Patrick "I was a Teenage Vinyl Junkie!" M.'s Profile

This is a traditional Chinese Restaurant that shares space with a neighborhood bowling alley.  This is not the place to come if you are looking for General Cho's Chicken but it is place to come if you are looking for something adventurous or just in the mood for a big bowl of soup that you can eat with chop sticks.

I usually sit at the bar when it is not busy and talk to Mike the cook about bikes.  I am sure your experience will be different.

I have heard good things about The Bistro in Red Bank but I had never tried it for myself.  It has been on my list of places to visit but I never got around to it.My daughter and I were running errands in Red Bank and we decided to get the restaurant a try.  

The Bistro is on of the fusion style restaurants that seem to be popular in Red Bank and other similar towns in NJ.  This is basically and Italian restaurant that also has a full sushi menu.  

The restaurant opens to Broad Street and has tables on the sidewalk.  We choose to sit inside but we still had a good view to people watch.

My daughter is a fan of sushi so she order a roll and an appetizer.  I went with a pasta dish since I just was not in the mood for sushi (sometimes you just need carbs).  While my daughter enjoyed her meal I was kind of disappointed in mine.  I did enjoy the bread basket that came out in the beginning of the meal.  The service was good.

I have noticed that The Bistro seems to be a popular place to hold a special occasion brunch.

While I am glad I tried the Bistro out I am probably going to stick with Red across the street in the future.

SAWA is a favorite of my teenage daughter and her friends.  I have dropped them off here on several occasions so that they could enjoy sushi and a conversation.  As much as I have wanted to try SAWA out Daddy is just not welcome at these events.

However, my daughter recently suggested that she and I go to dinner together and the restaurant of choice was SAWA in Eatontown. I jumped at this chance to try out this restaurant and spend some quality time.

After hearing how good the food is I was not disappointed.  The restaurant has two sections.  One for the Hibachi Grill and one for the full service sushi restaurant.  We sat on the sushi side.  SAWA is not a traditional sushi restaurant but is more of a fusion style that is becoming very popular especially in Red Bank.  Many of the items are spicy which is what I usually look for.

My daughter and I both order a roll each and appetizer.  The service was prompt and the presentation outstanding.  We both left full since the rolls are very good sized.

SAWA recently opened in Long Branch's Pier Village.

This is the grooming salon inside of Paw Palace.   I am the owner of a Bichon Frise and it is one of those high maintenance dogs.  I am always on the search for the perfect groomer.  So far The Dog Spa at Paw Palace has met my needs.   The best my dog has ever looked.

Cycles 54 is a little bit of a drive for me but I have been planning on visiting for sometime.  I finally had the opportunity to visit and as luck would have it I also needed to have some work done on my bike.

Cycles 54 sells Specialized, Look and Felt bikes.  They are also an Indy Fabracation dealer for you fans of custome steel and Ti bikes. The showroom is packed with new bikes and has a cool vibe.  The staff is friendly and helpful.

My local bike shops did not have time to take me in but Cycles 54 took care of my repair needs right away.  The missed the broken shifter cable initially but that is kind of understandable given the circumstances.  They quickly corrected the problem and now all is good.

I have drove by Stewart's Root Beer in Matawan hundreds of times but I have never stopped there.  I am not sure why because I am certain that I have made a mental note to go there every time I drive by.  It might just be the location on a road that runs parallel to the main business strip in Matawan - Aberdeen.

I have stopped at other Stewart's and I have been disappointed but not this one.  It still has car hop service and since the weather is nice there are 4 tables in front to sit and eat.

I got a jumbo Italian Hotdog and a root beer and it came to under $6.  At first I was thinking I needed to order fries but the hotdog was stuffed with potatoes that it would have been a waste.  Next time I am going to make sure I get one of the floats and try the spicy fries.

Now I have alternative to the Wind Mill.

Surprisingly I actually prefer Five Guys over Bobby's Burger Palace.  My daughter feels the same way.  In fact I probably would not have tried Five Guys if it had not been for her suggestion.

The first time in we both got the standard burger.  We did not know that they were doubles.  We usually order the Little Burger which is a single.  I love all the choices for condiments.  Mine always includes pickles, tomatoes, mustard, hot peppers and hot sauce (this combination always gets me looks from the staff).

The fries are great.  Usually more than I can eat but I always finish them.

Unlike other restuarants like this I never feel like I have sinned.     I never feel like I am slowly killing myself by eating here.  Maybe if they served shakes that would be a different story.

This place is a vast improvement over the Friendly's that used to occupy the building.

I have now been to Bobby's Burger Palace 3 times.  Once by myself and twice with my daughter.  The first time was really good, the second time lived up to the first impression but the third time was a little disappointing.

The burgers are good and there are lots of choices.  The fries are about the same that I get at the WindMill in Long Branch.  I was a little disappointed in the Sweet Potato fries.  The milk shakes are outstanding.  I have had the Mango Shake every time I have been there.  My daughter has had the vanilla and the black/white.  The shakes are definitely worth the trip.

The thing keeping Bobby's Burger Palace from getting 5 stars is the seating arangement.   There are no individual tables and you end up having to eat with strangers.  On my first trip I met a young couple so I think that is the goal.  However, you are never sure who you are going to be sitting next to.

I recently hosted a group get together at the Galway Hooker NYC.   We reserved the back room with two pool tables.   We had around 50 people.   The front of the bar was very crowded with the usual Thursday evening after work crowd but we were isolated in the back area.

I selected the Galway Hooker to host my event for several reasons.  Close to all transportation (Trains and Bus) and a central location.  It was also recommended to me folks I worked with at my previous client.

I would definitely host another event here.  The staff was on top of things and my group all had a good time.

I recently went back to Casa Comida on a Sunday afternoon with my daughter.  We were the only patrons so we did not have to wait.  My daughter who had never been there loved the food and cannot wait to go back.   For me the food was great.  

Casa Comida opens at 1 PM on Sundays.  Not a bad time to go if you want to avoid the regular weekend crowds.