Red Rock - Delicious Bar Food

We're right in the middle of summer and with the much warmer temperatures outside this year, it's an absolute boon to find a spot in Red Bank to have some good beer and some good food outside. Although I'd already been to Red Rock back in January/February as chronicled by this earlier review, I haven't really stopped going since. The menu is ever changing and with Kane's Head High and Carton's BOAT consistently on tap, it makes it a no-brainer to sit outside and have some great specials along with some wonderful brews. As per the usual, Kiersten took care of the bar and food orders with top-notch service.

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The first item were the bacon cheeseburger lollipops. Although only 3 are pictured, the order does come with 6. The lollipops have a risotto base for the outside that holds the inside together. Nice chunks of bacon, burger, and cheese are filled throughout. It comes with a side of house coleslaw and some spicy pickles. These are the same pickles used in the Cuban sandwich from my earlier review - fantastic! The bacon cheeseburger lollipops themselves are well worth the ordering and even sharing.

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Short rib tacos are phenomenal at Red Rock. I already loved the short rib used in the actual sandwich, so the tacos almost seemed like a slam dunk of a decision. Chock full of the short rib meat and topped with some crumbled cheese, lettuce and a pico de gallo, you can enjoy these by yourself or share with someone as well. 

Over the course of these past few months, I've had these two great food items and then some. The specials are consistently updated and I've had such a thing as a hot dog with chilli wrapped in a tortilla that's much more amazing than it sounds written on paper. The jerk baby back ribs are also amazing, but buyer beware - these are some of the spiciest and hottest ribs I've had in recent memory. As we come closer to Red Rock's first year, I'm glad at all the progress this establishment has made since opening and I hope it becomes a permanent pillar within Red Bank eateries. Salud!

Talula's - Beekeeper's Lament & Apple Cider Donuts

Every time I've been to Talula's, I've enjoyed fine selections of craft beer, and I encourage everyone to do the same. But after a flight from Florida back to Newark, all I crave is a drink and a fantastic slice of pizza. For this round, I ordered the Paper Plane. It's a fantastic little drink make with Four Roses Bourbon and some lemon. The taste is lightly sweet, and mostly tart, but definitely serves as an excellent starter. Because it also has amaro nonino, it's also partly a digestive drink and blends in perfectly with the meal ordered, or for after!

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The Beekeeper's Lament - my greatest food kryptonite. I've challenged myself so many times to order something else. My desire to have something else almost always seemed quashed by my desire for the sweetness of that honey meeting the spiciness of the calabrian soppresata. It's such a simple design with easy ingredients and yet, the taste is insanely addictive and I can't stop ordering it. Whenever someone asks me about pizza, I immediately recommend this one. Nothings get uneaten here, even the sourdough crust gets demolished.

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Since I won't budge on ordering the Beekeeper's Lament, I decided to switch it up a bit and actually try one of the desserts. I'd been recommended the Apple Cider Donuts before and decided to finally give it a shot. What you receive is three decent sized donuts that is easily shareable for two people. The donuts are coated in cinnamon sugar with some whipped cream on the side. With or without the whipped cream, the donuts are excellent. They come out warm, so I assume freshly made to order and don't carry that heavy feeling from having donuts at a donut place. 

I definitely recommend the Apple Cider Donuts and, of course, The Beekeeper's Lament. With a distance relatively close to many breweries such as Kane Brewing, Jughandle Brewing, and Little Dog, amongst a few others, it's hard not to give into the desires of having a pizza at Talula's. If you haven't been yet, you should. If you haven't read my previous review from July, here you go. And until you plan to make a trip here, here's another picture of the Beekeeper's Lament to further entice you. Salud!

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