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[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] A Chicken Big Mac?

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : May 15, 2014

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Category: Columns, Going, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

Tags:Big King, Big Mac, Burger King, burger wars, cheeseburger, Chicken Big King, dinner, drive thru, fast food, food, hamburger, McDonald's, restarant, Whopper

Just about all of us have had a meal at McDonald’s at one point in our lives. Everyone is equally familiar with their signature Big Mac sandwich. Those two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion, on a sesame seed bun. The sandwich has gone unchanged for half a century, but now thanks to competition – another restaurant is trying to “one up” the Golden Arches, by replacing those beef patties – with chicken!

The McDonald’s Big Mac

The Big Mac was developed by a Pennsylvania McDonald’s franchisee in the 1950’s. The special or secret sauce that makes up the sandwich is rarely used by McDonald’s on any other products.

In fact, it has happened only twice.

McDonald’s once sold a Mac Jr., which was a single cheeseburger, topped with the Mac sauce, lettuce, and pickles. For a brief time in 2011, a Mac Snack wrap was also sold which featured half of a hamburger patty, the secret sauce, cheese, lettuce, pickles, and onion wrapped up in a flour tortilla.

This year, McDonald’s has expanded their Quarter Pounder sandwich line by offering a new Bacon Clubhouse burger which features a quarter pound beef patty, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and the Big Mac secret sauce on a special Kaiser roll. This is the first time the sauce has ever been used on different burger. McDonalds also has a chicken option, where you can get chicken instead of beef, but with the secret sauce the taste, just isn’t very good.

The Big Mac is sold at most worldwide McDonald’s locations, but there are several variations, including versions that replace the beef with a chicken patty and more. (read more about the international versions here). But, none of these have ever been sold in the United States.

McDonald’s has been facing some stiff competition lately in a fast food burger war, by their greatest opponent – Burger King.

The Burger King Whopper sandwich.

Burger King has its own signature sandwich, The Whopper. But, they’ve fired a torpedo at the Golden Arches by creating their Big Mac knockoff – the Big King.

The Big King was first introduced back in the 1990’s, but was reformulated and only sold for a limited time. However, it made a big return last year worldwide and is now once again assembled identically to a Big Mac.

For my money, the Big King just tastes better. I like the flavor or BK’s flame broiled patties and I think their sauce is just a hint more subtle. I think you can swap Big Mac sauce for regular tartar sauce and not know the difference. BK’s sauce is more similar to Thousand Island salad dressing. (which, maybe it is?)

The Chicken Big King.

Burger King is going for round 2 in the burger war, by adding a chicken version to their menu. Introduced a couple weeks ago, America can now feast on the Chicken Big King.

I decided to finally give one a try and Burger King is making it easy by offering two for $5 as a special, which really is a deal. The sandwich uses two of the basic lightly spiced chicken patty BK uses on their value chicken sandwiches.

Once again though, I don’t think the special sauce works with chicken. It tastes like a fish sandwich with tarter sauce.

That was the same issue I had with the chicken version of McDonald’s Chicken Clubhouse sandwich (which they gave me by mistake the time I ordered, but I tried it anyway.) The special sauce just doesn’t work for chicken. The taste reminds me of the Filet-O-Fish.

But, for a limited time BK is selling these on their 2 for $5 promotional menu. These items rotate on a regular basis, so if you are interested in trying one, I wouldn’t wait around that long. The sandwich is sold for a limited time only.

But, thanks to the fast food war, Americans can now experience what diners in other countries have for years and that’s the chicken version of the Big Mac or Big King.

The Chicken Big King contains 660 calories and 37g fat.

THE 411

Name: Chicken Big King

What: chicken version of McDonald’s Big Mac or Burger Kings Big King sandwiches

Where served: Burger King restaurants worldwide

Introduced: 2014

Availability: Limited Time Only

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

While I again applaud Burger King for trying and testing a new sandwich, I say skip this one. You’re better off just going for the regular Big King.

Image credits – Don, Chandra Marsono

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Everybody Loves Pancakes!

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : May 8, 2014

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Category: Been, Columns, Going, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

Tags:breakfast, butter, cooking, crepes, fruit, home cooking, jam, jelly, palachinki, pancakes, restaurant, sour cream, stove, syrup

Growing up, my grandmother would cook me her own spin on pancakes called a palacinki. Instead of a traditional pancake, it was rolled up on a plate, served in groups of three, and filled with jelly, then topped with syrup, and sometimes chocolate. She told me that she learned to make that from her mother, who from Slovakia. (Yes, I know they’re basically a crepe.) When I was home a few months ago, she again whipped up her mouthwatering treat and it had me wondering: what are pancakes like in other countries around the world?

A palacinke, or palacinki (there are numerous spellings) for this succulent treat!

Pancakes, the delicious fluffy treats we all scarf down by the millions at breakfast. They are a cheap breakfast to cook in the home and a big money maker for restaurants. Made with just a few ingredients, they can start your day off right and their history dates back to before Christ.

American Pancakes are flat and thin round cakes prepared in a pan or on a griddle. We generally eat them for breakfast with fruit, syrup, or butter. Here pancakes usually use a baking agent to make them rise, but many other countries eat them flat as a crepe. The basic shape and serving of pancakes varies around the world.

Classic buttermilk pancakes.

The history of pancakes dates back to a previous millennium. The Ancient Greeks first served pancakes as early as 5 BC and were made the same basic way as they are prepared today with wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk.

But, some places really have a unique spin on the recipe.

Injera

In Africa, most countries eat the pancake as more of a flatbread with a meal. Here, they do not use yeast, which keeps the pastry as flat as possible. It is also served with most meals as side bread. In Ethiopia, pancakes serve as both a plate and a side dish. Known as injera, the pancake holds a stew (or salad where they don’t eat meat) and soaks up the juices. The meal does not end until the entire injera is consumed.

In China, pancakes are made with dough, instead of a batter. In Japan, they are made from egg, flour, and cabbage.

In India, pancakes are made without any rising agents and are prepared either sweet or salty. The salty version is served with cottage cheese.

In Indonesia, they are made with rice flour and coconut milk.

In Malaysia and Singapore, you can find pancakes that include sweet corn!

In Denmark, pancakes are served in the shape of a sphere. In parts of Germany, they are also served with soup.

Icelandic pancakes

Iceland has an unusual way of preparing pancakes. There, they try to get the cake as thin as possible and will use the same pan over and over to prepare them. It is strongly encouraged not to wash the pan. They will also use pancakes as bread for a sandwich.

In Spain, the ingredients for a pancake can include flour, milk, eggs, or blood! Yes, blood! The blood style is served during a pig slaughter feast.

Pancake restaurants in the Netherlands are extremely popular. They will serve giant pancakes with bacon, sausage, ham, cheese, or apples baked inside.

In many countries, pancakes even have their own day! Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Lent where the faithful can gorge themselves all they want and to use up the fatty ingredients. The celebration is similar to Mardi Gras and is celebrated in Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. It is also known as Pancake Tuesday or Fat Tuesday… doesn’t the last one sound familiar?

An International House of Pancakes restaurant, in S. Portland, Maine as pictured in the 1970’s.

Pancake runs are also part of the Shove Tuesday celebrations. Usually held for charity, most of these runs feature women who must toss their pancake in the air and catch it in a frying pan as they run. This all started back in 1444, when an English housewife heard the bells of her local church and she ran out of the house with her apron on and a frying pan still cooking the pancake to get to the service.

Cooking up pancakes on a stove top griddle.

THE 411

Name: pancakes

What: soft, cake style pastries served for breakfast in the US, but served as part of meal worldwide

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

I absolutely love pancakes. Besides, my grandmother’s awesome home cooking, Café Metro, a restaurant on New York’s Upper East Side, has some of the best. Their recipe uses a hint of lemon flavoring in the batter.

Pancakes with a hint of lemon, served with bacon at Cafe Metro, New York City.

Another favorite is Hash House a Go Go, with three locations in Las Vegas. Their pancakes are massive and have a great flavor to cure your Vegas hangover. It’s almost impossible to finish a serving in one sitting. If I were local, I would probably take mine in a To Go box, but being a tourist, I don’t think they would sit well in a hotel room. Hash House a Go Go has a location in The Quad hotel and casino on the Strip and another in The Plaza hotel and casino downtown on Fremont Street. They also have restaurants in San Diego, Chicago, Orlando, suburban Las Vegas, Reno, and at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.

Image credits – Martin, Davide e Paola, Addison Berry, Caleb Sconosciuto, Snugg LePup, chotda, Allen, Dvortygirl

The Two State Lottery Challenge: The Rematch [Kicking Back with Jersey Joe]

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : May 1, 2014

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Category: Been, Columns, Going, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

Tags:Bingo, bodega, gambling, instant games, Jersey City, lottery tickets, lotto, New Jersey, New Jersey Lottery, new york, New York City, New York Lottery, news stand, PATH, subway, vending machine, Wawa, winning, Zuma

Last year, I put the New York Lottery and the New Jersey Lottery to the test. I wanted to find out which state’s instant scratch off tickets paid off the most – The Empire State or The Garden State. Using the same amount of cash and a random selection of tickets, I joined the ranks of millions who are scratching off to win big bucks on these instant games.

Instant lottery scratch off tickets: they’re meant to play a fast game and to make a quick buck. It’s portable form of gambling that states have relied on for extra revenue since the 1980’s. (You can read about my original discussion of instant lottery games here). The instant games are more popular than ever, to the point where states are now installing vending machines to attract commuters to play on the go.

Lottery player uses the vending machine to purchase scratch off tickets at the 33rd Street subway station in New York City.

Last year, I invested $55 and stopped first at the New York Lottery vending machine at the 33^rd Street Herald Square station in New York City. I put $30 into the machine and randomly selected a number of tickets. Once I got off the PATH in Jersey City, I stopped at a local newsstand and had them randomly select tickets with the remaining $25.

After over 40 minutes of scratching, the New Jersey Lottery $25 investment earned me $42, while my $30 New York Lottery investment earned me only $4. I declared New Jersey the winner and the whole experiment left me with a net loss of $9.

You can read the full report of last year’s challenge here.

Now, these are supposed to be random games of chance, so to be completely fair, I decided that another challenge would be needed and I did just that last week.

Once again, I stopped at the New York Lottery vending machine at the 33^rd Street station and deposited $25. I again picked one large $5 ticket and then randomly chose a selection of lower denomination games. Once back off the PATH in Jersey City, I again stopped by the same newsstand and had the clerk select $25 in random games, with the only rule being that I needed one $5 ticket to match what I had purchased in New York City.

Upon arriving home, I examined the stack of tickets and here’s what I got:

From the New York Lottery – 12 tickets

$5 Million Dollar Money Clip

$3 Spin 3

$2 Lucky 8’s

$2 Happy Birthday

$2 Win $1,000 a Week for Life

$1 Loose Change

$1 Amazing 8’s

$1 5x Cash

From the New Jersey Lottery – 10 tickets

$5 Money Match

$3 Power Play Crossword

$3 Zuma

$2 Love to Win

$2 Classic Bingo

$2 Big Money Spectacular

$2 Win $1,000 a Week for Life

$2 10x Money

$2 Fire & Ice

$2 Hit $50’s

Since there were more tickets in the New York Lottery stack; I went with those, first.

I started with the lower denomination tickets and first up was the $1 5x Cash. To win, all I had to do was match 3 symbols. And…. a loser.

Then went with the $1 Amazing 8’s. Same deal, match three 8’s and win. Too bad, I lost again.

Next up was the $1 Loose Change. This game was a little different. The player is presented with six boxes containing coins. After scratching off the six boxes, the total of what’s inside must go over $1 to win a prize. Mine did! My total was $1.05. I scratched the prize box to reveal I had won my $1 back!

Finally, a winner!

Next up, was the three $2 Win $1,000 A Week for Life games. I was really hoping for a big win on this one. I could use a grand handed to me every week! Who couldn’t?

These tickets contain two games each. The first game is a classic beat the house game. The player is given a number, if the player number is higher than the house number – you win the prize shown on the line. On my first ticket – a hit! I bet the house 12 – 7 and won $2!

The second game on the ticket is the classic New York Lottery standard of matching three like dollar amounts. On the next two tickets, I did just that winning $2 and another $5!

Four winners in a row! Things were starting to look up for the Empire State!

I then went for the $2 Happy Birthday… another dud.

I then had 3 of the $2 Lucky 8’s games. In this game, you scratch off the player area which features a number and a prize amount. If your number matches one of two house numbers, you win the prize. If an 8x symbol appears, you win 8x the prize! A coin picture also denotes an instant prize win.

I scratched the first two tickets – and nothing. Finally, I went for the third ticket. Right away, I matched the house number of 16 and won $10! Further down the line, I uncovered an 8x symbol with a $5 prize that paid off $40! That’s a total of $50! I’ve never won that much on a scratch off lottery ticket in my life!

I still had two of the biggest tickets to go.

Next was a $3 Spin 3. This game was kind of lame, there’s no spinning involved. You are presented 10 different games. All you have to do is match three like symbols in each game to win the prize. Think of it as a slot machine on a scratch off card. It didn’t matter, I got squat.

Finally the big $5 Million Dollar Money Clip game. Match your number to one of the house numbers and win that prize. A 10x awards 10 times the prize and a coin icon wins that prize. Sadly, I got nothing here.

So, for my $25 New York Lottery investment, I walked away with $60!

Then it was time to do battle with the New Jersey Lottery. I started in the same order with the lowest tickets first and that was a $2 Hit $50s. (New Jersey doesn’t seem to offer $1 scratch off games.) Again, you have to match your number to one of the house numbers and win the prize shown. I matched with a 12 and won $2! Things were already looking up once again for the Garden State.

Next was a $2 Fire and Ice game that was definitely icy cold. Nothing. Same deal for $2 10x Money, $2 Win $1,000 a Week for Life, and the $2 Big Money Spectacular. The win $1,000 a Week for Life is a popular game that is available in many different states. I’ve played that in Pennsylvania in the past.

A New Jersey Lottery Bingo scratch off instant game ticket.

Now it was on to the $2 Classic Bingo. This game took a long time to play. You are presented with 25 Bingo Ball numbers on the left. You scratch them off one by one and play the numbers on one of your four Bingo cards. Payouts are different for each card and each way you get a bingo. There are 12 different payouts that are printed next to each game. After scratching off all the ball numbers, I had to transfer them to the game board. After 10 minutes or so, I had a diagonal bingo on card 2 and that scored me $2. Had that been on card four, that payout would have been $5.

I then went for the $2 Love to Win, which was a classic match the house number scratcher. No love here, I got nothing.

Next up was a $3 Zuma ticket. Have you ever played this game online? In the online game, you have to shoot at multicolored balls rolling along a track to make them disappear before reaching the end. I was surprised to see how well this turned this into a scratch off game.

It was one of the more unusual layouts. You are presented a circular game board with six games of balls presented in groups of three. If your three balls match the color, you win. Sadly, mine did not. It was a great nod to the online game, though.

Next was the $3 Power Play Crossword and this thing took a long time to complete. You uncover 10 house letters. The player is then presented with a completed crossword puzzle. You task is to take the 10 house letters and scratch them off anywhere they appear in the puzzle. If you complete three words, you win a prize. The prizes go up with the more words you completely uncover. A pay table is posted on the back. It was useless to me; I only rubbed off two words.

Lastly, was the $5 Money Match game. Same deal as many other tickets. You get 5 house prize amounts. If you match one, you win. If you match an amount, but yours is in green color, you win double the amount. Find a money bag and win $50. Find a green money bag and win $100! I matched and won $5.

So, the total won in New Jersey from my initial $25 investment was only $9. I lost $16 to the Garden State.

Many of the New Jersey games that I played were quite involved. Instead of just finding three like symbols as in most games, here you are required to use some thought. Matching the letters in the Crosswords game took some time as did the Bingo game. So, if you’re looking for instant gratification with matching three symbols, then look for the simpler games as some of the choices can get quite complex. The bonus with selecting one of these tickets from a vending machine is that you can take a closer look at what’s required before making your selection. It’s a little hard to do when there’s a ton of people in line at the bodega waiting to play their Powerball numbers and pay for a jug of milk.

The total time I spent scratching 22 tickets: 41 minutes 31 seconds. It was thanks to some of those complex games I got from New Jersey that added took extra time.

All the mess left behind after 40+ minutes of scratching off instant lottery tickets.

And here’s a look at the pile of shards left behind from all the scratching. Wonder if this stuff is toxic?

THE 411

What: Instant Lottery scratch off games

States played: New York, New Jersey

Denominations: $1 – $5

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

This was a completely different outcome from the last experiment. I won $60 in New York and only $9 in New Jersey. It was that one large hit on the NY ticket that changed everything. For my $50 investment, I walked away with $69. Not a life changing amount, but still a winner none the less.

The New York Lottery games also offer a second chance drawing. By going online and entering the code on the ticket, players have a chance to win more random prizes. That’s a great feature more state lotteries need to adopt.

The New Jersey Lottery has also gotten into the ticket vending machine business. They recently signed a contract with Wawa convenience stores to have machines installed in all of their Jersey locations. I hope this program extends to other stores throughout the state. Judging by the popularity of the New York machine at 33rd Street, New Jersey could make some big bucks putting these in train stations targeting commuters who are just standing there waiting.

With the second match now complete, the lottery challenge series is tied 1 – 1. It looks like I will have to do a tiebreaker in the future to find out which state has the loosest scratch off lottery tickets.

For more information:

The New York Lottery

The New Jersey Lottery

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] America’s First Celebrity Chef: Chef Boyardee

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : April 24, 2014

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Category: Been, Columns, Going, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

Tags:Bobby Flay, canned food, Chef Boyardee, Cleveland, Emeril, Giada di Laurenties, manufacturing, meatballs, Milton, Nebraska, Ohio, Omaha, Pennsylvania, pizza, plant, ravioli, spaghetti sauce, statue, TV commerical, World War II

His face dots millions of cans of pasta and pizza sauce. At one time or another, we’ve all opened up a can of enjoyed his cuisine. Chef Boyardee, with his tall white cap has fed American’s for almost a century, but he’s not just a face on a can – he’s America’s first real celebrity chef!

Ettore “Hector” Boyardee was born in 1897 and arrived in the United States from Piacenza, Italy in the early 1900’s. It didn’t take him long to find a job and in 1915 at age 17, he was running the kitchen of the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Having such a prestigious job also scored him the gig of catering President Woodrow Wilson’s wedding reception!

He then headed west to work at the Hotel Winton in Cleveland, Ohio. While working there, he met and married his wife. But, he was tired of working for others and wanted a restaurant of his own. In 1924, he opened Il Giardino d’Italia and his cooking became the talk of the town. Hungry Clevelanders would line up for hours around the block to get in the door. His food became so popular; he would package his spaghetti and meatballs in milk jars for customers to take home.

After making a good bit of dough with his take home meals, he decided he could sell his pasta to the masses. Only four years later in 1928, he and his brothers would create the Chef Boyardee Company and move to Milton, Pennsylvania, (now just a few minutes off of Interstate 80.) The central Pennsylvania climate allowed for more fresh tomatoes and mushrooms to be used. They also dropped the Italian spelling to make it easier for Americans to pronounce. At his plant, he invents a meatball making machine that’s still in use today!

Assortment of Chef Boyardee products in the canned goods aisle in a typical grocery store.

His products are such a hit that they caught the attention of the U.S. Military. During World War II, his company was contracted to produce canned meals for the troops overseas. The plant goes into full production 24/7 to keep up. His war efforts earn him a Gold Star, the highest honor a civilian can earn.

After the war, instead of cutting back on production, he sold the plant to American Home Products so that everyone could keep their jobs. He continued on as a consultant and also starred in commercials for his products. It was these commercials that can officially give him the title of America’s first celebrity chef.

Long before Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, Emeril, and Giada de Laurenties became fixtures on our TV’s, Chef Boyardee was starring in commercials for his products since the days of black and white television. He generally went off the air when he retired in 1978, but anyone who grew up before that time, knew who Chef Boyardee was, and not just from his line in the grocery store.

In 2000, ConAgra Foods of Omaha, Nebraska purchases the product line and they continue to manufacture his canned goods to this day. To celebrate the chef, the company erected a statue in his honor at the Omaha plant.

Chef Boyardee statue at the ConAgra plant in Omaha, Nebraska.

THE 411

Name: Chef Boyardee

What: America’s first celebrity chef

Active: 1924-1978

Known for: canned product line in grocery stores

Website: www.chefboyardee.com

Chef Boyardee microwave meal.

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

I was always a fan on his ABC’s and 123’s with meatballs and regularly keep a can in the cupboard. Not only are they good, but also a must have in case of an emergency or long term power failure. As a kid, this was my go to food when we would lose power after a big snowstorm in the country. They are good either heated or right out the can! The Chef Boyardee spaghetti sauce was always so much better than the rival, Spaghetti-O’s. To me, Spaghetti-O’s always tasted like the can.

I had no idea he was a real guy until I just happened to come across a random fact on the web. I always figured he was just a mascot kind of like Mr. Clean or the Jolly Green Giant. It’s neat to see that he was indeed real and is a true American success story. I just hope at some point they bring back his old Tic Tac Toe’s or Pac Man Pasta! (Yes, I used to eat those as a child.)

Like the old commercials say “Thank Goodness for Chef Boyardee!”

Check out this guy’s awesome Halloween costume… yes, he’s a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli!

Image credits – Michael Carian, cfinke, Friscocali, Jimmy Emerson DVM, Roadsidepictures & Scutter

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Uncovering a Hidden Bar Inside New York’s Grand Central Terminal

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : April 17, 2014

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New York City – thousands of bars and restaurants dot the island, catering to both hard working locals and tourists alike. Grand Central Terminal is one of the world’s busiest and most famous train stations. The terminal itself holds many secrets, from a hidden train car for presidents to a chamber where you can hear someone talk from 20 feet away! It also holds a secret saloon! One that you would never know is there, unless you walk right into it.

Hundreds of trains and thousands of passengers that pass through the terminal each day are served by dozens of shops and restaurants inside the long, winding passages. One of the most famous is the Oyster Bar restaurant. Known for fresh seafood, the restaurant is a popular place to dine in the city and can even been seen in the opening credits of Saturday Night Live.

The main entrance to the Oyster Bar Restaurant in Grand Central Terminal, New York City

The Oyster Bar opened along with the terminal, itself in 1913.

But, hidden off to the side is a little known New York secret… the Oyster Bar contains a separate bar/dining area known as the Oyster Bar Saloon.

Inside the dimly lit Oyster Bar Saloon

I had never heard of the place, but a co-worker who frequents Grand Central discovered it and invited me along for a trip.

The entrance is located along the back side wall of the Oyster Bar restaurant.

To find it, you must enter the main Oyster Bar, located atop the ramp to the dining concourse. Once inside, make an immediate right and walk all the way to the side wall. Then, make a left and the door will be located a few feet in front of you to the right. A simple sign marked “Saloon” behind a row of tables with a gold door, marks the way. Don’t be scared, you will be walking right through the main restaurant full of diners.

Upon arriving inside, a hostess will greet you and seat you. The place is very popular during their 4:30 – 7pm Happy Hour (Monday through Wednesday), where beers go for as low as $4 and oysters for $1.25. That’s when we arrived and the place was nearly packed. The Oyster Bar and the Oyster Bar Saloon were both closed for several months, recently for cleaning and renovation. Both reopened in March and judging by the crowd inside, people are finding it once again.

While the Oyster Bar features the same design curves and lights as Grand Central Terminal, the Oyster Bar Saloon features dark red wallpaper, wood paneling, and dim lights. It’s actually like stepping back into the 1970’s. I was almost expecting to see people smoking their Lucky Strikes. Fortunately, New York banned smoking almost a decade ago.

We were seated at a table in the middle of the busy restaurant. The place was nearly packed. The bar, which I guess could seat around three dozen, was full and there were only a couple of open tables. There wasn’t a line, but had we gotten there a few minutes later, we would have had to wait.

The massive menu.

As soon as you sit at the table, the waiter is right there, handing you a giant 8 ½ x 14 menu that’s quite overwhelming. There are well over a hundred items to order, with seafood making up most of the menu. For those who don’t care for seafood, there’s a small assortment of salads, burgers, and kids meals. The menu is the same as what you will find in the main Oyster Bar.

The server was back in mere minutes and we ordered drinks. Most draft beers run from $6-$8, which is about a dollar more than most New York bars, but on par with what you’ll find at one of the city’s train stations.

There is so much to choose from, we both needed a few more minutes, but was ready by the time the server returned.

I went with the Jumbo Lump Maryland Crab Cakes and even though the place was packed, they arrived in about 10 minutes. The plate featured two large crab cakes, fries, and a saucer of marinara type dipping sauce.

The Maryland Crab Cakes. Gordon Ramsay would approve!

These may have been the best crab cakes I’ve ever had! Absolutely succulent! The cakes themselves were full of Maryland crab with a hint of carrots and some other vegetable. This was no imitation crab – this was real and you could tell by the very fresh taste. I was nearly full after eating both, but still had my fries. I never thought marinara sauce would work with crab cakes, but it’s the perfect companion!

It was well worth $27!

The only bad part is the layout of the seating. Our table was really small and our two meals, took up most of the room. There was an assortment of condiments on the table including ketchup, hot sauce, and sea salt. There’s not a lot of room to move around though, let alone store your bag and coat. I was on the side nearest to the aisle by the bar, and was constantly getting bumped by both servers and other customers.

Being in New York City though, they turn tables around here, fast! As soon as group gets up, a server immediately goes over and removes the plates, while another sets up fresh plates, linen, and napkins. Tables do not stay empty for long during the afternoon rush.

The servers here are well trained and were right on it as soon as my water, beer, or plate was empty. And they were extremely knowledgeable about that giant menu!

By the time we finished our meals, it was around 8pm, and since Happy Hour was over the place started to quickly clear out. We decided to move to the long L shaped bar for a few more and to check the place out.

The other secret staircase entrance…

…leads to this plain gold door.

To the left of the bar is a white staircase that leads to a second little known entrance/exit. At the top, a non-discreet gold door leads to a side entrance to the subway and a couple of stores, one of which is a Rite-Aid. While the door is marked with a small sign, it blends in so well — I can say that I’ve walked down that corridor dozens of times, and never noticed it.

Another odd feature of the restaurant is the restrooms. They are definitely worth a look. Just past the secret stairway, a door leads to a waiting room with chairs, and two doors. One marked with a baseball glove for the men’s room and the other marked with a pair of leather lips for the ladies room. People were hanging out in a waiting area, just sitting there between the doors. Not sure if they were waiting for someone in the can, but it had the feeling of a 70’s doctor’s office.

Last call for the bar is at 9pm. We got one more drink as the place really started to shut down at 9:30. We paid and walked back through the main Oyster Bar to exit.

Interestingly, while the Oyster Bar serves alcohol, to get to an actual bar, you need to enter the Saloon. The main restaurant consists of long while community tables and has always been designed that way. So, while the famous Oyster Bar experience gives you the feelings of the early 20^th century, the Oyster Bar Saloon fast forwards a few decades later to the 1970’s. Either way – you win with some of the freshest seafood in Manhattan!

THE 411

Name: Oyster Bar Saloon

What: hidden bar/restaurant

Where: Grand Central Terminal, New York City

Cross streets: 42^nd Street & Park Avenue

Subway connections: 4-5-6-7-S and Long Island Railroad

Hours: Monday – Saturday 11:30am – 9:30pm, closed Sunday

Price range: a little more than most NYC restaurants

All the way to the back and to the left in the main Oyster Bar restaurant, lies the Oyster Bar Saloon.

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS

What a neat place to discover! The food is great and the ambiance is fun. It kind of feels like you’re part of a secret club when visiting this place. It does feel a little odd walking right through the Oyster Bar restaurant, while people are dining to find that hidden door, but that makes it part of the fun!

I’ll definitely be back and would happily take both friends and out of town visitors. The prices are a little more than what you would pay at a normal NYC restaurant, but you’re paying for fresh seafood and the location. The beers are about one to two dollars more.

Just be forewarned, it can get a little packed during Happy Hour, and there could be a wait. Go around 7:30pm, after it’s over, for a better chance at a seat and less of a crowd. They will seat you until 9pm.

Image credit – Victoria Pickering

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] When Earthquakes Rock Live TV

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : March 20, 2014

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Category: Been, Columns, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

Tags:ABC, Amber Alert, California, caught on tape, earthquake, EAS, Emergency Alert System, Fukushina, Japan, KTLA, live TV, local news, MLB, mlb.com, New York City, news anchor, news studio, newscast, NHK, Silver Alert, tsnuami, TV, Washington DC, World Series

Monday morning, people in the Los Angeles area were shaken awake by a 4.4 earthquake. While earthquakes are nothing new to California residents it still took some of the local news anchors by surprise on live TV. From the local news, to baseball games, to Judge Judy – let’s check out some awesome earthquakes caught on the air.

The greatest reaction to Monday’s earthquake had to be by the KTLA Morning News anchors. While a quake can be starting, should these two have kept a little calmer? You decide in this video that has gone viral…

http://youtu.be/SCJihgO5gmg

In Japan, broadcasters have earthquake warnings down to a science. The second the earth starts shaking, all shows are automatically interrupted by a series of audio chimes and a map, showing the location of the quake, and a computer voice giving viewers instructions.

This video was taken from the day of the big 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. What’s interesting is not only do we get to see the first warnings about the quake (with live shots of their parliament meeting being shook up) but also at 1:32 we see the local news report as it interrupts the programming and then the quake strikes the studio. Listen carefully to the studio crew’s reactions as well. (It’s subtitled in English).

But it’s not over yet, stay tuned for the most shocking part. At 3:30 the emergency computer kicks off the local news for a tsunami warning. Listen how the alert tone and graphics take a much more serious tone. The computers give viewers an estimate as to where the wave will hit, how high, and how much time they have to evacuate. This tsunami caused massive devastation, including the near meltdown of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant that has left numerous towns abandoned. The live news coverage of the whole event is shocking.

Back in 2010, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake was centered in Virginia, but the effects were felt up and down the east coast. First, it interrupts a live streaming news show in Washington DC…

…and then strikes a live mlb.com webcast from New York. At first, the guy on the right is so focused on baseball stats; he won’t stop talking and really becomes a bigger bonehead with what he says at the end of the event…

One of the most famous earthquakes caught on live TV was during ABC’s coverage of the 1989 World Series from San Francisco. Here’s what viewers saw (including me) from coast to coast as the quake strikes during pregame.

Lastly, only an earthquake can silence Judge Judy in her court. Here’s what happened when a quake strikes as she’s taping an episode. She is so out of there!

While we still can’t predict an earthquake, with everyone now armed with mobile devices, social media, and 24 hour news; video and news of the events go out to the masses seconds after it happens.

THE 411

What: earthquakes caught on TV

Where: mostly West Coast and Japan – but, pretty much anywhere

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

Having been through the New York earthquake, you almost don’t realize one is happening until it’s already half way over. I’m sure my friends in California who have been through bigger quakes will have a different viewpoint. I’ve only ever been through one and that’s good enough!

That live newscast from Japan during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami is really powerful. It captures the whole event as it happened and I applaud whoever uploaded it for giving us a glimpse of that terrible day. I’m not sure why we don’t have an earthquake warning system here in the US, like they do there. Along with the tsunami warning system, it certainly saved many lives that day. We have Amber alerts, Silver alerts, and the Emergency Alert System, so why not one for earthquakes?

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Birthday Cake M&M’s Want to Party in Your Mouth

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : March 13, 2014

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Category: Columns, Going, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

Tags:birthday cake, candy, CVS, food, limited edition, M&M's, Mars Candy Company, milk chocolate, new, New Jersey, novelty flavor, store shevles

M&M’s, the milk chocolate candy that melts in your mouth, not in your hands has been rolling out all kinds of new flavors and now, they’re making every day your birthday with their new Birthday Cake M&M’s.

Forrest Mars, Sr., son of the founder of Mars Candy Company came up with idea for M&M’s in the 1930’s. He had witnessed Spanish War soldiers eating pieces of chocolate candy with a hard chocolate shell that prevented them from melting. He decided it would make a great item to sell, got a patent for his version, and M&M’s hit stores in 1941 from a factory in Newark, New Jersey.

Birthday cake M&M’s come in red, yellow, and blue color pieces.

The two M’s in M&M’s represent the names of Forrest Mars, Sr. and Bruce Murrie, son of Hershey’s chocolate company president. This cemented a partnership with Hershey’s to use their milk chocolate in the candy as Hershey’s had control of all rationed chocolate during World War II. During the war, the candies were sold only to the military where they became an instant hit. After the war, demand skyrocketed.

In 1950, each piece was branded with their now signature M for the first time. However, it was black until 1954.

Also in 1954, Peanut M&M’s were introduced but were only tan in color.

Since 1991, M&M’s have been sold in a variety of flavors with the first being peanut butter. Now, it seems that a new flavor and special limited editions are hitting stores on a regular basis, with the latest being birthday cake flavor.

Packaged in a light blue bag, the birthday cake M&M’s are only red, yellow, and blue in color. The size of the candies are a little bigger than a standard M&M, almost as big as the peanut sized version.

The package contained 22 pieces and retailed for $1.42, but was on sale for $1 at CVS.

Cross section of a birthday cake M&M.

Sadly, it’s hard to taste any birthday cake. The flavor is basically like a regular milk chocolate M&M and the insides are the same color and texture as well. I’m sure ate side by side there would be a subtle taste difference, but they’re really nothing special (and who would do that, anyway?)

Other current M&M flavors include dark chocolate, pretzel, peanut, peanut butter, raspberry, dark mint, almond, and dark chocolate peanut.

THE 411

Name: birthday cake M&M’s

What: special flavor of M&M’s chocolate candies

Released: February 2014, mass release scheduled May 2014

Website: www.mms.com/

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

Skip them and buy a standard bag of M&M’s, because they don’t taste any different. While this product is a good idea, these need to be reformulated with more birthday cake taste. These probably won’t be around long, once people realize this flavor is just a gimmick.

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] When Whales Explode…

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : March 6, 2014

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Category: Columns, Going, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

Tags:beach, caught on tape, denmark, explosion, Faroe Island, KATU-TV, Oregon, Portland, viral video, whales, youtube

Over the years, I’ve featured all kinds of “caught on tape” blogs. Well, this week is only for those who have a strong stomach! When a whale dies at sea, it usually washes ashore on a beach somewhere and causes quite a stink. It’s the job of local authorities to remove these giant animals before things really get bad. Well, take a look at these videos (WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE) and think of this the next time you have a bad day at work!

Whales are some of the largest creatures to inhabit our planet’s oceans. Ranging in size from 11 feet to 200 tons, the average life span is 77 years, but they can live well past the century mark. While known as a gentile giant, these creatures were nearly hunted into extinction, with 2 million being killed during the 20^th century. Now, only a few countries are still on the hunt, while most have given up in hopes of growing the population. Whalers hunted them for oil, meat, and to make perfume out of their intestines. The issue of whale hunting was the subject for the time travel film, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

Sadly, after the long lives come to and end, many wash up on shore. If not taken care of, they begin to decompose in only two days. Who would want to be next to that giant stinky mess? After they pass, their stomach and intestines fill with gas. (Think of how you feel after eating a bloating meal!)

The following video was recorded last November in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands are about 200 miles northwest of Scotland with a population of about 50,000. While under Danish rule, the island is self governed and prohibit whale hunting. Therefore, the whale in the video was not hunted and died of natural causes.

I feel bad for this guy who had to go in and dissect the carcass for removal. He gets quite a surprise!

WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE. This did air on Faroe national TV across the island.

http://youtu.be/dCsMNurn3bQ

Since being posted, the video has scored over 4 million hits.

This is not the first time a whale explosion has been caught on camera. Back in November 1980, KATU News in Portland, Oregon was there as another whale washed ashore. This time, town officials decided to blow it up with dynamite in a huge public spectacle… which quickly goes wrong. WARNING: MORE GRAPHIC FOOTAGE taken from the original newscast.

Another video that has scored over 3 million hits.

THE 411

What: exploding whales caught on tape

Why: pressure builds up in whale stomach and intestines after death

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

These videos are kind of crazy! I think we’ve all learned not to cut into a dead whale. It’s amazing (and a little educational) how the build up of gas inside can cause such an explosion. The pressure was enough to destroy a car in the parking lot! How do you explain that to your insurance company?

Judging by the millions who have viewed these videos, just about anything can become a trending topic on the web.

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Judge Joe Brown: Retired & Liquored Up

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted by :Jersey Joe On : February 27, 2014

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Category: Columns, Going, Kickin' Back with Jersey Joe, Topics, Travel

Tags:bar, Bombay Sapphire, booze, caught on tape, cell phone video, daytime TV, drunk, Judge Joe Brown, liquor, pay cut, ratings, TV, TV court, TV judge, youtube

For 15 seasons, Judge Joe Brown’s court kept law and order on daytime television. His clean cut, down home approach had zero tolerance for thugs and low lifes. After decades holding court both on and off television, Judge Joe has retired and a video you’re about to see is quite the change from his clean cut image.

Judge Joe Brown was born in 1947 and is a retired Shelby County, Tennessee judge. After years of holding court, he was thrown into the national spotlight after presiding over James Earl Ray’s last appeal in the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. He was removed from the case after making comments about the murder weapon to a local congresswoman. It was then; he caught the eye of producers of the hottest court show on television, Judge Judy.

http://youtu.be/z-xEgySJiUg

Judy’s producers noticed the unique way Joe operated his court room. He would listen intently for the facts of the case, picking up on subtitle facts, facial expressions, and mannerisms from the litigants. Once he was sure he found the guilty party, he would zero in with his down home, no-nonsense approach, and often try to instruct them on where they’ve gone wrong and what to do to put economy in the community instead of being, what he would often say, “a damn fool.”

Judge Joe Brown’s television series was launched as a companion show to Judge Judy on September 14, 1998. His main tagline: “protecting womanhood and promoting manhood.” The show was a ratings success and was recorded in the same studio, with a set located directly behind the back wall of Judge Judy’s, at the Sunset-Bronson Studios in Hollywood.

While Judge Joe scored moderate ratings in daytime syndicated television, during the 15^th season, his ratings took a slide, and he was informed by CBS, the show’s distribution company, that he would be taking a pay cut. (He was the second highest paid TV judge, earning $20 million per year.)

Judge Joe was not satisfied with this (and reported pay cut down to $5 million per year) and his show was cancelled in spring 2012, with new episodes airing until June and reruns until September.

Since leaving TV, it looks like Judge Joe has been living the good life and enjoying his much deserved retirement. But, in the day of cell phone cameras, people still know his as a celebrity and a video that’s turned up on YouTube, shows a much different version of the clean cut Judge.

Take a look at him having one too many double Bombay Sapphires resulting in some slurred speech, posing for photos with women, and having a few foul mouth words about his former TV show. Note: Viewer discretion advised.

http://youtu.be/QCyHSEj0W94

Is Judge Joe done being on television. “I don’t do that bullshit, anymore…” seems to answer that question.

THE 411

Who: Judge Joe Brown

What: former television judge

Number of seasons on television: 15

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

As long as he’s not getting behind the wheel drinking and driving, let him enjoy his retirement. Everyone loses control when they’ve had a few too many (I’m not judging), just most of us are not on national television. Video like that is gold to the paparazzi. But hey, Judge Joe Brown is retired and doesn’t seem to care!

I also got a laugh at this parody of the Judge Joe video:

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] A Chicken Big Mac?

THE 411

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

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THE 411

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[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] America’s First Celebrity Chef: Chef Boyardee

THE 411

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[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Uncovering a Hidden Bar Inside New York’s Grand Central Terminal

THE 411

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[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] When Earthquakes Rock Live TV

THE 411

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Birthday Cake M&M’s Want to Party in Your Mouth

THE 411

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[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] When Whales Explode…

THE 411

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[Kicking Back with Jersey Joe] Judge Joe Brown: Retired & Liquored Up

THE 411

JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS:

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