PEC Challenge: Taylor Sam's

Wrestlemania happened last night, and thanks to the ever incompetent NJ Transit, it might have happened in New Jersey for the last time. Would I, a member of a frequently used text group "WWE Fantasy Bookers," regret not attending pro wrestling's biggest event when it was held in my backyard?  Wrestlemania has always been a big deal for me and my friends but with a nearly 8-hour run-time and tickets nearing $400, it just seemed better to hang out at a friend's house, fire up the grill and enjoy it from home like usual.  There were definitely some awesome moments of the night (see: The Miz suplexing Shane McMahon off a camera platform 20 feet in the air; The Iiconics Women's Tag Team win; Kofi Kingston's WWE Title win;).  But my overall feeling towards the event was that it really wore me out.  Now that I think about it though, spending $400 might have been worth it to not have to listen to Michael Cole on commentary.  And that's talking wrestling.  

As per tradition, I started the big day off with a pork roll.  Before hitting the Red Bank Street Fair (where I purchased a 100-year-old picture of downtown Red Bank, nerd alert), I stopped into one of my favorite breakfast spots in RB; Taylor Sam's.  Every time I go there I try something new and it never disappoints (I can confirm their omelets and pancakes are awesome). But today was the day I judged their pork roll or "Original Taylor" as they named it.  Like most diner experiences, you have to apply your own SPK (salt, pepper, ketchup) so please excuse my heavy-handed ketchup application in the picture below. It's always so hard to gauge how much to pour on when they give you a bowl of ketchup!

Bread Rating: 7.3/10 (The kaiser roll was good but it would have been better if it were a little smaller.)

Pork Roll Rating: 7.6/10 (Three slices, grilled well done)

Egg Rating: 8.2/10 (They do fried eggs really well here)

Cheese Rating: 7.6/10 (Had a solid melt, seemed like real cheese)

Sandwich Composition: 6.4/10 (Sandwich itself was put together nicely, but the roll was a little too big in relation to the contents which make the first few bites primarily bread.) 

Overall Rating: 7.4/10 (A solid PEC, which did not surprise me because pretty much everything on their menu is good)

Price: $4.80 (which if we're being honest is an incredible value)

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Taylor Sam's is located at 20 Broad St. Red Bank, NJ 07701.  Their original location is located at 1563 NJ-88 Brick, NJ 08724.  

Sandwich Challenge: The Duke

So I originally scheduled this sandwich for next week in anticipation of celebrating Duke's 6th National Championship and salvaging my last place bracket.  As predicted, the move mushed the shit out of Duke as they lost to Michigan State yet again in the Elite Eight. The mush is when you are so sure of a sports prediction and the complete opposite happens. I'm not sure when I acquired the mush (also known as Draids on the show The League) but I do have a theory about it. The deeper you are in a relationship, the bigger the mush you become. It's just science.  For example, the biggest mush I have ever seen is married.  (Shoutout Marty Mush).  So, here's your sports gambling tip of the week: always fade your married friends.  Anyway, please enjoy this Mount Rushmore of my favorite Duke players: 

Trajan Langdon

"The Alaskan Assassin" was the first college basketball player that became appointment TV for me to watch.  From 1995-1999, he set the school's all-time three-point record and can be solely blamed for me only practicing three-point shots for the first few years of my mediocre basketball career.  

Christian Laettner   

I never actually watched Christian Laettner play at Duke since I was three when he hit that shot against Kentucky.  But CBS did show that shot ad nauseam for a decade and a half during every college basketball tournament and I watched the documentary "I Hate Christian Laettner." Everyone knows I love a good villain. Which brings me to. 

J.J. Reddick

From hitting every single three (except when he actually needed to hit a three) to every free throw, I think J.J. Reddick might have the nicest shot I've ever seen.  Taunting Maryland fans every year is a huge plus.  Might be my most favorite college basketball player to watch of all-time. 

Jason Williams

I remember being in awe seeing Jason Williams play during the Jersey Shore Summer League after his freshman year at Duke.  During his time there, he was New Jersey's biggest collegiate athlete and the biggest superstar in College Basketball.  He wasn't the national villain Reddick or Laettner was, but he was far and away the more talented player.  

The Duke: Hot Roast Beef, Hot Peppers and Onions, American Cheese

Now to the sandwich.  I gasped when I opened this one up.  It's really a cheesesteak except with roast beef, which as you can guess by reading up on my experience with the Peter Luger and Dean Martin, I just love the roast beef at Taliercio's.  They give you an option on this sandwich of hot or sweet peppers. (I will always go with hot peppers, we aren't soft on this blog). I absolutely love hot peppers on just about anything and now that it's baseball season again (#LGM) I'm ready to have my fair share of sausage and peppers at Citi Field.  Yellow American cheese works just fine on this sandwich, it'll never blow you away like mozzarella.  Very simply, if you're craving a cheesesteak but hate Philadelphia (sorry Philly fans) or are mad at Bryce Harper (sorry, DC fans), this is going to be your move.  

Overall: 8.2/10 (Definitely enjoy the roast beef better in a sandwich than panini, hot peppers give it a bump)

*I should have a lot of fun at the gym later. 

PEC Challenge: Slater's Deli

Apparently, it's tax season and as per tradition, I waited until the calendar struck April to file.  Why am I telling you this? Because what started as a lovely drive past the (formerly) asbestos-ridden building of my Middle School (Bayshore, give me some love*) to my tax guy, ended with perhaps our most monstrous pork roll yet.  I knew what I was getting into when I decided to relent to Slater's Deli staring me in the face as I dropped off my tax forms.  Growing up, there was a Slater's Deli right on the highway behind the "Indian burial ground" woods in my neighborhood. We risked capture from devil worshippers, Native American hauntings and poison ivy just to get to the place but a large sub from here would basically feed all of the neighborhood kids and we'd still have some left over.  For the uninitiated, it can really take you by surprise when you're handed the below when you order. This is no April Fools joke.  How much pork roll is too much pork roll?  Let's find out.  

Bread Rating: 7.6/10 (Solid rolls here, though they can get soggy because...)

Pork Roll Rating: 9.4/10 (There's almost an obnoxious amount on here and it does make the overall sandwich pretty greasy but I mean come on, you can take some off the sandwich and have side pork roll!)

Egg Rating: 6.9/10 (A very good fried egg, completely overshadowed by the meats)

Cheese Rating: 6.5/10 (Your typical yellow American cheese)

Sandwich Composition: 5.5/10 (It was a complete mess of a sandwich due to the amount of meat sliding around. I used to absolutely love something like this when I was a teenager, but now at 30 I just felt a little bit more disgusting than usual.)

Overall Rating: 7.1/10 (Look, this one is obviously not for everyone but the sandwich still tasted great even if it kind of grossed me out. If you like eating challenges or just love pork roll, this is a good option for you.) 

Price: $6.50, 4% charge on card transactions. 

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Slater's Deli is located at 866 NJ-36 (New name Sandy Hook Highway) Leonardo, NJ 07737.

*"Bayshore give me some love" was the beginning of our middle school's "fight song" and really it just reminds me of our illustrious 0-14 8th grade basketball season.     

PEC Challenge: Bagel Station

Folks, we're on our 2nd consecutive amazing Thursday in a row.  Today is the very best day to be a fan of the New York Metropolitans.  A day where hope springs eternal for all Met fans looking forward to another season marred by injury (RIP David Wright) and regret.  I placed a $20 bet on them to win the World Series as per tradition.  (17/1). #LGM.  Bagel Station is probably the closest bagelry to my apartment and it's also right across the street from, you guessed it, Red Bank's train station, which makes it one of the most convenient PEC's to attain ever.  The bagels here are pretty good and I'd say they have a perfectly acceptable PEC.  It could have used one more slice of pork roll but that would really be my only complaint.  Average, just like the Mets season will be, 84 wins, will miss playoffs.  LETS GO METS 

Bread Rating: 7.1/10 (Bagels here are pretty good)

Pork Roll Rating: 6.7/10 (Could have done an extra slice here) 

Egg Rating: 6.8/10 (Average Fried Egg)

Cheese Rating: 6.8/10 (Correct amount of cheese here)

Sandwich Composition: 7.1/10 (Sandwich was constructed well and stayed together, not easy to do on a bagel)

Overall: 6.9/10 (Shoutout Tom Seaver and the '69 Mets)

Price: $4.50, cards accepted with $4.50 minimum

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Bagel Station is located at 168 Monmouth St. Red Bank, NJ 07701

Sandwich Challenge: The Dean Martin

"Frank had the voice, Sammy had the talent, but Dean brought the cool."  I'm not sure who said that quote but I saw it in big bold letters while staying at the Hard Rock and knew I had to have a Rat Pack tribute month on the blog. Born Dino Crocetti, Dean Martin (name changed to sound more "American") was known as the King of Cool, as his relaxed voice earned him dozens of hit singles.  In 1958, he took over hosting the Golden Globes along with Sinatra and Davis Jr after the members of the foreign press (who hosted every year) bored the entire audience. Members of the foreign press never hosted again.  He's won a Golden Globe (Best Actor-TV Series Musical or Comedy) for his variety series The Dean Martin Show, which aired 264 episodes between 1965-1974.  This eventually evolved into the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, which aired for ten seasons until 1984.  He's headlined countless variety and comedy acts from Atlantic City to Las Vegas and has starred in 52 movies from 1946-1984.  We will likely never see a group with as many multi-faceted and talented individuals than The Rat Pack.  A group who entertained millions with overwhelming popularity and unflinchingly pushed social barriers while doing it.  Entertainers have a unique responsibility in their work to bring people together rather than set people apart, and it's important to remember those who came before and did just that.  Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk, now please allow me to judge this sandwich.   

Dean Martin: Roast Beef, American, Red Onion, Horseradish Pub Sauce

As you can probably tell from the picture, this panini was pretty greasy but what did you expect to happen when you hot press roast beef?  As seen before in the Peter Luger the roast beef at Taliercio's is phenomenal and when you add a horseradish-based sauce to the mix you are cooking with fire.   What set the Peter Lugar apart was the fresh mozzarella, and while this panini had yellow American, it was still very good.  I wouldn't recommend it as your everyday lunch but if you're looking for some grease in your life or are waking up in the afternoon after a long night of drinking (shoutout Dean Martin), this could be your play.  

Overall: 7.9/10

And now here's a Dino Crocetti classic you probably heard at least 1,000,000 times at your local pizzeria.

Bonus shoutout to my Mom who is undoubtedly disgusted at me for eating such an unhealthy lunch on her birthday.  Love you! 

PEC Challenge: Brennan's Delicatessen of Rumson

I woke up with a hangover this morning.  No, I didn't drink last night, I was just infected by the #madness. (I drank almost 0 water yesterday because I'm dumb.)  Almost all of my picks came through yesterday in what was shaping up as one of the greatest bracket turnarounds in tournament history.  I was looking at an undefeated day right up until the virgins from Liberty decided to upset Mississippi State.  From there, I ended up going 2-2 in the late night games, remaining decidedly towards the bottom of the middle of the pack.  Sure, you can say maybe you shouldn't have had to rely on an undefeated day to get back in contention but shut up.  My bracket wasn't the only thing looking for redemption yesterday.  Brennan's deserved redemption, so this morning I went to the OG location in Rumson, and friends, it did not disappoint.  

I actually got pork roll on this sandwich, which was already a major improvement from bacon. (Sorry New Yorkers/rest of the country but you are all wrong.) The sandwich itself was the perfect size for a breakfast sandwich and every ingredient was fresh, even the ketchup tasted homemade.  I hope and believe the Middletown location could get to this point and once it does could contend with the best PEC in town.  Before then, you can always rely on the original location. 


Bread Rating: 8.4/10 (Roll was fresh, soft and the perfect size)

Pork Roll Rating: 8.7/10 (They got it right, and the pork roll was very good)

Egg Rating: 7.3/10 (Little thin on the egg but let's be honest pork roll is the star)

Cheese Rating: 7.5/10 (Plenty of it, tasted like real cheese)

Sandwich Composition: 8.4/10 (This was just what you want out of a breakfast sandwich)

Overall Rating: 8.1/10 

Price: $5.50, cards accepted.  

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Brennan's Delicatessen of Rumson is located at 44 W. River Rd. Rumson, NJ 07760

PEC Challenge: Brennan's Delicatessen of Middletown

March Madness began yesterday and with it another day of deflating losses and horrific picks.  I'm close to last place in almost every bracket I've entered, which is an embarrassing showing coming from a guy who's first AIM screenname (RIP) was marchmadman.  Hoping for a bounce-back day on the 2nd Tournament Day of the first round starting with a pork roll (Happy Hour may have gotten a bit aggressive yesterday).  A new (kind of) deli has emerged on the Seaside Highway (Rt. 35) in Middletown.  Brennan's has been a staple in Rumson for many years, and a great spot to pick up a sandwich on the way to the beach. (Brendan, hi).  Naturally, I was very excited to hear they were opening a location right across the highway from Sunken City and a short 3-minute drive down the road from me.  What better way to cure the blues of the Thursday picks and get your Friday off to a great start than to go to a brand new deli with an established presence in the marketplace? 

I'm going to lose all of my games today, aren't I? What you see above is not a pork roll, egg, and cheese.  Nope.  It's a bacon, egg, and cheese. I'm not sure where the disconnect was, my receipt said PEC on it, but imagine the horror and disappointment when I opened up the tin foil and found the above. Don't get me wrong, bacon, egg, and cheese are OK but that's not what we're here for.  I have no choice but to grade what I was given but since it's March Madness, I will go to the original Brennan's location tomorrow for redemption.  Hopefully, the few winners I picked yesterday will come through for me tomorrow and make it to the Sweet 16.  


Bread Rating: 7.2/10 (I enjoyed the hard roll this was on)

Pork Roll Rating: 0/10 (Bacon just isn't the correct breakfast meat on a sandwich. I'm sorry I have to tell you this but look how skimpy the sandwich looks without pork roll.)

Egg Rating: 6.3/10 (Barely any on there)

Cheese Rating: 6.8/10 (There was the correct amount of cheese on this)

Sandwich Composition: 5.4/10 (I mean, I got the wrong sandwich, salt pepper ketchup ratio was there.) 

Overall Rating: 5.1/10 

Price: $5.50, cards accepted.  Priced a little high for the value received, hoping for a big-time turnaround tomorrow. 

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Brennan's Delicatessen of Middletown is located at 212 NJ-35 (Seaside Highway) Red Bank, NJ 07701. (It's in the Middletown part of Red Bank).

*Just realized I ate meat again on Friday during Lent, so in a way, I deserved this. Hello, Catholic guilt!