nyc

We live an hour and change south of the city and I am long overdue for a trip in. On my itinerary would be this spot Goat Town Restaurant. If only to sit in one of these SPECTACTULAR tiles booths. Love.

Images courtesy of http://goattownnyc.com. I'm pretty sure the food is spectacular as well....what a warm spot to be on a cool autumn evening.

Thanks for visiting! xoxo Traci

Pete & Elda's

There is a landmark on the Jersey Shore called Carmen's Pizza/Pete & Elda's Bar. Pete & Elda's for short. It is home to a legendary, paper-thin crusted pie. Toppings are discouraged, as it will weigh down the thin crust, but I am partial to sausage & peppers (they are sliced thin too). You shall NEVER order extra cheese.

I can honestly say this place is in my blood; my mom had it on March 11th, 1973 (just hours before I arrived). I think I may have figured out their secret ingredient(shredded provolone cheese ~ shhhh). Not that it matters, it's pretty hard to recreate. Oh, and the sauce...I'm not even going to go there, you'll have to try it and see!

Patrons who eat a XXL alone get a free T-shirt. The XXL slices folded on top of each other = about 3 slices of boardwalk pie, but not nearly as tasty!

These guys did not earn their T-shirts, but daddy did. I am just happy my picky eaters TRIED it at all!

If you ever find yourself down the Jersey Shore, try Pete & Elda's...trust ME, it's worth the wait and lack of parking spaces~

http://www.peteandeldas.com/

The Coal House

Good restaurants are NOT hard to find on the Jersey Shore, it's seeing what ones can survive the winters with just the locals patronizing them. Our friend & co-worker just partnered with a couple others to open a coal-fired pizza restaurant in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ and I have a feeling they will not have any trouble making it to Memorial Day, when our population swells. Hubster, some friends and I went on Friday nite to take a taste and I am already dying to go back. It was a lovely evening with a light snow falling and the air was electric with TGIF ~ everyone was happy to relax at the end of a week. The restaurants interior is more chic than the tavern feel of most places locally...tall ceilings, rich colors and fantastic lighting.

On to the good part! The menu is simple...salads, pizzas, paninis and a few dessert offerings. What makes CH unique is the "coal-fired" ovens, I can honestly say I didn't notice a difference between coal, or brick oven or regular pizza joints. What I did appreciate was the freshness of the ingredients, the simple menu that doesn't assault your senses (I do not need 47 toppings!), the great service and the fact that the pizza came to the table HOT!!

We sampled the house salad, antipasto, the original pie, the four-cheese, the whole wheat (they also offer gluten-free and vegan pies) and the white pie (my fave!). When it came to dessert, I can normally pass, but I was trying to absorb some FAB sangria my girlfriend made for the occasion (that recipe to follow...). We sampled the CH choco cupcake, CH Cannoli~~~heaven~~~cupcake and the cheesecake. All worth saving some room for.

Times like this I wish I had a huge readership to share with, but I will put this out there for my couple of "tri-staters" and anyone who may take a trip to the jersey shore @ some point! Check out the Coal House here: http://simplytakeout.com/thecoalhouse/coalhouse/