After a few hours at Runaway Rapids, Justin and I were thirsty…and a little bit hungry. The smell of grilled meats had lured us across the street to the amusement park. We had grabbed a beer one night at a place called Miami Club a few weeks earlier. On this afternoon, we ended up stopping there again before whatever grilled meats were available could totally reel us in. I remember enjoying the no-frills, pseudo-tropical atmosphere the first time around but saying that I would not trust them with food. I was wrong.

We started off with rum buckets. There was a sign out front advertising them for $12 each, which was not bad. I don’t know how many ounces they were. The bottom of the bucket read, “Serves 4. Sharing encouraged.” We polished off one each with ease. I am more of a drinker than him so I didn’t feel much, but he got a little tipsy. It tasted good and was very refreshing on this beautiful day.

The menu for this place is limited. There are burgers, hot dogs, wings, and a plethora of fried and raw seafood. Again, I would never in my life trust them with raw oysters, but wings? Why not? We got a dozen after deliberation over whether just six was enough. Justin and I watched the guy making them. He added a ton of sauce and we were getting worried that they would be soggy. Well, despite being doused, they were crispy as hell. I am far from a wing connoisseur but these may have been the best I’ve ever had. The sauce was probably out of a bottle (it appeared to be Frank’s Red Hot), but the way the wings were done was heavenly. A messy masterpiece. Sauce everywhere. Probably an inch of it at the bottom of the basket, but a solid crunch with every bite.

We had a limited offering at Miami Club. Perhaps the rum buckets could have used a bit more rum, but sometimes I must relent and excuse them because it was so enjoyable to be sitting outside after hitting up a water park and drinking something summery. It was perfect. Also, when the bill came, they were only $10 each. Maybe there was a Happy Hour special I missed. Whatever the case, I was pleasantly surprised. I am going to give them a solid 3 out of 5 stars, which is good for a place like this. Those wings were bangin’.

Miami Club is located in the Keansburg Amusement Park at 307 Beachway Avenue.