Sunday, July 25, 2010

Boardwalk, Cape May, and Philly; The End Of Our Mini-Vacation



Hey guys!  Sorry for my absence these past few days, but as you can see, I was fully enjoying our little vacay…..


We're back home now, but the entire long weekend was wonderful.  

Let me see, I believe I left off with lunch on Thursday so I'll just pick up from Thursday night. 

After I finished some serious shopping, I met Toly back at the hotel and we got ready to hit the boardwalk. 

We kept it pretty casual that night and enjoyed some drinks at the beach bar. 







When the sun went down, I had the best idea to get some ice cream and walk along the ocean.  Yes, my idea of a perfect date includes walks on the beach with frozen yogurt.  Doesn't everyones?



Friday morning, we woke up early and packed up the car for an impromptu day trip to Cape May. The first stop was breakfast and there is only ONE place that you must stop for breakfast in Cape May.

Uncle Bills Pancake House


For as long as I can remember, we have never been on a Cape May trip without making at least one stop at Uncle Bills.  This place is so nostalgic for me as I remember countless plates of pancakes bigger than my head eaten here as a child. 

I had a very hard time deciding what to order.  My choices were narrowed down between the Sweet Potato, The Banana Pecan or the Oatmeal Raisin.  When I asked the waitress, she said "forget everything else and go for the Oatmeal Raisin."  

Done!



2 large Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes with Cinnamon Butter and Syrup

Granted, I removed the blob of cinnamon butter, but these pancakes were amazing!  They really did taste like an oatmeal cookie but definitely more fluffy, chewy and just wonderful. 


Toly had the Peach Pancakes, although I don't think he could actually find his pancakes at first due to the copious amount of peaches that were loaded on top. 



Uncle Bills, you've yet again placed another fond notch in my heart for your pancake bliss.  Until next time! 

After we rolled out of our pancake comas, we hit the beach for a few hours.  Cape May's beach was much nicer than AC and we ended up spending more than we did the day before. 

A few hours passed and we had pretty much had our fill from all the sun.  

We walked down town to the Mall, which is an adorable little outdoor strip mall.  Cobblestone streets and the most quaint little beach shops.  Again, childhood memories are always relived in this town. 

We stopped for a lite bite at Jackson Mountain Cafe. 

I had the Tuna Salad served stuffed in a tomato with a side of fruit. 


It was perfectly refreshing and very tasty. 

After our time in Cape May, we made the 45 min drive back to AC.  For some reason, spending all day in the sun really takes it out of me, so instead of working out (which I had planned on), Toly and I watched tv and took a nap in the room.  Best choice of the entire day!!

Later in the evening, we showered and got ready for dinner. 




Dinner tonight was a special treat for hubby. We went to his all time favorite restaurant, Ruth's Chris. 



Toly raves about Ruth's Chris and their incredible steaks.  I've been here once before and was also impressed so we were both very excited for this dinner. 

To start, I had a Shriaz.



And the Caprese Salad, which didn't exactly remind me of a Caprese Salad, but it was still delicious!


Toly had one of their specials, Fillet Oscar


10 oz Fillet with Jumbo Lump Crab

By the way, Toly took this picture and wanted me to note on the position of his image.  Apparently he is becoming quite the novel at food photographing! ;) 

He hated it!


Joking of course, he ate every last bite. 

I had the Salmon Oscar, also a special for the night.


Salmon Fillet with Jumbo Lump Crab

This was very good, but being the food critique that I am, especially with seafood, I noticed that the salmon was just a tad overdone.  See, I like my salmon to just melt in my mouth like buttah, and there was a definite chewiness to this fish.  Toly even noticed it so I knew I wasn't being overly critical. 

The manager walked over to our table and asked how things were, I politely told him that everything was great, expect if I could give one piece of advice for next time, it would be to cook the salmon a little less because mine was just a tad overdone. 

He immediately apologized and insisted on bringing me a fresh piece.  I told him "of course not, because it was still very good, but I just wanted to let him know because with such a fantastic dish as this, you don't want to take away from the delicacy of the salmon." 

He insisted again but I assured him I was quite content with the way it was. 

When we finished our meals, the waiter came over and told us that we had to order any dessert off the menu because it was on the manager and our wine was also comped. 

Totally not necessary but who am I to turn down a free dessert?

The Banana Cream Pie immediate caught my eye and no wonder,

This was amazing!!!!  The filling was not heavy at all, just like a whipped cream with hints of subtle banana and white chocolate filled in a flaky pastry topped with caramelized banana. 

Toly had a piece of the chocolate sponge cake with chocolate gnache and cream cheese frosting which came with a side of berries in a cream sauce. 



Ruth's Chris was a wonderful experience.  Not only was the food outstanding but the service was out of this world.  We profusely thanked the manager for being so kind and he told us that it was the very least he could do because they only expect their customers to walk out feeling 100% satisfied by an incredible experience. 

Very impressed! 

I don't think this meal fully digested until the following afternoon. Just in time for a late lunch at yet another world famous establishment. 

After we packed up and checked out, Toly and I hit the road yet again for our last stop in our trip, Philly. 

We had tickets to the 4pm game, but met my dad, my brother in law, and their friend in the city for a bite to eat beforehand.  They were also going to the game, and their friend is a Philly native and knows all of the local places for the BEST cheesesteaks. 

When in Philly, listen to the locals, they know cheesesteaks and they know food! 

He led us to a place called Sarcone's Deli, right down the street from the Italian Market. 


Just as you can imagine, this little hole in the wall deli, with no air, one little table, and no room for more than 8 people was hopping! 

I was completely blown away by the vast vegetarian options on their menu. 

I had The Ultimate Veggie




Roasted Eggplant, Red Peppers, Spinach, Broccoli Rabe, Long Hots (which were very spicy peppers), vinegar and oil.  

I asked for it without cheese but I guess they forgot.  Oh well, it was an easy fix. 

Again, nothing less than the best!  The bread was what really made this hoaggie.  

My dad had the Turkey Pesto and raved and raved about how amazing it was.  He did not want me to miss the opportunity to share it either. 


What a great way to tailgate before the game.



Sadly, I have no more pictures to show you because right after this one was taken, our camera bit the dust.  Yep, it was due. It gave us a good couple of years, but it's time was had and now it has been laid to rest. RIP Casio!

PS- If anyone has any recommendations on a good Digital Point and Shoot, I'm in the market! 

On a better note, the Phillies won, we got home safely, and I'll be getting a new camera this week.  Until then, my dad gracious let me borrow his digital point and shoot so I won't be completely lost without one. 

Overall, it was a wonderful vacation.  With everything that has been going on these past few weeks, Toly and I were so happy to just get away and not think about it.  We promised ourselves we wouldn't stress over anything back home and just enjoy our time together and that is exactly what we did! 

Now, it's back to our reality and tomorrow is going to start a very full week but you know what, as crazy as things may be, everything in life is so good right now. 

I am so thankful! 




11 comments:

  1. What a FANTASTIC trip you all had. And the food? The pancakes look amazing. Love the look of the peaches loaded on top of the mans cakes. And that Banana Cream Pie? ow yum. Sorry to hear about the camera. As you know- mine hit the trash recently too. I think you deserve a nice new one :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. RIP cammy :(

    You two love birds are far too cute! What a fabulous weekend. Oatmeal raisin pancakes!? Mmm Mmm!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Those oatmeal pancakes look HEAVENLY. Send me some please ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey lady! I just got the new Panasonic Lumix, it is AWESOME!!! I love it! and it's touch screen!! Check it out when you go to buy your new camera! I'm glad you enjoyed your mini-vacation, looks like it was a blast!

    Take Care!

    ReplyDelete
  5. My husband grew up in PA and is a huge Phillies fan...so it was fun to see you in your Phillies gear. And gosh, what a cute couple you two are! I think my favorite meal of the past few days would have to be those delicious oatmeal pancakes...I'm such a sucker for carbs!

    ReplyDelete
  6. UNCLE BILLS!! My brother is actually good friends with "Uncle Bill's" son, so I've been going there forever too...I didn't know they had oatmeal raisin pancakes though!! Sounds so good!! And I love the Phillies action. We suck so far this season, but there's still hope! Glad you had a fun and safe trip!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Lauren, fun looking weekend! Don't you just love the service at Ruth's Chris :)I suggest the Canon Power Shot, I have had my SLR-EOS Rebel for years and love the great pictures it takes but it is just too big to lug around with me in my purse all the time. Last winter I invested in the smaller 10 megapixel A495 version and LOVE IT! The clarity is amazing and the snap and shoot pictures I take with it are just as good as the SLR. It is onsale right now at Best Buy for $109 too :) have fun choosing aa new camera!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks like an amazing time!!! I've never been to Ruth's Chris, but I really want to go. Sounds like the service was AMAZING! ;)

    And those Oatmeal Raisin pancakes? I am DROOLING right now!

    ReplyDelete
  9. MAAAJOR score on the free dessert! :)

    You look stunning, as always - beautiful couple!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my gosh what a fun time! YaY! The food looks amazing and you all look so so happy. :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. so much greatness in this post! NJ for me, Philly for Abe, and Ruth Chris Steakhouse is in LA so we can go too!!! yay!

    ReplyDelete