Taliercio's Challenge: John Candy

I know today's Halloween and you've all enjoyed a healthy amount of Kit Kats for breakfast this morning but we're going to be celebrating a different candy this week.  (Wait, people don't eat Kit Kats for breakfast).  You probably know John Candy as that funny larger gentleman from the 80s and early 90s who starred in comedy classics such as Stripes, Splash, Spaceballs, Uncle Buck, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Cool Runnings, and a personal favorite of mine, Home Alone. (Though Home Alone 2 is better). He started his career in the Toronto branch of Second City, a famous Chicago improv group that produced comedians such as Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Harold Ramis, Robin Duke, Joe Flaherty, and Andrea Martin.  Together they starred in SCTV, a popular Canadian version of SNL, which became very popular in the U.S. from 1976-1984.  Unfortunately, John Candy died of a heart attack in 1994 while making his final film Wagons East.  But he left behind a lasting legacy of comedy and has gone down as one of Canada's funniest exports.  There's also a panini in his honor from Taliercio's.  I'm not entirely sure why these ingredients were chosen for him but I'm rolling with it.  Happy Halloween.  

John Candy: Roast Pork, Broccoli Rabe, Sundried Tomatoes, Provolone, Balsamic Glaze

I know I previously declared my new found love for broccoli rabe but I didn't love it on a panini. Interestingly, I found the provolone delightful when melted (I find it a little sharp sometimes otherwise).  Funny what a little chemistry will do to your food.  This was almost nearly identical to the Tony G sandwich except with roast pork instead of turkey but I think this combination just works better as a sandwich than a panini.  It could be just me but the broccoli rabe was just a bit overpowering with the bitterness in the panini. 

Overall: 6.3

PEC Challenge: Jersey Roll

Hand up.  I ate this PEC in August while at the Ocean Township Italian Festival and was saving it for a summer release since Jersey Roll is based out of the Seaside boardwalk.  And before you get on me with the "buuut pork roll isn't Italian" bit, it wasn't the only thing I ate at that festival. I also ate some excellent penne vodka from Piccola in Ocean and a year's worth of zeppoles.  But that's neither here nor there.  The real reason I chose today to post about NJ's beloved breakfast meat from a place fittingly named Jersey Roll is that tonight is Mischief Night.  Unfamiliar? You probably didn't grow up in Jersey. According to the NY Times' American dialect test, NJ is the only place where it's universally celebrated and known.  Mischief Night is celebrated the day before Halloween when local teens harass the living shit out of their neighborhoods with pranks such as littering front lawns with toilet paper and silly string, egging cars, smashing pumpkins, and my personal favorite, the ding-dong ditch (sometimes accompanied by a bag of dog shit which has been set ablaze on their front porch).   Now, I get it, you're thinking "what a bunch of absolute scumlords" and you're only 50% right.  But for the most part, people who give out shit Halloween candy the year before or are generally unfriendly neighbors get it the worst because vigilante street justice and pettiness are what's hot in these neighborhoods.  Also hot?  This pork roll.  Here are my notes from when I ate it.

Bread Rating: 7.4/10 (Pretty good roll, nicely toasted but unfortunately just a bit flat.  I'm not sure if this was a transport thing since they operate out of a truck but still my only bad mark.)

Pork Roll Rating: 8.9/10 (Four slice, two on the bottom with egg and cheese in the middle two more on top.  Absolutely academic. I think food truck griddles just have a little extra flavor and grease to them and its evident here.  Awesome.)

Egg Rating: 8.4/10 (Fried egg, you know what it is.  Some of that food truck grease gives it a nice boost.)

Cheese Rating: 8.2/10 (White American cheese, the real deal.  Didn't put a lot on there because we all know pork roll is the main event.)

Sandwich Composition: 9.2/10 (I mean this was about as perfect a PEC composition as you're going to get, minus the bread issue which I already addressed.  SPK ratio, spot on.  Sandwiching the egg and cheese with pork roll is upper-echelon shit only.  They know what they're doing.

Overall Rating: 8.4/10 (I'm willing to bet that if I go to Seaside Heights boardwalk that this overall score will only go up.  Jersey Roll is an elite PEC and if you see their truck at a festival you'd be messing up by not getting one.)

Price: $9, card accepted

Jersey Roll can be found at 1205 Boardwalk, Seaside Heights, NJ 08751 or you can usually find them at Laurita Winery 85 Archertown Rd, New Egypt, NJ 08533.

PEC Challenge: Pat's Market

We are back in Lincroft to start off the week with a PEC literally three doors down (lol) from Joyce's.  I don't think Pat's Market is really known for their breakfast sandwiches? Just the vibe I got from them since the place opened at 9am and they looked really surprised to see me there at opening time.  I would consider this spot more of a deli/butcher and Joyce's more of a breakfast/also a deli spot.  Funny how I went from struggling to find a good deli/literally anywhere other than a McDonalds to get breakfast in Virginia to having about 100 delis within 15 minutes of me.  I guess the brunch scene here is significantly worse than NoVa so you win some you lose some.  This is now my fourth meal to come from Newman Springs Road over the weekend if you include last Friday's blog and my two separate Eastern Empire takeout orders from the weekend so yes, I have reached my Lincroft appearance quota for the year.  Let's check out Pat's. 

Bread Rating: 6.8/10 (A pretty standard roll that you could find at the grocery store.)

Pork Roll Rating: 6.7/10 (Seeing as though this place is a butchery I can only assume this might be their own brand of pork roll.  A little saltier than some others.)

Egg Rating: 7.4/10 (The fried egg was very good here, nice crisped edges with softness inside.)

Cheese Rating: 7/2/10 (You can tell the difference between Boars Head cheese and non-Boars Head cheese.  This was the former.  Nicely melted.)

Sandwich Composition: 6.4/10 (A little heavy on the ketchup on this one.  Generally, PEC's on bagels have trouble keeping together but this one was on a hard roll and was sliding all over the place.)

Overall: 6.9/10 (This wasn't a bad PEC, just a fairly average one and when you have a breakfast institution literally three doors down it's tough to compete.  I'm sure they have some solid meats and game day platters but if you want the best PEC you can get in Lincroft the edge has to go to Joyce's.)

Price: $6, credit accepted with $10 minimum. 

Pat's Market is located at 677 Newman Springs Rd, Lincroft, NJ 07738

PEC Challenge: Joyce's Subs and Pizza

Today I ventured into a part of town I frequented during high school years. (RIP Lincroft McDonalds).  Some may perceive Lincroft as the "Eagleton" of Middletown but I would never make such a comparison on this blog.  Last time I wrote about wealth perception among White Suburban America I landed myself in six-figure debt (thank you college). Pork Rolls have proven to be much cheaper to write about, in fact, it would take me 36,400 PEC's to reach the cost of my college education.  That's pretty fucking sick.  Anyway, I've always heard about Joyce's from friends from the Croft but I don't think I've ever been in there.  For some reason, there are three places to get breakfast or coffee in the strip as it shares a parking lot with Pat's Market and a Dunkin Donuts.  There was also a cigar shop that was open at 8am with multiple people in there smoking.  Retirement sounds lovely.  

Bread Rating: 8.1/10 (Poppyseed rolls are standard here and technically cheating but I'm not complaining.  It was a solid roll.)

Pork Roll Rating: 8.6/10 (Three slices, griddled to perfection.  There was a ton of flavor here that I really didn't expect when looking at it.)

Egg Rating: 8.4/10 (The egg had a hint of runniness which created an explosion of flavors in every bite.  The griddle here has to be one of the better-seasoned ones in the area.)

Cheese Rating: 6.8/10 (Can't really fault the cheese being kind of neglected here when you bring it with the pork roll and egg. An average American yellow slice on top of the egg.)

Sandwich Composition: 8.8/10 (A bit on the smaller side of PEC's but this one brought all of the flavors you come to expect.  Constructed well, with good SPK ratio.)

Overall: 8.2/10 (A Lincroft institution that won't steer you wrong. A bit small but packed with flavor, this should be on anyone's list who lives in the area.)

Price: $4, credit accepted.

Joyce's Subs and Pizza is located at 655 Newman Springs Rd, Lincroft, NJ 07738
  

Taliercio's Challenge: White Russian

We started October with the Black Russian and now with October coming to a close next week, we'll be checking out its cousin, the White Russian.  The White Russian, like the Black Russian, is not Russian in origin (mostly because an actual Russian cocktail would just be a glass of vodka).  Turning a Black Russian into a White Russian is simple.  You just add 3 parts cream to your 5 part vodka, 2 part coffee liqueur drink.  If you're looking for a good time with White Russians, look no further than the Big Lebowski drinking game.  All you have to do is drink a White Russian every time The Dude drinks one.  I won't tell you how many there are, you'll need to find that out on your own but just know you will be in for an interesting night.  Also, some news, starting in November, I will be eating the remaining sandwiches featuring turkey on our Taliercio's list.  After the White Russian, there are four remaining turkey sandwiches and I couldn't think of a better time than November to eat nothing but turkey.  

White Russian: Turkey, Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Horseradish Pub Sauce, Pumpernickel Bread

This sandwich was nearly identical to the Black Russian in every way except for turkey instead of roast beef as the meat.  I really, really enjoyed how much the horseradish sauce complimented the turkey.  Sometimes turkey on its own can be a real bummer but this was not the case here.  I'm still going to give the edge to the Black Russian though only because the roast beef at Taliercio's is so very choice.  Still, don't sleep on the White Russian if you're looking for something leaner.  

Overall: 7.8/10

Taliercio's Challenge: Ricky Ricardo

This week, 68 years ago, one of TV's greatest and most influential sitcoms in history debuted on CBS.  I'm, of course, talking about I Love Lucy, winner of five Emmy Awards and the black and white show (color TV still not a thing in 1951) you woke up to in the middle of the night because you forgot to put your sleep timer on.  I Love Lucy centers on Lucy Ricardo (played by Lucille Ball) and her husband Ricky Ricardo (played by Desi Arnaz) and their best friends (who are also her landlords?) living in an apartment in New York City.  I know, crazy plot, right? How could a couple afford to live in a multi-bedroom Upper East Side brownstone apartment on one income? (Oh I know, the rent for their apartment was $105 a month!) That wasn't the controversy that executives felt viewers wouldn't tolerate.  Nope, not even close.  Back in 1951, CBS executives initially balked at the idea of portraying a marriage between an all-American girl and a Latin man, even though Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were actually married.  The marriage between Scottish American Lucy and Cuban American Ricky marked the first appearance of interracial marriage on American television.  A little ridiculous to think that my current relationship would be considered interracial to early American TV viewers but I digress. 

Ricky Ricardo: Roast Pork, Ham, Baby Swiss, Pickle, Spicy Mustard

As many American's first introductions to Cubans, it's only fitting that Taliercio's Ricky Ricardo sandwich be their version of a Cuban sandwich. The Cuban sandwich was developed in Florida, specifically Tampa and Miami, by laborers working in the cigar industry. The rivalry between the two cities over who has the best sandwich is heated but if I may, I would like to share my unbiased opinion.  The best Cuban sandwiches are found in Hudson County, New Jersey and no it has nothing to do with the fact that that's where my family is from.  This may not come as a surprise to any of you but I've had my fair share of Cuban sandwiches. (Not only in NJ)  That's why judging this one is going to be tough for me.  As Cuban sandwiches go, does this hold a candle to anything you'll find in Union City?  No, for sure not.  There's no Cuban bread here (arguably the best bread) and the roast pork didn't hit you with that Carribean flavor.  However, as far as Taliercio's panini's go, this is still up there as one of my favorites.  The combination of ham, swiss, spicy mustard and pickles is an all-time combination for me, you honestly could not screw it up.  If you do screw it up, you don't deserve to make sandwiches.  So, I'm going to give two scores here.  One is a score based on other Taliercio's sandwiches and another is a Cuban sandwich score so you can see how it stacks up.

Taliercios: 8.9/10 (Still an all-time Taliercio's panini despite missing the Cuban bread and mojo seasoned pork.)

Cuban: 6.2/10 (It was missing the Cuban bread and mojo seasoned pork.)

PEC Challenge: Willow Deli

Here we are.  Friday.  And honestly, I don't have much to talk about.  I mean I already covered problematic explorers, three day weekends, and new sandwich contests.  All in all, a pretty boring week if you ask me.  Which is why I needed to cover another PEC. I've been a little behind pace (I've eaten 42 pork rolls this year) and I really want to get some cool data visualizations out to you guys for the new year (decade, fuck).  Now that it's getting cold and my only weekend plans include a best of three playoff series in an adult softball league and catching a nice buzz while watching the entire Lord of the Rings series (not particularly in that order), I'll hopefully be able to start working on that soon.  In some other news, due to the Taliercio's sandwich of the week taking the spot of another sandwich this week, I will be reviewing TWO sandwiches next week most likely on Tuesday and Thursday so make sure to look for those as well as potentially two more pork rolls on Monday and Friday.  OK, well that's my life update, friendly reminder that you all have about one week left to figure out your Halloween costumes. (I'll never be too old to dress up on Halloween and do I ever have some fun ones for you guys in the pipeline.) 

Bread Rating: 6.2/10 (A pretty soft hard roll reminiscent to something you'd find in one of those clear containers of bread they have at the grocery store.  I'm not saying this bread came from the Acme down the street but suspicious minds...)

Pork Roll Rating: 6.4/10 (Three thick slices of a similar brand of pork roll that I found in Colts Neck.  Not my favorite.)

Egg Rating: 7.2/10 (The eggs were plentiful, fried and seasoned well.  A highlight)

Cheese Rating: 6.6/10 (There was cheese on there, I think, and it was melted.) 

Sandwich Composition: 7.1/10 (It was put together nicely.  I appreciated both sides of the roll being dolloped with ketchup, likely to distract from the subpar roll. But it was a good looking PEC and a good size.)

Overall: 6.7/10 (What we have here folks is our very first "Bodega Pork Roll." If you don't know the term "Bodega" I hope you go get some culture in your life. This PEC will play if it's all you have in the area or you're in a pinch.  It certainly wasn't the worst I've ever had but it is what it is.)

Price: $4, cash 

Willow Deli is located at 290 Willow Dr, Little Silver, NJ 07739