The Cuban sandwich, served in a retro-fun basket, comes with chips and a pickle, while the order of Crabby Fries is served in an oversized cone. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
By SUSAN ERICSON
In the man cave Walt Street Pub on Monmouth Street in Red Bank, women held forth on which dish is best.
“I order the boneless wings,” said barmaid Kelly Martin. “Mild, though, always mild.”
Sitting next to PieHole at the bar, Jen Disney, informed us that “the beef chimichangas are the best. We go elsewhere, but always come back here.”
Jen Rodriguez, our waitress, said her son, “who is one of the pickiest eaters ever,” gets the chicken cheese steak, but she likes the chicken burrito.
A plethora of sports and bar-related memorabilia covers every spare inch of the walls and ceiling at the Walt Street Pub. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
So it goes when you belly up to the bar for lunch with a camera around your neck. Everyone wants to talk about food, which just happens to be one of PieHole‘s favorite topics.
The long, dark space in the dining room and bar is filled to capacity with sports memorabilia, model airplanes hanging from the ceiling and many television sets. Add to the decor a smattering of shiny green Saint Patrick’s Day shamrock garlands, and your eyes just don’t know where to look first.
PieHole went with an old favorite, the Cuban sandwich ($9.95), which was overstuffed with all of the correct components: slices of ham, roast pork, and nicely melted Swiss cheese that were pepped up with dill pickle, mayo and mustard. The preparation deviated from the standard, though, by using a crusty roll instead of the expected crispy, flattended panini. In this variation, it was different but still tasty.
An appetizer we had to try simply because it sounded unique was the Crabby Fries ($6.95). Served in an enormous cone, the crunchy Old Bay-seasoned fries come with a dish of perfectly ordinary cheese sauce for dipping. The creamy sauce is the just right counterpoint in both texture and calming flavor to the spicy fries. They make a terrific stand-alone bar snack when you need a little something to nibble on while wetting your whistle.
