PASCAL & SABINE

After yesterday's post about Asbury Park being one of the 50 spots, 50 states to visit according to CNN.com, I figured I might as well tell you all about a great new restaurant in AP that we checked out last weekend- Pascal & Sabine.

This place is owned by the same people who own PORTA which I blogged about here.  Well, Pascal & Sabine is just awesome in its own way!  This place is sure to be the new shining star in this Jersey Shore town.  It's a European brasserie that is classy, elegant, eclectic, and it really rivals many of great top restaurants you find in New York City!  We visited on a Sunday for brunch, and while the French menu was limited to mostly egg items, duck confit and a burger and fries, it was perfectly sufficient for us.

We went with the boys and my in-laws and we all started out with an Americano coffee and one of their freshly baked chocolate croissants.  OMG!!!  This thing came right out of the oven, and the chocolate was oozing out and the flaky dough just melted in your mouth!

 We then all ordered the burger and fries.  The burger comes with gruyere cheese (LOVE) and the fries are triple fried in duck fat (yeah, bad for the thighs, but such great taste, it's worth all of the calories).  This may be our new spot when we want to eat in Asbury!

Bottom Line: Pascal & Sabine is another reason why "It's Happening" in Asbury Park!

WHERE: 601 Bangs Avenue Asbury Park, NJ 07712

ASBURY PARK-ONE OF 50 PLACES TO SEE IN 2014

As you probably already know, I am a huge fan of the Jersey Shore, and especially love the town of Asbury Park!  So, you can imagine my happiness when CNN.com posted its 50 states, 50 spots for 2014 and Asbury Park was one of them!  If you haven't checked out Asbury Park, then my question is...what are you waiting for?  There are so many great Zagat rated restaurants, cute coffee shops and boutiques.  Asbury Park is really happening!

After the devastation of Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the Seaside Park and Seaside Heights boardwalk fire last year, the communities of the Jersey Shore were determined to rebuild.  Head to Asbury Park, made famous by a Bruce Springsteen album, with its famous boardwalk (shown here).  It has an incredible Silverball Pinball Museum Arcade (with machines dating to 1931) and plenty to eat.  

SAFELY HOME!

Hey Jet Setters, I'm back! I was in Korea and Japan for the last two weeks and have to say that Asia was amazing! I can't wait to share pictures and stories with you all very soon. First, I want to tell you about the crazy flight experience I had leaving the U.S...On Sunday, May 9th, I boarded Continental Flight #9 from Newark International Airport for a 14 hour flight en route to Narita International Airport in Japan. Shortly after take-off I heard a loud boom and then the plane started to shake, and it felt like the plane wasn't climbing like it should have been. Next thing I know, the captain makes an announcement saying "Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a problem with our hydraulic system...it's not working, and so the back-up system has kicked in, but we will have to land again, but before we do, we must circle first to dump fuel." Well, we circled for about 45 minutes, dumping 170,000 gallons of fuel (I later found out). People were throwing up all around me, flight attendants were running up and down the aisles...it was scary!!! Right before we landed one of the flight attendants made an announcement saying "Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be landing shortly, please be advised that our landing will be harder and faster than normal." And it was! We hit the ground pretty hard, and the plane swerved right and then left (from all of the fuel still inside). There were emergency vehicles waiting on the runway for us (just in case), and they escorted us back to the gate. We all got off of the plane (shaken and confused as to what happened), and were handed food vouchers to go eat while they determined what would happen. Continental decided to give us a new plane, and we finally left for Japan that night at 8:30pm! We all later found out that part of the wheel broke off during take-off, and so the landing gear couldn't go back into position after take-off (hence why the plane couldn't climb and why it was so shaky). We also later found out that what had happened to us on that flight made the news!!! Yes, it was on CNN and all of the local news channels! Click here to read about it. I have to say in all of my years of jet setting, this was the first time something like this has ever happened to me. It's nice to be back home safely!

RUNAWAY BRIDE AND GROOM

What's your ultimate dream job? Well, I think I found mine...to be a Honeymoon Tester!!! Sign me up NOW!!! Thanks to the Runaway Bride and Groom website for coming up with such a fabulous idea! Read more about it here.

MOVIES THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU TO JET SET

CNN had a great article on its website last week called "Great Movies That Inspire You to Travel, " that I, of course, was instantly drawn to read. A film critic and author, Jay Boyar is quoted in the piece saying "Sometimes, it (a movie) can really inspire people to visit a place...They'll see the beauty of a city or a country, and they'll just start dreaming about that place, and the next thing they know, they're there." I couldn't agree more...movies and books have inspired me to jet set in the past (like when we went to Positano, Italy (see pic), and still do now. In fact, one of the movies, 'Sideways,' is a movie Jet Set Smart told you to watch to get you excited about wanting to jet set to Santa Ynez Wine Country in Santa Barbara County, California, just like it did for me. (That's twice in the last week that JSS was ahead of the gang with recommendations! :-)

Movies That Inspire Jet Setting:

• "Before Sunrise" (1995) and "Before Sunset" (2004)- Takes place in Vienna, Austria • "Under the Tuscan Sun" (2003)- Takes place in Tuscany and in some parts of the Amalfi Coast of Italy

• "Sideways" (2004)- Takes place in Santa Ynez Wine Country in Santa Barbara County, California

• The "Bourne Identity" and James Bond series. These movies take place in locations that are fun and spectacular. Think the Bahamas and Italy in "Casino Royale," and Morocco, Germany and England in "The Bourne Ultimatum."

• "Out of Africa" (1985)- Takes place in Kenya

• "Enchanted April" (1992)- Takes place in London, England

• "The English Patient" (1996)- Takes place in Tunisia and Italy

Rent one now...and have happy travels! :-)