SMITHTOWN, NY | CHOP SHOP BAR AND GRILL

Smithtown, NY | Chop Shop Bar and Grill << Eating Everywhere

Check out the review I did for Eating Everywhere of the Chop Shop in Smithtown, NY. Here’s a small excerpt:

Photo Courtesy of chopshopbarandgrill.com

Chop Shop Bar and Grill
47 East Main Street
Smithtown, New York 11787
(631) 360-3383
Google Maps | Website

My wife and I visited the Chop Shop on a Wednesday night in the summer to celebrate our anniversary. We were hoping for a quiet place to have a romantic meal and the Chop Shop delivered. When you walk into this restaurant, you are immediately greeted by the hostess. The bar is to the left and dining room to the right. The lighting is dim, not dark, and the dark tones on the wall and tables set the mood for a calm, enjoyable evening. We were quickly seated – the restaurant was not busy, yet there were a decent amount of patrons considering this was 8:30pm midweek. The menu was large and many items caught our interest. However, the Wednesday night steak special caught both of our attentions. This terrific assortment included a choice of steak (as well as a choice between three sauces), appetizer or salad, and a choice of side.

Manny Returns; Sox Sweep Dodgers

Manny Ramirez’s much anticipated return to Fenway Park this past weekend was relatively uneventful as the Boston Red Sox swept the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-6, 5-4, and 2-0 this past weekend. Manny was his typical self, going 4-for-12 with one home run and three runs scored. Despite his performance, the Red Sox starting pitching staff of Felix Doubront (1-0, 5.40), Tim Wakefield (2-5, 5.33), and Clay Bucholz (10-4, 2.47) spread 14 hits, 9 runs, 7 walks, and 12 strikeouts over 18 innings total innings. Bucholz became the first Sox pitcher this season to enter double digits in the win column.

The Sox now sit a mere 1 game out of first place in the AL East race and are tied for the Wild Card lead with the Tampa Bay Rays. After sweeping back to back series, they have a well-deserved day off today and get back at it tomorrow in Colorado when Jon Lester (8-2) takes the mound against Jhoulys Chacin (3-6).

Buchholz, Sox flying at finish – Boston Globe
Dodgers swept out of Boston in 2-0 loss – Los Angeles Times
Red-hot Pedroia puts on a show – Boston Globe
With 10 wins, Buchholz has arrived – ESPN.com
Red Sox / Dodgers Box Score – ESPN.com

Sox Sweep Diamondbacks

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-5 to complete the sweep. John Lackey threw 6 innings, letting up 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 5 and walked 2 while running his record up to 8-3. David Ortiz helped out with a 2-run home run in the third inning. Kevin Youkilis, Marco Scutaro, Adrian Beltre, and Daniel Nava all contributed with RBIs as well.

The Sox bring their winning streak into a weekend series with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the long-awaited return of Manny Ramirez to Fenway Park.

Reynolds’ struggles hamper D-backs – MLB.com
Lackey, offense help Boston sweep Arizona – MLB.com
Sox complete sweep – Boston Globe
Pedroia, Sox stay on target, drill Arizona -Boston Globe
Red Sox / Diamondbacks Box Score – ESPN.com

Food Porn: Bacon Popcorn

Food Porn: Bacon Popocorn

Because anything beats reading about the Lakers winning a championship. And, more to the point, bacon makes anything everything better!

Popcorn itself is a relatively healthy snack. Without butter or copious amounts of salt, the high-fiber, low-calorie snack is both filling and satisfying. Additional, it can keep you from reaching for other, less-healthy snacks because it can be munched over an extended period of time. Throw in more than a tablespoon or so of butter, however, and your healthy snack starts to look distinctly less good-for-you. Throw in some bacon and “healthy” is out the window

16 Is Not 17!

Yeah, I’m jaded. In fact, I’m pissed. The Boston Celtic’s lost in their attempt to garner Banner 18 when they lost to the craptacular Los Angeles Lakers. Hey, if you expected this to be a non-biased blog, forget it. There’s a reason why it’s called Big Dan’s Ramblings and not Big Dan’s Sports Pages. I’m a Boston sports fan here, and expect nothing less out of my teams than championships. Does that make me sound like a Yankees fan? Probably. But, when your team makes it through the dance and to the championship, you expect them to seal the deal.

Anyway, the C’s lost to the Lakers. Ron Artest made a fool of himself post game thanking everyone, including his shrink, while also promoting his new album. Classy. On the other hand, Rasheed “I shoot WAY more three point attempts than a guy my size should” Wallace tried to go to the referees’ locker room after the game. Weird; although the C’s did only take seventeen trips to the line compared to the Lakers thirty-seven! I’m just glad I fell asleep at halftime and didn’t make it to the end of the game. At least I didn’t get all amped up and, in the end, disappointed.

No links today – no one wants to read a story about Kobe winning another championship.

The question now is: Did the Big Three play their last game together? Ray Allen is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Will the C’s sign him?