Back to Whole Hog for some Burnt Ends

Went back to the Whole Hog to try the burnt ends. There are two ways that I have found the burnt ends served. Either diced up and carmalized or a larger chunks. Both are good but at the Whole Hog they buck a chunk. I got the platter though with some Ribs.

As you can see from above there was a solid coating on the burnt end but it didn't add as much flavor as on the brisket they serve here. With the brisket you can taste the brown sugar, it was lacking on the burnt ends. The burnt ends do have a higher fat content and they were quite tender. It is a solid burnt end but it is not something to go out of the way to order there are better things on there menu. Though a buck a chunk is a pretty decent deal so I guess if you want to go wild on buck a chuck go for it.


My mom was also there and she got her favorite sandwich; the pulled chicken.

Her comments were simple. It had a good chicken flavor, tender and juicy. The coleslaw gave it a nice crunch and very enjoyable.

Overall the burnt ends get a 3.5 bones out of 5.

Smoke BBQ- Brisket review

Super excited about this write up. I had the opportunity to go check out what was claimed to be the best BBQ restaurants in the area; Smoke BBQ.  Located on West Merchant Street in Audubon NJ, this place is a good find. Go check out there website here https://smokebbqnj.com/. 

Walk in on a Wednesday for lunch and there were several people in there. The man working the counter was explaining the difference between moist and lean brisket to the person was ordering ahead of me and it seemed like a place where the people knew there stuff. 

I ordered the moist brisket and it was not a choice I regretted. 

The brisket had a solid bark to it as you can see in the pictures but what impressed me was the smell. There was the general smell of BBQ in the air when I walked in but as soon as they brought my tray out to me, I got hit by the delicious smell of smoked meats.

I was able to cut through the brisket like it was butter with my fork and no issue eating it without any sauce. Each bite had a strong flavor, a combination the bark, a good amount of fat and great overall flavor. This is one of the best briskets that I have had in New Jersey. It is right up there with all the brisket I had in Kansas City and worth the time if you can get over there, 

Now there are some downsides to this restaurant was the sauces. They are made in house and they go for interesting flavors. There was an expresso sauce and the house. Expresso had a taste of coffee which I am not that big of a fan so that one did not go over well. The house sauce was also nothing to write home about. It didn't really have any punch but I think that was the point to it. The great think was the brisket was so good that you could eat it dry and have need for sauce. 

I would have liked it if the portion size was a bit bigger but it was really good so I will not hold portion size against them. Plus there were sandwich meals that may have been a better deal. 

Overall the Brisket gets 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

I am looking forward to the opportunity to head back over and try the other options on the menu including the bread pudding. Unfortunately, I had to go back to work when I went so I couldn't give the bread pudding a taste without worrying about taking a nap at work. 

Alita Battle Angel- just keep the eyes off my screen

I am going to be honest, there were times when I couldn't get over the eyes. I am sorry it got stuck in the uncanny valley for me and that hurt the movie at times. If the eyes were just a bit smaller things would have been fine but there were times when I just got a bit freaked out by the appearance.

Now that the major problem with the movie is out of the way, I have to say I really liked this movies. It had a lot of things that I really like, action, new types of sports, and redemption stories. The movie moves at a good pace and does a good job of exploring Alita pass in a way that makes sense and does not distract from the forward progression of the plot. I did not think there was much unnecessary exposition in the movie and the introduction of motorball served to advance the plot than provide a distraction to the movie.

Motorball is a combination of roller derby and death race, I think. The rules seem to be do what ever it takes to get the ball and race it a tube and dunk it in. The players wear motorized skates and appear to be able to do what ever they want to advance the ball to the goal. It's fun to watch not sure it would be fun to play, though that could be my lack of imagination with the motorized skates. Unlike this review, the movie is able to introduce the sport and actually give it value to the plot of the movie. Several key plot points take place during a game of motorball.

I'll be honest, I cheated a bit here as I look at a couple other reviews prior to watching the movie because I wanted to see how they dealt with the bug eyes and those reviewers seemed to have issue with the relationship with Alita and Hugo. I didn't have a problem with it as they are presented as two independent characters that change because of their interactions with the other. Hugo tries to improve himself because of meeting Alita but he never gives up his goal of advancing to the city in the sky. Alita, who has no memory of anything wants to help Hugo with his goal as well as advancing her goal of riding the world of evil and the enemy Nova. It takes time for her to remember all this but she does over the course of the movie.

It's a good movie but there is another issue with the film. The ending is setting up a sequel and as I was watching the movie when it got to the end I was ready for more. It think they ended it prematurely and there is a lot more story to tell. I think that was a major risk and one I am not a fan of. Generally, I think that a movie should wrap up the story in its duration. There can be an overarching story throughout a series of movies but the ending of one, especially the first should not be to set up the next. If it is the 2nd okay maybe that is fine but the 1st should really be self contained.

The movie though does make me want to watch more of Alita and I would go see a sequel as I am interested in where the story is going to go from here. James Cameron don't take as long as it did for Avatar 2.

4 out of 5 stars hands down will watch when it comes on TV.

Cold Pursuit- Revenge a course best severed cold

Liam Neeson is back in action and it is back to the taken script for this one but instead of his daughter being in danger it is his son, and the movie is set in a ski town of Colorado instead of somewhere warm. Think Taken meets The Grey. Based on a Norwegian film "In Order of Disappearance" this film provides everything that you have come to expect from a Neeson lead action film. Lot's of death, an almost silent protagonist, and some laughs that are built into the plot.

 Coxman, (Neeson) goes after everyone who wrongfully killed his son and in the process inadvertently starts a drug turf war. Coxman is able to knock off a few of the low level drug dealers which causes confusion in the Viking's drug empire. Viking the villain of the movie is actually just pure evil, so evil that it serves almost a comical role that really fits the movie. It leads to what the movie does best is create comedy in situations you would not expect it and really get you to enjoy the movie.

Here the down and dirty about the movie and something we know going into the movie. It is not the pinicle of theme and artistic expression. Simply put it is a fast acting action movie with some comedy and great way to escape from the world for a few hours. If you like Neeson other work in this genre you will enjoy this movie as well. Worth the watch for anyone who enjoyed Taken.

4 out of 5 stars

The Boy that would be King- a modern tale of the round table

What do you get when you combine simple story telling, a classic tale, and imposing family values? The Boy who would be King, of course, the title of this post probably gives that away. Now this movie is about a boy who is able to pull the sword from the stone. I am sure all of my readers know the legend of King Arthur but even if you don't the movie explains it quickly in the first 5 minutes and any information is explained during the quest. That quest is simple out young hero has to lead his knights to the realm of the undead to take of Morganna, aka Morgan le Frey and countless other names.

Only a true knight is able to defeat the evil that is Morganna and prevent her from taking over the world. Do the young knights keep the code by being brave, loyal and honoring their loved ones or do they fall to the modern day temptations and  fall to defeat this great evil.

This is a fun movie, that uses simple story telling techniques to get the message across. There are fun spots but at time the movie seems to drag across the middle portion. There are action scenes but they are not great or exciting. That's okay though as that really is not the point of the movie. The movie is geared towards young adults and for the younger audience it is probably and excellent movie. The adults in the audience are not going to be super into it but there needs to be room for this type of movie as well. Take the kids and enjoy. It won't be anyone favorite movie of all time but it should be enjoyed by everyone.

3.5 out of 5 stars

The Favorite- when the loser is really the winner

Alright so this is not my normal cup of tea, but it is best picture season and it was one of the few favorites (okay i promise not to do that too many times, can't guarantee it won't happen again) that  I haven't seen and I am almost certainly not watching Roma anytime soon.

Now to the movie Emma Stone plays a British lady who lost her place in society and is looking to earn it back at Queen Anne's court. Queen Anna basically does whatever the last person to talk to her tells her to do, which her closest adviser Sarah (Racheal Weisz) takes advantage of as she does most of the governing.

Here you can get caught up in the goverance and what a bad queen Anne is but that's not the point of the movie. Stone and Weisz have a great on screen chemistry and you can feel the tension and emotion growing in them as the movie progresses. As Stone starts to woo the queen, Weisz tries to win her friend back. Using ever trick in the book the two compete for the davor of the queen and the power that comes with that.

Stone at times steals the screen with how fun her performance is. It carrys an emotional range from serious and calculated to the more fun and free flowing. Weisz also turns in a strong performance and was a joy to watch.

Now the catch of the movie is that why both Stone and Weisz are competing for the queen's affection the real winner is the one that gets away from the queen. She is certified crazy and an emotional wreck. They was a time when she was dancing and going off with her head while using her arm as a saw with her dance partner. I thought that was foreshadowing some Alice in Wonderland Queen of hearts action but spoiler alert, there was no beheading, unfortunately.

Overall the movie was "artistic" and makes sense why it is a best picture nominee. I just wasn't super into but I am sure lots of other people would be.

3 out of 5 stars but again not my favorite genre.

The upside- upset people can have friends too

Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston team up in this odd pairing story of unlikely friends. Based on the true story of a rich Italian and his caregiver but with the setting changed to New York. Hart character is an ex con who needs a job, but more importantly has the real problem of being self centered and unable to take responsibility for his actions. It creates a good opportunity for Cranston character who is a quadriplegic and needs someone to care for him since he can't more his arm or legs. Phil (Cranston) has run out of reasons to live and picks Hart because well there is almost no chance he can do the job.
The two of them have many funny interactions and the movie as a whole is a lot funnier than I expected. The acting is great but that is expected from talent like Cranston and Kidman. Hart kills the scences with Cranston, and Kidman but when he has to carry the scene things fall a bit flat. Fortunately, he kills the comedy and you can overlook those other shortcomings. The movie isn't the greatest of all time or even this month but it is uplifting so it has it's role.
Funny movie that wouldn't expect so 3 out of 5 stars because the hot dog scene is at least worth one star.