Captain Dunkin’s Scottish Ale is the polar opposite of an IPA: a little sweet, very malty, low hops, and supremely delicious on a frigid evening. One of us also tried a gin and tonic made with gin they make (season) right here. Interesting touch of rosemary. All the food was good or better; Trap Rock is becoming one of our favorite New Jersey restaurants.

Caramelized Brussels Spouts are served with chunks of the house bacon. This side makes a great appetizer.

House Smoked Pulled Pork Tacos, served with black bean salsa, queso fresco, pico slaw, and cilantro crème fraîche

Beer Cheese Soup with house smoked bacon is warming on a 20 degree evening. Thankfully not a thick bowl of cheese sauce, but a true soup. The flavor was actually reminiscent of the coating on Doritos, which is much better than it sounds. A couple of slices of an excellent, coarse-textured country bread were most welcome.

Roasted Porchetta: the pork is from Niman Ranch, served atop garlic and herb polenta, with broccoli rabe and red wine mustard sauce. This was fascinating: the meat had the reddish color of cured meat but tasted nothing of ham. Luxuriously fatty, highly herbed and seasoned with a flavor like good pork sausage, crusty and very satisfying. The coarse-grained mustard sauce was sharp and sweet and included a few chunks of a grainy-textured fruit infused with the taste of the sauce – it night have been apple, pear, Asian pear, or quince. The coarsely milled polenta, even with the garlic and herbs, in this company was a gentle corny counterpoint to the rich pig and mustard sauce.

Lowcountry Shrimp and Grits is a menu staple at Trap Rock. The stone ground grits are garnished with tasso and sundried tomatoes, and are dressed with a sherry pan sauce.

The Lobster Crab Cake is served with comeback sauce! Wow, that’s the first time we’ve seen comeback sauce, a relative of Russian dressing or rémoulade sauce, outside of Mississippi.

The beer float is made with their rich, dark porter but, you know what? We’re not sold on this in-vogue idea. Root beer is a better base for ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel sauce.
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