I’ll start this by saying my FF and her spouse are also family and we don’t get to see each other enough. But today was an exception and a welcome visit and a good meal is always a fabulous day, IMHO(in my humble opinion).
I was introduced to our foodie establishment, The Crab’s Claw in Lavallette, NJ, ( http://www.thecrabsclaw.com ) after a NYE party and the last time we were there it was an all-you-can eat brunch and buffet. We were in heaven. So we were expecting that today, but it was brunch without the buffet, but that’s okay because it was equally as good this time!
There’s never been a problem getting seated any time I’ve been here and this was the first time I was seated in the sun room. Good thing they put us in the back corner cause…well, we know how to have a good time. So I need to preface this by saying, this was a birthday gift/brunch/visit, so I wanted to splurge for my FF and her hubby.
I love the menu in this place. They’ve got a little bit of everything for everyone. We started today with Tuna Nachos. What are Tuna Nachos you ask? They are fabulous, possibly fresh made large nacho chips, 3 on a dish, covered with seaweed salad, tuna sashimi, and wasabi and soy sauces. If there was a place by me that served this, I’d be in trouble.
We also got, for fun, their Monkey Bread which is served with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar on the plate but my FF is also an incredible cook and she felt a little shorted because she has made this better at home. I can’t imagine, because this was even pretty good, but I admit it could have used some more brown sugar topping.
Since this was brunch, we all got egg dishes and I’ll get to that in a minute. At the Crab Claw’s Sunday brunch, they offer a free glass of champagne. They also offer a Bloody Mary bar. What is a Bloody Mary bar you ask? Well I must say it is something I have always wanted the opportunity to try: having numerous different toppings and liquors at my disposal to mix how I’d like. It was very fun. The customer is served, for $6, a large glass, standard for a Bloody Mary, but half filled with ice and vodka(of your choice and my FF wanted Grey Goose). They then provide a table FULL of approximately 30 different choices of condiments, fruits/vegetables, juices/liquors, spices/sauces to mix with your half filled glass. They offered on the spices: sea salt, garlic salt, wasabi powder, cayenne powder, horseradish etc. On the savory side, you could choose from: peperoncini, pepperoni slices, baby gherkins, pickled okra, 4 different kinds of olives, assorted pickled veggies, or the standard celery stalks. On the fruity side, there were blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, baby pears, lychee’s, maraschino cherries, pomegranate seeds, lime and lemon and orange wedges and the list goes on. There were grapefruit, orange, cranberry, grape, tomato and pineapple juices. Then there was St. Germaine, Curacauo, Lemonade Vodka, Triple Sec, and at least 3 others that the names are evading my memory right now. You get the picture. Oh! and I almost forgot! Hot sauces! Sriracha, Tabasco, green pepper hot sauce, and more! It was amazing the choices the bartender put out there. She was very happy we were enjoying it so much. Needless to say, this was the high point of the outing.
Our egg dishes were not to be outdone. I had one of my favs, eggs benedict on crab cakes and it was very nicely done and yummy and came with very perfectly done home fries. My FF got a sandwich that had fried egg, applewood smoked bacon, avocado, and tomato on WW bread. I was tempted to get that. Her spouse got an egg and meat sandwich. I believe we were all pleased.
Now…my choices of drinks were first, a bloody mary, second, a pink grapefruit juice with St. Germaine(an elderflower liquor I’ve always wanted to try), and my last concoction was an attempt at a chutney of flavors, cranberry with an organic liquor made from hot peppers, the sriracha sauce that I went a little heavy with, but the concept was good however chutney is for small bites, not for large drinks. I was too full to finish that one. That’s only because each of these drinks had so many accompaniments, they were like a meal into themselves! Ahh we rolled out of there very full and happy birthday celebrators!
famfoodiesma
famfoodies 