Rating: 💋 💋 💋 😘
In my town, there is a cute little restaurant called Quahog's Seafood Shack. If any of you watch Guy Fieri's 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives', you may have seen it there. My parents have been huge fans of the restaurant owners since they were just starting out, back when I was a baby and my parents needed a date night. The owners have created many restaurants over the years, and Quahog's opened up when I was just a little kid. When I was nine, I declared that Quahog's had the best chicken tenders I had ever tasted - and they are so mouthwatering in my memory I kind of wish I could still order off the kid's menu, in all honesty. As I got older, Quahog's introduced me to mussels, clam chowder, and casado. A few summers ago, I got a job at another great restaurant down here because the owner knew my parents from his days waiting tables at Quahog's. Basically, what I am saying is this place is a usual for my family.
My sister was out for the nights with friends, so my parents and I placed our takeout order online for our dinner. While we waited, my mom wowed me with her bartending skills. She worked as a bartender throughout college, and for my special Friday night cocktail she fixed me a Captain Morgan lemonade with some homegrown mint. It was the perfect refresher to kick off the weekend.
My Dad and I went to Quahog's to pick up our food and there was a socially distanced crowd outside the shack, waiting for their orders. Some restaurants are really making take-out work for them. We enjoyed a rainbow in the sky and had a conversation through our masks while we waited.
Before we had even finished plating our dinners, we were digging into the guacamole. Quahog's guac has a great ratio of salty to refreshing flavors, blending great seasoning with creamy, practically pureed avocado and cool lime and cilantro. I know I normally do not like cilantro, but in this guac, it just works. That's how you know it is the real deal. I also really appreciate that they serve the guac with sturdy tortilla chips that do not break apart in the dip, and they take the tortilla's salt into account when mixing the guacamole so that the salt never overpowers the dish. If you go to Quahog's, the guac is a must for your table's order.
My Dad ordered the lobster roll and it was just gorgeous. They do not skimp on the lobster meat and the brioche bun serves as the perfect, buttery holder for the sandwich. My dad raved about the lobster roll, and assured my mom that her homemade lobster rolls, served in the equally delicious potato roll, are "just as good." My mom's lobster rolls are the best I have ever had, so if Quahog's are on par with them, then they are killing the game. You will see the lobster roll pictured with the empanada entree, my dad's usual. The crispy empanada skins breaks apart to reveal juicy, well-seasoned beef. You love to see it.
My mom and I both got beer-battered haddock tacos with pickled red onion, cilantro, guac, pico de gallo, and crema. I know we already had guac as our entree, but I am of the opinion that you can never have too much avocado. The limit does not exist. And of course, with these, Quahog's is serving up another dish that makes me suspend my aversion to cilantro. Very well done. I appreciated the presentation of three smaller tacos rather than two large ones. That should be the restaurant standard when it comes to serving the dish. The smaller tacos were filling and packed a mean flavor punch. My mom and I would prefer a crunchy taco shell, but because of takeout that is not possible. The sauce would get the crispy shell too soggy by the time it got home. For this reason, using a soft shell is a crucial move, and it still did a fine job flavor wise. Restaurants are opening up for outdoor seating in Jersey this week, so maybe we will get a hard shell taco soon enough.
The three of us finished our night watching Scarface. Rather, my dad and I watched Scarface, my mom was in the room, finding distractions. It was my first time seeing the film and yes, I had to close my eyes a fair amount of times, but I appreciated it over all.
We are all taking action for BLM in our own ways, depending on our circumstances, and it is awesome to see people bonding together and speaking out for justice that is long overdue. If donating is one of the ways you are able to support the movement, I wanted to link some organizations I did not have in my original list: the Equal Justice Initiative, The Loveland Foundation, and The Black Trans Travel Fund. There are so many great organizations out there, and your help makes such a difference.
Recently, my dad and I were talking and he told me he thinks it is interesting that people so often count their bad luck and struggle to recognize the good things in their lives. Why is it so hard for us to find things to be grateful for? In so many ways, big and small, we are so lucky. There is so much out there to appreciate. We are working to be more aware of those little happy moments, like that rainbow we saw outside Quahog's.
I hope you all have some sunny days on the horizon.
Until next week
XX,
MK
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