne property to be converted to war batteries for heavy artillery.  Today, these batteries remain as trails are set around them for walking and biking.  High, high recommend for a Saturday morning.  Which brings us to the pork roll.  Katz Luncheonette sits right below the high points of the park in the fishing community of Highlands, NJ.  It seems the entire coast of this town is full of marinas, so grabbing a quick bite to eat before heading out on the water is essential to many of the residents here.  Speaking of boats, my friends just bought one this year and invited me to join them last Monday, and let me tell you what a treat it is to be out on the water to kick off summer.  10/10 would do it again.  This pork roll, however, not a 10.  

Bread Rating: 6.6/10 (An average hard roll, that was a bit fluffy.)

Pork Roll Rating: 6.8/10 (Three thick slices that were a little sweeter than your typical brand. They were a little soft, almost bologna like.  I actually like bologna but it will always catch me off guard when my pork roll resembles it.) 

Egg Rating: 5.8/10 (Something was a little off about the egg, I'm not sure if it were a lack of seasoning or because it tasted almost microwaved like at McDonald's, either way, it kind of threw off the taste of the entire sandwich to me.) 

Cheese Rating: 6.2/10 (A little bit of the same situation as the egg, the cheese seemed kind of imitation.)

Sandwich Composition: 6.4/10 (The sandwich was neat and had a good meat to egg ratio.  However, it's never great to me when I take a bite and feel the crunch of the salt on your sandwich.  No ketchup or pepper on this one either which it might have needed.)

Overall Rating: 6.3/10 (Although it is a luncheonette, this PEC played more like a bodega sandwich which in some cases isn't a bad thing, but in this case fell a little short.  It looked like a nice enough neighborhood spot, and I'm sure there are better options to go with from a place called Katz Luncheonette so I wouldn't want to deter you from picking something up there before heading to the marina.) 

Price: $5

Katz Luncheonette is located at 208 Bay Ave, Highlands, NJ 07732  

Taliercio's Challenge: Billy Bob

It's a historic day.  For the first time in nine years, the U.S. is going to launch humans into space and for the first time ever it will be done by a private company.  Why is this a big deal? Why should we care? Because there's more than just a pandemic going on right now.  We need this for morale, and for a much-needed boost to American pride.  As the first and only nation to send humans to the moon (I don't think people realize how insane that is, especially because the computer in your pocket is more powerful than anything they had in 1969), this first step towards a new era of American spaceflight (Space Force!) is extra exciting.  With this launch, we are getting closer to an expanded space flight range, perhaps even leading to witnessing humans walk on Mars (another planet, which is 97 MILLION miles away).  I'm fired up.  Space has always been fascinating to me, and something I could never quite wrap around my head.  The expanse of nothingness, and the shift of perspective when you realize how very small we really are, always make me realize how little everyday "problems" are (like when I don't get SPK on my pork roll, egg, and cheese). Forget politics, forget coronavirus, and enjoy this historic event in human history.  See you all for the 4:30pm launch today, and thank you, Elon.  

Oh, and you're probably wondering why I picked the Billy Bob sandwich for this event? Well, it's because Billy Bob Thorton was in the movie Armageddon AND The Astronaut Farmer which are arguably two of the more ridiculous space movies to come out in the last 25 years.  But more importantly, it brought us Steven Tyler's best song.  (Aerosmith still overrated.) 

Billy Bob: Grilled Chicken, Pepperjack Colby Cheese, Bacon, Coleslaw, Russian Dressing

A Summer-y sandwich for sure, but not one if you're worried about the beach.  This is a creamy sandwich, with the mayo laden coleslaw in addition to the Russian Dressing.  Not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, it gave this sandwich some excellent flavor.  It's a grilled chicken heavy one, which is fine except it isn't a chicken cutlet.  The smoked bacon is a nice touch and completes the BBQ flavor this sandwich is unlocking.  I haven't run the numbers but I'm not sure if this sandwich would survive a trip to space but maybe I can get my friend Elon to confirm.  

Overall: 6.8/10 

Taliercio's Challenge: E-Tali

If you're like me, you probably spend most mornings reading all sorts of musings from the mentally ill on Twitter.com.  There was something this morning that was "trending" that caught my eye.  "The End of Meat" was the ominous title of a story in the New York Times this morning. The end of meat? Are the predicted shortages really happening? Nope, just some more moral posturing from our favorite publication of failed English majors, the New York Times.  Is eating meat killing the world? Maybe.  But now isn't the time for this kind of shit, NY Times, read a room one time for me.  In a grand gesture of defiance (I'm not about to start protesting masks and to be honest, I'm enjoying my long hair), I ordered a sandwich so offensively filled with meat it would cause hundreds of angry twitter accounts to cry into the internet void.  And who are you going to take food advice from? Someone who took journalism courses from one of the "top schools" in the county working for a publication who sold their integrity to our corporate overlords OR some shirtless schmuck eating sandwiches in New Jersey who acquired everything you need to know about "journalism" from spending Saturday mornings in their mother's nail salon as a kid?  You be the judge.  You wanna stop eating meat, go right ahead, I don't care, but when you come to eat in NJ, keep that shit to yourself.  And that's the tea.  

E-Tali: Fried Veal, Hot Soppressata, Fresh Ricotta, Marinara Sauce

Simply put, this sandwich is heaven.  The fresh ricotta with the breaded veal gave hints at Taliercio's beloved fried ravioli (the best fried ravs in the Western Hemisphere and I'll fight you on that).  Instead of only cheese, we are treated with the tender meat you know and love...veal.  Oh, and since I know you love meat so much let's dump some hot soppressata on top of the veal.  Read it and weep.  Please, don't show this sandwich to anyone from the New York Times, they don't deserve to bask in it's glory.  

Overall: 8.7/10

PEC Challenge: Toast Diner Red Bank

About a month ago, I told you all the story of the Red Bank Diner and all the good times that were had in that building.  Well, now it's known as Toast Diner, which at first annoyed me because it isn't open 24 hours.  Turns out, it's still an amazing spot to grab breakfast, and the character of the building hasn't really changed all that much.  If you've ever been to Red Bank, you know this spot as the old, railway looking diner with the neon sign right in the middle of town.  Since the switchover, they've amped up the quality of their food while still keeping the diner soul intact, offering new takes on classics such as red velvet pancakes, brie and bacon omelets, and NJ diner staple, Disco Fries.  But you aren't here for any of that (though you should go back and order one of those things), you are here for a pork roll, egg, and cheese sandwich.  And with literally tens of options right on Monmouth St alone, they will need to have a pretty good one to keep up with the competition.  Let's see how they did.    

Bread Rating: 6.8/10 (Soft roll, a little squished but I won't dock them too much on that since pick up isn't their usual business.) 

Pork Roll Rating: 7.2/10 (Two slices, medium cut, with egg and cheese in between.  Heated just right, these cuts filled the entirety of the roll, giving you a piece of pork roll with every bite.)

Egg Rating: 7.7/10 (The eggs on this sandwich were a little runny, which you kind of love to see on a breakfast sandwich.  Excellent eggs, as expected from a diner.)

Cheese Rating: 7.6/10 (Some extra cheese, and not the Kraft singles kind.  It blended great with the runny egg to create sort of cheese sauce, which, fun!)

Sandwich Composition: 6.8/10 (They did a good job taking something that I'm sure is presented differently when dining in and turning it into a good take-out sized sandwich.  No SPK, and had to cut it myself but really, pretty tiny complaint.  

Overall Rating: 7.22/10 (A pretty good PEC which packed a punch despite being on the smaller side.  Toast does a good job with their food menu so definitely check them out!) 

Price: $7

Toast Red Bank is located at 45 Monmouth St, Red Bank, NJ 07701

Taliercio's Challenge: Louie Prima

The King of Swing.  Bet you didn't know it was Louis Prima.  Born in 1910 in New Orleans, Prima was a singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter who started his career in the 1920s when he formed a seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band.  He helped popularize jump blues in the late 40s, an uptempo style of blues not yet accepted by the pop culture of the time.  Prima made prominent use of Italian music and language in his songs, blending elements of his Sicilian identity with jazz and swing music during a time when "ethnic" (yes, there were plenty of Italian prejudices in the early 20th century, imagine that) musicians were often discouraged from openly stressing their ethnicity.  Despite the anti-Italian sentiment during WW2, Prima continued to record Italian songs, the most famous being "Angelina" named after his mother.  If you've never heard any of this his Italian work (IDK, maybe at an Italian restaurant or a grandparent's birthday party), you have definitely heard of his work in The Jungle Book.  That's because Louis played the role of King Louie the Orangutan, in Disney's 1967 version, where he sang arguably the best song of the movie "I Wanna Be Like You."  It's an absolute banger, just like this panini.  

Louie Prima: Grilled Chicken, Bacon, Tomato, Chipotle Gouda, Cajun Mayo

Summer is nigh and with it comes the return of grilled chicken to our lives. Sure, you can pan fry up chicken inside, but that's BORING.  It just hits a little different when you cook it on the grill outside.  This might look like a simple grilled chicken and bacon panini but let's take a look under the hood here.  The combination of the Chipotle Gouda and the Cajun Mayo gave it the extra kick you want with your grilled chicken.  The cajun mayo, of course, playing tribute to Louie Prima's New Orleans roots comes in to bring out the smokey flavor of the bacon and grilled chicken.  A solid panini, nothing else to say about it.  

Overall: 7.6/10

PEC Challenge: What About a Bagel

Not a lot to say about this place.  "What About a Bagel" is a clever name, I suppose, for a bagel shop.  If it weren't for DoorDash I would have never known this place existed.  It's a bit off of 35 in Ocean near my all-time favorite Hibachi restaurant, Ichiban.  Do you care about any of this? Probably not but I'm really grasping here eight weeks into social distancing.  A flyby is scheduled for this afternoon in New Jersey and it will likely be the most exciting 10 seconds of my day as my office looks right out towards where they should be flying.  (Update: they just flew by, pretty cool to see, didn't last that long.)  Why don't we have a bagel to celebrate? Idk, this blog sucked but the bagels here don't! 

Bread Rating: 8.3/10 (Perfectly toasted bagel, exactly how you'd want it: crispy outside, soft and pillowy inside.)

Pork Roll Rating: 8.5/10 (Three slices grilled up to nearly crispy.  Timing is everything when heating pork roll, and they heat these slices right up until they're going to be burnt.  But they weren't burnt and the flavors really came out.)

Egg Rating: 8.1/10 (The crispy exterior of the bagel with the soft fried egg is a combination few have perfected. Easier said than done, but they nailed it here.  The egg might have been a little small in comparison to the meat slices but the seasoning was there and you can tell this is a griddle with some experience.)

Cheese Rating: 6.8/10 (Regular melted cheese a the bottom.  Melted just find with the toasted bagel.)

Sandwich Composition: 6.9/10 (Solid sandwich, but no SPK, and pretty typical placement of meat, egg, and cheese.  Not exactly a bad thing if they can pull it off as well as this place can.)

Overall: 7.72/10 (An excellent bagel sandwich that left me wanting more, except its beach season so one bagel is enough.  If you're ever in Ocean for whatever reason, check this place out.)

Price: $5.50

What About a Bagel is located at 885 W Park Ave, Ocean Township, NJ 07712.

PEC Challenge: Felicia's Kitchen

Unfortunately, there's no history lesson on hobos or the like in this week's restaurant name.  Felicia's Kitchen is about as straight-up a name as you can give your place of business.  I mean other than the phrase "Bye, Felicia" being used in cringe-worthy interviews with politicians and journalists, the name Felicia isn't very common.  I've only come across one Felicia in my life (my college roommate made out with one at a random bar during one rambunctious Jersey Shore summer) so I'd say it's a pretty uncommon name.  Felicia Day is the most famous Felicia I could find on Google and her credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural.  Unfortunately, my roommate's one night fling or Felica Day did not own this kitchen.  It's owned by a very nice Italian woman, named Felicia, and her husband.  It's a lovely little cafe/restaurant nestled inside a little strip in "downtown" Little Silver, with Presidential-eque headshots of the owner and her husband adorning the brick walls.  I hope we're able to enjoy these places inside their walls soon.  Until then, we're still doing take out, and I'm hoping to find many more of these little restaurants that might have gone overlooked in my initial PEC search.  

Bread Rating: 6.8/10 (A nicely toasted hard roll.  Good size, light, pretty typical for the area.

Pork Roll Rating: 6.4/10 (Two slices of a smokier brand, with cheese on each slice and egg in between.  A little bit of a thicker cut from these.)

Egg Rating: 7.2/10 (I think this was a poached egg, which was an interesting approach for a breakfast sandwich.  I didn't hate it.)

Cheese Rating: 7.3/10 (A ton of cheese, and not the imitation kind.  A slice on top, a slice in the middle, and one at the bottom.  Cheesy.)

Sandwich Composition: 6.6/10 (No SPK but didn't really need it.  I really enjoyed the layering on this sandwich, though the bread to meat ratio might have been a little high for me.)

Overall Rating: 6.86/10 (This was a pretty good PEC from a cute little brunch restaurant in Little Silver)

Price: $5

Felicia's Kitchen is located at 129 Markham Pl, Little Silver, NJ 07739