The Shed Barbeque and Blues Joint - Gulfport, MS

A trip to the deep south requires a trip to get some good bbq.  As you all have seen my pictures here (maybe), but definitely on Facebook, you know my love for BBQ, and you know my love for smoking.  I love to smoke anything from meats, to nuts, to cheeses in my smoker at home, and I love BBQ even more when I don't have to make it.  So we took a trip to The Shed tonight, to see what it was all about.

From the outside, this looks like a classic BBQ joint.  The setting suits the theme, not fancy by any means, just a down and dirty BBQ joint.  You walk in, order at the counter, have a seat, and out it comes.

I ordered The Shed combo plate tonight, where you pick 2 meats, and 2 sides.  For my meats, I had to try the brisket, and for my second meat, the young lady taking my order talked me into the sausage instead of the pulled pork.  For my sides, I absolutely had to try the baked potato salad, and the mac and cheese.  I decided to wash this down with an ice cold Blue Moon, and I was off to find a table to sit down.

Out came my combo moments later, packed in styrofoam with a piece of aluminum foil on top.  The first thing I noticed was how cold the potato salad was.  Perfect!  There is nothing worse than warm potato salad, so I took a bite, and the flavors were awesome!  The binder for this was very nice, with great flavors, but the real flavor came from the baked potato.  The whole baked concept adds a nice element to this, and it was a joy.

The mac and cheese was good as well, but nothing to write home about.  While it was good, it really didn't put itself above any other mac and cheese I have had at another BBQ joint over the years.

As for the BBQ, the sausage had nice flavors, and was smoked nicely,  The flavors from the smoke worked well, but quite honestly, I think that the BBQ sauce that this was smothered in really took away from the sausage.  There was nothing at all wrong with the BBQ sauce, and it had good flavors, though like I said, it was just a bit overwhelming.  I would have preferred this with the sauce on the side.

The brisket, while juicy with nice flavors, really didn't do a ton for me.  If I didn't know what I ordered, this could have passed as pulled pork.  It was stringy like pulled pork, and even tasted quite a bit like pulled pork.  Maybe they do their brisket a little different down there, and slice it differently.  I am used to the nice, thick slices of brisket, and this was not the case here.

Even so, the flavors were still nice, and again, the smoke on the meat was nice.  But also again, this was smothered in BBQ sauce, and really took away from the flavors of the meat.  I couldn't tell what kind of flavors the meat got from the rub here, but no matter, it was still enjoyable.

In short, I can appreciate good BBQ, and this was good.  Would i go back there again next time I am in town?  Absolutely!  Is there better BBQ in the area?  I have no idea.  Have I had better BBQ in the past?   Yes, even here in New Jersey, but what can you do?

The Shed Barbeque and Blues Joint
15094 Mills Road
North of 49 to 53 West 1 mile
Gulfport, MS 39503
http://theshedbbq.com/

Hours: Mon Closed, Tue-Thurs 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-8pm

West Side Gravy - Collingswood, NJ

It's been way to long since we've made the trip down to West Side Gravy, so why not on a rainy Friday night?  We parked out back as the streets were packed, and as we walked up, we could see that Blackbird was absolutely packed.  For those that don't know, Blackbird is Chef Alex Capasso's first restaurant, that moved to this location earlier in the year.  Now, Chef Capasso has both great restaurants under the same roof, working out of the same kitchen.  It just doesn't get any better than that!  Pretty awesome!

As we walked past West Side Gravy, I was super disappointed to only see one other table seated in the restaurant.  Maybe it was the rain ad weather, maybe it is the nasty construction in Haddonfield.  I don't know, but for the quality of fare you get here for the price, I just don't get why this restaurant isn't packed every night of the week, especially the weekends!

Our server came over and opened our wine, and we started off with some apps.  Zelda ordered the lentil soup, and not being a fan of lentils, I actually really liked te flavors and texture of this.  The flavors in the soup were great, and for once, the texture of the lentils didn't bother me in the least.

We also had the ahi tuna tacos, which we have had on many ocassions here, and these were delicious. Awesome sushi grade ahi, piled onto a mini flour tortilla, and topped with avocado, a rice noodle of sorts, and a sweet chili sauce. What can I say other than the fact that we love these. The tuna is always fresh, and the flavors are just so nice.

Zelda opted for the mac and cheese tonight, which again, is always a treat!  This is made with shell shaped pasta, and made with cheddar, gruyere, fontina cheeses, fresh herbs, and toasted breadcrumbs.  Again, this is another favorite, and some of the best mac and cheese around.  Add some fresh lobster, and this is mac and cheese at it's best!

I opted for the steak frites tonight, and this was absolutely delicious!  This is a nice, thin rib eye, cooked to a perfect medium, and packed with flavor.  The flavors from the seasoning on here were perfect, and guessing it was just a little salt and pepper.  The flavor from the grill however are what makes this dish a thing of beauty.  The grill is nicely seasoned, and busting with flavors.  The fried onions added a tasty element, and I opted for the truffle oil upgrade for the fries.  Awesome!

We ended up skipping dessert tonight as we were both stuffed, and I have to say, that for under $50, this is one of the best bargains in New Jersey.  Where else can you go and get great entrees for under $20?  From a kitchen with this much talent nonetheless?

There has been a lot of criticism as of late from friends who's restaurants we've supported as of late, but when you have bargains like this, it is hard to support restaurants where entree's are $25-$40.  If only there were more restaurants like West Side Gravy!  Keep up the good work Chef Capasso! 

West Side Gravy - Collingswood, NJ

Well, was it West Side Gravy we ate in, or was it Blackbird?  The beauty of it is that we ate at both!  While physically we were in West Side Gravy, we actually ordered items from both menu's!  So again, Chef Capasso's latest venture is an absolute winner!  What is there to say other than another killer night on Haddon Avenue with Chef Capasso and his team!  Stay tuned for details as this post is no where near complete!  Cheers!

West Side Gravy Mac and Cheese:  This consists of shelled pasta, cheddar, gruyere, fontina cheeses, fresh herbs, and toasted breadcrumbs.   Usually, these are really small shells, but this time around, these were made by the larger shells like the ones served with Blackbird entrees.  Either way, this is some damn good mac and cheese, and I think that it is the freshness in the herbs that give it such great flavors.  Add a few of my favorite cheeses, and of course this is a recipe for success.  This is always a treat, and one of those must order appetizers.

We also had the Blackbird Tuna Tartare.  This stats out with sushi grade tuna, cubed and mixed with scallion, cilantro, pickled ginger, and tossed in a miso dressing, and garnished with pea tendrils.  This very well could be my new favorite appetizer at Blackbird.  The flavors here all went so well together!  The freshness of the scallion and the cilantro, along with the zing of the ginger and the Miso worked together extremely well.  This is to rock star appetizers what Simon Cowell was to American Idol!  No, we haven't watched Idol in years.  Sorry!  Will definitely be ordering this app again in the future!  May even have to go back this week just to have it again to see if I can duplicate it!

Zelda ordered the Tilapia tonight, that was pan seared and served with herbed couscous with a provencal sauce.  Chef Capasso's version is prepared with a shellfish broth with fresh herbs and finished with just a bit of wine and cream.  Zelda loved this dish, and from the taste that I go, I thought it worked very well also.  This was then topped with a sauteed spinach, and pea tendrils.  Overall, another great tilapia dish, and one that I would definitely order in the future!  Usually however, I order one of the more exotic meats that is on the menu, and tonight was no different as you will see below!

For my entree, I selected the Blackbird Crispy Duck Leg Confit, with chocroute (French technique for saurkraut), pomme puree (mashed potatoes), jus de canarde.  This was absolutely amazing, and some of the best duck I had ever had.  First, the duck is salt cured, and then cooked in its own juices for a long period of time, making the duck tender, and the skin crispy!  The duck separated and shredded from the bone with no effort whatsoever.  This was served over a bed of mashed potatoes, topped with the chocroute.  For their chocroute, Chef Capasso uses bacon and beer to braise the cabbage, which had a deliciously sweet, but also very pungent flavor.  This rocked!  Another awesome element about this dish was the crispy skin!  All I can say is wow....perfection!  And let me tell ya there was more than enough to go around with two good sized legs.  For the price of this entree, this was an absolute bargain, and the red wine stock really added a nice element to the gravy for this dish.  I had ZERO room for dessert!

Overall, what is there to say other than awesome here?  After two months away with the Air Force, it was a pleasure to visit West Side Gravy/Blackbird for a great meal!  All in all, another awesome night.  And I have to say, I was craving a massive wine tonight, so I dug deep into the cellar and grabbed a 2006 Mollydooker Carnival of Love shiraz.  Not a wine that I typically care for, but tonight it hit the spot.  Far from perfect pairing for the menu that we had, but it definitely worked, and my palate was happy.  Yikes, did I just admit that?  Cheers!  -F. Scott

West Side Gravy
714 Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, NJ  08108
Phone:  (856)854-3444
http://www.westsidegravynj.com/ and http://www.blackbirdnj.com/

West Side Gravy - Collingswood, NJ

With the big news that West Side Gravy would be closing afte the 1st of the year from renovations, we figured we had best get down there today to get our fix before the restaurant closes for a few weeks!

For those of you who don't know, Chef Alex Capasso announced that Blackbird, his first venture, will be moving to the West Side Gravy location on the main drag in Collingswood!  But wait, there's more!  Not only will Blackbird be in this location, West Side Gravy is also going to be in this location as well.  Two of my favorite restaurants, with two incredible chefs in Chef Alex Capasso and Chef Siobhan Allgood in one restaurant, sharing one kitchen!  Stay tuned for greatness!

So today we walked in and were greated by our server Janine.  She was super friendly when she greated us, and said that she was happy to finally meet us.  I looked as Zelda and we were both thinking, "who is this woman?"  LOL!  Turns out Janine is one of our friends on Facebook, and we just didn't recognize because she doesn't have her picture on her profile.  Regardless, it is great to finally meet you Janine.

We were given the run of the place, and picked the same table in the back that we always like to sit at for lunch.  For whatever reason, we pick a table in the window for dinner, but lunches are for sitting in the back.  I think it's because of all the sun during the day maybe.

We perused the menu, and one of the specials today was the fresh mozz!  This is always so good, and a must have!  The cheese is brilliant, and the breading is fried up golden brown, and absolutely delicious.  I don't think that you can fry anything better than this.  This is then served with a delicious tomato sauce, and garnished with a little pasta.  As always, this was delicious.  This was not the first time we've ordered this dish, and it definitely will no be the last time that we order this dish.  This is fried mozzarella on steroids baby!  Good good stuff!

For entrees today, I went with my gut and ordered the slider trio.  I was picturing this in my head this morning when I woke up.  I definitely had this on the brain, and we made it happen today!  This trio had a slight twist to the last one I had, and I have to find my notes to see exactly what these were.  OOPS!  It's been a couple days too long, and I can't remember off the top of my head.  Nobody said that getting old was easy!  Yikes!

Thankfully, Zelda was craving Mac and Cheese, and West Side Gravy has one of my favorites.  From the many different cheeses to the fresh herbs, this is great.  The buttery bread crumbs are just an added bonus!

All in all, what is there to say about awesome!  From the service, to the HUGE changes coming at West Side Gravy and Blackbird, these restaurants keeps us coming back.  To Chef Capasso, Chef Allgood, Adam, Amy, Janine, and the rest of "Team Capasso," kudos to you guys!  Keep up the great work!

And readers, stay tuned!  Tis is not the last you will hear of West Side Gravy in 2010.  Between you and I, you just may see this restaurant on our 2010 Top Ten!  Hint hint!  Cheers!

Oliver - A Bistro - Bordentown, NJ

At this point, it is almost pointless to post something about Oliver, as we have yet to ever have a bad experience there, but I figure it is worth giving Matt and his crew some kudos for yet another great meal and great service. Today Zelda and I popped in for lunch, and as usual the lunch crowd was hoppin' by 1PM. As usual, Bruce gave us some great service, and the bus boy, who's name I can never remember is just the nicest kid. For lunch, Zelda opted for a bowl of the "Old Faithful," which is a nice potato souped topped with cheddar cheese. She went for the bacon-less version as she usually does, and as always, the soup was good. We really need to get this recipe! For lunch, she opted for a crock of the mac and cheese, and this is always a pleaser, and great comfort food. It comes in a nice large crock, and could easily make for 2 meals. The top had a nice crust on it from the boiler, and topped with nice bread crumbs. I went out of my norm today and went for the crab cake sandwich. If there is one thing I am very picky about, it is crab cakes, but this was very nice. It was served on a nice croissant with some nice slaw, and the croissant had a really nice buttery flavor it it. he crab cake itself was almost as good as mine, and had great flavors. From the first time I had Matt's crab cakes until now, I have to say that Matt has them almost perfected. Unlike most places, he doesn't add a bunch of crazy colored vegetables as filler, and he used just the right amount of bread crumbs. Like my recipe, Matt wants you to taste the crab, and I think he is just a step away from the perfect crab cake. Unfortunately though, I can't quite pick out what will get him to 100%, but right now, he is at 99%! That said, keep up the great work Matt. After lunch we id a little shopping around Bordentown, as it such a cute little town before moving on and running some other errands. In short, yet another great meal at Oliver-A Bistro. Kudos to Matt and his crew, and to Bruce for the great service as always. Oliver is definitely worth the trip, and I highly recommend it for both lunch and dinner. Just don't forget that they are BYOB! Cheers!