On our recent trip to Ocean City, NJ, we stopped into Sea Isle City, NJ for a night. After checking out some shops, we stopped in early for some brews at the Dead Dog Saloon at 39th & Landis. The Dead Dog features a big rectangular bar on the first floor, a stage with live acoustic music almost daily, average bar food, typical bar decor, and a large flat screen TV for sports.

After a few Smithwicks Irish Ale, we headed out to Marie’s Lobster House to have a huge seafood dinner right on the bay. The entrees range from $18 - $80 and up. I settled on a medium priced Mahi Mahi with mango salsa.

We decided to head on back to the Dead Dog Saloon because it was so chill there. A crowd was forming, and we watched the rest of the Phillies game. The bartender even hooked us up with some free brews. I went outside to put some money into the meter and when I came back in, I was approached by a semi-manager looking dude that said that I had to cover up my Jameson shirt with a collared shirt. Suddenly, after 9:00 p.m., a strange new dress code had come into play. I found this to be hilarious, especially since the place was nothing that special. I rented one of their shirts on hand for $10, flipped up the collar, buttoned up the buttons, and looked like a total idiot, basking in the glory of the goofy garment rule they had. Girls could wear whatever they wanted, as I noticed that a girl was wearing a sweatshirt with graphics on it, and she said, "You’re a guy. That’s what they do here," as if I was an idiot.

Here I am wearing my problematic Jameson t-shirt, which I received on my 30th birthday from Mike Murray. Don’t wear something like this to the Dead Dog Saloon!

So, Melissa and I recently celebrated our 3rd year together by going to one of our favorite BYOBs: Dimitri’s in Queen Village. I love the no-frills quick-serving fun lively & loud atmosphere that this Mediterranean restaurant offers.

Dining as a couple, we have finally realized, mixed with the delicious bread, that 3 small plates is plenty ‘o food for us. We settled on the same thing that we got there last time, I believe, which is: scampi, grilled vegetables, and the avocado citrus salad.

Of course, we downed a bottle of moderately priced cabernet, and I have no idea what the heck that dessert was, but it was quickly devoured. We ended up getting ultra boozy, and wandered around the nearby Fabric Row, posing with mannequins and wondering why one entire block smelled like moth balls.

Melissa has a moment with the mannequins.

Melissa is absolutely amazed by something, most likely due to the wine.

Aimlessly walking through intersections, Melissa raves about the grilled vegetables at Dimitri’s. Sadly, we are heading to the South Street Starbucks in this photo for an evening caffeine jolt.

Last night, Melissa and I went to Trio, a Thai cuisine BYOB, in the Fairmount section of town that first opened just over 2 years ago. Upon entering Trio, the place looks tiny, as there are only a few tables on the first floor. But the upstairs has ample seating and an outdoor deck as well. It was a gorgeous breezy night, so we sat out on the deck overlooking a very quiet block.

Located at 2624 Brown Street, Trio is far removed from busy Fairmount Avenue, and instills a very relaxing atmosphere. The most expensive dish on the menu is the "Pink Peppercorn Filet Mignon" at $19. Most dishes are very moderate in price. I delved into the "Seafood Hot Pot", which is a medley of baked jumbo shrimp, calamari, scallops, mixed with glass noodles and scallops. Very hearty. Melissa enjoyed a "Baked Atlantic Salmon" with Sake Dijon mustard sauce. And of course, I always get dessert and settled on the Marzipan.

We then proceeded to get a drink at the London Grille, which is a great place to watch the Phillies game, especially when they win 20-2 like last night. Hellzzz, yeah!

Here’s where Trio is in Fairmount:

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After stalking the final construction of the Memphis Tap Room for a couple weeks, I finally stepped in and became a patron. It was a Saturday night around 10:30 p.m., so it was jam packed already. I really didn’t get a chance to even look at the bar area because there was nowhere to move. So, Melissa and I ventured into the back room where there were a few empty tables left.

I was exhausted yet starving, so I decided to try their cheeseburger. The cooks apparently burnt my burger, so the waiter hooked me up with a free PBC Rowhouse Red. Very nice! Anyhow, the burger was great, not as massive as say a Standard Tap burger, but very ample and delicious.

This is definitely going to be a place that I go to on a Tuesday evening over a Saturday night, and I’m loving the fact that it’s just a couple blocks away. Weekend brunches coming soon as well.

Checked out The Barbary in Fishtown a couple days ago. It’s a great dark place with a massive mirror ball and non-stop light action so that you’ll barely recognize anyone. Loads of great beers on tap, including my new cheap favorite "The Kenzinger". They also have a never dull photo booth for instant fun and bathrooms with graffiti to space out in.

Here is a clip of Gemini Wolf playing there that night. I accidentally hit the manual focus button while recording and didn’t know what was going on for a while. It’s such a tiny easy-to-push button that sits right where by thumb goes sometimes. Wonk wonk.

I suck at billiards, but then again, I never have given it a shot for more than an hour. But Buffalo Billiards hardly seems about billiards on a Sunday. Last year, I heard about Buffalo Billiards from my buddy Matt who went there to watch his Bears games. If you’re not an Eagles fan and are looking for a bar to watch your team’s game, this is the place. Every time that I’ve gone, there’s always various jerseys being worn by Philadelphians looking to watch the Colts, Bills, Giants — you name it…Although, I’ve yet to see Cowboys fans grace the arena. (If you don’t see your team’s game on any of the tubes, just ask one of the friendly staff.) Of course, the Eagles game is always projected on the main two screens, with the volume pumped up nice and loud. Today was especially brutal, as the Eagles, in their retro yellow & blue uniforms, beat the Lions by a large margin. But the Phillies lost to the Washington Nationals. My neck is still sore from turning my head back and forth to watch both screens as the games played live simultaneously. The bar food gets about a B- grade. It’s massive, it will fill you up, but some of the options are just awful. The calamari arrives as perfectly fried circles, resembling onion rings more than calamari, and tasting only somewhat fishy…Was that really calamari? Who knows, but fried food with beer and the Eagles is always a winner.

Melissa and I decided to start the ‘07 Eagles season by watching the game at McFadden’s on 3rd Street. If you’re a big fan of A/C, this place is guaranteed to keep you frigid. Overhead fans and non-stop cool air conditioning made us wish we had brought sweatshirts! But, when it’s 88 degrees out, you usually rule that out. McFadden’s boasts a few HDTVs, but seating is a bit limited in comparison to other similarly sized bars. The specials at McFadden’s are damn good. $5 pitchers of Sam Adams made for a nice afternoon, even though Green Bay won the game. Also, $5 appetizers of enormous portions will keep you stuffed and hit your "G" spot. ("G" being greasy.) There was a DJ that spun some up-tempo songs during the commercials, and played the Eagles fight song here and there, but he played it a wee bit too often. Playing it when the Eagles were 3 and 2?! Uhhh…

Melissa and I recently took a bottle of Smoking Loon to A Full Plate Cafe at the far end of Liberites Walk. We took a gander inside, but decided to sit outside because the evening was perfect. Removed from the Deuce, Bar Ferdinand, and 2nd Street traffic, A Full Plate is the perfect inexpensive place to relax. The chicken po’ boy sandwich was excellent, as well as the blueberry pie. The bathroom of chalkboard walls is quite cool too, allowing you to scribble in colored chalk whatever is on your mind.

Ida Mae’s is excellent! I’ve been waiting for a great brunch place to walk to ever since I moved to Fishtown. This place is a little tight inside, but is well worth it. Melissa and I were there when they were shooting an ad for it, so our mugs graced the newspaper after a satisfying meal.

Wawa recently introduced a new healthy breakfast option called the “Pancake Sizzli”. You get sausage, egg and cheese between two fluffy, sweet pancakes. This is truly a nice new option for those looking for 20 grams of fat with their morning coffee. But, how do you eat it? Do you eat it like a sandwich, or do you knife & fork it after dousing it with syrup?