Metuchen's Tilted Kilt Might Be Unique

I confess it was with mixed feelings that I walked into the hallowed halls of what used to be Uno's on Rt. 1 South in Metuchen, but which is now a Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery. Remembering fourteen years of Mike Sella's beers and beer dinners, I recalled those halcyon days--and even the years before that when Uno's was a seafood place called Bay Street.

I knew the interior would be remodeled--as would the waitstaff--in order to fit the TK business model, one which has proven to be successful. But it was odd not seeing the bar where I was accustomed to seeing it, and the number of TV's--some even turned sideways to fit on support columns--was astounding.

The forty-eight beers in house, all selected by Manager Michael Hennessey, which were affixed to a wall where a bar had never been looked impressive, for sure, and when lovely Lacey brought me and the missus a beer menu, I was impressed by the wide range of offerings. Of course, corporate decided which beers must be on tap, and in this case, there were six, but Hennessey had a free hand to choose the rest.

I asked Lacey for a few samples, which she produced immediately, each one handwritten by her to keep them in order. Jughandle's Mosaic (delicious) was one, Brix City's Gloria was another (also good) and New Belgium's Seasonal called Bohemian was the third and the one I opted for. I could have had a 14 oz. or 20 oz. glass, but as I planned on having a Pub Fried Egg Burger with Applewood smoked bacon, a fried egg, American cheese, leaf lettuce, ripe tomato & red onion , I chose the smaller volume. It had to be at once the messiest--and best--burgers I've had in many moons, too. The onion rings that it came with were perfectly done, plump and sweet, and the Bohemian matched up perfectly with it. The Missus, who opted for a lunchtime Bloody Mary, ordered a veggie-burger variation on the Mother-Clucker Chicken Sandwich. She said it was absolutely delicious.

But I really need to add a word about the service. It was excellent. And not only Lacey, who was as sharp as tack, cute as a button, as articulate as hell and possessed of a winning personality, but Joey Brucato, a rare male Tilted Kilter.

He introduced himself, and as soon as I shook his hand, I knew he was a wrestler. He laces them up for Mike Carbone and the Woodbridge Barrons, and he expects to be at 145 this season. Hopefully, his on-the-mat persona is the exact opposite of his tableside manner, because this is a kid any parent would be proud of--polite, well-spoken and with a no-BS, look-you-in-the-eye honesty, a trait ingrained no doubt by the world's oldest sport.

From what I could see, all the staff were pleasant and happy to be there. As Lacey shared, "I can breathe here!"

On this day, Michael Hennessy had his work cut out for him, as he has had for the last forty-five days straight. The TK has only been open since August 14. But he took the time to chat and inform, in between dealing with the aftermath of those earlier AM heavy rains and the exigencies of his position.

The big news of the day for me, however, was Michael's sharing that he was considering starting up the brewing operation again, which would make the Metuchen Kilt as unique as the Metuchen Uno's before it. That Uno's was the only one of 160 Uno's world-wide that brewed its own beer, and the Tilted Kilt on Rt. 1 South would be the only franchise to do the same.

But therein may lie a problem. With forty-eight beers already available, how much of its own brand would TK need to sell to break even, not to mention produce a profit? Whoever they select as a brewer would have to produce some fantastic beers to take tap share from that lineup, and fantastic brewers don't come cheaply.

But we shall see what we shall see. In the meantime, give the new guys on the block a shot at your discretionary funds. The beer list is impressive, the food is very good and the price is right. And you won't find a nicer, friendlier waitstaff anywhere.

Plus, if you pick your head up from your phone every so often, there is sure to be something you'd like on one of the 6,000 TV's.

Cheers!

The PubScout