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

A PIRATE ADVENTURE!

Last weekend we did one of the most fun things we have done yet with the boys...we went on a pirate adventure!  Jersey Shore Pirates is an actual pirate ship that sails on the Metedeconk River in Brick, New Jersey.  It was a great way to spend the afternoon with the kids!

The fun started the minute we got to the pier.  The crew painted tattoos on the children, the kids got to dress up in pirate costumes, and they also learned some "pirate lingo" before they hopped aboard.  All the kids got pirate names too...our boys were "Brave Brody" and "Rip Tide Richie!" ;-)

Once on board, all the little mateys helped look for the treasure map in the river, and also helped battle the "stinky pirate" by using the ship's water canons before retrieving the treasure chest from the river which was filled with lots of goodies for the kids.

 The adventure is perfect for kids between 3-8 years old.  Brody was a little young to get involved, but had fun nonetheless.  Richie, who is quite reserved sometimes when trying new things, felt very comfortable because the staff was very good at getting him involved.  He participated in all of the activities and had such a blast!

We seriously can't say enough about how much we all enjoyed it, and we will definitely go back for more adventures in the future!  

BIRTHDAY PARTY REVEL STYLE!

It's hard to believe that my little baby boys are now 3 and 1!  So as a fun little birthday trip (before our upcoming big birthday trip), we decided to take an impromptu trip to the Revel Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  This is now our third time there (read more about our first trip there here) because we just love it!  It's an absolutely gorgeous resort, located right on the beach and boardwalk in Atlantic City, with great restaurants, a beautiful indoor/outdoor pool and one of the nicest spas I've ever seen!  In addition, to help get people down to the Jersey Shore again (post Sandy), especially during the cold winter months/off-season, you can always jet set smart because the deals are so amazing!  We went for one night, and our room only cost $69!!!  I mean, that's pretty sweet, don't you think?  Anyway, we had fun splashing around in the pool with the boys, sleeping in our big comfy cozy bed, and we had an incredible tapas dinner at Amada (our first time to this one- we've eaten at the one in Philly before), and an awesome lunch of burgers and fries at Village Whiskey.  Here are some pictures from our trip.  We had the best time, and definitely look forward to going back there again soon!  If you can visit the Revel Resort, I highly recommend it!

WE SHORE HAVE COME FAR!

It's hard to believe that a little over 15 months ago the Jersey Shore was torn apart by Hurricane Sandy.  Beach towns that we love and frequent were basically washed away, and we wondered how it would ever come back.  These are pictures I took with my cell phone of Asbury Park.

Well, I'm happy to say that the Jersey Shore has come back, and in some ways even better than before.  This past summer was still a little bit of a work-in-progress, with things either not re-opening or opening up a little later than Memorial Day.  But, there were plenty of beach goers and that's amazing!  That it why it makes me so happy to read articles like this about Asbury Park, and to hear that Fodor's just listed Ocean Grove as one of the 15 Best Beaches for 2014.  So come on summer...we can't wait to get back to the Shore!

OCEAN GROVE

Where: New Jersey Shore

Thousands of travelers flock to the Jersey Shore every year but it’s more important that you plan a visit in 2014. The fact is, tourism to New Jersey’s shore communities—with 130 miles of beautiful beaches—still hasn’t fully rebounded after October 2012’s category 3 Hurricane Sandy. The towns have rebuilt and are better than ever and that’s one reason theJersey Shore is on Fodor’s 2014 Go List.

Insider Tip: Towns like Ocean Grove have worked hard to rebuild their little bit of paradise and they want to share it with you. Established in 1869, Victorian architecture is still a major draw of the area as is the beach and boardwalk. The downtown district—with cute shops and restaurants—is just two blocks from the famed boardwalk. But, you go to the Shore for the beach and Ocean Grove’s is pristine. It’s popular with families for its annual sandcastle and kite-flying contests, volleyball games, and boogey board races. Ocean Grove is a one-hour drive from Manhattan and Philadelphia, or you can take the train.