With the Fourth now just a faded memory like the smoke that hangs in the sky long after a firework has twinkled away, things can seem a little anti-climactic. However, there’s just two precious months left to savor the sweet summer season and all the outdoor socializing it has to offer – this oppressive heat wave be damned! Put on some shorts, pick up an extra bottle of hair defrizzer, and grab your flip-flops (unless you’re heading to the Osprey – flop ban still in effect. Found out the hard way two weekends ago!), and get out!

• Metromix Jersey Shore is hosting a happy hour at the Beach Bar in Asbury Park from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday (which is soon – power down your computer, leave work and go!). Never been to Beach Bar but heard only good things! Print this coupon before you go for drink specials.
• Kick of the weekend properly with happy hour at Leggett’s with music by Turnpike Mike and Randy on the patio and $2 drink specials from 4-8 p.m.
• Hemingway’s features DJ Milky Mike (does he like dairy products? is he really pale? who knows?!) and $2 Coors Lights and $4 unspecified bombs on Friday.
• The Surf Club continues Free For All Fridays with no cover, $1 Coors Light drafts, $5 call drinks, $3 shots and, apparently, hookahs, courtesy of Raaz Hookah, new to Seaside this year. It Ain’t Pretty (who doesn’t seem to have a website) will perform.
• On Saturday, Speakeasy will play in Osprey’s band room. Not sure if it’s the self-described “groove rock” Speakeasy from Missouri (not likely, but the bar’s site links to them) or the Carlstadt-based Speakeasy, who have not updated their Facebook group events since 2008. Guess we’ll just have to be surprised. Seriously though, don’t wear flipflops. Your friends will mock you when you’re the fool who forces the whole group to change plans and go elsewhere.
• 507 Main (bet you can’t guess their address) in Belmar will host the Springsteen tribute band the E Street Shuffle on Saturday night.
• On Sunday, Red Bank will offer Wine Walk from 4-7 p.m. Twenty bucks gets you a wristband, which entitles you to two wine samples and two food samples at 14 participating locations. Stroll around, sip some wine, have a snack – sounds tremendous. Buy a band at any participating restaurant, which can be found here.

Manasquan's most popular beach bar, Leggetts.

If you need an excuse to get rowdy to LMFAO’s summer classic “Shots,” (a song with such deep and meaningful lyrics), then Leggetts in Manasquan is the bar for you.  Every Thursday the bar is packed as everyone crowds around their infamous shot wheel.

Once every hour from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. the live band stops and LMFAO and Lil’John take over the sound waves.  Whatever lucky shot the spinner lands on is then served for the next hour around the bar for just $1.  With options such as Jolly Rancher, Grape Ape, Washington Apple, and Sex on the Beach…you’ll have a wide selection all night long.  It’s a close knit atmosphere where everyone comes together for the one common goal, more shots.

The one large bar takes up a majority of the space at Leggetts, and many flat screen televisions line the walls playing some of the most popular sports games.  Off to the side you’ll find a stage that is home to many bands such as The Mike Dalton Band and Bobby Lynch Band that play every Wednesday and Thursday.  A few tables line the perimeter for those that want to sit down and order food.

As part of Weaze’s themed parties America’s Birthday Bash is on July 3 and 70’s Disco Party on July 10.  Make sure you check out their Web site for their calendar of events, drink specials and menu.

Leggetts has one extremely tiny parking lot, your best bet is to find parking on the street.  There are also many bike cops that patrol the area, and I learned from experience just the other day…bike cops do indeed pull you over so be careful and safe driving!

Leggetts Summer Lineup:

Wednesday

$2 Coors Light, $3 “Bombs,” $4 Kettle “O” Drinks, $3 Coronas and Margaritas

Thursday

$2 Bud and Bud Lights, $1 Shot Wheel

Sunday

$2 Bud and Bud Lights (noon-close), $1 Bud and Bud Lights (5-8 inside bar)

*Leggetts is located at 217 First Ave. Manasquan, NJ

]]> http://liveforjerseyshore.com/all-posts/shots-shots-shots/feed 0 http://liveforjerseyshore.com/all-posts/weekend-picks-6-24-6-27 http://liveforjerseyshore.com/all-posts/weekend-picks-6-24-6-27#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:26:36 +0000 Jessica Infante http://liveforjerseyshore.com/?p=743

Donovan's Reef in chillier times - no sweats required this weekend! (Photo courtesy of jerseyshore.metromix.com)

Now it’s really here – the kids are out of school; seasonal rentals are beginning; and the 4th of July looms ever nearer. If this gorgeous sunny weather we’ve been having hasn’t put you in the mood for cocktails al fresco, get your pulse checked. Fortunately, the Shore abounds with all sorts of spots for you to get your drink on, enjoy the sweet summer night air and take in a splendid view.

Here’s what’s good for this weekend:

• A True Story makes their debut Surf Club performance Friday night during the bar’s new Free For All Fridays. In the interest of full disclosure, LFJS loves, loves, LOVES this band (and has known its lead singer since middle school) so if it seems like we’re playing favorites, we are. Nick, Vic, Rick, John and Matt play their own awesomely catchy originals and can turn any bar into a rollicking dance party. Keep your ears out for their killer versions of “Bye Bye Bye,” “Shout,” anything by Kings of Leon and “Break Your Heart” by Taio Cruz (hint hint, Nick). It’ll be easy on your wallet too – no cover, $1 Coors Light drafts, $3 shot specials, $5 Grey Goose drinks, $5 keep-the-cup Seven Tiki spiced rum drinks, which, whatever they are, sound dangerous.
• Bar A throws a Devotion Vodka party on Saturday for those of you devoted to vodka. If you go early, happy hour is on the new grotto beach – let us know what it’s like! No cover until 9 p.m., $2.75 Heineken and Amstel Lights until 11:30, Miller Lite draft, Stoli Apple and Pomegranate specials.
• The Patio Bar at the Wharfside in Point Pleasant Beach, a great waterfront spot to drink and dine outside, has the Jamie Brown Trio from 1-5 p.m. and Undisputed from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday.
• Donovan’s Reef has Bitter X at 6 p.m. on Sunday if you’re looking to extend your weekend with some Sunday Funday beachfront festivities.

You too can ride in this much style.

So it’s Saturday night and you need a responsible way to reach your favorite watering hole. You have a few options: 1. Recruit a designated driver. 2. Call a cab. 3. Take the train if you’re heading to Point Pleasant or north. 4. Walk. 5. Call a cab.

And yet all those choices seem so boring and tired. Well, we have the perfection solution – call George Hogan, chauffeur extraordinaire. Yes, yes, ladies and gentlemen, you too can roll up to your nightlife destination of choice in a LIMO. Yes, a limo.

My dear friend Joe happened upon George on the Friday of MDW, which just happened to be his first night in business. When George picked us up for a night out that Saturday, he explained that to attract customers, he was dropping his prices on a weekend when all his non-limo-driving competitors were jacking their fares through the roof. (No joke – MDW09 we paid $60 to travel the 2.5 miles from Used to Be’s to my house. Thanks, New Mantoloking Taxi.)

George’s roomy limousine fits six or seven quite comfortably and has all the perks one desires when planning such swanky transportation – comfy leather seats, a sunroof, neon tube lighting around the ceiling. It’s like you’re going to the prom, except there’s no chaperones, you’re not clad in some goofy formal wear, you can drink legally and openly when you get there, and there’s only people you like. Win-win-win.

Let George drive you to drink. Call him at 732-551-9336 this weekend!

Sawmill, we hardly know ye anymore.

This week, Jersey Shore Metromix compiled a photo gallery entitled Closed at the Jersey Shore with shots of dearly departed watering holes. I haven’t been of the legal drinking age long enough to mourn the dive bars that my parents’ generation misses, nor has my social life lost any significant spots. However, while it still stands, the Sawmill is a fraction of what it once was. Ever since the Seaside Park Borough Council voted in 2008 to change the town’s closing time to midnight, this boardwalk staple hasn’t been the same.

Quite frankly, I miss having another place to go see bands, dance and drink cheap beer. You could easily make a whole night of hanging out at the Sawmill, unlike its tinier counterparts that dot the Seaside boards. There was excellent people watching to be had from the stools near the open windows on the lower level and a bird’s eye view of the entire boardwalk undulating northward from the massive upstairs.You could dance on the Green Room’s giant dance floor (why the upstairs area had a different name is beyond me); you could sit at the many tables and play cards or watch the crowd pass by.

Remember Holla for a Dolla? (Forgive the unfortunate spelling; it’s not my doing.) That was awesome – $1 Miller Lites, $1 shots, $1 giant slices of pizza. And the Thursday night mug deal where a bartender would fill your commemorative Sawmill mug with Coors Light or Yuengling for 50 cents. Sadly, my mug now holds pens and pencils in a box under my desk. I’m sure they still have these same deals, but now the bouncers have to start herding everyone out at 11:30 p.m. Not quite the same.

This weekend, I’m bringing that mug home and pouring some beer out of it on the ground for our fallen friend.

Lots of stuff going on around the shore this weekend – Cinco de Mayo continues into Seis de Mayo, bands we like are around, and there’s good deals to be had. Let’s review…

• Hemingway’s combines its belated Cinco de Mayo celebration with its new Thursday night promotion, Plan B Thursdays. No, not so called because they anticipate patrons to need emergency contraception the next day (but it kinda sounds like it, right?), but because they’ve gotten giddily alliterative with specials on beers and bomb shots and live music from bands. $2 Coors Lights and Yuenglings, $3 bomb shots from 12-1, no word yet on this Thursday’s band.
• Speaking of featured bands, super-fun cover band A True Story will make their monthly appearance at Bar A on Friday. Full disclosure, ATS’s singer Nick is a dear friend of mine. Rick, Vic, John and Matt round out the band and in addition to some awesome originals, they cover almost everything and do it well. Seriously, their Kings of Leon covers sound just like, well, Kings of Leon. Also, they don’t shy away from the occasional Britney jam.  Bar A VIP card holders can swap their old cards for new ones; have-nots can purchase cards. Bud Lights cost $2, well-drinks $2.25, no cover before 9 p.m.

A True Story continues to rock out despite a stage-crasher at Bar A last summer.

• Supposedly the next best thing to seeing Sublime live is seeing Badfish and you can do so Friday night at the Surf Club. Tickets cost $16 in advance and $18 at the door, $2 Coors Light drafts.
• If Saturday’s 40 percent chance of thunderstorms doesn’t scare you off, Dr. Cheeko mans the afternoon shift at Martell’s Tiki Bar and there’s nothing like a fresh-squeezed OJ drink to deal with the heat we’ve been having lately.

Martell's Tiki Bar on the Point Pleasant boardwalk is just as fun by day or night.

• If you’re devoid of cooking skills and would rather just take Mom out for brunch on Mother’s Day, Metromix Jersey Shore rounded up a list of brunches in the area.

The Surf Club is open!

A few things to make note of on the Interwebs: Surf Club is rocking a somewhat new Twitter handle – @jhsurfclub and their website, in case you can never remember like me, is thesurfclubnj.com.

Happy Cinco de Mayo eve!

ole!

In 1862, the underdog Mexican army whooped the French army’s butt in the Battle of Puebla. In 2010, American corporations still use the holiday – now virtually meaningless in Mexico – as an excuse to promote overconsumption of beer and nachos. Such utter blatant manipulation of a military victory for commercial gain can be depressing, but it’s nothing a Corona can’t fix, right?

Fortunately, we have several options at the Shore for you to partake in the fiesta.

• Cinco de Taco: Surf Taco, the Shore’s favorite quasi-Mexican chain, will host a daylong celebration of all things taco that kicks off at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Jackson location – the only ST legally capable of selling tequila-enhanced margaritas. Billy Simmonds, GoodBie Amy, P-dub, Matt O’Ree, Stolen Rose and Flight Skool will play. Kids can enjoy some games and everyone can try out the mechanical surf board, which, for the record, we think is way cooler than a mechanical bull.
• Jenks’ Cinco de Mayo: Point Pleasant Beach’s massive boardwalk club Jenks will host New Jersey’s veteran cover band The Benjamins for their Saturday night party. Doors open at 9 and cover costs $5 after 10. Aluminum Bud Light bottles are on special for $3.
• Spicy’s Cantina: If you’re a stickler for technicalities, the fiesta at Spicy’s on the Seaside Heights will happen on the day itself, Wednesday the 5th. All sorts of festivities begin at 11 a.m. – a burrito eating contest, scavenger hunt, musical chairs, prize giveaways and a mariachi band will play from 6-9 p.m. Inexplicably, wings will be on special for 39 cents each.

If Dos Equis and tequila aren’t your bag, there’s lots more going on this weekend too:

The Surf Club reopens after its winter hiatus with the season’s inaugural Planet Surf on Friday night. Predator Dub Assassins, Hometown Roll and DJ Shaka will entertain the masses. Coronas, Corona Lights and tequila-based drinks will be $1 off. Thanks to our friends at Metromix, print out this coupon to get in for free.

On Sunday, Joey Harrison will welcome back the fist-pumping crowd for the 2010 debut of the Sunday Jam. Mind Control DJs Richie Santan and Peter Bailey and house DJs Liscious and Raphael will spin. The Coors Light Girls will be on hand to usher in the season and everyone will be treated to a free barbecue from 3-5 p.m. VIP cards for this year will be given out – no word about there being a special giveaway for Friday nights yet. We’ll look into it.

And now for something entirely different…

Vintage surfboards on display at Tuckerton Seaport

The Northeast’s first-ever surf museum will open its doors Saturday at Tuckerton Seaport. Some chick we know wrote about it for the Asbury Park Press, but, inexplicably, her story never went online so we can’t link to it. She swears the museum looks really cool. It displays surfboards of every shape, size and design and tells the history of surfing in New Jersey, from the days when “ironing boards” – primitive leash-less surfboards – were banned up and down the coast because some of the earliest Jersey Shore surfers couldn’t hang onto them in the water and they would smack the legs of unsuspecting waders. There are even artifacts from the day when surf behemoth Ron Jon sold more nautical furniture than surfboards.

Aside from the surf museum, the Seaport is a really cool spot to check out so if you make the trek down to Tuckerton, take a peak around.

Tuckerton Seaport is located at 120 W. Main St. Tuckerton. To get there from points north, take the Garden State Parkway to exit 58 and make a left off the ramp. Follow Route 539 to its intersection with Route 9 and make a right. The Seaport is on your left about half a mile south. Tickets cost $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for children older than 5. For more information, call 609-296-8868. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Hemingway’s Cafe, the only Seaside Heights nightlife giant to deny entry to Snooki & Co, will bestow VIP cards on all very important people who can make it Thursday night to their giveaway party. Since Hem’s is just a few years old, they haven’t really hit a rhythm yet with these annual giveaways. Last year’s was in June, the year before, July. This year, Big Baby Ernie – really awesome band whose originals are just as sick as their covers – will entertain the VIPs.

Hem’s own website cautions you to “get here early” but offers no specific time. Last year, cards weren’t given out until after midnight so be prepared to hang around. Be sure to figure out where the line is going to form and try to get in the front to make sure you’re not waiting too long. In years past, everyone gets a ticket for a free drink and servers pass complimentary hors d’oeuvres, making for a rather swanky time. The bar’s website touts Thursdays as Ladies’ Night with half-priced drinks for the fairer sex but no word yet that the promo will be in effect for the special event.

While Hemingway’s doesn’t charge cover on Friday, having this dandy little card will allow you to forgo the $10 charge to get in on Saturdays all summer long and to skip the line of would-be partiers that can sometimes wind around the corner.

Hemingway’s Cafe is located at 612 Boulevard, Seaside Heights. For more information, visit them online at www.hemingwaysnj.com or call 732-830-1255.

Yeah it feels like bathwater in the summer, but Barnegat Bay is a little chillier than we'd like. Photo courtesy of our dear friend, veteran lifeguard and dedicated Shore videographer Dave. Thanks!

 As we continue to get pummeled by the harshest winter at the Shore in recent memory, it’s hard to imagine a time when the snow will melt and we’ll shed our boots for flipflops, but fear not, Jerseyans – Memorial Day Weekend is 102 days away. (Photo We may not be out of the woods yet (thanks a whole lot, Phil), but we’re a whole lot closer than we were when that Dec. 19 storm dashed procrastinating shoppers dreams and ruined a certain someone’s birthday celebration (what? you say you think I’m still bitter over that? no way!).

 For more snow-tos, visit the APP’s reader galleryfrom the Feb. 6-7 and 9-10 storms. These snowy Shore shots range from beautifully artistic to downright zany – like the snow sculpture of a Camaro and a snapshot of three brave kids plopped into beach chairs wearing their bathing suits.

Before we know it, the sunlight will stretch later into the evening, our favorite seasonal businesses will reopen (anyone else been craving a Colonial Bakery jelly doughnut since October?) and the Barrier Island will reawaken with all the sights, smells and sounds that make summer at the Jersey Shore so sweet.

Until then, here’s a few fun events to keep you motivated as Old Man Winter plans to further assault our summer spirits:

• Mardi Gras Super Saturdayat Jenk’s on Feb. 20. Doors open at 9 p.m., $5 cover after 10. $1 drafts all night and $2 vodka specials from 9-11 p.m. The Nerds will play and the holder of the most beads at the end of the night wins an HDTV. What you must do for said beads was not specified.
• D’Jais Halfway to Summer Party at the Pool at Harrah’s in Atlantic City on Feb. 27. Billed as “the biggest pool party in the middle of winter,” we can’t figure out why this is neither at D’Jais nor at the actual halfway to summer mark, but if you’re into paying $35 to get in and trekking to AC, we’re not going to judge. Full disclosure: I’ve never been to D’Jais and think the Pool smells like, well, a pool.
• Seaside Heights Polar Bear Plunge to raise money for the N.J. Special Olympics on Feb. 27. Those pondering a run into the Atlantic Ocean in February can find some liquid courage and warm sustenance at the Sawmill Cafe with a $3 breakfast buffet and $2 mimosas, bloody Mary’s, screwdrivers and Miller Lite specials from 10-1. A post-plunge party starts at 2 p.m. with music from The VooDudes. If you’re not crazy enough to hop into the frigid sea but want to contribute to the cause, fret not because the Sawmill is donating proceeds to the Specials Olympics.