Day Trip: Haddonfield (Repost)

Repost from April, 2007
I've never really ventured into Philly-suburb country, but after reading about Haddonfield in New Jersey Monthly as a "Best Downtown", it sparked my interest from a blogging point-of-view as well as personal curiosity. Luckily, my husband grew up both in Cherry Hill and Moorestown and was very familiar with the area. I'm not a fan of reading long paragraphs on blogs, so I will keep my details to bullet points. I found some great shops, 1 fabulous restaurant, and 1 cozy cafe: *Disclaimer: I realized after we left that I forgot my camera, so you'll just have to imagine the places that don't have images online*

First Stop: Three Beans Coffee Co., 140 N Haddon Ave, 856-354-2220

• Selections: coffee, tea, pastries, specialty drinks, soda, juice
• Ambiance: like a Vermont lodge-slate fireplace, couches, tables w/chairs, dark green paneling, wood floors, paperback books to read, cozy nooks
• Location: on a side street on the corner, park on the street or rider your bike

Second Stop: House Hunting(just looking)

Third Stop: Shopping!

• Powder Room-Surf Shop for Girls, 112 E. Kings Highway, 856-216-1670
• Davison's Mens Shop, 150 Kings Highway East, 856-795-0070
• Carries Burberry, Lacoste, and silk shirts

• Favorite of the Day: Serendipity, 127 E Kings Hwy , 856-354-6343

• Floor to ceiling Vera Bradley: bags, desk accessories, hats, belts, lampshades, everything!!!
• Crabtree & Evelyn (women and men)
• Ame & Lulu: Women's Golf accessories-totally cute!!

• Engaged/Newlyweds: The Polished Plate, 101 Kings Hwy E. , 856-428-2696

• Simon Pearce, Bernardaud, Glassware, Flatware, Wedding Registry
• Unique Find: Japanese Rice Paper Napkins-great for wedding favors, table decorations, plate chargers, etc
• J. McLaughlin Company Store(Outlet): 123 Kings Highway East
• Pendleton Shop: 121 E. Kings Highway, 856-795-8898

Lunch: Corner Bistro, 59 E. Kings Highway, 856-354-8006

• I had Mesquite Salmon with a Berry Salsa for only $850!
• My husband had a burger..and he was very pleased!
• For the 2 of us, lunch, soup, and coffee was all under $20!
• Ambiance: It could easily be found in Old City, Philly or Brooklyn Heights.
  
• Seating: Tight space, but that just adds to it's character

Haddonfield is 15 minutes drive or train ride from Center City Philly. It has been named "best shopping district" by Philadelphia Magazine and the "best collection of shops anywhere in the state" by the New York Times. For more on Haddonfield, click here.

Dinner Recommendation for the Summer

This is not a recipe nor is it a restaurant review. It is more like a destination turned dining option.

I married into the summers at LBI lifestyle and really really like it. Rob's family belongs to the Little Egg Harbor yacht club, but neither of us have adopted the way-of-life to goes with it. What we have adopted was a weekly trip to LBI for fresh seafood dinner and crisp beachy air.

I realize that everyone doesn't have a house at LBI, but it doesn't have to be a sleep-over thing, nor does it have to be LBI. The point I am making here is that it does a psyche good to get out once a week (or maybe just once a month) over the summer and take an 1 to 1 1/2 hr drive out to your favorite beach to have some good seafood. Rob and I started doing it last year and we're going to take a drive down on July 3rd for the reasons I mentioned above.

If you do frequent LBI, or are planning to vacay there, here are some of the fish stops we hit:

• Pinky's Shrimp Company 83rd St. & Long Beach Blvd., Beach Haven Crest
  
• Engleside Inn, Hotel & Restaurant Engleside Ave. & Oceanfront , Beach Haven
  
• Daddy O's, 8th Street. & Long Beach Blvd Brant Beach
• M&M Steam Bar, Delaware Ave. and the Boulevard, Beach Haven Terrace
• Bistro 14, 9th and Bay Avenue, Beach Haven, NJ

In the morning, we stop at any bagel shop at 7:00ish. Rob has to be at work between 8:30 and 9:00 and the drive gets him there in perfect timing.

As I said before, it is worth the weekly or just monthly trips. Seafood is good for you and the fresh beach air is even better. I'm on my way out the door right now to go to LBI to celebrate our nephew Andrew's 5th birthday.

Dad likes to eat too!

Don't forget to treat your dad to a nice meal this weekend. Either cook one yourself or take him to one of the Father's Day offers around the state. Have your pick below:

1. The Grand Summit Hotel Father's Day B-B-Q-Summit
2. Willie's Tavern Brunch-Bedminster
3. The Store Brunch-Basking Ridge
   
4. River Bell Brunch Cruise-Point Pleasant
5. Toscano in Bordentown reminds us to make our reservations for dad....now!
6. Alba Vineyard Wine Tasting and Picnic (BYOB)-Milford
7. Assembly Steakhouse Brunch-Englewood Cliffs
8. Pantagis Renaissance Brunch-Scotch Plains
   
9. Blue Wave Specials-Westfield
10. Harvest Bistro & Bar Brunch-Closter
11. New Orleans Family Restaurant-North Branch
12. Pine Hill Golf Club Brunch-Pine Hill
13. Clover Leaf Tavern Clam Bake & B-B-Q-Caldwell
14. Grounds for Sculpture Brunch-Hamilton
    
15. NYC Dinner Cruise-Skyline Princess
    
16. Philadelphia Breakfast Cruise
17. Camden Riversharks game with B-B-Q & Buffet-Camden
    
18. Philadelphia Area Restaurants
19. New York Restaurants
20. Do Your Own Brunch menu-Family Fun Magazine
    

Mrs. Mo's Neighbor

Check out the Frenchtowner, an "online travel guide to Bucks County, PA, Hunterdon County, NJ, Cape May, NJ, Savannah, GA and beyond."

This site is the go-to guide for visiting, lodging, family events, restaurants, and more. Instead of searching out community sites for Lambertville, New Hope, Flemington and other nearby destinations, just come here for your needs.

Make sure to hop over to their blog for more features on NJ events and other Blogs (like mine!)

Tech Tags: Jaunt frenchtowner Bucks+County Hunterdon+County New+Jersey Pennsylvania Restaurants lodging family+events

Shout Out!

It's been way to long since I've done my Sunday Shout Out! and yeah, I realize it is Monday, but close enough! This morning I am trying to gear up to do all of my grading and comments for the end of the year and I decided instead to browse NJWeblogs.com for some Shout Out worthy blogs. Here they are in order of discovery:

The Blog of South Brunswick
I really like the premise of this blog and I think more communities should jump on the bandwagon. This blog is organized by the South Brunswick Post and it gives residents the opportunity to comment on anything going on in the community.




Rt 55
Here are the random happenings in Millville, NJ, just south of Vineland in Cumberland County. From Kids' murals in town to the Millville Bikefest, this blogger captures a lot of the events in town. However, not only does he capture the good of Millville, he is also proactive in trying to bring more attention to the neglect from landlords holding property in town. Here's a sample letter that he sent to one of those "slumlords" as he puts it. More power to him. I'm not that brave to do it, but sometimes you just get tired of the despair around town.


*Mo's Top Pick: Tommy Eats
This guy is doing exactly what I need more time to do! As a hobby, he travels around NJ and NY, trying out pubs and restaurants and blogging about them. He also offers cooking tips and wine advice. I'm still getting the courage to ask places I go if I can take pictures of their products and food. Thanks for the tips Tommy!

Reader Review: The Pluckemin Inn

Sharon of Morristown submitted her review of the Pluckemin Inn-359 Route 202/206 South & Pluckemin Way, Bedminster NJ 07921, 908.658.9292

Casual yet elegant In addition to the eating areas & very attractive bar, there's an outside patio.

Extensive wine list. The wine cellar is built into the center of the building in a glass room that rises up between both floors.

• Excellent & beautifully presented dinner. The service was great! The waitress was very knowledgeable. An assortment of rolls & other goodies was offered throughout the dinner. There was a choice of tap or bottled water.
  
  
• Appetizer: [My husband] had the salad : Arugula, Treviso, Oregon Blue cheese, Rosemary scented cherries, hazelnut & Balsamic. A very healthy serving. I tasted it - it was great. I had a Smoked Salmon "Purse" stuffed with avocado, king crab, chipotle & cilantro. Excellent!
  
  
• Dinner: both of us had Sea Scallops with a Squash Blossom stuffed with King Crab. Basil cream sauce on the side. No room for dessert.
  
  
• The menu consisted of 4 types of foods: Raw, Salads & Hors D'oeuvres, Fish & Meats. There is also a tasting menu - with or without the accompanying wines.

It's pricey but wonderful for a special meal.


If you would like to submit a review of a restaurant, store, event, or town, send an email to hmorris0506@gmail.com.

Restaurant.com Special Offer

Back, by popular demand, is the extra $10 gift certificate promotion.

From April 20th to April 30th, customers can once again receive a FREE $10 Gift Certificate with every Restaurant.com order!

The free certificate code will automatically be displayed on the purchase confirmation page and will also be placed in the "My Account" section of Restaurant.com.

This extra gift will be compatible with the existing 50% savings that's currently active, but please take note that there is only a two day overlap between both offers - the 50% savings code expires on April 21st.

Get a FREE $10 gift certificate with every order. Your gift code will automatically appear on the order confirmation. Exp 4/30/07.



Save an extra 50% on Dining Certificates! Use code SPRING at checkout and hit "recalculate total". Expires 4-21-2007.

Gluten-Free Restaurants In Our Area!

Check out Julia's Thin Crust Pizza in Doylestown (featuring gluten-free options)

PF Chang's also has a special gluten-free menu.

Tech Tags: gluten+free+restaurants

Must Go Here...and tell me about it

Check out "Morris County's premiere British tea house and restaurant" in Boonton. Come for Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, or Traditional Tea and sample their variety of Black, Decaf, Green, and Flavored teas along with a seasonal menu serving dishes like Brioche French Toast with Applewood Bacon, Lobster Club Sandwich, Quiggins BLT, British Bangers and Mash, Classic English Fish and Chips, and Chicken Riesling.

I haven't been here so you will have to tell how it is!

The Upper Crust:624 Main St., Boonton, (973) 331-3769

Must Go Here...

Mastoris

New Jersey Diners at their BEST!

ZAGAT rated and a true South Jersey GEM!

If their floor to ceiling pastry shop entrance is not enough to entice you, their cinnamon & cheese bread stacked on your table will!

For pictures and reviews, click here.

Mastoris: at the corner of Rt 130 & 206, Bordentown, 609-248-4650

Plainsboro Daily "Grind"

Visit It's a Grind in Plainsboro

Just like LBI

During the summer, my husband and I would drive to LBI once a week to get a fresh seafood dinner. Luckily, we're only 1 1/2 hr from there and have a place to stay the night.

But, if you want a dinner just as good, stroll over to Boardwalk-Fresh Seafood Grill in Dayton. You can access their menu online and view some pictures of the place.

Since we should all get 2 servings of fish a week, this place would be sure to satisfy!


Boardwalk Fresh Seafood Grill, 365 Georges Road, Dayton (732) 355-0990