What a Wonderful Weekend

Well Sunday you sure snuck up on me, but it's been a wonderful weekend filled with good conversations, delicious food, and great friends!

Friday I spent the wonderful evening in Hoboken visiting my childhood friend Megan, who is also an April baby! We haven't seen each other in a while so we started off with wine at her apartment before heading out for dinner. Speaking of dinner, my Italian meal was seriously one of the best dishes I've ever had. We headed to Margherita's Pizza & Cafe on the corner of 8th street and Washington St. On our walk there we stopped to pick up a bottle of wine as the restaurant is BYOB. With our bottle of white in hand we were seated right away. They start you off with this amazing Bruschetta that I unfortunately didn't snap a photo of. For my main dish I ordered the Rigatoni Pesto with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and added Shrimp. (You will see from this post I am in love with all things Shrimp!) I didn't realize at the time it was one of the most popular dishes. The sauce wasn't too heavy and there were plenty of Shrimp and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. After closing down the restaurant we headed to a local bar to continue catching up, and I took my leftovers with me to our 2nd destination. 

Next stop was Little Town Social. They are known for providing locally sourced and inspired fare in a social setting. If you know about the Real Housewives of NJ you know Caroline Manzo's two sons Albie and Chris are investors in the establishment. It was actually pretty quiet for a Friday night at 11pm when we arrived and we grabbed two seats at the bar. In chatting with the bartender, something I love doing, talk about outgoing, we learned it was under new management. Since it was on the emptier side we were able to enjoy our conversation well into the evening. We chatted life, relationships, careers, etc... It was a great evening! 

Saturday was for seeing my best friend Kristen who I grew up with. Her husband Matt was out of town and they two of them are always raving about The Shrimp Box in Point Pleasant. I figured I could convince her to go with me since it would be my first time and it was a success. I'm sure Matt was just a little jealous but they will have plenty more date nights down there. It opened for the season back in March; however with the amazing weather we knew it would be crowded but we underestimated how crowded. With a 45 minute wait we hit the bar and watched the sun set on the inlet. I've been told you could wait up to three hours in the summer for a table during dinner and close to 2 for lunch. Opened in 1940 and underwent a final renovation in 2012-1013 after Hurricane Sandy it's a local and tourist hot spot. 

We ordered Coconut Shrimp to start and boy were the four shrimp perfectly coated and mouth watering. Next up for my entree I knew I needed more shrimp and at Kristen's recommendation I ordered the Shrimp Scampi, another meal that also came home with me. I am currently adding them to my favorite restaurants on the Jersey Shore. Check out there Instagram account, just not when you are hungry! 

After a weekend full of delicious food I had one more stop on the friends tour. My family/camp friends recently bought their first home in Scotch Plains and have been telling me to come visit. It worked out after visiting the cemetery for my mom they were only 15 minutes away! It is such a cute home with an amazing loving couple and I can't wait to visit again in the summer and to utilize said bar in the basement!! 

Finishing out the weekend with a glass of Moscato, some leftovers, Madame Secretary and Cosmo Magazine! 

How was your weekend?

XoXo,

Tracy