Archive for the 'Dining Out' Category

Chatham NJ Neighborhood and Town Video Tour

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The sought after areas of Chatham Borough   and neighboring Chatham Township  share a common heritage and are often referred to as Chatham or The Chathams. If you’re thinking of moving to  NJ, and are looking for an easy commute into NYC, excellent schools, and a great community, here’s a way to get a peak at what this beautiful town has to offer.  You’ll see schools, parks, Main Street shops and restaurants, Chatham train station, as well as  beautiful borough and township neighborhoods.

Then, if I’ve peaked your interest, and you’d like to come in for the real town tours, just give me a call… (973)464-9129

Yours to count on,

Sue

Manhattan Bagel to open in Summit NJ

When I moved from the Philly burbs, where we had great bagels from places like Hymies and Murrays, I just expected that living  ”outside of NYC” the bagels could all be bought fresh out of the oven with a crusty exterior with the soft inside. mmmm.  They’re fine, so I’m not really complaining, but they just dont exceed my expectations either. So the news of Akram Kwaik opening up a Manhattan Bagel in Summit is music to my ears, that is, if the bagels actually taste like  New York bagels .  Is anyone out there familiar with them? That brings me to my next question… where are your favorite places to get great bagels around here?  Would you vote for  Livingston Bagel , Bagel Chateau, or Bagels 4 You in Short Hills? Any others?

Summit NJ Wine and Food Festival- Not to be missed!

Save these dates and get your tickets now! July 24, 25, 26th at the Grand Summit Hotel 

courtesy of www.summitwineandfood.com 

Get your tickets for The Summit Wine and Food Festival here.

 Friday July 24th is opening night featuring 15 world-renowned chefs preparing their signature dishes. There will be 15 leading wineries providing the accompanied wines. The cost of the opening night reception is $195.  Afterwards, there is an Invitation Only after hours party for mingling with the winemakers, chefs and sommeliers at the Hunt Club Restaurant.

Saturday morning  from 10-12 the Rubicon Estate’s Master Sommelier Roger Dagorn will lead you through a vertical tasting of the legendary wines of this vineyard. Read the rest of this entry »

From Millburn Ave to Main Street in Chatham, I’m still home.

  

When I moved to Chatham  last year from Short Hills,  it felt like I was moving to another country, yet it is only one town over!  I was used to Millburn Ave, not Main Street!  and I swear the leaves on the trees were a duller shade of green.  After 25 years of living in Short Hills, I was “a woman without a neighborhood,” homesick and lost.

 

What I’ve come to learn, is that the Summit, Chatham and the Short Hills areas are more closely connected than I ever realized.  It just took a personal move to find out. 

 

Why the change in attitude?

 

Recently I had opportunities to dine at two local Chatham  restaurants; Gregorio’s and Scalini Fedeli.  Both are on Main St, within walking distance to everything in town, a convenience I love.

Gregorio’s can get really busy, so be sure to get a reservation and bring your own wine which I always consider a plus. A few other local hot spots on Main Street and not to be missed; Seranade , fine dining to perfection.  A Taste of Asia is Malaysian cuisine. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s a mix of Chinese and Thai food. Yum! Chatham of course has a Japanese restaurant. Mitsuba . I’ve been to my fair share of sushi places. This might be one my favorites of all times! 

Read the rest of this entry »

Work in NYC? 10 Reasons why you should commute from New Jersey.

10 Reasons why you should move from Manhattan to our awesome New Jersey towns….

1. NJ Transit- Midtown Direct Train gets you into New York Penn Station in 20-40 minutes from South Orange, Maplewood, Millburn, Short Hills, Summit, Chatham & Madison, in that order on the line, and 45 minutes to an hour if you head out towards Morristown, or Basking Ridge. If you click on link above, you will see parking options whether you live in one of these towns or one of the surrounding towns. Need to commute to downtown to the financial district? Just take the train to Hoboken, and then the path or ferry.

Oh, did I mention that there is valet parking at the Millburn train station, and that there is a jitney bus to get you to and from the Maplewood & South Orange train stations during morning and evening rush hours?

2. We have great public schools! 2007 New Jersey School Report Card

3. Our towns are absolutely charming and beautiful. They are SO not like the New Jersey stereotype. Each town has its own personality(and different sections within each town do as well), and you’ll find that living here you will frequent all of the surrounding towns for different things from shops to restaurants to theatre to fitness centers to art, piano or karate lessons.

Virtual Tour of Millburn & Short Hills

Virtual Town Tour of Maplewood & South Orange

Virtual Town Tour of Summit

Virtual Town Tour of Chatham

4. There are very active Newcomers Clubs in each of our towns. A great way to meet other newcomers & put the “bourbon back in suburban” is to attend the Octoberfest or Spring Formal. My husband and I STILL go to the monthly wine tastings at the Millburn/Short Hills Newcomers Club because we’ve made so many new friends at this event. Newcomers Club Sample Activities, Activities with Children

5. We have lots of Golf Courses in New Jersey . Prefer tennis instead? There is the Racquet’s Club in Short Hills or the Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange. You can join for tennis or just get the social membership. There are always tons of activities going on. But the cherry on the top is- each of our towns has its own town pool, a relatively inexpensive and popular option.

6. Contrary to Manhattan real estate, in New Jersey, we have a Multiple Listing Service (MLS), so ONE realtor can show you all of the listings in the Garden State MLS. http://www.garden-state-listings.com/

7. Cars today have navigation systems, so you can wander around our beautiful winding tree-lined streets and not get lost if you move here.

8. We have beautiful parks, arboretums, the South Mountain & Watchung Reservations, and local dog parks in Millburn and Livingston. You can go to Millburn Deli and stroll through their parking lot into Taylor park to eat, and relax to a concert or movie in the park as well during the summer.

9. We have a variety of great restaurants!

Scalini Fedeli in Chatham, La Focaccia or Fiorino in Summit and Bascilico in Millburn are my favorites for Italian. For Asian/Thai food, I recommend Toro or Thai Chef in Montclair, Khun Thai in Millburn or Monster Sushi in Summit. The new Roots Steak house in Summit is really great ( reserve early!), and for Happy Hour, join us at Winberries in Summit every Thursday night. Or head over to Toro Loco in South Orange. If you would like to add your favorite restaurants to this post, please comment!

10. You are not, I repeat… ARE NOT… allowed to pump your own gas in New Jersey. Is that great or what?!?