El Mariachi

Mmmm margaritas.  El Mariachi has come up several times when I've asked about fun drinks and patios, so when my parents were in town on a stunning 80ish degree day that turned into a high 60s/low 70s evening, we knew we had to sit outside.  I don't know about you, but I always find that with good service, adult beverages, and outdoor seating it's hard for me not to like something.

El Mariachi had pretty good guacamole, and the salsa that comes with the complimentary chips had a nice kick.  I enjoyed the chicken mole (good, but needed to be hotter temperature wise), mom had fajitas, J had steak with onions and garlic, and dad got something with chicken that I don't remember.  But he liked it, and that was all that mattered, because we were celebrating his BIRTHDAY!!! Yay! He really didn't want a big to do for his 60th, so he and mom decided to come up to our house for Friday-Sunday, then leave after breakfast to see my sister in Boston until Tuesday.  Child touring, they call it.

When we walked in there was a line 3 parties deep to even check in with the hostess.   She was running back and forth to seat people, and with existing reservations going on I figured we'd have a huge wait.  Nope, we were seated on the patio right away (after waiting 10 minutes while she sat other people and ran around).

Service was great--our saintly waitress was patient with my chatty dad who doesn't like peppers or onions, unless they are well done, in which case onions are okay but not peppers.  He doesn't really like picking off a menu, he'd prefer someone tell him what to get.  And she did.  Thanks!  Also, she brought him a very heavy authentic-looking festive sombrero and flan with a candle in it.

You can get margaritas by the pitcher AND by the half pitcher, so if that second pitcher is just a little beyond reach? No worries, you're covered.

El Mariachi
289 Hamilton Street
Albany, NY

El Rancho - Saugerties, NY

The trip to NJ to DC leaves much to be desired as far as scenery, speed (aka sloooow thanks to traffic), and food.  Yes, the new Delaware House is pretty snazzy (it looks like an airport terminal), but I wouldn't call it a destination.  On the other hand, going from NJ to upstate NY leaves lots of options if we can't make it all the way home.  North Jersey?  Hudson? Rhinebeck?  Poughkeepsie? 

J hates making decisions about restaurants on the spot.  After lots of prodding, we narrowed down our wishlist.  Pretty fast, Asian or Mexican.  We'd overloaded on Italian and pizza generally lately, and plain old American pub fare seemed too boring. Yelping + Googling led me to positive reviews for El Rancho in Saugerties.  It's not in the "town center" (if there is indeed a town center), but was conveniently right off the highway.

Wed is Marg Night, clearly.   Dang was it dark outside. 

J had the Dos Chimichangas--one chicken, one beef.  Shreddy and delish.

I had steak fajitas.  I felt like I wanted something sizzling.  It was freezing outside, and I'd eaten vegetarian for two days in a row.  I needed some iron, stat.  Notice it looks a little shiny--it could have used a little toweling off, it was a bit oily for my liking.  Overall it was quite tasty, though.

The salsa was very fresh-tasting and zesty.  Service was friendly, but a little slow.  My only other complaint about El Rancho is that no one bothered to de-ice the parking lot.  At all.  It was basically a skating rink.  Step carefully, folks.

El Rancho*
2904 Route 32
Saugerties, NY

Apparently eating at El Rancho was good luck for the J-E-T-S JETS, because soon after we got in the car post-meal, we heard on the radio that they were nearly finished beating the Patriots.  Well done, New [Jersey] York.

Southern Jersey Shore

I don't want you guys to feel devoid of my creativity/gluttony just because of a DVR malfunction. Therefore, a few days ahead of schedule, I bring you The Jersey Shore.

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with a lot of people and say that there are plenty of delicious dining options in my home state--just ask my buddy eNJoy!  Yeah we have phenomenal sub shops and diners coming out the wazoo, but we also have fancy pants places with unbelievable cuisine worthy of any big city stage.  In this particular version we're in the South, but sometimes we're not. 

The first stop, while delicious, was least impressive.  We left early Saturday morning to avoid traffic, so as it neared lunch time I Yelped from the car to find Vinnie's Italian Deli in Minotola, NJ (near Vineland for the Jersey Geographers, also known as Near Nothing).  The place is obsessed with broccoli rabe.  We didn't think to share one sandwich, and instead I got the chicken breast with red peppers and J got the hot roast beef and provolone.  The roast beef was more like a brisket, falling apart in a totally delicious, greasy way.  And it was absolutely bursting with sauteed broccoli rabe.  This sandwich was huge and filling.



On to dinner--when I need to go out in NJ I ask eNJoy where I should go.  She knows everything there is about fine dining, cheap dining, weird and exotic dining...you name it.  She wrote about Los Amigos and I took that as my cue.  I was happy to make an OpenTable reservation from my spot on the hot beach.  This place is downright cute.  It's long, narrow, and tall, although we sat downstairs and I wasn't sure what the deal was with the upstairs.

Only complaint: the guac app was TINY! Donde esta the enormous molcajete from all the other restaurants I go to??  I liked the salsa.

M and T got the fish tacos--they were salmon and tuna.  H tried them and declared them to be tastier than her softshell crab tacos.  Imagine that!  I crown them prettiest dish of the day.

E went with the chicken enchiladas with salsa verde and a creamy cilantro inside.  These had some kick, but it didn't last long enough to be uncomfortable.  Very tasty.  If you're not a refried beans person, be sure to specify that you want black beans--no one asked us!

Two of us got fajitas, me and D--she had the chicken, I had STEAK!  MEAT!  My dish was just delicious.  Simple, clean, flavorful.  I was really really happy.  I couldn't even finish it, which is very unlike me.

OK so then it's Sunday.  In the morning I had a big old DD iced coffee to ensure a wonderful day.  And off we went to the magical land of Brigantine, (summer) home of one of my best friends and a place that stores lots and lots of old memories.  Just a few short miles from Atlantic City, Brig is a residential area with cleaner, quieter beaches and the best sandwich you'll ever have.  Granted, it might just be the best sandwich because you walked the 4 blocks to Ernest's from the beautiful white sandy beaches.  But let's all decide on our own, huh?

Notice: "Go Phils!"  We're not in North Jersey anymore, folks.  And by the way, get an unbelievable milkshake next door, maybe as an appetizer while you order and wait for your sandwich.

Check it how that sign says "Expert Deer Butcher."  Yes. Now do you want to see some hardworking bread?  Bread that's really earning it's paycheck, if grains were to do that?  Okay, here we go.

You can get whatever you want at Ernest's--you want turkey, lettuce, and mustard on a Kaiser?  No problem.  More than a dozen iterations of cheesesteaks and grilled chicken sandwiches?  You got it.  But what about the honest to goodness Italian deli part of this deal, the kind that makes me wish we never moved away from Italian Store.

The first picture above is the Ernie Special, $6.69, prosciutto, salami, sharp provolone, roasted peppers, tomato, oil, oregano.  They are not messing around.

The second is the Stormin Gorman, $6.69, turkey breast, prosciutto, provolone, hot peppers, mayo.  We heard about half a dozen Stormin Gorman's ordered in maybe 5 minutes standing close to the counter. Seriously, I tried to take a bite and get the top AND the bottom, and my jaw could barely handle it. 

Share with a friend, if you're generous--these babies are enormous.  And try to avoid the urge to go bobbing for pickles in the big barrel o' brine.  Take a few home to slice up among friends.



The rest is a blur of shining lights and screaming fans.  Hope you had a great 4th, I know I did!