Jersey gems...

Morning, all!  Sorry I had a couple of days that got away from me, but figured the blog would come roaring back with a vengeance this morning after the day we had yesterday of celebrating my birthday down the Jersey shore.  And considering I feel like I may never eat again, I feel like that's a good indication of how many treats were hadJ  

I feel like we pretty much traversed the entire coast by 3pm yesterday, and we still barely scratched the surface.  Just goes to show ya how much there is to do on Jersey's east most pointsJ

Our first stop was for one of my favorite treats, that I'm blaming on genetics.  My Grandmother & I loveeed to stop for the occasional donut when I would go to church with her, so what better way to start my dayJ  We made our way to OB-CO's Donuts in Tom River...

...and were happily greeted by the lights strung to the front of the building being illuminated, which means they still had donuts available for the day...J  (you can see em on the far right of the pic...)

Besides the cute lights, I LOVEEEDDDD this old-school building.  Scott & I were talking on the drive over about how the more east-ward you drive, the more the buildings take on a VERY distinctive line of VERY vintage/classic or very modern.  You can take a guess at which is my favJ

Even though they were out of a lot of their specialties, like their sugar-raised & crumb cake varieties, we still were able to pick up quite a gaggle of assortments that we sampled our way through... 

My fav part of these 'nuts were the dough, which you could just tell was an original recipe.  It just had that old-fashioned, yeast-y taste (does that make sense???) and the CRISPY EDGES.  I JUST ADORE the CRISP!J

And speakin of crisp, it was highlighted especially in their delectable cinnamon knots... 

....and, um, I'm almost embarrassed to post this, but it was one of their specialty treats that they still had available for the day and how could we NOT give it a sample??  Not to mention it's one of Scott's favs.  It's just the USUAL Apple Fritter is not the size of your head.  I mean, literally... 

Scott said "People are going to think something is wrong with us" for even considering purchasing this guy, but when in Rome...  It had crispy edges, top & BOTTOM and was filled with chewy, yeast-y donut and apple bites.  Oh man...it was good, but a little of this thing goes a LONG wayJ  This could honestly be breakfast for 2 for a week!  Let's just say we came home with A LOT of it, but REALLY enjoyed all the bites we had.  ...but I'll be happy not to see any more of it at the present moment J

We had other plans besides donuts in Toms River, but since they got a little diverted from the snow & ice we had lately, we took a detoured trip to our usal fav: Point Pleasant... 

...where Katie was MORE than happy to greet the beach for the year with a little happy danceJ 

It's CRAZY that a week ago we were waiting for a blizzard, and this week we were prancing on the beach in mid-60 degree weather.  It was certainly not un-welcomeJ

Then after a trip to the "A-core-ium"...J

...and a lesson in Jersey shore arcade game prize-winnings...

We headed to our next stop in near-by Neptune, NJ... 

I have to thank my yogi friend Kaitlyn, for giving me a slew of shore-food recommendations this past weekend!  She totally set-up my whole birthday plan without even knowing itJ  Cause one mention of "the best thin crust pizza" and I'll be THERE to try it out!  

Pete & Elda's totally has the vibe of CLASSIC pizzeria and its claim of being the originators of the thin crust was worth the trip.  We started with the Kaitlyn-recommended chopped antipasto salad... 

Mmmmm....didn't mind paying the extra $1 to have it chopped, since each bite gave you got a taste of the cheese, salami, roasted red peppers, cucumbers & chickpeas.  Total party salad.

And then it was time for the main event... 

On first bite, the one thing I definitely noticed was missing was a charred-crust, which is a central Jersey staple & pretty much a religious experience in the pizza realmsJ

...butttttt the more you ate (and trust, we ate A-PLENTY!), the more you could just devour the taste of the sauce & smattering of cheese.  It was so flavorful, that it totally pulled it all together, despite the missing flavor the char usual adds.  Not to mention, I think this was THE most GARLIC-laced pizza I ever tried (we asked for garlic, fyi!) and I was A-OK with this!  Make sure you're a fan before you place that order...and if you are, you will NOT be disappointed!  The whole experience was certainly swoon-worthyJ

Pete & Elda's was definitely worth the trip.  While we are SURROUNDED by incredible places (Delorenzo's & Federici's being our two house favorites), Scott said it's SOO hard to compare and say who is the best, since they are just ALL so damn good!  There's room for everyone, I say!  I'm gonna make the very bold statement and say Jersey has some of THE best pizza in the country and Pete & Elda's is definitely one of the best.  ....and now that I said how you can't compare, I'll be anxious to try Kaitlyn's also recommended rival: Vic'sJ  Soon enough, I'm sureJ  

And even though I was STUFFED TO THE GILLS after the pizza, Katie's chant of "ice cream, ice cream" proved to be too great.  Again, we were going to make a stop at another Kaitlyn-recommended place, but found them not to be open for the season yet.  Sooooo we headed to our all-year favorite:  Hoffman's... 

...aka-BACK to Point PleasantJ  I had to go with a one-scoop of my now-favorite:  Jersey Monkey (banana ice cream, laced with peanut butter swirls & chocolate chunks....topped with toasted coconut for good measureJ)

...and, um, I'd say Katie was VERY happy with her choice of strawberry topped with rainbow jimmies & Swedish fishJ

Definitely a day for the books....even though, like I said, I may never eat againJ  I was sooooooo BEYOND stuffed from this day, but one where I would say I def had all my favsJ  Most importantly, a fun time with Scott & KatieJ

BACK TO GREEN TODAY!  I kinda think Scott & I already committed to two-days of smoothies for dinner since we both felt sooooo BLAH by the end of the day...and still have 2 more 'party' meals in the near futureJ  OY...moderation is SOOOOO tough right now, but I'll pull it together!!J

OK...and after THAT epic post:  ENJOY YOUR THURSDAY!J