NEW JERSEY BLOGGER BRUNCH AT TALULA'S

Blogging is my shot at entrepreneurship.  It's my ideas, and my hard work that always go into what you see and read here.  It's the same thing for Talula's in downtown Asbury Park, New Jersey-- a fairly new restaurant that opened it's doors only five short months ago, and has been serving up great farm-to-table food ever since.

 Talula's entrepreneurs haven't been able to do too much advertising yet, but instead rely on word of mouth to promote the restaurant.  That is why I picked Talula's as the spot to host my first New Jersey Blogger Brunch.

 In attendance were Reesa from Mommalew- a website with tips for moms, recipes, travel ideas and more, Clarissa who is a Life Strategist and Personal Stylist from ClarissaNassar.com, and Sharon who blogs about petite fashion at The Tiny Heart.  These women are entrepreneurs who have successful blogs because of all their hard work, sweat and tears.  Having a networking event with these great women at Talula's just seemed like the perfect winning combination!

We got a chance to chat about what projects we are working on while enjoying such great dishes as the Avocado Toast with pickled vegetables, Scrambled eggs with Ricotta toast, Kale salad with roasted squash, a Hash bowl with eggs, a Margherita pizza, and some killer hot apple cider donuts! Talula's makes it's own breads and pizza dough, and uses locally sourced ingredients in all of its dishes- it's a great place to get a taste of Asbury Park while enjoying what this part of New Jersey has to offer.

Sira & Mara also sent me some pretty bracelets to give away as gifts at the event.  Sandy is the entrepreneur behind Sira & Mara who started her business after moving to the U.S. from Spain without speaking English and with only $800 to her name.  I absolutely love Sira & Mara's jewelry and accessory line, and to have Sandy's business be a part of this day also made perfect sense!

All of these beautiful pictures here were taken by Michelle Scelfo from Yellow Yellow Yellow.  Michelle is a super talented photographer and entrepreneur who has an amazing eye for capturing great moments and is local to the Asbury Park area.

FASHION FRIDAY: HERE WE SNOW AGAIN!

It's the first day of Spring today and Old Man Winter is preferring to stick around!  That's right...more snow today!!!  When will it end?  We snapped these pictures a couple of weeks ago and I didn't know if I would ever post them because the weather was warming up and it seems Spring was coming, but with this forecast...I thought why not?  At least it's supposed to warm up tomorrow!  These are also the first pictures I've posted on the blog with my new bangs.  I wanted to do something different and thought I'd give them a shot.  I'm not too sure how long I'll keep them though because I have curly hair and they are very high maintenance!  (they also look a bit messy here as I was wearing a hat) Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend and see some sun wherever you are!

Top: BB Dakota via Lord & Taylor
Leggings: Forever 21
Coat: Zara (old)
Hat: Purchased in Iceland
Boots: Rachel Zoe
Necklace: Stella & Dot
Bracelet: Sira & Mara
Sunnies: Italia Independent

FASHION FRIDAY: KRAZY FOR KIMONOS

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I am "Krazy" for Kimonos!!!  They are lightweight, great for travel, perfect to wear with a shirt and pants or over a bathing suit.  I got this kimono recently from one of my favorite boutiques at the Jersey Shore, Foolish Ginger- located in Asbury Park, New Jersey.  I love the colors and the pattern, and I know this will be on heavy rotation heading into spring and summer.  On another quick note before I go, I wanted to say that I am looking forward to this weekend, as I will be meeting other New Jersey bloggers at a brunch on Sunday!  I'll have more details about it next week.  Happy Friday!!!

Kimono: Foolish Ginger

Top: Marshalls (love this)

Leggings: LOFT

Booties: Rachel Zoe

Clutch: Deux Lux

Sunnies: Dolce & Gabbana

Necklace: Sira & Mara

Bracelet: Sira & Mara

TASTY TALULA'S

Asbury Park's motto is "It's Happening," and based on the experience we had at one of this Jersey Shore town's newest restaurants, it is!  Talula's, located on Cookman Avenue in downtown Asbury Park, New Jersey, first opened its doors on Halloween day last year.  It's now three months in, but this past Sunday we finally got to experience it, and we were just blown away!!!

The space at Talula's is like an open loft with high ceilings and brick walls.  The decor is simple with hardwood floors and wood tables and chairs.  To me it is very California clean which I just love!  The service is also incredible, and very family friendly too!  My sister-in-law was visiting, so between her twin 2.5 year old girls, and my 4 year old and 2 year old, I think it's safe to say most restaurants would have wanted to turn us away.  Instead, we were greeted with a basket of toys for the little ones and a highchair (something not every restaurant in this town has on hand).

  (Photo Credit: Behance)

As for the food, it is phenomenal...period!!!  We tried as much as our tummies could handle off of the brunch menu, which included some delicious (and addicting) cocktails like the Gin & Jam (made with gin, lemongrass simple syrup, cranberry jam and lime), and the Brooklyn (not pictured; which has rye, dry vermouth, maraschino liquor and mere nouvelle).

 We also had two of their pizzas- The New Yorker (tomato sauce, fresh + aged mozzarella and provolone), and a Pepperoni which has thinly sliced chorizo on it.  These pies were as good, if not better than some of the best pies I have had in New York!  The dough is sourdough (baked fresh daily at Talula's), and the ingredients are so fresh!  In fact, many of them come from The Homestead at Seven Arrows Farm (the CSA that we belong to which I've talked about before here).

 We also had some of their more breakfast items like the toast with Avocado + Pickled Veggies + Salsa Verde...The Fresh Ricotta + Soft Scrambled Egg Toast...and the toast with Benton's Bacon + Fried Farm Egg + Cheddar.  The two later ones came with a small side salad (from Seven Arrows), and were simply amazing.

 We also got to try the Brown Rice Porridge (which I would like to start my day with each and every morning)...It has coconut milk, cardamom, vanilla bean, cranberry jam and marcona almonds.  And quite possibly the best thing on the menu was their Apple Cider Donuts!!!  They were hot, gooey, and served with fresh whipped cream.  Unfortunately, we scarfed these last things down so quickly, I forgot to snap some pictures, but if you look at my son's face while enjoying the donuts...well, need I say more???

Bottom Line: Talula's is such a welcome addition to Asbury Park.  

Fresh, local, farm to table ingredients, and bread that will just knock your socks off!    

This place is amazing and we can't wait to go back!

TALULA'S

550 Cookman Avenue #108

Asbury Park, New Jersey 07712

(732) 455-3003

Open Tuesday-Sunday

WEEKEND RECAP

Weekends have just been flying by around here- feel like that's the way it goes in the summer!  This past weekend was no different.  Rich took half a day off on Friday, and we went to a great lunch spot in downtown Asbury Park, NJ called Brickwall Tavern.  We had a quick bite to eat outside before the rain came with Brody and Riley while Richie was in school.

Once we picked up Richie it was pouring...so what would we do with the kids on a rainy afternoon?  Well we decided to head to the movies and see Planes Fire & Rescue.  The boys had so much fun- they were glued to the movie the entire time!

Saturday, we joined friends for a fun dinner at Pascal & Sabine- a great French Bistro.  We enjoyed some great steak frites, moles frites and wine!  Sunday, we were exhausted and decided to head to the beach for a relaxing afternoon with some Chinese food.  The boys ran around in the sand...it was perfect!

The other highlight from the weekend was this delicious green power smoothie (recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis)...it was the perfect energy booster.
Recipe for Rise and Shine Juice:
Put the following ingredients in a blender
Bunch of Baby Spinach
2 apples
2 carrot sticks
2 celery sticks
1/2 lemon (juice and rind)
1 2-inch piece of ginger peeled
Ice

Hope you all had a nice weekend!  Here's details of the outfit I wore on Friday...most of it from TJ Maxx.  I just love that store...so many great finds at such smart prices!

Top: Workshop via TJ Maxx for $12.99 

Tank: Splendid via Nordstrom

Pants: Indigo Rein via TJ Maxx for $19.99

Sneakers: Converse

Sunnies: H&M (found in store, similar here)

Bag: Charlotte Russe (old, similar here)

Bracelets: Sira & Mara 1, 2

Watch: Michael Kors

JERSEY SHORE EATS

One thing that Rich and I LOVE to do is eat good food!  Whenever we travel, we always like to find the best spots (even if they aren't the fanciest or most hyped about) because we feel that you really get a good feel for travel and new destinations through what the locals eat.  Every weekend we spend "down the shore," we try our best to find new Jersey Shore Eats, and so today I'm sharing a few recent ones with you all.  If you live close to New Jersey, or plan to visit the shore this summer...definitely put these eateries on your list...you won't be disappointed!

MOGO KOREAN FUSION TACOS
850 Ocean Avenue and 632 Cookman Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
(732) 361-3684

 MOGO has two locations- one on the boardwalk which is just a taco stand, and one which is more of a sit-down restaurant on Cookman Avenue- the main strip of downtown Asbury.  Both places are very good and offer everything from tacos to bibimbaps and kimchi friend rice.  Even if Korean fusion food is not your thing, I would definitely check it out anyway because the food is delicious and the prices can't be beat.  This is a fun change of pace from your traditional hamburgers and hot dots along the Jersey Shore boardwalks.

FRANK'S
1406 Main Street
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
(732) 775-6682

If you are craving the best egg sandwiches and pancakes in Monmouth County, then Frank's is your place!  It just might be my favorite spot to head to on the weekend.  The place looks like a diner inside (not fancy), but the staff is great, the portions are big, and the prices are reasonable.

AVENUE
23 Ocean Avenue
Long Branch, NJ 07740
(732) 759-2900

Avenue is a sophisticated, upscale restaurant.  If you are looking for a great date night spot, or a place to wow your visiting friends, then head to Avenue.  The menu is French, the decor is modern, and there is also outside seating overlooking the ocean...can't beat that!

BROAD STREET DOUGH CO.
2005 Route 35 North
Oakhurst, NJ
(732) 531-1401

This donut place recently opened and serves up hot, fresh donuts daily.  There are many options for what you can get, from the traditional jelly and glazed, to the more fancy options like the S'mores Galore (chocolate frosting graham crackers and caramel)!  The base of the donut is rather dense (not my favorite), similar to an old fashioned donut. (I prefer light and airy).  Nevertheless they are good, and you can't go wrong with a donut!  For a great cup of coffee head to Rook a few doors down!

ROOK COFFEE

Various locations throughout Monmouth County

 For the best cup of coffee, look no further than Rook Coffee!  Any morning that starts with Rook is an awesome one!  I highly recommend a cup of the Honduran (each cup is brewed individually so it's fresh and flavorful).  They also have great bagels and pastries...my favorite thing to get is a plain bagel flat with fig butter!