New food and fuel in Asbury Park

This lovely dish you see is the Dogfish Head gelato from Porta in Asbury Park. I've written about this place before - they were doing the Christmas tree/pizza/beer or wine deal in December (they sold out of trees, by the way).

As impressed as I've been with Asbury Park, it's getting a lot better with places like Porta and Cafe Volan, which is a coffee shop that sells growlers of coffee (this is a growler if you've never seen one), opening in the last year or so. I'm working on a few projects up in the Park. Exciting time to be there.

For your calendar: Slow Foods Fourth Annual Winter Festival

FOODIES! This one's for you. On January 21, the Washington Inn in Cape May is hosting the Slow Food Fourth Annual Winter Feast, which is put on by Slow Foods South Jersey Shore.

For $50 per person ($70 if you want wine pairings), you'll get a five course meal of local and in season (yes, in winter) foods, including lamb, a local fisherman's stew with roasted garlic aoili, shaved winter root salad and beach plum cheesecake.

Slow food doesn't mean snails (though that's the group's logo). It means eating local and fresh foods - I know a lot of readers do this anyway, which is why I think some of you might enjoy this dinner.

I'm so bummed I can't go.

If YOU want to go, get your tickets soon. Last year's dinner sold out.

Ho ho ho

Before heading to Rhode Island, we did a quick trip to Cape May to wrap up holiday shopping. We stayed at the Victorian Motel. I'd never stayed there before, but it's located right behind Congress Hall so I've seen it. Not bad - very serviceable and clean motel close to the center of everything.

We got into town verrrrry late on Friday night, and in the off season, our options were limited, so we hit the Ugly Mug for some bar food, and then the Brown Room at Congress Hall for a post dinner drink. I snapped this photo on our way out:

Pretty.

The next day, we did a 10 mile run (from the hotel to Sunset Beach, then to the Lighthouse and back with a leg thrown in down Beach Avenue to check out construction of the Convention Center), followed up by brunch at Tisha's. We wrapped up our shopping at Whale's Tale, Madame's Port, the Fudge Kitchen, the Toy Shop and Sensia.

Nice trip. I wish we could have stayed longer, but that was not our pre-Christmas trip this year.

New York City via the Jersey Shore

I was in New York this weekend for a two-day writing seminar. Instead of paying many hundreds of dollars for a hotel room in NYC on an insanely busy weekend, I opted to stay in Red Bank instead, and take NJ Transit's North Coast line to and from the city.

This proved to be a smart move, even if I did need to get on the train just after 7am to be into New York by 9am.

At least I got a pretty sunrise on Saturday morning.

It was fine for a solution to getting to and from New York on a weekend, but I gotta admit: I can't imagine commuting that way every day. That's a lot of train time.

I stayed at the Molly Pitcher Inn, which was more than fine for the price ($109 pre fees and taxes as booked through kayak.com). The room was nice but small. If you must have a TV in your room, make that known. I didn't have one in mine.

My only problem wasn't with the inn but the guests: specifically wedding guests who decided to have an after party from the hours of three to four am in the room next to me. There was some making out in the hall, too. Apparently the drunk girl was really looking forward to biting the drunk guy. At about four am when two women decided to have a conversation outside of my door, I finally told them to shut up. This isn't a knock against the inn (I hadn't called the front desk), but oy what a mess.

On Saturday night, I had dinner at Basil T's, which was CROWDED. I had to wait for a seat at the bar.

I wanted to try one of their craft brews, but I was so tired from a long day of writing that I just wanted a big glass of red wine, which is exactly what I ordered. The food was good - service wasn't great (I have a feeling my server was just having an off day).

On Sunday, I skipped my afternoon session to meet up with Erin of Relax Concierge for lunch at Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park. It wasn't terribly warm, but it wasn't cold either. Nice crowd on the boardwalk though.

After lunch, we walked to Porta, which is a new place that opened this year. Can I admit that I'm enchanted? What a lovely spot. Here's Erin acting as a Price is Right model.

They have an outdoor area with a bocce court. That in itself is cool. But even better? This.

What an excellent idea! Especially for a new-ish business in a shore town that's busy but not exactly jammed this time of year. It really reaches out to locals, who I think is the crowd they want to be sitting at their bar.

Long weekend, but a good one.

On another note, I've been getting a lot of emails and tweets about my hair - specifically that I cut off 12 inches of it. So here's an update on that (as taken from the Molly Pitcher Inn).

Apparently the best way to style it is to sleep with it wet. Who knew? I don't hate it. It's just...different.

Guster in Asbury Park

There's a reason I'm sleepy today.

Last night was the big Guster show at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Could I have gone to their show in Philadelphia? Of course. But it's the Stone Pony. It's Asbury Park. Worth the drive.

First, I met up with my friend and fellow writer Caren Chelser first to talk about writing, life and so I could see her six month old bambino. We strolled him right over from Ocean Grove to the Watermark on the Asbury Park boardwalk.

Oh hai, summer me.

Watermark is close enough to the Stone Pony outdoor stage that you can hear the concerts from the deck. That's where I heard Jack's Mannequin, who is co-headlining this tour with Guster.

I left Caren and her baby/hubby behind to get a good spot near the front for Guster. What a great venue, and thank goodness we missed the rain.

I can't find the setlist online yet (yes I was too busy acting like a moron to write it down, though they did play "Two Points for Honesty." Yes, honestly.) But I did find this setlist for a 2002 show they did at the Paramount Theatre, also in Asbury Park in case you'd like to go into the way back machine.

At one point in the show, they brought out a disco helmet. This doesn't capture its detailed awesomeness, but it does show its effect.

Fun show, great venue, wonderful town. Thanks Guster.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 86: Mack & Mancos Delivers to Philadelphia

Yes, really. It won't be cheap, but they have done it before. What would be a better surprise for your employees while working on a long, drawn out, and/or tense project than some #saucehose pizzas?

I've never done it, but when I worked with M&M to get pizzas on the NBC 10! show back in 2008, they told me they do this all the time.

You can also get a half backed pie to bring home and finish in your oven. I've done that too. Works like a charm.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 84: The Food Network Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival is this weekend

FOODIES! Get your butts to Atlantic City for the Food Network Food & Wine Festival, which started yesterday. Don't worry that you're late on this. You can still grab tickets to hang out with celebrity chefs and drink and eat to your heart's content.

Believe it or not, I've never been to the event. There's always been something the weekend of the event (this year, it's a memorial service and a christening). I mean, how could I deny this little guy?

Ryan, on the left, is the one being Christened. Drew, on the right, will be in attendance with his parents who are coming up from Baltimore. Who are these adorable creatures? My nephews - and Phillies fans - of course.

I'll be back down the shore next weekend. I was going to hop into the Captain Bill Gallagher 10 Mile Island Run in Sea Isle but I think we're going to be a little silly and do the No Shower Happy Hour at the Ocean Drive. Why not?

High Roller at the Tropicana

The second part of my birthday treat last week was a stayover at the Tropicana. I was lucky enough to be booked into one of the brand new Cielo Suites - so new that the tag was still on the ironing board.

Pretty swanky. Our room had a living room, two bathrooms, and two separate rooms with king sized beds. TV in the bathroom, huge walk in shower in one. I was heavenly.

The suites also have a 24 hour concierge service and butler service. I have to say: it was pretty cool to call my parents and tell them I was staying in a high roller suite.

Tropicana added 26 of these suites, and they're part of the recent $5 million in improvements to the property.

This is a step in the right direction. Most people who have told me they've stayed at the Trop did so because they were there on a bachelor/bachelorette party and tried to cram 8 people in the cheapest room the Trop offer. That has lead to a not great reputation (and the place did go bankrupt, so there were obviously problems).

But if they keep moving in the "Cielo" direction, I think the Trop has a good chance of wiping that away. It was packed for the entire time we were there - and we stopped in a few times on nights we weren't staying there, too.

Dinner was at the Knife & Fork, which I love more than I could possibly say. You've got to read the history if you haven't.

Old Atlantic City and new. Perfect way to spend my getting older day.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 82: Avalon was once covered in juniper trees

That is a branch with berries from a juniper tree. These kinds of trees used to cover the island that is now known as Avalon.

I learned this while having diner at the Diving Horse last week - my favorite meal of the six fancy dinners I enjoyed while on vacation. The dude took notes and will be posting reviews on the blog in the near future. Until then, though, I wanted to share that juniper tidbit.

The reason I learned this is because we were served a dish that involved juniper. I don't have the dude's notes, or I would share. Until then, how about a picture from dinner?

This is their tomato and watermelon salad, served with feta, avocado, mint and cured olives. And that was just the start...

Day-Cations at the Chelsea

Tuesday was my birthday (hooray! I'm older!) As such, the dude and I planned to sit on the beach all day, then have a fancy dinner at night.

In between, we tried out a Day-cation Package at the Chelsea in Atlantic City. As many times so I've stayed here, I never hit the spa.

The Day-Cation lets you experience the Sea Spa at the Chelsea even if you're not staying overnight. For $99, you get a $100 Sea Spa credit, $30 Teplitzkys dining credit, complimentary use of Chelsea pools and solarium, complimentary use of beach chairs/umbrellas (in season), and complimentary valet parking for one car.

I started with with a Blond Ambition classic massage, which ended up also being part medical treatment. The masseuse could tell based on the way that my muscles were twitching that I carry my stress in my shoulders, and that I'm low on potassium and should eat more bananas. She was also the first person to tell me how to breath through pain in a massage (I ask for hard massage because I know it'll release knots - this is not necessary on your experience, of course). My masseuse was Laura, and the dude's was Donna. They are both recommended.

Then the dude and I took full advantage of the rest of what the Day-Cation offers: he used the sauna, and we both hung out in the salt water jacuzzi. We sat outside at the non-jacuzzi salt water pool to have a drink and a snack (the pretzels are amazing, and they have pretty good happy hour drink deals) before relaxing back in the solarium until the spa closed. I have never felt so relaxed.

I didn't take my camera into the spa, so here are the fancy photo they provided (credit ©2009 Don Pearse Photographers, Inc.):

Fine print time: Deal is good Monday through Fridays, 9am to 5pm. Does not include room, taxes, gratuities and alcohol. Want one? Call 609-428-4554.

I'm Back!

Yes, I'm back. Tanned, relaxed and with a few more greenhead bites that I'd anticipated (winds were BAD the last two days I was down the shore).

I'll have plenty of posts coming up about my week. Until then, check out two articles that I wrote for the Summer issue of Edible Jersey magazine.

The first is about the food scene in Atlantic City.

The second is about Jersey Shore foods.

Enjoy! Now to get the sand out of all my clothes...

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 77: Martini Beach and Cabanas are Run by the Same Person

If you're going to Cape May and want to hit a restaurant with ocean views, you will probably see both Martini Beach and Cabanas. One is stacked on top of the other.

They're actually owned by the same owner, which I didn't know until I started working on this piece.

I like both places, for different reasons. I got roped into a really long night at Cabanas on a Tuesday because I started talking to a bunch of locals at the bar. I ended up giving relationship advice to a 21 year old whose 19 year old girlfriend was at home. Then someone did a body shot. It was weird - but fun! Martini Beach has a fantastic bar, and as being on the second floor, amazing views.

So if you are to pick between the two: more casual, stay downstairs. Slightly fancier, go up. And beware of locals who keep you out waaaaaay past your bedtime ;-)

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 74: You CAN watch World Cup down the shore

Sunday is the women's World Cup Final: USA vs. Japan. I don't care how nice a beach day it's going to be, but I will be glued to the TV watching this match.

Here's where you can go to watch the game while you're down the shore:

Atlantic City: Game On. It's OK if you roll your eyes. This place is big and crowded and packed for big sporting events, but that is exactly where I want to be for a game like this (and where I will be, in fact. More on that later). You can't get more TVs in one spot down the shore.

Sea Isle: O'Donnell's Pour House. Good beer selection, big TVs, right near the heart of Sea Isle.

Avalon: I have two. First, the Princeton. Second, the Concord Cafe. The Princeton will have plenty of space, whether you want to sit or stand. I prefer the cozy feel of the Concord - but only if I have a seat.

Wildwood: The Shamrock. Space to stand, sit, play pool, whatever you want around the oval bar with plenty of TVs to watch the game.

Cape May: Cabanas or the Ugly Mug. Both have plenty of TVs and good bars with decent beer selections. I assume both will be packed.

I will be at Game On with the dude, who is very VERY conflicted about who he should cheer for. He's Japanese-American, and I understand his dilemma. He'll be wearing his team Japan jersey. I sorta tried to find a U.S. Women's jersey but no luck, so I'll probably just be sporting red white and blue.

Sunday is the first day of my shore vacation - HOORAY! It'll be split between Atlantic City and Avalon this year with a dash of Cape May thrown in. I. CAN'T. WAIT. I've pre-written next week's facts of the day, so hope you enjoy them while I'm doing absolutely nothing.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 66: Tina Fey was in Cape May

Yup, it's true: Tina Fey was in Cape May last week on vacation.

This was sort of an open secret. She wasn't hiding. My phone blew up the night she had dinner for about a dozen people at the Blue Pig Tavern at Congress Hall. I was also told she's much prettier in person than she is on TV - and that's quite a compliment because I think she looks great on TV.

I didn't want to post anything then out of respect for her privacy. I mean, come on. She's finally getting a break, and she's very pregnant. If anyone deserves a nice, peaceful, Jersey Shore vacation, it's her.

Hey, she's just like us! She stayed in Cape May on the same weekend last year too. Appears she's a life. As a kid, this Upper Darby native vacationed in Wildwood, which was a previous JSFotD.

Cape May is used to Hollywood stopping by. The week before, Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen made a trip to Cape May (they're repeats, too). She is a huge fan of Louisa's Cafe in Cape May, and even offered to post for a photo with the staff (which they did - their owner told me she's the nicest person on the face of the planet).

But I think the biggest star splash was made in 2008 when Anne Hathaway camped out in Cape May after a break up. Part of her get over him cure? Karaoke.

Got any other star sightings to share? Let me know.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 64: Happy Saucehose Day

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, I present to you a new annual holiday: Saucehose Day. I declare that it shall take place the Thursday before the Fourth of July Holiday weekend. On such a day, we honor the system by which sauce gets on top of the best kind of Jersey Shore pizzas: by a saucehose.

You can see it in the picture above, which was taken at Mack & Mancos. Pizzas are being created and consumed so quickly that the sauce is delivered right on top by that hose. Hence saucehose. It's brilliant. And wonderful. And one of those odd things that make the Jersey Shore so special.

(This kind of pizza is actually called Trenton style pizza if you're looking for a real fact of the day.)

I can't lay claim to the term. That credit goes to @clivedaddy, who first tweeted it. Things came to a head when Mike Meech of the Fightins went on a Phillies-related hunger strike that overlapped with Memorial Day Weekend last year. There was much debate if drinking directly from the sausehose would be considered eating or not. He eventually broke the fast with a slice from Mack and Mancos.

It's been a fun twitter element ever since. Even yesterday, Jason Nark of the Philadelphia Daily News tweeted "I'm near a #saucehose Alien territory for me," referring to being in Ocean City. Mack & Mancos isn't the only sausehose place, though. So in the comments, tell me your favorite saucehose pizza.

Speaking of which - we're trying to get #saucehose to trend today. So if you tweet about this, use that hashtag. And you can follow me on twitter to. I'm @jerseyshorejen.

Adventures in Book PR

On Saturday, the dude and I drove down the shore early to sit on the beach in Strathmere for a few hours before my book signing at the Shamrock in Wildwood.

I was stopped at the bottom of the off ramp from the Garden State Parkway onto the causeway into Sea Isle when BUMP! The driver behind me rear ended my car.

Sigh.

If he hadn't been driving an old Nissan Pathfinder with a sharp grille in the front, I'd probably have been fine, but that was the result - a punctured bumper. I know it doesn't look like much in the picture, but it's not good.

While waiting for the State Trooper to fill out the accident report, the dude and I started chatting with the guy who hit me. End result: the guy bought a book and had me sign it to his son.

Lemonade out of lemons? Maybe I'll tell you how I feel after I go through the process of getting the bumper repaired, and how much it'll end up costing me (getting the accident report starts at $5.75, and while I have insurance, there's that good ol' deductible...) I haven't been in a car accident since I was 17 when I was was hit by a drunk driver, and my mom handled the insurance claims that time.

Anyway.

Fun signing! They even made a special drink for the event, the "Jersey Jen."

A lot of you have been tweeting and emailing me about where you're seeing the book for sale. If you snap a picture and send it to me, I'll run it on the blog!

Updated: Book Events

Saturday, June 18: Happy Hour Book Signing at the Rusty Nail in Cape May from 4-7pm. It's OK if you're coming right off the beach. Why? Because I will be, too, since the weather report is looking mighty fine. Here's the Facebook invite for this one.

Wednesday, June 22: Talk about the Jersey Shore and travel writing, followed by a book signing at the Haddonfield Library at 7pm. Yes, this is at the actual library, NOT Grace Church.

Saturday, June 25: Happy Hour Book Signing at the Shamrock in Wildwood from 5-8pm. Same thing goes in regards to coming in off the beach. They will have specials for this event.

Monday, June 27: Hosting a Jersey Shore trivia round of Pop Quiz at the Pop Shop in Collingswood. The game runs from 7:30-9pm. This is a super fun event and, yes, it's BYOB. It's for kids and adults - most teams usually have both.

Same rules go for every event: $20 a book, cash or credit. If you already have a book and want it signed, of COURSE I will! Can't make it and want a signed copy? Drop me a line at jenmiller27 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 54: Gilchrest is Back in Atlantic City

Gilchrest Restaurant was a landmark. Located right on the water, it was popular with locals. But the 60-year old restaurant ran into trouble because its historic building was falling apart. You can read about its backstory here.

Now, this restaurant has taken up residence at Gardner's Basin, right on the water WHILE keeping the Galloway Township location open.

The new spot has a wide outdoor deck with both shaded and sunny spots, and an indoor eating area. I had a meeting there after yesterday's media blitz, which included that piece on Fox29 and an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer (I didn't plan for them to hit the same day - honest!) Fact is: TV is exhausting. You put in so much effort for a blip on the screen, so scheduling a meeting after might not have been my smartest idea. Having it at Gilchrest? That saved the day.

Jersey Shore Fact of the Day 47: It's Wing Night at the Windrift

Tuesday night as wing night at the Windrift in Avalon. This isn't just any wing night. It's THE thing to do on a summer weeknight down the shore.

This beach-side restaurant jams up with people looking for drink specials, wings and a party. They have $1.50 Miller Lite drafts and $7 Miller Lite pitchers, and set upa wing in a supplemental kitchen to the bar. According to Shore News Today, they went through 16,000 wings on wing night around the Fourth of July.

If you go, expect crowds, and a lot of messy fingers. It's not the tidiest food in the world, but it's sooo good.

Press Round Up

The book has been getting a lot of good press so far, and here's are links to a few recent interviews:

I talked with Adam Erace about Jersey Shore eats for the Philadelphia City Paper (the Concord Cafe meal mentioned is featured above).

How far does the Jersey Shore interest stretch? To Harrisburg, at least.

Amy Rosenberg of the Downashore blog and I chatted about the shore as well.

I talked to KYW1060 about Lucy's for Lucy, which is on Wednesday.

There's more to come, including a Philadelphia Inquirer story on June 15, and a possible Fox 29 News Spot. Tomorrow, I'll post a few reviews.

I really am overwhelmed by the reaction, both in the press and from you directly. Thank you so much!