Matt Moulson Double Shot part 2

Let's see if I can get this written before I have to take care of the dogs again.

I left the team store at about 7 pm and headed to try to locate Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. While I had already map quested it, I still wasn't too sure where 137 Old Country Road was. Neither was fellow Blog Boxer, Ken Dick who called me as I was leaving the mall.

After taking Wantagh Parkway instead of Meadowbrook, and pulling into two different parking lots on the North side of Old Country until I finally located the parking lot with every new, hot restaurant, a giant Barnes & Nobel and no parking spaces. It was raining. I parked in front of the music store, put up my umbrella and walked around the entire shopping center to the unassuming store front that said "Anthony's."

People had spilled onto the walkway, so I knew i was in the right place. The foyer was crowded and one of the wait staff was taking names. "Don't you know who I am?" I said... on the inside. I had forgotten to take the print out of my ticket which made me a little nervous seeing how packed the place was.

"BEST TURN OUT EVER!" There were jerseys everywhere, it was a sight to behold on a hot night in August.

While Matt Moulson was a key draw last night at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, I have to say, I believe it would have been crowded just because of the food.

With all the Isles Social Media Department busy at work set up against the window, I scouted fellow Blog Boxer Ken Dick sitting at the bar with Jersey friend of the Isles, Carlos Figueiredo.

We all marveled at the turn-out as we were crushed against the bar. Ken, always the gentleman, insisted I sit on the bar stool he managed to acquire and invited me to share in the pie he had ordered.


Placed on a wrought iron stand on a pizza stone, I was more than happy to take him up on the offer. Besides, I really wanted to try a coal fired pizza after hearing so much about it. They laughed at me for starting out eating it with a knife and fork. Yes, what sort of Italian am I? The sort that is generally a slob and didn't want to be wearing the slightly sweet, flavorful sauce.

Anthony's was kind enough to offer drink specials for the night and their famous meatballs for tasting. Once again, it was Ken to the rescue. He brought me a small plate with one perfect meatball, some ricotta and a fork. Carlos held my glass while I took the first bite. Okay, in actuality, they were really curious to know what I thought since they both thought they were excellent.

They were right. I actually took the plate over to the bus station so I could Twitpic it. In doing so, I noticed how pleasant and accommodating the staff was to the craziness the Isles meet-up threw at them.

Matt Moulson entered to a thunderous round of applause and the lights of News12 cameras. Matt was a hot commodity from the moment he walked in, almost as hot a commodity as the roasted cauliflower pie, which he ordered and hardly made a dent in because it's so huge and Matt is in the middle of his off-season training regimen.

With so many jerseys in the crowd, I figured it wouldn't be a problem to wander around the room and start checking out what everyone else had to eat.

My Twitter buddy @KupKrazy was enjoying the chicken wings with another of my HockeyTweeps, @bigj2377. These must be good because I noticed a large number of tables had ordered them. A crock of coal fired wings on a bed of sauteed onions and foccacia. These ain't no Hooters wings. These were a meal in themselves. I laughed when @KupKrazy told me they had ordered a pizza as well. They were going to be there for awhile.

As if two public appearances wasn't enough for Moulson, he also checked his phone regularly to check the time. He had a phone interview to do as well. Always working, but always with a smile.

AnthonysCFPizza is a chain, but you'd never know it from the food. Anthony Bruno, a restauranteur out of Florida created the winning recipes that reminded him of what he used to get in Brooklyn. It must have worked as Bruno has 28 current locations and five more opening including one in Woodbury, NY next week.

Between great food, good friends, a little hockey on the TVs and one of our favorite Islanders in attendance, it was a great night that even the rain couldn't put a damper on.

So thank you Katrina Doell and staff for a great job. Thank you to the staff at Anthony's for all their excellent service and Thank you Matt -- for being an Islander.