History: Our Matawan Portfolio (1891)

Page 3 of the 25 Jul 1891 edition of The Matawan Journal had a section called Our Matawan Portfolio, in which some local news items were reported. Below are items from the paper, followed by my research notes.

1. Charles H Schanck sent six baskets of peaches to New York last Wednesday.
2. Dr Jackson has a Kensington cart that attracts much attention and is admired by all.
3. Remember the Oriental lecture and entertainment in the Baptist Church this Friday evening.
4. Benjamin Cooper, of Freneau, had a stroke of apoplexy on Monday and is lying in a critical condition.
5. The net receipts of the Fourth of July Picnic under the auspices of the St Joseph's R C Church were over $725.
6. Almost forty young people from this place attended the harvest home at Old Tennent Church Wednesday evening.
7. Mrs E Sylvester, of Perth Amboy, has removed to Matawan and is occupying a house on Broad street owned by E I Brown.
8. Elwood Hopkins gathered three bushels of swamp huckleberries in two days this week. Where he was they were plentiful.
9. The pile driver is at work on the bridge crossing the creek above the railroad trestle. Henry Holland is the engineer in charge.
10. The August number of Butterick's Delineator is out. As usual, it contains just what the ladies need in preparing their summer costumes.
11. J W Cooper and family, of New York, have rented the James Cottrell house in the upper part of the town and are now occupying it.
12. A new fence has been built around the property of C H Wardell in the rear of Washington Hall. W A Fountain, Jr furnished the labor.
13. We acknowledge the receipt of a map from Amzi T Dodd, of Long Branch, showing the different points reached by way of the Central R R of New Jersey. Please except (sic) thanks for same.
14. Dr C Knecht has removed his heater from his house and W A Fountain has contracted to put in a Furman steam heater, which is expected to give much better results than the one just removed.
15. On Monday night as Garret Hendrickson was leaning back in a chair on the stoop of Conover's restaurant, his weight proved too much for one of the large glass windows and the top of the chair went through it.
16. The meeting of the Commissioners announced for Saturday evening last was attended by only three members, one less than a quorum. It was decided to have the next meeting on Saturday, July 25, at the usual hour and place.
17. Mr E H Dominick has a copy of The Lord's Prayer printed in fifty-three different languages. It was compiled by F A Strale of New York in 1811 and has been in the possession of Mr Dominick since that time. It is certainly a curiosity.
18. The evangelist, Lavinia A Browne, was married on Monday at Little Silver to Mr Joseph Anderson of Atlantic Highlands. Mrs Browne-Anderson will continue her evangelistic work while her husband is in college preparing himself for the ministry.
19. A number of farmers in this vicinity were noticed going to the seashore on Saturday morning last with empty tubs and rakes. Upon their return in the evening their tubs were filled with hard clams, and in addition to having a day's recreation they were amply remunerated for their long drive.
20. Rev C I Percy and Mr P V Hyer engaged in a croquet game on Monday evening on Dr Knecht's grounds. Chinese lanterns made light for the occasion and the grounds presented a picturesque appearance. The game was hotly contested and resulted in a draw, after more than an hour's play.
21. The Midway Shooting Club of this place will meet the Perth Amboy Gun Club on the latter's ground on Saturday and shoot a friendly team match. The contest will begin at 1 pm and will be at live birds. The opposing teams will consist of at least eight and possibly ten men and the Midways hope to carry off the honors.
22. Potatoes, tomatoes, apples, corn, peppers, cabbage and other early produce have been going to the market in large quantities this week. The first of the week tomatoes brought $3.50 a crate, but on Thursday they were quoted at $1.59@$3. Potatoes range from $1.75@$2, and apples from 75c@$1.50, Nyacks bringing $2.50.
23. The present week has been a joyous one for the country people. Different localities have made up parties and visited the shores of Raritan Bay for a pleasant time in bathing, boating, etc. On Thursday several load of children from the neighborhood of Ticetown passed through town bent on a day's outing at Cliffwood.
24. If any of our readers have last week's copy of The Journal at hand and can spare it they will confer a favor by sending it to this office.  We have a call for several copies which are wanted to send to friends of Miss Ida Faye. The demand last week was an unusually large one and our edition was exhausted before all our friends were supplied.
25. Assessor Bedle has about finished  his visits to taxpayers. Only a few property-owners have not handed in their schedule and in case this is not done soon the assessment will be made and if deductions should afterward be claimed the application will have to be made to the State Board of Assessors, which will probably meet in this county some time next month.
26. William P Malcolmson, who was said to have been committed to the Reform School July 16 by Judge Conover, is still at liberty. The Judge was not satisfied that the Reform School was the proper place for a boy of his age and the matter was laid over for a week. On Thursday the hearing was again laid over in order that the father of the boy could be present at the proceedings.
27. Charles Gehlhaus has lost two cows this week. The first one died Sunday morning and the other Tuesday afternoon. It is supposed that there must have been something wrong in the food given them, as both died in the same manner. Both cows were buried near by in Straub's barnyard. Last week Mr Gehlhaus also lost a horse, and his cup of  bad luck seems to be running over.
28. Mr Antisell has sold his first piano, manufactured in Matawan, to the Baptist Sunday school of this place. The instrument is an upright in style and finished in the best manner known to the trade. Its tone is superior to any we have heard and we have no doubt as soon as its merits become known in the East the demand for the Antisell piano will be greater than the anticipation of the manufacturers.
29. Nothing of importance was done at the special meeting of the Township Committee on Saturday evening last. After a half hour's talk it was decided to adjourn until Wednesday and go over the new road and what was still required to be done. The plans for the new bridge as prepared by the county will be used by the Township in building its part of the bridge, thus making the entire bridge uniform in material used and mode of construction.
30. Sebastian Miller, of New York, a man noted as an athlete, wrestler, and heavy lifter, visited the Aberdeen Inn on Tuesday, in company with Mr Wickert, of Keyport. While there he showed his strength by breaking a cobblestone into pieces with his hand doubled up. In appearance he is a rather short man but powerfully built. It is said that he will give an Exhibition in the Armory, Keyport, in about a fortnight, which will be under the auspices of the athletic club of that place.
31. We are informed that Ruliff Quackenbush will soon put on stages between Keyport and the railroad station in opposition to the horse railroad company. He has been thinking over the project for some time and the one thing in the past that has deterred him from doing it before was that he believed the Matawan patrons of the horse railroad would be very apt to continue with the railroad. He now, however, has reached the conclusion that the people riding from this section will bestow their patronage on him and for that reason is going to give it a trial. 
32. As J L M Dominick was making a delivery at the piano factory on Wednesday he left his horse standing along the public road. The animal was attracted by some foliage on the bushes and crossed the road to get it. Just at this point there is a five foot ditch and as he was about to step into it he was stopped by Dr Knecht, who was passing at that instant. It was fortunate for Jerry that that the doctor came along as he did, as the horse would have fared badly in another minute, and his loss would have been a severe one.

NOTES

1. - There was a Charles Schanck, born about 1836, who was enumerated in Matawan in the 1860 Federal Census. He was living with Mary A Cook and her daughter Gertrude, and what appears to have been Charles's mother, Hager Schanck, born about 1801.
   - There was a Charles Schenck, born about 1835, enumerated in Marlboro in 1870 as a farm laborer. He had a wife Elizabeth and a 15 yr old son Charles.
    - There was a Charles Schanck, born about 1840, enumerated in Marlboro in 1880 as a farm laborer in the household of Vanderbilt Whitlock. He had a wife Elizabeth.
    - John V P Schanck was Schanck the Grocer (wholesale and retail), of Matawan, who advertised in The Matawan Journal in the 1880s and early 1890s. He had a son Charles W Schanck born about 1867.
2. - There was a Andrew J Jackson, born Dec 1842 in New York, physician, living on Main Street in Matawan in the 1900 Federal Census. A Kensington cart was likely an electric car manufactured by the Kensington Automobile Company, of Buffalo, NY, which made cars from 1899 to 1904.
3. - Oriental lectures in the Baptist church would likely have been Sunday school classes teaching about the Holy Lands or mission work in the Far East. There was an Oriental Lectures Bureau selling Sunday school materials on West 23rd Street in New York in 1887. And there was an Oriental Lectures Bureau at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, undated.
4. - Benjamin P Cooper, carpenter, was born about 1817 in New Jersey. He lived in Raritan (Keyport)  and then in Matawan until his death.
8. - Elwood Hopkins, born Dec 1851, appeared in the 1900 Federal Census living with his widowed mother, Lucy Hopkins, born Mar 1828. Also in the household was Elwood's sister, Dora Hopkins, born Dec 1855. No one in the household was working in 1900.
9. - Henry Holland, born Nov 1853, stationary engineer, appeared in the 1900 Federal Census in Matawan. He listed himself as married sixteen years, but there was no wife, only a son, Robert.
10 - I found an online copy of the May 1891 edition of Butterick's The Delineator .
11. - There was a farmer named James H Cottrell, born about 1830, with wife Patricia Ann, living in Marlboro in the 1860 and 1880 Federal Censuses.
12. - Charles H Wardell, bank cashier, born about 1838, appeared in the 1880 and 1900 censuses in Matawan along with his wife, Mary. They were living with his mother-in-law, Charlotte Simpson, in 1880.
12. and 14. - William A Fountain, born Apr 1839, ran a hardware store in Matawan.
13. - Amzi Dodd, born about 1867, was the son and namesake of the owner of Dodd's Express, a baggage handling service in the New York City area. He was attending college and living with his father in New York City in the 1880 Federal Census. The 1900 Federal Census showed him living in Ocean, NJ, where he was enumerated as the superintendent of Dodd's Express. There are a number of letters to the editor and even a dedicated article (Express Nuisance) in The New York Times complaining bitterly about the New York Transfer Company, of which Dodd's Express was part. The company would lose or steal from people's baggage. There was an article in The Hartford Weekly Times claiming that one of the company's drivers conspired with thieves to steal from postal bags between the port and the post office. A company cashier committed suicide by taking morphine, again as reported by The NY Times.
14. - Cyrus Knecht was a physician in Matawan in the 1900 Federal Census. He was born in Sep 1851 in Pennsylvania. He was a physician in Easton, PA in the 1880 Federal Census. He was the doctor who treated a knife wound after a pool room fight on Main Street in 1929. He died in 1934 and was buried at Green Grove Cemetery in Keyport. (See 12 above re W A Fountain.)
15. - Garret Hendrickson, born about 1838 in NJ, was son of John S and Eleanor Hendrickson. Garret lived with his father, a farmer in Raritan Township, in the 1850 Federal Census. He was a clerk in a mill living in the household of David Craig, a merchant in Matawan, in the 1860 Federal Census. He was married and back in his father's household, a $26,000 farm in Holmdel that used the Matawan post office, in the 1870 Federal Census. And he was a store clerk living with his father-in-law, Benjamin E Griggs, the tax assessor in Matawan, in the 1880 Federal Census.
15. The 2 Aug 1890 edition of The Matawan Journal announced the Saturday 27 July 1890 opening of W H Conover's restaurant and dining rooms adjoining the Journal's offices. William H Conover, born about 1837 in NJ, was enumerated in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census as a farmer. He had a wife and three daughters living with him at the time.
17. - Edward H Dominick, born about 1811 in New York, was a watch repairman when he was enumerated in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census. Also in his household was his 45 year old housekeeper (Alice Compton) and his 7 month old son (Amsey Dominick).
17. - Frederick A Strale, born about 1795 in Stockholm, Sweden, paper maker, 5' 10" tall, hazel eyes, brown eyes, dark hair, enlisted in the 5th Infantry Regiment (US Army), Company D, on 17 March 1820. He became an artificer in light artillery. (The 5th Infantry notably built a fort at the mouth of the Minnesota River during this time, laying the groundwork for the construction of Minneapolis-St Paul.) He graduated Uppsala University in 1809, and then graduated Andover Theological Seminary, Andover, Massachusetts in 1827. He was ordained an evangelical Presbyterian minister on 16 September 1829 at New Lebanon, NY. (This town was home to the New Lebanon Conference, where Presbyterian leaders challenged the preaching methods of Charles Finney at the peak of the Second Great Awakening.) Strale, late of Chenango, Broome County, NY, had died recently when a public notice to creditors was placed in The Broome Republican at Binghamton, NY on 11 Oct 1832. I suspect the Lord's Prayer was assembled by Rev Strale but not in 1811, which coincidentally was Edward Dominick's approximate year of birth. Strale was likely still in Stockholm in 1811.
20. - Rev C. L. Percy preached at the First Baptist Church in Matawan from January 1890 to October 1894, according to a 1904 history of Baptists in the area. He conducted a wedding in Matawan on 21 Feb 1894, according to the 28 Feb 1894 edition of The Red Bank Register. He accepted a call to a Baptist church in Deposit, NY, starting his new charge on 1 November 1894, according to Christian Work, vol 54, published in 1894.
20. - Peter V Hyer, born about 1839, lived in Holmdel with his wife Julia in the 1860 Federal Census and used the Matawan Post Office. He had a $15,000 farm in Holmdel in the 1870 Federal Census. And he was a farmer in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census.
21. - The Midway Shooting Club's founding was announced in the 2 Oct 1875 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2 col 4). "A company of gentlemen from Matawan and vicinity, who are fond of the sport connected to the gun," rented the hall above the stores in the Rose Building across the street from the Episcopal church on Main Street, Matawan, for their new club.
22. - The Nyack pippin or Champlain apple was an obscure form of Sweet Bough dessert apple grown in New Jersey and Delaware in the mid to late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was thought to have originated in Vermont or New York. Reference the Bulletin of the US Bureau of the Plant Industry, 1907; The Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the New Jersey Horticultural Society, 1876; and The Western Fruit Book, by Franklin Reuben Elliott, 1859, reprinted.
24. - Ida Faye, born about 1857, was one of three single adult daughters of the widow Jane Faye, born about 1820. They were all living together in their mother's Matawan household in the 1880 Federal Census. The newspaper she wanted extra copies of, the 18 Jul 1891 edition of The Matawan Journal, included a story on pg 2 col 3 about a farewell reception held at the Baptist church for Ida Faye, MD, who would be departing in August for missionary work in India.
27. - Charles Gehlhaus, born about 1842 in Germany, was a baker enumerated in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census, along with wife Caroline and eight children. His son Otto was boarding in Keansburg as a real estate salesman in the 1930 Federal Census. He reported that his father was born in Hamburg, Germany and his mother in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
28. - The T M Antisell Piano Company of Matawan manufactured the patent steel wrest plank tuning device and high grade pianos recognized with awards in New Orleans and Melbourne, according to an 1891 advertisement in the Music Trade Review. It employed 20 persons in Matawan in 1909, according to the Industrial Directory of New Jersey, 1909. The Red Bank Register, 8 May 1901, reported that Matawan residents had invested $2,000 towards the establishment of a foundry, due to open 1 June 1901, called the Matawan Steel and Iron Company. The foundry would be located in the old Antisell piano factory.
30. -  An article at Muscles of Iron says Sebastian Miller was born in January 1862 and came to the US in 1887.
- Wrestling Observer contains research on events involving Sebastian Miller mentioned in issues of The Brooklyn Eagle between 1888 and 1902.
- The 1910 Federal Census shows Sebastian Miller, born about 1862 in Germany, living at 122 4th Street in Manhattan. Terese Miller, born about 1858 in Germany, was his second wife, this being their second year of marriage. Sebastian was a saloon proprietor. He claimed to have immigrated to the US in 1887 and that he was a naturalized citizen.
- The 1920 Federal Census shows Sebastian Miller, born about 1862 in Germany, living at 3019 North Clark Street in Chicago. His wife Theresa and nephew Joseph Miller were living in the household. Sebastian was a tailor. Sebastian claimed to have immigrated to the US in 1886 and that he was naturalized in 1895.   
- A Sebastian Miller, born about 1862 in Germany, came to America in steerage as a mason in December 1881 aboard the SS Switzerland, which sailed from Antwerp, Belgium to New York City.
- A Sebastian Miller, born about 1862 in Germany, last residence Munich, came to America in 2nd cabin as a machinist in December 1892 destined for New York aboard the S S Spaarndam, which he boarded at Rotterdam to New York City.
31. - Ruliff Quackenbush, born about 1816 in New Jersey, was enumerated in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census. He was a laborer. His wife was Cecelia, also born in 1816 in NJ.
32. - Jared M Dominick, born about 1851 in New York, was enumerated in Matawan in the 1880 Federal Census. He was an expressman. His wife was Sarah and his infant daughter was named Mary.

History: End of Prohibition, Formulation of Liquor Sales Rules in Matawan (1933)

According to the 8 Dec 1933 edition of The Matawan Journal (pp 1, 2), Matawan Borough was meeting to establish local liquor sale regulations and fees as Prohibition had come to an end.

• There would be 6 permits for taverns and bars (sales for use on and off premises) and 2 permits for liquor stores (sales for off premises only).
• Liquor dealers would have to be visible from the street, none in back rooms, etc.
•  Liquor dealers could be open from 7 am to midnight every day except Sundays and election days, when they must be closed.
• Those under the influence of alcohol would be prohibited from purchasing alcohol.
• Annual liquor license fees would only be available on 1 July 1934; in the meantime, fees would be pro-rated to $1/day for taverns and bars and $0.60/day for stores.

History: The Matawan Journal Calls for Temperance Society, 1876

The 14 Oct 1876 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2 col 1) reported that John Hill, a saloon keeper in Keyport, fled the area, seemingly in anticipation of his second Grand Jury indictment for keeping a "disorderly house." This prompted Mr Hill to flee, or, to quote the newspaper, to take "leg bail."

"Whether he had heard of the indictment, or was assured that it would be made, we have not learned; but it is evident that his guilt was so well established in his own mind that he knew his next fate would be State Prison. To avoid this he has run away."

Getting on his temperance soap box, the newspaper editor complained that Hill was only one of many bar keeps in Monmouth and Middlesex counties who "are violators of the very license law that grants them the privilege to pour rum down the throats of their neighbors and impoverish their families." The  bars were even selling liquor within earshot of the area churches' pulpits during worship service hours, he complained, a clear violation of the license, which sets rules to keep these businesses shuttered on Sundays. "Six week-days we would judge to be enough for the privilege of carrying on such a work of human destruction and family desolation as this. . ."

The editor, pointing out that there was no temperance society in Matawan, asked rhetorically, "Is not the evil practiced here? Have we become so highly moral as to need no institution to keep up this virtue save the churches?" The editor credited the churches for doing great work, but called for additional measures for those who had lost their way. "[T]here are many who seem to need another step before they enter the sanctuary, and that step is the temple of temperance."

The editor worried that local society was ignoring the problem as their boys faced the life of a drunkard and their girls the grim possibility of "becoming the wives of men whom intemperance may curse." In the meantime, the editor noted, municipal officials were continuing to issue licenses despite the peril around them. In an obvious reference to The Devil, the editor thought that local officials were turning a blind eye, instead "doing nothing to stay the fowler from spreading his net."

History: Poet's Inn, Matawan (1961)

The 21 Dec 1961 edition of The Matawan Journal contained an advertisement for The Poet's Inn, which was announcing the opening of their bar and cocktail lounge on Thursday 28 Dec 1961 at 5 pm. They were accepting New Year's Eve reservations for a buffet, favors and dancing.

Jake-a-Bob's Restaurant Doing Fine After Irene

We needn't have worried about Jake-a-bob's Restaurant in Union Beach. The place seems to have done just fine during Hurricane Irene. A quick check today showed the place crowded and lively.

Beer Fest At Maloney's 'til 9 pm

The beer fest is running til 9 pm at Maloney's Pub in downtown Matawan. Come enjoy $4 craft beers on tap and music courtesy Espresso joe's in Keyport. I had an Oskar Blues Ten Tinney Russian imperial stout and a chocolate stout. Yummy! Music by Clan Suibhne and Michael Dante Summonte with Nick Kiefer.

Maloney's Craft Beer and Music Festival, 12 Jun 2011

Maloney's Pub & Grill and Espresso Joe's are collaborating to have a craft beer and music festival at Maloney's in Matawan next Sunday, 12 June 2011, from 2 pm to 9 pm. Maloney's has over 70 beers on tap, many of which will be selling at a discounted $4/10oz glass during the festival. A number of live music performances are planned. The event is getting some great buzz. For details, see the page set up for this event on Facebook.

Aberdeen Musician Raises Money for Food Pantries

A Christian Brothers Academy graduate from Aberdeen is featured in the latest News Transcript. His strong musicianship has led him to local performances at The Brass Rail, which have led him to charity fundraising for community food banks.

My Weekend in Western Massachusetts

I headed to Smith College late last week for parents weekend. My daughter invited me to sit in on some of her classes and to attend the school's annual Montage concert, in which she performed.

I took my iPod on the road to keep me company for the hours-long trip up and back. Among the many podcasts I listened to, my favorites were Terry Gross's interview of Mike Birbiglia on her show Fresh Air and Phil Caputo's Out on a Ledge on a wonderful show called The Moth.

We had a fine dinner at Osaka Japanese Restaurant in Northampton, shopped at The Montague Book Mill, in Montague, and enjoyed a nice lunch at The People's Pint in Greenfield. I enjoyed several fine breakfasts with Zack and Jessica at their Inn Spot bed and breakfast in nearby Conway. While in Northampton, we visited Dirty Truth Beer Hall, where my favorite beer on tap there was an Amager Bryghus Imperial Stout.

I recommend a trip to Northampton. It's a combination of Red Bank, New Brunswick, and Princeton. The leaves are beautiful, the countryside picturesque, and the downtown rich with restaurants and entertainment.

Jakeabob's Bar Reopens; Restaurant Awaits Permits

Our neighbor mentioned today that she'd visited Jakeabob's this week. She said the bar is open for business but they aren't serving food yet because they haven't received their health permit. I dropped by a few minutes ago and peered into the windows. The bar looks sharp and has plenty of liquor bottles on display. There are lots of tables and stools inside. I walked around the left side of the place and noted the Tiki bar outside has stools and Corona tables galore. I could see the deck on the back of the restaurant, so it appears all is ready for fun and food in coming weeks. You might want to stop in for a drink when you get a chance and see what's up.

Our Western Virginia Vacation

A couple of weeks ago, we spent our vacation at our timeshare at Woodstone Meadows, part of the Massanutten Resort in the mountains near Harrisonburg, Virginia. The downtown is about twenty minutes away. It's being revitalized with some great places to eat and drink. The local eateries we visited this trip included the local microbrewery Cally's Restaurant and Brewing Co, and Jack Brown's Beer and Burger Joint. We had drinks at the fashionable Clementine Cafe, then played trivia downstairs at the Ethiopian restaurant Blue Nile.

We ate twice at our favorite -- the Local Chop and Grill House on West Gay Street. The place looks like an industrial seed company from the outside, but it was renovated and stylized in 2009. The first time we got there after 9 pm, so we ate off the bar menu. The bar, just inside and to the left, has a musical decor, with modern art with musical instrument themes mounted on brickfaced walls. A fireplace in the corner suggests the bar would be a cozy spot in the winter. A small stage, wooden dance floor, and sound system come into play when live bands perform on weekends.  They had $2 sliders (bison, salmon, chuck, chickpea, lamb, and duck); we each had three plus some fries. We shared calamari and aranchini de riso for appetizers. We enjoyed some of the roughly two dozen beers on tap.

We returned to the Local Chop and Grill House for their dinner selections. Their dinner menu has a dozen or so meat choices, which you pair with a cooking method, a dipping sauce, and two sides. My wife had a chicken breast with the seasonal black pepper rub and arugula pesto dipping sauce. I had a pork chop with the house's salt, pepper, paprika and cumin rub and mango bbq dipping sauce. We started with a superb 2008 bottle of Jefferson Vineyards pinot gris. For appetizers I had a corn chili and my wife had a salad. We finished dinner with dessert and coffee for a fantastic meal. The restaurant has a nice loft up to the right, some seating on the main floor, and a welcoming covered porch with jet black torch lights spaced periodically along a rail that encloses outdoor seating.

We did the beer dinner at Massanutten's Conference Center, where Paul Hansen served as our beer sommelier for a wonderful multi-course meal with carefully selected brewed accompaniments. We also had a few meals at the resort's Fareways Restaurant, which had live music.

During our stay, we took advantage of the resort's fully equipped gym, did some swimming, and played miniature golf. We dropped by Le Club and played air hockey, a Ninja Turtles video game for four, then a few rounds of pool, and plenty of rounds of an ice hockey game.

Lest we fear anything during our stay, the resort uses Hawk Security Systems Inc (We keep an eye on the creeps so you can get your sleep).

A Little Twist & Shout at the Old Bay

The Hey Bulldog Band, a Beatles cover band, played recently at the Old Bay in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Looks like crowd and band alike had a great time. Check the band's YouTube channel for other videos of Hey Bulldog playing live gigs. And keep an eye on the New Brunswick Rocks website for upcoming events in that rockin' town. They have some sort of VIP club you might even want to join.

Maloney's Pub Offers Beer Dinners, Tastings, 60+ Taps

Maloney's Pub & Grill in downtown Matawan is trying to become the regional champion of draught beers. I heard yesterday that they have 70 beer taps and are aiming for 92. A posting at  Chowhound yesterday suggested that Maloney's has at least 60 beers on tap. They have beer dinners and tastings, according to my daughter and comments at Pubcrawler and Yelp.

Given all this, you'd think Maloney's promotional posture would be just as remarkable, but it isn't. The website has a nice framework but lacks content. The beer lists are  blank pages and there are no online promos for the beer tastings and dinners. If this place wants to be big with the beer aficionados, how can I visit Beer Advocate and find no listings for Maloney's beer events on their calendar? One would hope that the website is under construction and will soon be ready for primetime, but it could just as easily languish because adding content turned out to be too much work.

Bravo for trying to bring the beer crowd to Matawan. Just be sure to invest adequately in advertising and web presence as well as in taps.

A Fun Day Off in June

I had the day off today, so my daughter and I went to the Twin Brook Golf Center in Tinton Falls today to play miniature golf. The 18-hole course is interspersed with waterfalls and flowing streams. There's even a cave at the ninth hole. I was on my game today, I must say. From there we went to Belmar and had lunch at the Boathouse Bar and Grill. We were hot from playing golf, so we ate inside, but it was a bit dark. I'd recommend eating at a table on the patio out front. On our way home we stopped in at the Matawan Starbucks, where my wife joined us for coffee. My wife and I are having pizza in tonight while my daughter and her beau head out to Red Bank for the evening.

Prepare Yourself for Sobriety Check Points: Know Your BAC

For those of you who want to be prepared for the occasional weekend evening sobriety check point on your way home from a restaurant or bar,  you'll want to check out this handy chart on blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The chart helps you figure out how many drinks you can safely have without going over the legal limit. The chart is only a guide -- a blood test is the only way to know for sure what your BAC is -- but you need some sort of yardstick to make decisions when you're out, and this is what's available.

Find your weight on the chart and move to the right on the chart one box for every drink you've had. When you go out, you'll want to plan to be under the legal limit, which in NJ is 0.08%. (See NJ Motor Vehicles Commission for details)

Remember: 1 drink equals

• one ounce of 100-proof liquor;
• one five-ounce glass of table wine; or 
• one 12-ounce bottle of regular beer

Don't forget that time affects the BAC number downward. The chart offers a relatively simple formula for figuring out the percent of alcohol "burned up" since your first drink. Simply subtract .015% from your BAC level on the chart for every hour that you've been drinking.

• If you're a 180 lb man and have had 5 drinks, the chart says you are over the legal limit at .104%. But if you have spent 4 hours chatting with friends while you drank those 5 drinks, you can subtract .060% (.015% x 4), which puts you back in the legal zone at .044%.
• If you're a woman at 130 lbs and have had 3 drinks, the chart says you're over the limit at .087%. If you spent 2 hours having those drinks, you can subtract .030% (.015% X 2) from your number, which puts you under the legal limit at .057%.

The Bulkhead Bar & Grill, Keyport

Nothing can beat lunch on a warm spring or summer day on the back deck of the Bulkhead Bar & Grill at 59 W Front Street in Keyport. The view is quite remarkable (see pictures below) and the atmosphere is classic Bayshore waterfront. Enjoy a burger, a sandwich, or a salad along with a soda or bottled beer from a lofty spot overlooking Keyport Harbor and nearby Cliffwood Beach. Watch the boats come and go, the seagulls swooping and the tourists enjoying a walk or a park bench. Don't let the dreary West Front Street entrance to this place fool you.

The ABCs of ABC Licensing

I got to wondering about liquor licenses today and a friend pointed me in the direction of Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Their website has a vast array of guides and forms for every conceivable situation. Want to have a wine festival? Or maybe just a wine seminar? They have application forms for these occasions. Want to make your own beer or wine? Forms for each. What if you're a liquor distributor and you want to let your customers taste the goods? Permit. And there's a separate application if you are an out-of-state supplier who wants to allow tastings. And if you sell liquor and want to store your records off premises, there's a form to fill out. Yikes!

I gravitated to the ABC Municipal Handbook. It has more than a few interesting items in it.  For example, did you realize ...

• The upcoming census will play an important role in how many licenses can be issued? There is a cap on the number of licenses that can be issued to sell or distribute alcohol in a particular municipality. The town cannot issue a new retail consumption license until the total number of licenses is fewer than 1 for every 3,000 in population according to the previous census. Once the municipality can issue an additional license, it can call for bids or use a "traditional non-bidding method."
• If you can get 15% of people who voted in the last election to sign a petition, you can arrange for a referendum to make Aberdeen a dry town? And if it passes, the town has to stay dry for at least five years.
• If you arrange to sell your bar, you have to arrange separately to transfer the liquor license? But if the deal to sell the bar doesn't go through for some reason and you already transferred the license, you have to arrange separately to get the license back. There are fees for all of these transfers, of course. The municipality gets $200 every time you breathe, seems to me.
• There's a special license for theaters and concert halls with capacities of 1,000 or more patrons. They can sell liquor during a performance and up to two hours before and after. Such a license doesn't count against your municipality's cap by population. The cap also doesn't apply to licenses held by hotels and motels with 100 or more guest sleeping rooms, nor must they count non-profit clubs that have been around at least three years and have 60 or more members. So the PNC Arts Center, Holiday Inn, and the VFW can have liquor licenses irrespective of census figures.
  

Maybe all this nonsense is why some restaurants go BYOB? Of course, BYOB has a lengthy entry in the handbook as well. Violate its rules and a restaurant owner is subject to disorderly conduct charges. You can be BYOB, but you can't advertise the fact. You can provide glasses, ice, etc, and uncork bottles, but you can't charge for these services. People can drink in your establishment but not during times when places with a valid license are restricted from selling liquor by local ordinance. And you can't make an arrangement with a distributor to deliver beer and wine to your BYOB restaurant as some sort of courtesy to your patrons.

Pizza and Beer in or near Aberdeen

Where do people go around here for casual pizza and beer? I know I can get a bar pie at the Kat Shack, but that's hardly a substantial pie. And I can go over to Bertucci's in Hazlet for a brick oven baked pie, but that's a bit too fancy and usually sets me back a bit. I guess they might have pizza and beer at the bowling alley, but maybe that's a bit too casual? Is there a local choice that I've not discovered?

Our favorite around here was Burlew's Pizzeria. It was a landmark in Cliffwood for years, probably since the post-World War II period. It was torn down a few years ago, supposedly as part of a project to upgrade the highway intersection at Cliffwood Avenue at Route 35. Burlew's made a very good corn meal crusted pizza that I've not found duplicated in the area. Their "garbage pizza" had mucho toppings that made the box sag on your way home. Best to eat that one at the pizzeria, with lots of napkins.

There were two entrances into Burlew's parking lot - one from Cliffwood Avenue near Route 35, and the other from the Route 35 North exit ramp for Cliffwood Avenue. The lot, which was between the building and Route 35, offered nose-in spaces up against the building and facing Route 35 for maybe fifteen cars.

There were two doorways into the building from the parking lot - one on the right that led into the bar, and one built into the left corner of the building leading into the liquor store, restaurant, and a bar in the basement. The doorway on the right led into a medium sized traditional bar with a wooden counter and stools down the left side of the barroom and half a dozen tables with high stools on the right. In the far right corner there was a wooden dance floor and a place for a band. In the near left corner there was a big-screen tv and a video game or two. In the far left corner was a passage into an adjoining space outfitted like a small restaurant. The tables were adorned with white paper tablecloths, silverware and water glasses. That was for families wanting to get dinner without sitting in the bar. A separate building entrance on the left had a foyer with several choices. There was a second door leading you into their liquor store, where you would pick up beer and pizza to go. The foyer also offered a doorway leading to a stairway into the basement, where they had another more portable bar, as well as darts and pool tables. A narrow corridor led from the foyer to the dining area in the back adjoining the bar.

Burlew's has become a lost part of local history. I doubt we're better off languishing for years with a mowed down building and unmowed grass on the current vacant lot and a shuttered hulk of a drug store across the street. Not only do I miss my favorite place for pizza and beer, I feel like we've lost part of our cultural identity.

If you live in the greater Aberdeen area and enjoy going out for pizza and beer, where do you go?

Pizza and a Beer at the Kat Shack

After an hour or so at the Matawan Starbucks, my wife and I decided to pop across Main Street to the Kat Shack for a pepperoni pizza and $2 Yuengling drafts. The service was first rate, the pizza was good, and the tab was only about $12. The bar-sponsored softball team was back from Middletown to celebrate a huge victory, so they were whooping it up a bit down front. And the eighteen seats at the five-sided bar were filled with an assortment of customers.

We sat at one of several tables for two situated around the room. We could see about a dozen big screen televisions from where we were sitting. There was a fireplace, skylights to bring in the sun, and lots of light from the windows. The Kat Shack is all new construction, with some brickwork and a light wood floor. I saw maybe nine beers on tap, including my favorites Guiness, Yuengling, and Stella Artois.

There is a pool table in one corner and darts in the other, probably for the slower times. I'm not sure anyone could level a cue stick or throw feathered projectiles with as many people in the room as there were today. A guitar stood on a stand next to a table and stool near the side door, but no one came up to play while we were there. It was Sunday afternoon and such entertainment is usually later in the day I'm sure. Rhyme & Reason performs there from time to time.

I saw a few hostile comments about the bar at Topix, but the criticisms are unwarranted and probably some sort of provocation. I've stopped in twice and the clientele, while a bit noisy at times, were always polite and fun-loving. The barkeep was very friendly and helpful. I don't imagine anyone is discussing Chaucer around the bar, but conversation was animated and there were plenty of smiles on people's faces. My only criticism: the vaulted ceiling could probably do with some noise suppression panels to reduce the din when things get noisy.

I'll be dropping in again. Be sure to check out the Kat Shack.

Out for Drinks and Drained of Cash

We were at McDonough's in Keyport the other day and they charged me $8.25 for a Jack Daniels on the rocks. Is that outrageous or what? I'm usually a beer drinker, so this Jack on ice was a special occasion for me. But oh what a surprise when I saw the bill. I guess I'm not velocitized to such a high price for liquor. This is Keyport, right?

My daughter was going to order a Black Velvet, which is a mixture of Guiness and hard cider, but she backed off when the bartender warned her that she would have to charge her for both a Guiness and a hard cider to make the drink -- again $7 or $8 for a drink. The barkeep could have at least offered to make two drinks out of it.

My wife wisely ordered a ginger ale. She was the designated driver.

In these hard times, when people really need a good stiff drink once in a while, it shouldn't break the bank to go out to the local pub. We really like visiting McDonough's, but even Happy Hour isn't safe ground when it comes to unhappy surprises. It's easy to order something that costs full price, and full price can be a significant chunk of change. I've never had to do this before, but I guess I'll have to quiz the bartender each time I order to see how much my drink order will set me back. Caveat emptor!