Tag: food

Attention: This is not Chartwells

by Olivia

I never thought Conneticut would bring me some of the best food I have ever had but it has, yet again. Back in December, I traveled with my freinds to West Hartford, 20 minutes from Hamden. We went to a restaurant called, Barcelona, there we indulged in many spanish tapas. It was by far the best food I have ever had. If you ever see sweet potato humus with pita on a menu, I beg you to order it, you will not regret it.

Who would’ve thought Conneticut would behold the best restaurants. Pokemoto is heaven to all sushi lovers. Sushi bowls, burritos and more. All made with fresh ingredients and personalized to your liking. You select a base, flavor, protein, mix-ins and toppings. I got a rice base with, salmon, ahi tuna, chives, edamame, masago, avacado, ginger and I dressed it all with sesame ginger dressing…AMAZING.

If you live by southern Conneticut I really suggest you take a trip to either of these restaurants, you will  find something you love. These restaurants are not the Chartwells I’m used to…

Pokemoto//Hawaiian Poke

 

Honey, I’m Home

by Olivia

When you come home from college there are two things you want to see. One being loved ones and two being good food on your plate. You come home exhausted from the frozen, fried and foul food you’ve been indulging in while at school. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is better than biting into freshly made food. Going out to eat is the most extravagent of occasions for me these days and oh have I missed the food by the Jersey Shore. I’m all for a home cooked meal, but I treasure a moment to put on an outfit not consisting of leggings and a pullover (my college uniform) to go out for a bite to eat. Going out to eat  and catching up with friends makes coming home for spring break so much sweeter.

With just a week home, I knew I had to take the 20 minute drive to Stay Gold. The coziest beach cafe found in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The smell of freshly made coffee fills the space and immediately I feel at home. They have everything from coffee to freshly squeezed juices, from burgers to acai bowls.

Now on nearly any day of the year you can find me on the beach, but when it hits 30 degrees and the wind is taking me like a kite, I just can’t get myself to step onto the sand. Thursday, Rosie and I drove up the beach from Belmar to Point Pleasent. For a moment I forgot it was the middle of winter. Thankfully, the beauty and charm of a New Jersey beach is not seasonal.

In just two days spring break has ended and I head back to my other happy place, Quinnipiac University.   I have about seven weeks left of that delicious college food. The countdown to summer and good Jersey Shore food is on.

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A Day In My Life + Outfit

by Olivia

It is officially shorts weather!! It felt like the time would never come again but finally, the high temperature by the Jersey Shore is calling for tank tops and shorts. I am hoping the 80’s don’t leave us. It happened to be a perfect, sunny Saturday so my friends and I brunched at a cute inside/outside restaurant called The Robinson Ale House. It has such yummy food, you can check out the menu here if you’re from New Jersey! I got the BLT+A which was a BLT but with avocado, sooo tasty.

I love New Jersey and one of my favorite towns here is Red Bank! It has the cutest downtown area, full of shops and restaurants. I hope the pictures below capture just how adorable this little town just is.

Outfit Details: Top//Primark     Shorts//Uniqlo     Belt//unknown     Watch//MichaelKors     Shoes// SteveMadden     Rings// gifted or Pandora     Glasses//Ray-Ban     Satchel// H&M

Jesses Outfit: Top//Nordstrom BP     Shorts// American Eagle Outfitters      Choker//Forever21      Glasses//Francesca’s

* I could only link some items directly, some pieces are sold out or gone! 🙁

Check out Stargaze Jewelry for really cute, dainty chokers, click here.

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Sugar Factory Friday

by Olivia

For my friends and I, the month of February is the month full of birthdays, bringing on tons of birthday festivities each weekend. This past week we went to the Sugar Factory in New York City where everything was sweeter than sweet. The Sugar Factor is known for their super sugary drinks called Goblets, they come in a number of colors and flavors. My friend and I chose the Sunshine Tea Goblet and added some Lollipops to add taste and of course to make it “gram worthy.”

The interior design of the restaurant is different than I imagined, I picture a rainbow colored interior with a bunch of sweets as decor. Although, the restaurant was much more tasteful than I had originally expected. The colors were burgundy, black and white and a large black chandelier was the centerpiece of the room.  At the Sugar Factory, there is an upstairs and a downstairs, larger parties were seated upstairs and smaller parties were sat downstairs. While going upstairs you come across the famous Sugar Factory wall, many people take their photos against this wall. A ton of celebrities have captured pictures on this wall and they’re shown all around the restaurant.

The trip was yet another successful birthday out with friends and good food. Nothing sweeter than that.

 

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Painting, Food & Friends

by Olivia

Painting will never be my forte but for one of my closest friends birthdays, I had to put aside my mediocre painting skills and try to produce something worthy of Picasso. Did I succeed? Negative. We drove a short drive to Bradley Beach where we went to Bradley Brushstrokes Paint and Sip Studio (minus the sip). The studio was vibrant and definitely gave some 70’s vibes as you’ll see below.

After the painting, each of our stomachs had been grumbling ready to dig into a savory meal. Lucky for us, the birthday girl made reservations at Porta, a popular Italian eatery in Asbury Park, New Jersey. We walked into the artsy restaurant where there was one large room with a center bar. The bar had light bulbs hanging overhead and along the room hung small lights. Doors lined the wall to add a rustic feel along with the American flag draped from the ceiling. The room had long picnic tables instead of your typical round table or booth adding a very cozy feeling. One of my favorite things about this restaurant is that they had vegan options, although the selection is small, it is very thoughtful to include this for vegans or people with dairy allergies like myself. It makes the going out to eat process a lot easier. The food did not disappoint and by the end of the night, we all were stuffed full.

Any night spent with friends is a good night but any night spent with friends and food is a great night, am I right?

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