Best of the Jersey Shore: Cold Stone Creamery (and a Contest, Too!)

When we're at our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, and the girls can't talk me or Rex into driving them to Hoffman's in Point Pleasant Beach NJ for a thick shake float, we all have the good fortune of having a fridge full of Grab-N-Go flava from Cold Stone Creamery on Cedar Bridge Avenue in Brick, NJ. Just like our Roxiticus Desperate Refrigerator, our Bay Head Beach House fridge is stocked with at least ten different seasonal micro-brews and the freezer always has at least two quarts of Cold Stone....while we stock Rocky Off Road and Founder's Favorite in our freezer up north, at the beach we favor Shock-A-Cone and Cake Batter Batter Batter. Over Memorial Day Weekend, when Rex cooked steaks and we brought them across the street to Jango's house to serve dinner for eleven grown-ups and four kids, our two girls ran back across the street with Jango's 10-year-old daughter and her friend to bring three Grab-N-Go quarts back for the convivial crowd of 15 to share for dessert.

Starting right now through the end of the year, there's an Awesome Cold Stone Contest going on. If you have or know some kids between the ages of 13 and 19 and think you've got what it takes to create your own Cold Stone Signature Creation and get your friends to buy it, this is your chance to put your skills to the test in Cold Stone Creamery's iMix America contest. The rules are pretty straightforward, but check the web site for fine print. Come up with your own Ice Cream Creation using ingredients you can find at any Cold Stone Creamery location. Give it a cool and clever name, say Bay Head Bananaloha! Then get your family, friends, and fellow bloggers to try it and vote for it online. Creations with the most votes move on to the next round(s), where voting continues until December 31, 2008. The winner will be announced in January 2009 and gets a cool, sweet thirty grand ($30,000).

So I'll make you a deal...give me your kids and I'll give you my secret concoction....post a comment here on the Bay Head Blog if you have a teenager between ages 13 and 19, and Roxy will be in touch. We'll enter the contest, promote our Creation right here and over on my Roxiticus Desperate Housewives blog, and when we win, we'll split the cash. But hurry...as soon as I get back down to our beach house in Bay Head, I'm going straight next door to Edie Britt's house -- her son is 14 and her daughter will turn 13 over the summer -- to sign them up for the Awesome Cold Stone Contest before Jango across the street gets to them.

Welcome BlogExplosion Voters!

I worked all Memorial Day Weekend on new content for my Bay Head Blog, so today we're giving Roxiticus Desperate Housewives a rest and putting this blog up against the competition in BlogExplosion's Battle of the Blogs. While I was drinking my 4 o'clock beer (today it's La Cerveza del Pacifico Clara), we lost a close one 8-7 to Shallow Mike and his naughty strippers.

For the Bay Head Blog's win in our second Battle, I'd like to thank all of you for your votes and thank my good blogosphere buddy Wally Banners and The WTF Blog for being a good sport.

As always, whether you've joined us through EntreCard, SocialSpark, or BlogExplosion, we welcome your comments... please let us know what types of posts you'd like to see in the future here on the Bay Head Blog!

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please click the banner below to join the fun!

Bay Head NJ Artists: Kate Leigh Cutler

One of our neighbors in Bay Head, Kate Leigh Cutler, is a fabulous artist. She did one painting of our girls several years back that I will post here soon, and has promised to have her newest painting of them complete when we return to the beach for Father's Day Weekend 2008. For now, I'll leave you with another Kate Leigh Cutler original painting of one of the neighbor boys surfing near Mount Street Beach in Bay Head, New Jersey.

Best of Bay Head, NJ: Christmas Shopping

Rex and I close up our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, every year right after the annual Halloween Parade that starts on Mount Street, heads down Lake Avenue, turns left on Bridge Avenue, and proceeds into the fire station. By the end of October, all of the "bennies" are long gone, and the year-round Bay Head residents are left to enjoy the quiet tranquility of our beautiful beach town.

Leading up to Christmas, the local Bay Head merchants' association puts on a special night of holiday shopping, when all of our favorite stores stay open late and create a festive Christmas shopping atmosphere throughout the town.

Bay Head, New Jersey is not the type of place where people wake up at 5am on Black Friday (or sleep out in tents in front of the big box retailers) to stand in line for bargains. Especiallly off season, Bay Head is a sleepy little town where residents forego the thanksgiving ads from the big box retailers in favor of shopping at the old classic stores right in town... like the Jolly Tar or the stores in the Shopper's Wharf on Bridge Avenue, or head over to Mount Street to the Artisan's Galleria, maybe even commission a beautiful painting from local Bay Head artist Kate Leigh Cutler or find a special watercolor or oil painting by another Jersey Shore artist featured at the Anchor & Palette gallery in town.

If my Bay Head neighbors are looking for a big-screen color TV or Playstation or Wii, I bet they either wait for Santa Claus to bring it down the chimney or they avoid the crowds at the mall and purchase Black Friday items online.

Update on Our Bay Head Family Reunion

As I've posted once before, we're planning an August 2008 Bay Head family reunion for Rex's family. Everyone is pretty well confirmed, and they're all staying at The Grenville. I'm afraid we're stuck with the picture from their web site until I get back down to the peach with my good ole Canon Digital Rebel XT.

Bay Head NJ Kid Stuff: Borough of Bay Head Summer Camp 2008

Bay Head Mayor Bill Curtis (who is also the owner of Curtis' Central Market) informs me that the Borough of Bay Head will be running its summer camp again for the summer of 2008. The camp is a half-day (9-noon) program for residents age 5 and up and will run for six weeks starting July 7 (through August 15th). Information and registration forms are available from the Borough municipal office. The web site doesn't look like it gets updated very often, so you're probably better off checking in by phone: 732 892-0636.

Best Kid Stuff in Bay Head, NJ: Sarah's Kiddles (it's actually in Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ

When it rains while we're down at our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, Rex and I like to take the girls shopping for clothes. One of our favorite kids' clothing shops is Sarah's Kiddles in Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ. We haven't been there so far this season since we haven't been "rained out," but the next rainy day will take us on a trip to Sarah's Kiddles, probably followed by dinner and Prince Caspian (the second movie in the Narnia series).

Best of the Jersey Shore: Dennis Foy's Bay Point Prime -- Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

Even though we've been down to our beach house a couple of times already this season, I couldn't tell from the road if Dennis Foy's Bay Point Prime would be open for dinner this summer. The good news is, I called their phone number and got the message that Bay Point Prime IS open, starting with Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in the month of May. Hooray!

I'm going to make reservations for Rex's birthday dinner at the end of June.

Bay Point Prime is located right down the street from Bay Head at 1805 Ocean Avenue (aka Route 35), Pt. Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. Phone (732) 295-5400 for reservations.

Best of the Jersey Shore: The Crab Shack on Mantoloking Road in Brick, NJ

When we're at our beach house in Bay Head, New Jersey, Rex cooks a lot of seafood: clams, salmon, scallops, lobster...you name it and we get it from the Crab Shack.

I may have mentioned before that my girls are Jedi Clam Eaters, and we'll buy 100 littlenecks and topnecks. Over the long Memorial Day Weekend, we had clams on Friday night and lobsters on Sunday night. I meant to take a picture of the Crab Shack for you, but for now we'll stick with a happy crab.

If Rex is cooking seafood at home in Bay Head, the Crab Shack is the only place we'll go for fresh seafood. Open all year round, the Crab Shack has a large variety of fresh seafood daily, including live and steamed crabs, homemade specialties and prepared seafood dishes. If you don't feel like cooking, you can eat there, inside in the fish market or outside in the sunshine.


Visit the Crab Shack!
74 Mantoloking Road
Brick, NJ 08723
732-477-1115

Best of Bay Head, NJ: Art in the Park on Saturday, June 14th, 2008

Every year, Rex and I take the girls out to Centennial Park (use the municipal parking lot just off Bridge Avenue) in Bay Head, New Jersey, for a dose of Art in the Park. This year, Art in the Park is scheduled for Saturday, June 14th (raindate June 15th) from 10am to 4pm, with music playing all day long, and featuring the following local Jersey Shore artists:

• George Allsopp from Brick, NJ -- Oils & Acrylics
• Patricia Arroyo from Neptune City, NJ -- Pastels, Watercolors, Oils
• Mary Jo Austin from Lavallette, NJ -- Oils & Acrylics
• Al Barker from Bordentown, NJ -- Watercolors (his painting, "Summer Beach" is shown at the top of this post and is available at the Anchor & Palette Gallery on Mount Street in Bay Head, NJ)
• Lisa Begin-Kruysman from Bay Head, NJ -- Acrylics
• Ken Bernhard from Bridgewater, NJ -- Watercolors
• Lisa C. Budd from West Creek, NJ -- Watercolors
• William Bunting from Iselin, NJ -- Oils
• Beverly Canham from Manchester, NJ -- Oils, Watercolors
• Miroslaw Chelchowski from Laurence Harbor, NJ -- Watercolors, Pencil
• Joy Clayton from Howell, NJ -- Oils, Acrylics, Watercolors
• Carol Colvin from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors, Pastels
• Marie Demarco from Wall, NJ -- Pastels
• Catherine Detrich from Middletown, NJ -- Watercolors
• Donna Ferrante from Spring Lake, NJ -- Watercolors
• Joel Garh from Pt. Pleasant, NJ -- Pen & Ink
• Alexander Gletow from Brick, NJ -- Watercolors
• Beverly Golembeski from Seaside Park, NJ -- Watercolors, Acrylics
• Ann Hayes from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Andrew Huntley-Robertson from Summit, NJ -- Oils
• Paula Kolojeski from Princeton, NJ -- Pastels
• Steve Lambert from Manchester, NJ -- Oils
• Jack Loder from Brick, NJ -- Acrylics, Oils
• Rober A. Loder, Jr. from Bay Head, NJ -- Acrylics
• Lise Masson from Howell, NJ -- Oils, Watercolors
• Ramona Maziarz from Middletown, DE -- Pen & Ink
• Bert McNomee from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Philip Meyer from Totowa, NJ -- Oils
• Pauline Mickle from Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ -- Watercolors
• Sheila Mickle from Brick, NJ -- Calligraphy, Pen & Ink
• Mary Monagle from Spring Lake, NJ -- Watercolor, Mixed Media
• Raymond Moran from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Ninetta Nappi from North Bergen, NJ -- Watercolors
• Demetrius Patterson from Tinton Falls, NJ -- Acrylics
• Virginia Perle from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Ellen Ricci from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Tracy Roccanova-Miller from Brick, NJ -- Watercolors, Giclee Prints
• Gloria Salmestrelli from Seaside Park, NJ -- Oils
• Ellen Scharfenberg from Toms River, NJ -- Watercolors
• Sal Sorce from Manahawkin, NJ -- Acrylics, Oils
• Amanda Viggiano from Pt. Pleasant, NJ -- Acrylics, Oils
• Susan Wagner from Pt. Pleasant, NJ -- Acrylics, Watercolors
• Tom Williams from Valley Forge, PA -- Oils, Prints
• Gregory Zach from Wall, NJ -- Oils
• Joanne Zezula from Brick, NJ -- Watercolors

The Mermaid Swim Team of Bay Head, New Jersey

Rex and I just wandered into the Anchor & Palette Gallery on Mount Street in Bay Head, NJ, and walked out with the Mermaid Swim Team by local Wall, NJ, artist Wendy McCarthy.

Actually, that's not quite true. We purchased the Mermaid Swim Team, which is part of the Mermoments trilogy that Wendy McCarthy is working on for her show at the Anchor & Palette from July 25th through August 4th on Mount Street in Bay Head, NJ. We're planning to hang it in the girls' bedroom in our beach house for the summer, but since we probably won't be at the beach for a couple of weekends, we left it at the Anchor & Palette for you and our neighbors to enjoy.

An extra special treat...we met artist Wendy McCarthy today...she was so pleased to be there when the first of her beautiful Mermoments paintings was sold. Wendy put a lot of love into the painting, but she could see we would give it a good home.

Jersey Shore Restaurants: Latitude 40 Degrees North in Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ

Rex has our Memorial Day Barbecue all planned out, but I just got an e-mail from Latitude 40º N, a restaurant in Pt. Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, reminding me that they will be open tomorrow on Memorial Day.

Latitude 40º N features casual dining in a bright, welcoming and tranquil atmosphere. Executive Chef and Owner Randy Pietro, a Point Pleasant resident and Ocean County native, is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. He brings many years of culinary expertise including 15 years as the executive chef at the famous Mickey Mantle's restaurant in New York City. Randy Pietro opened the doors to Latitude 40º N in July 2004. Since then, his mission has been to offer moderately priced, beautifully presented dishes, prepared using top quality ingredients and outstanding recipes that are both unique and traditional.

While Rex and the girls and I tend to favor Dennis Foy's Bay Point Prime, ever since Dennis closed Dennis Foy's in Pt. Pleasant Beach, Latitude 40º N has been an attractive restaurant for expanding our options without driving too far from Bay Head. If you'd like to experience Latitude 40º N, I'd recommend calling ahead for reservations: 732-892-8553. Latitude 40º N is located in the heart of the Pt. Pleasant Beach downtown area, at 816 Arnold Avenue. And save room for dessert.

Florida's Caladesi Island Named Nation's Best Beach...on behalf of Bay Head, New Jersey, I Beg to Differ...

According to a recent story from CNN online, Florida's Caladesi Island topped the 2008 list of America's top beaches compiled by "Dr. Beach" -- Stephen P. Leatherman, a Florida International University professor. While our beloved Bay Head, New Jersey, didn't even make the list, Caladesi beat out beaches in Hawaii, along the Eastern Seaboard, and in California for this year's honor. The runners-up on Leatherman's list of best beaches this year were Hanalei Beach, Hawaii; Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida; Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York; Coronado Beach in San Diego; Main Beach in East Hampton, New York; Hamoa Beach, Hawaii; Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; Cape Florida State Park near Miami; and Beachwalker Park on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Margarita Night at the Neighbors' House

Every year, usually early in the season to celebrate our return to the beach in Bay Head, New Jersey, we get together for dinner and drinks with the neighbors across the street. Rex cooks an amazing bunch of steaks, and Jango (with the bad influence on three minors assistance of his 10-year-old daughter and my two girls) makes pitcher after pitcher of margaritas.


Tonight is that night, and we are really looking forward to it.

She said "I'm going out with my girlfriends
Margaritas at the Holiday Inn"
Oh have mercy my only thought
Was tequila makes her clothes fall off
I told her put an extra layer on
I know what happens when she drinks Patron
Her closet's missing half the things she bought
Yea tequila makes her clothes fall off

She'll start by kicking out of her shoes
Lose an earring in her drink
Leave her jacket in the bathroom stall
Drop a contact down the sink

Them panty hose ain't gonna last too long
If the dj puts Bon Jovi on
She might come home in a table cloth
Yea tequila makes her clothes fall off

She can handle any champagne brunch
A bridal shower with Bacardi punch
Jello shooters full of Smirnoff
But tequila makes her clothes fall off

She'll start by kicking out of her shoes
Lose an earring in her drink
Leave her jacket in the bathroom stall
Drop a contact down the sink

She don't mean nothing
She just havin' fun
Tomorrow she'll say oh what have I done
Her friends will joke about the stuff she lost
Yea tequila makes her clothes fall off
Oh tequila makes her clothes fall off
Oh tequila makes her clothes fall off

-- "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" -- Joe Nichols

Gone Shoppin'

After a nice bike ride in sunny Bay Head, New Jersey, Rex took the girls and me on a shopping trip to The W.A.S.P. on Bridge Avenue and The Bee (just moved to a new, bigger location) on Route 35. The girls made out like bandits at The W.A.S.P., picking out "twin" bathing suit sets as well as three or four new outfits each.

Their mom didn't do too badly either...I found a nice white pinstripe suit at The W.A.S.P. and a hot midnight black and white wide strip tank dress at The Bee. We are ready to start stepping out for the summer season here in Bay Head, New Jersey.

A Day at the Beach!

We're off to bike ride and hit the beach for the day, but I'll leave you with this watercolor that a local artist painted of our house in Bay Head, New Jersey. The girls have a new set of seashells painted and have already earned $3.50 (14 shells @ 25 cents each) selling seashells down by the seashore.

Best Restaurants of the Jersey Shore: Mahogany Grille in Manasquan, NJ

Several of our neighbors at the beach in Bay Head, New Jersey, turned us on to the Mahogany Grille in Manasquan. While we can't walk there, the Mahogany Grille is worth the drive for a special occasion or, as Zagat's expresses it "when cost doesn't matter."

The Mahogany Grille is located at 142 Main Street (at Parker Avenue) in Manasquan, NJ. Call (732) 292-1300 for reservations.

Jenkinson’s on the Boardwalk in Pt. Pleasant Beach, New Jersey

While Rex and I tend to prefer Jenkinsons' next-door neighbor, Martell's Tiki Bar, both on the boardwalk in Pt. Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, there's a lot to be said about Jenks' calendar of upcoming shows, kicking off with an optimistic Wednesday night start to your Memorial Day Weekend on the Jersey Shore:

Wednesday, May 21^st: The Gin Blossoms

• Thursday, May 22^nd: Screaming Broccoli
  
• Friday, May 23^rd: Life House (WPLJ Live with Scott & Todd, doors open at 6am, yes that's six in the morning)
  
• Friday, May 23^rd: Life Speed with DJ Robbie O
  
• Saturday, May 24^th: Big Orange Cone with DJ Unique
  
• Sunday, May 25^th: The Benjamins with DJ Unique
  

Apparently with the exception of this Wednesday with the Gin Blossoms, every Wednesday night is now Country Night at Jenk's! I may have to dust off my cowboy boots (custom-made just for Roxy in Texas) and cowboy hat and head on over to check out the live bands each week. Country Wednesdays are hosted by K98.5's Kaptain Jack and sponsored by Corona.

Martell’s Tiki Bar on the Boardwalk in Pt. Pleasant Beach, New Jersey

I've been going to Martell's Tiki Bar on the boardwalk in Pt. Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, since I was in high school and had to use a 35-year-old woman's driver's license to get in, and it just gets better every year. Maybe ten years back, Martell's brought in some live palm trees (I believe they have to be replaced every year after the winter ravages them) to add to the tropical paradise of frozen drinks.

Rex and I always go to see Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes at Martell's around Labor Day. Now that I've purchased my tickets online, I can reveal the dates – August 25^th and August 26^th – as well as a link for you to buy your own tickets.

Here's a quick calendar of upcoming shows at Martell's Tiki Bar, kicking off with Memorial Day Weekend:

• Friday, May 23^rd, 2pm-6pm: Undisputed Trio
  
• Friday, May 23^rd, 9pm: Big Baby Ernie
  
• Saturday, May 24^th, 1pm-6pm: Dr. Cheeko
  
• Saturday, May 24^th, 9pm: New Power Soul
  
• Sunday, May 25^th, 1pm-6pm: Dr. Cheeko
  
• Sunday, May 25^th, 9pm: Full Effect
  
• Monday, May 26^th, 1pm-6pm: Dr. Cheeko
  
• Saturday, May 28^th, 9pm: Don't Call Me Francis
  

Martell's Tiki Bar is located on the boardwalk in Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ. Call (732) 892-0131

Theresa's South is Coming to Mount Street in Bay Head, New Jersey

Despite the earlier protests of our year-round neighbors in Bay Head, New Jersey, we've had a restaurant on the corner of Mount Street and Route 35 for several years. It started with Heat Wave, which changed to Bay Head Bistro. The location changed hands again over this past winter, and there's a sign that the owners of Theresa's, Mojave Grill, and Isabella's, all in Westfield, New Jersey, are bringing Theresa's South to Mount Street in Bay Head.

As I was taking these pictures, I ran into some guys who were working inside the restaurant, and they told me they hoped to have it ready by June 1st. With Rex's birthday and Father's Day in the month of June, we'll be sure to have a review for you by the end of the month.

She Sells Sea Shells Down by the Seashore

My girls have kicked off the seashell sales season here in Bay Head, New Jersey, with a new twist: Krylon spray acrylic will make this year's shells last longer. They haven't sold any so far today, but we're gearing up for a huge Memorial Day weekend....and we also found $2.50 (10 shell sales) in assorted change left on our porch on the honor system over the winter!

Back to the Beach! Saturday Dinner at Shipwreck Grill -- Brielle, NJ

Rex and the girls and I are opening up the beach house tomorrow and we're having dinner at The Shipwreck Grill in Brielle on Saturday night!

Maybe when we get back from the beach on Sunday night (you can thank Comcastic for my lack of Internet down in Bay Head) I'll write my own review, but for now you'll have to settle for Deb's over on Jersey Bites: http://www.jerseybites.com/2007/09/to-kick-off-our-restaurant-write-ups-i.html

Wordless Weekend? I Am Mother of the Year!