Surf Taco
Location: Point Pleasant, New Jersey
Atmosphere: Surfer/skater shack with tacos
Food: Taco-related things
Baja-style Surf Taco filled with tempura battered Cod topped with shredded cabbage, homemade avocado lime sauce, Baja salsa, chipotle mayo & fresh cilantro, and a Teriyaki Chicken taco with chopped pineapple, pico de gallo, jack & cheddar cheeses and lettuce.
https://surftaco.com/
Take Out Series
And it was, at the end of a 14-hour drive, that I found myself in the depths of the Jersey Shore and experienced my first day of Gym + Tan + Laundry (the infamous GTL).
In Pleasant Point, NJ, I arrived at my Air BNB to relax a little before the next day’s photography workshop. I had broken up a 14-hour drive started the night before and the rest that morning, and after nothing but gas station burritos and coffee, I desperately needed something that didn’t come from a microwave. Thanks, COVID… And, as this was my first time visiting the Jersey Shore, I wanted some shore food.
After a little research to see what would actually be open, I found a taco place not even two minutes from the Pier, and they were open for take-out. I put in an order for a couple of tacos, chips, and a mini quesadilla, and made my way down to the oceanfront.
The little corner building was covered in band stickers and local graffiti, with a walk-up table out front and a covered area with some picnic tables. The bro outside asked for a name and brought out a bag of goodies for me to walk away with. Tacos in hand, I drove to the Pier parking area and took my first walk onto the sands of the Jersey shores.
My dining room was an open area full of soft, dry sand about 20 feet from the ocean. Even with the salt in the air, I could smell the tacos, so I couldn't resist ripping the bag open once I was comfortable.
I would be lying if I said this wasn't orgasmic. I took my first (big) bite into the Baja-style taco; enlightenment isn't enough to describe the experience. Sand, shore, sunset, tacos... my third eye opened and I became one with the Universe as the taco journeyed into my stomach and coursed through my veins.
My first taco was stuffed with a tempura-battered cod, topped with shredded cabbage, made 'Baja-style' with homemade avocado lime sauce, chipotle mayo & fresh cilantro. The sauce was just a little spicy and the cod was still warm. There was a -very- audible "Mmmmhmmmmhm" after the first bite and sadly it didn't last long. I used the mini quesadilla as a palate cleanser and moved on to taco number two, the Teriyaki Chicken. Not quite the experience of the Baja, but the teriyaki-sauced chicken, chopped pineapple, pico de gallo, jack & cheddar cheeses and lettuce still made my tastebuds fist-pump.
COVID has made strange changes to the way we eat out/take-out, but luckily, I accidentally brought home the tin foil and remembered to take the photo this time.
