NJ Brews: Basil T's in Red Bank
I awoke from a marathon of work-induced stress and returned to my duties as a self-proclaimed beer ambassador this weekend.
Despite my extended absence from the online beer community, I have indeed been thinking a lot about local beer and I finally had a chance to hit up another of this fine state's brew pubs.
On Saturday afternoon my wife and I headed South on the Parkway to exit 109, enduring a solid 45 minutes of classic NJ-style bumper-to-bumper traffic (effectively doubling our travel time). Our Destination: Basil T's Italian Brewery & Italian Restaurant in Red Bank, NJ.
Brewery and Italian Restaurant you say? Indeed. We questioned the notion as well. What does beer have to do with Italian food? As South Jersey is full of wonderment and surprise, we Northerners don't often take pride in the side-show oddities that South Jersey* offers up (i.e. scrapple), rather we observe from a safe (and civilized) distance - in this case, we figured we'd give it a shot.
[* Note: residents of Red Bank and other NJ Shore communities often argue that their geographical location doesn't constitute the label of 'South Jersey'. Those of us further North generally consider the only true 'North Jersey' residents to be those within a 20~30 mile radius of New York City (with a few exceptions, depending on the town). Personally, I consider any area West or South of said radius an honorary annex of Pennsylvania. The divide is as much a cultural one as it is geographic.]
We pulled up to Basil T's - a substantially sized lot directly across from the historic Molly Pitcher Inn. Basil T's decor is inviting: rustic but clean, classic but not dated. A large rectangular bar greets the entrants, adorned with more than a thousand hanging ceramic mugs, each for a different member of the bar's signature 'Mug Club'.
We took a seat at the bar and were quickly greeted by the bartender, eager to walk us through the house brews. My wife and I ordered a beer sampler and an appetizer of cured Italian meats to split.
While waiting for our food and drink, my first observation was that the restaurant was generously staffed. Having worked in the hospitality industry for a handful of years, I was surprised to see so many waiters (a dozen or more) alongside multiple floor managers. Seeing as how it was a Saturday, I expected a busy dinner rush to create a need for all the waiters -- I've seen similarly-sized restaurants run on probably two-thirds the staff. I cannot argue, as the service was outstanding - surely one of the highlights of the experience. The bartender brought over our sampler and stepped through each of the selections.
The sampler featured six beers, all brewed on-premises: Rosie's Pale Ale, Rocket Red Ale, XXX Summer Ale, a wheat (not the one listed on the menu), Maxwell's Irish Dry Stout, and a Mild (seasonal, just over 4% ABV described as a' session beer' by the bartender). My wife and I found the powerfully-hopped Pale Ale far superior to the other brews.
The appetizer followed shortly thereafter. My eyes glazed 
over when I set them upon the impressive display of fine Italian dry-cured meats.
Prosciutto di Parma, sopressata, salami, bresaola, and mortadella, accompanied by mixed olives, roasted peppers, Honeydew melon, crostini and two sizable chunks of what my taste buds convinced me was Parmigiano Reggiano, laid before us in splendid glory- suddenly the 'Brewery and Italian Restaurant' notion no longer seemed far-fetched. Not to say the food complimented the beer per se, rather... we no longer cared.
We finished the sampler and each ordered a pint of the Pale Ale, meticulously working our way through the appetizer. While the crostini left something to be desired (stale, tasteless), the marinated roasted peppers were a knock-out; and as I'm a sucker for dry-cured Italian imports, I consider the whole lot a success.
When I was a kid my parents always used to challenge my tendencies to over-fill my dinner plate and return for second helpings (or thirds), often telling me my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I'm not sure I ever outgrew those tendencies because as I polished off the last bit of food from the appetizer, I noticed some nearby patrons had a towering stack of Buffalo wings in front of them - something I must have missed on the menu. Now, if there's anything I look for in a bar (next to a generous helping of imported Prosciutto), it's a nice plate of hot wings. I flagged the bartender and placed an order.
Along came a dozen meaty wings, substantially coated in the house Buffalo sauce. The hot vinegary smell stung the nose in a pleasurable way. The bartender explained that the restaurant makes the bleu cheese sauce with a closely-guarded house recipe. This was a pleasant surprise, as the majority of area restaurants will gladly pour their dip from a massive tub of multi-purpose dressing (the same stuff you'll get on your salad- and no, it is not often homemade).
The first bite was truly decadent. The wing was still slightly crispy and the skin had a snap when bit into, showing potential for perfection. As the wings cooled, they took on more of the standard soggy nature (as they tend to do) - still good, but just a mere shadow of their magnificent beginnings. The bleu cheese sauce was outstanding, some of the best I've ever had.
I ordered a pint of the stout to help wash down the wings, my wife continued on with a second of the Pale Ale. I finished the wings and proved my parents wrong: my stomach can indeed keep up with my eyes. I'm sure they're proud.
We took the check, and I must admit I was a bit taken aback:
Sampler - $9
Appetizer cured meats - $18
Wings - $15
Pints - $6 ea.
Okay, I understand the expense of the appetizer - after all, the imported Italian meats are on the pricey side anywhere you go in NJ; Prosciutto di Parma is typically $15-$20 a pound in the store - I get it. I was okay with the $9 sampler and the $6 pints (knock off a dollar from each and I'd even use the word 'happy'), but $15 for a plate of wings is unprecedented.
The Buffalo wings were good - and the bleu cheese was outstanding - but not good enough to pay $15. In fact, I've probably sampled wings from a hundred different places and I have NEVER had a plate of wings worthy of a $15 price tag. I could spend money on gas to get myself to Buffalo, buy a plate of the real deal, and probably still spend less. Now I know how they can afford to pay all those waiters.
Aside from the bill, I would say the experience was positive. A couple of the beers are worth trying again, the food was good, and our bartenders were top-notch. I cannot put the price aside completely because it did impact our take-away. We may return, but I do hope to see some more reasonable offerings on the menu.
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