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

WARDROBE WEDNESDAY: CASUAL SEQUINS

Hey Guys!  I got a few requests to post my outfit details from Monday's post about Porta so here it is for you!  I absolutely fell in love with the casual, yet dressy look of this top- a sweatshirt with bling for me = LOVE!  So I thought it was the perfect thing to wear to a Sunday brunch with the hubby and kids.  I paired it with jeans, snow boots (thanks to Mother Nature's blast of snow), a hat and a little pink clutch which I think ties in the pink in the hat and the top.  Happy hump day everyone!

Top: ASOS (sold out similar here)
Jeans: LOFT
Boots: Target from last year (similar here or here)
Hat: Burberry (old similar here or here)
Bag: Juicy Couture (old but available on ebay)
Earrings: Stella & Dot
Bracelets: Stella & Dot 1, 2, 3
Watch: Michael Kors

PORTA

Porta means door in Italian, and at Porta Pizzeria in Asbury Park, New Jersey, the restaurant's front door is one you'll want to walk through again and again!  Porta opened a couple of years ago, and we've been there many times (for dinner, lunch, and for the first time this weekend for jazz brunch), but yet I realized I hadn't blogged about it yet, and boy is it blog worthy!  The food here is AMAZING!  Everything from the pizza (cooked in ovens imported all the way from Naples, Italy), to the pasta and salads is incredibly delicious and at good prices!  The menu changes from brunch to dinner, and also changes with the seasonal ingredients available different times of the year.  That being said, so far in all the times I have been there, they have always delivered and never disappointed.

 The space itself is also very worthy of a mention because it is so cool!  It's a huge loft space inside (feels like something you would find in Williamsburg, Brooklyn), with a bar area, and big communal picnic tables where you sit to eat.  In the nicer weather, there is an outside area as well with more picnic tables, and there's also a bocce ball court.  They don't accept reservations, only walk-ins, but other than a Friday or Saturday night, I have never had to wait that long or wait at all- which is much appreciated with you go out to eat with two kids under the age of three.  And speaking of kids, this place is totally kid friendly.  It's loud, they have highchairs, and a menu pretty much any kid would be happy ordering from.

 They have a great wine menu too that has very affordable options.  Pretty much every time we've eaten at Porta, we've had this bottle of Lambrusca which goes for $20!

We were served bread with olive oil and seasonings while we sipped our wine and waited for our food.

 This time we started out with their Bibb Salad (we've had this salad almost every time we've been there because it's that good).  It has bibb lettuce, gorgonzola, roasted walnuts and comes dressed with an apricot vinaigrette- not too sweet, but just the perfect amount to cut through the tanginess of the blue cheese.  

For pies we had their Margherita with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, basil, and is drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.  These simple flavors are classic and delicious, and the kids love it too!

We also had a new one we've never had before- the Winter Betty which has goat cheese, homemade ricotta, broccoli rabe pesto, roasted garlic, thyme, chile flakes, and extra virgin olive oil.  This was AWESOME!  Rich is not much of a goat cheese person and even he loved it!  The taste of the goat cheese is very mild, and the chile flakes give it a nice kick.  This pie is one of my new favorites!  (Along with one not on the brunch menu, only on the dinner menu and not pictured here  known as the 14 and 1/2 which I highly recommend too which has spicy Calabrian chiles and soppressata).

We also tried an order of their Lasagna which has San Marzano tomatoes, ricotta, fresh mozzarella and basil.  I prefer some meat in my lasagna which this obviously doesn't have- so it wasn't my favorite, but it was still good, and the boys loved it!

For dessert we just could't help ourselves, and decided to order one of their Nutella pies.  Need I say more?  AMAZING!!!

So again, one walk through Porta's door, and you'll be hooked.  It's a great spot if you live near the Jersey Shore, but it's even worth the 1 hour and 15 minute drive down the parkway from New York City!