This past Sunday, 50 families joined together at Washington School’s gymnasium in Summit New Jersey to participate in the 6^th Annual Architectural Workshop recreating downtown Summit out of LEGO blocks.  Truly unbelievable to think of a huge map of downtown Summit highlighting streets and historic buildings and over 50,000 colorful LEGO squares and rectangles being assembled to replicate this beautiful town.  Each one unique and truly a work of art!

The event is organized as a fundraiser for the Summit Historical Society, a membership organization created to preserve and disseminate information about Summit’s rich heritage.

I can’t think of a better way to raise money than by bringing families together building community spirit and camaraderie.  Summit is a special place and its downtown offers residents and visitors some of the area’s best restaurants, boutique shops and galleries.  Don’t miss an opportunity to try one during Restaurant Week, February 17 -26 – it’s great fun.

And for all those LEGO fans — young or old — and appreciators of fun art, you must visit The Morris Museum in Morristown, NJ and see the amazing “Art of the Brick” exhibit by artist Nathan Sawaya, who creates large scale sculptures out of LEGO blocks.  The exhibit ends February 20 and also includes some interactive workshops for children.  It is truly inspiring.

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Downtown Millburn Welcomes The Salad House

If you’re like me, nothing satisfies my hunger better than a big, hearty salad with all the fixings’.   And depending on the day’s cravings, I like to mix and match toppings to suit my mood du jour.  So when I learned about The Salad House by Cioffi’s (www.createyoursalad.com), opening its doors in December right in the heart of downtown Millburn at 343 Millburn Avenue, I was thrilled.

Their story is a touching one.  In 1958, Antonio Cioffi arrived in America with his new bride and only $20.  Through lots of hard work, dedication and a passion for good Italian food, over four decades later, the family has been serving NJ in Newark, Union, Springfield and now Millburn.  Today sons Gennaro (Jerry) and Giuseppe (Joey) carry on the family legacy.  Their restaurants feature healthy and delicious Mediterranean cuisine from tapas, paninis, homemade soups and my favorite, “Make Your Own Salad.”

“I love making stomachs happy in a healthy way,” Joey Cioffi told me on my recent visit.  Stop by The Salad House and tell him Sue Adler sent you.  Your stomach will thank you!

And after you’ve satisfied your tummies, enjoy the other shops and fun boutiques in downtown Millburn – there’s a lot to do and see….

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If you live in Chatham, then you know that our weekly Farmer’s Market is the place to be on Saturday mornings between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.!  The market allows for farm fresh produce, fresh Jersey Shore fish, locally produced eggs, meats, artisan cheese and bread to be at your fingertips, only a few steps from your Chatham home.  Other exciting market finds are the beekeeper, cooking and gardening displays and demonstrations, cultural performances, and the opportunity to mingle with friends and neighbors from surrounding New Jersey midtown direct towns.  The volunteers and manager Janice Piccolo of the Chatham Farmer’s Market are always looking for ways to enhance your experience, so speak up if you have an idea or would like to be a part of the planning of this fun, community event!

Speaking of excitement, on August 1^st, our local Chatham Farmers’ Market was named as one of three finalists in the national contest for a new barn.  You can help Chatham Farmers’ Market win an open-air, post & beam market style 24-ft x 36-ft barn built by Yankee Barn Homes , valued at $80,000, simply by clicking here and casting your vote for Chatham before August 15^th at 11:59 a.m.  Be sure to tell your friends and neighbors who live in New Jersey, as you can only vote once.  The Great Barn Giveaway is sponsored by The American Farmland Trust, the Farmers Market Coalition and bark maker W.H. Silverstein Inc., as they celebrate local economic development and healthy living.

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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 25-50 minutes from South Orange, Maplewood, Millburn, Short Hills, Summit.  After Summit, the trainline branches off to: Chatham, Madison, Convent Station…  and the other branch heads to New Providence and Berkeley Heights….   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?

Great Schools

2. We have great public schools! 2010 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.

Town Tour Videos

Town Tour video of Millburn & Short Hills

Town Tour video of Maplewood & South Orange

Town Tour video of Summit

Town Tour video of Chatham

Town Tour Video for Livingston

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.  Search all MLS listings now

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.

Short Hills Pond

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 Khun Thai or Samuri Sushi in Millburn or Monster Sushi in Summit.  If you love a juicy steak, Roots in Summit is really great ( reserve early!), and for Happy Hour, there is Winberries in Summit, and Martini’s Bar and Bistro in Millburn, 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?!?

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 I know my Midtown Direct Trainline Town restaurants, but for NYC restaurants?  I totally trust my facebook friends’ recommendations… yes, even more so than www.yelp.com . Why? Maybe because I feel they know me and know what I’d want. 

STK NYC

Last night my facebook status update was “Great trendy restaurant in NYC for my daughter’s 18th birthday party?”

Because I  got such an overwhelming response from people who were very passionate about their recommendations, I thought I’d share my compiled list with you.

Peter Luger’s Steakhouse for carnivore’s. Yeah it is Brooklyn, but just barely.

wd-50 – Food is amazing

Buddakan, Spice Market, Blue Water Grill

http://lidiasitaly.com/restaurants

http://www.gordonramsay.com/usrestaurants/

http://ny.eater.com/tags/joe-bastianich

Definitely Abe and Arthur’s – you can go virtually any place in Meat Packing and have a wonderful time. You can also look into STK and Tao.

If it’s the immediate family (and not a big crowd), “Cuba” in the Village is worth checking out for a tropical style celebration.

Piedmontese mega-market Eataly opens its first North American branch in conjunction with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, with separate restaurants devoted to meat, fish, vegetables, pasta and pizza, and panini — plus a rooftop brewpu.
I’d go to Todd English’s Food Hall at the Plaza before going to Eataly. You’ve got to wait for the crowds to subside before even attempting that place….plus have heard that the service is awful.

Check out one of my personal Italian favorites – ‘Cesca on upper west side. Great space and great food. There’s a little private area for parties as well. You mentioned wanting a less adventurous yet delicious menu like italian. Also Craft is wonderful for farm to fork and still trendy. Good luck. We will all wait for the invite.

If abby likes chocolate….you should take her to max brenner’s (chocolate by the bald man) for a special treat!!!
for something fun & very casual…..a burger & a shake from the shake shack in madison square park….eat at a table in the park….talk about a hip city experience!!

And the grand finale: 

I got this from Erick, who I have to give a special thank you to because his response is pretty over the top.   I am, however, saving the next part of this post for my older daughter’s 21st birthday party coming up in December ….

The key to a good birthday spot is friendly staff / management, something compelling to keep people entertained, and the option to reserve a section or tables so you have a home base for people to hang out. The venues below range from laid-back bar to upscale lounge to places made for dancing divas.
1. Anchor. Same music, crowd, and feel as the more pretentious lounges, but none of the attitude. Everyone will be dancing, mingling, and mulling over why theres no hassle at this super-fun spot.
2. East End Bar & Grill. If you want a more laid-back, sporty vibe, check this out. Best part is the birthday person always drinks free and you can book discounted open bar for all your friends. So no ones counting drinks, and everyones having fun.
3. Galloway Hooker. Huge bar. Plenty of private, sectioned off rooms and nooks that you can reserve just for your crew without the hassle that comes with more pretentious, upscale places. Great top 40 tunes and pool table / darts to boot.
4. Ella. This East Village gem is a posh, pulsating place thats always accommodating to birthdays and keeps guests happy with delicious drinks like watermelon martinis.
5. Thom Bar. If your style is ultra-elegant and hopelessly hip, invite everyone to the Thompson hotel, but make sure you clear it with the venue first. Door policy can be strict, but if you iron out the details beforehand, its a great spot for lounging and people-watching.
6. Gallery Bar. The art on the walls is a natural conversation piece, and the mix of Madonna to Mos Def makes sure everyone stays awake. Its become popular for birthdays so make sure to call ahead.
7. Superdive. Anywhere you can reserve tables and order kegs instead of bottles of Belvedere is bound to be interesting. Its faux dive-y so go expecting a cool crowd and think trendy over trashy.
8. PS450. Its usually a slightly younger crowd, but that just means its guaranteed to be high energy. There are great back rooms sectioned off by sheer white curtains that you can reserve for your crew. So you can have a private dance party, but still feel like a part of the main bar.
9. Slate. Not too crowded, not too much hassle, but tons of fun in a venue that has a back room perfect for 10 30, ping pong and pool tables downstairs, and music that wont let you stay in your seat.
10. Lucky Strike. Bowling may not seem like a good birthday bash, but it is when the venue feels more like an upscale lounge than an alley. Lucky Strikes sleek dcor, upscale food, and club-worthy beats make this a great choice when you want something different than the usual.
Sorry this is sooo long, but ive been to just about all of them…they are all fabulous!
Have a great time!!!

So, that’s all folks! BTW, if we’re not yet facebook friends, join my network at www.facebook.com/sueadler . I do NOT solicit business on facebook so no worries. If you’d like to join our business/community page, hit like at www.facebook.com/sueadlerteam for happenings in and around Millburn, Short Hills, Summit, Chatham, Maplewood, South Orange and Livingston NJ.

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 SINK YOUR TEETH INTO MILLBURN WITH THE SUE ADLER.COMBO!   

Millburn-Short Hills, NJ —No matter how you slice it, few things in life are better than a great sandwich. On April 1, 2010, The Millburn Deli will launch its latest taste sensation: The SueAdler.Combo, with $1 from each purchase going to beef up the Millburn-Short Hills Volunteer First Aid Squad.Here is the article found in the Item of Millburn-Short Hills and NorthJersey.com 

  My yummy signature sandwich, the Sue Adler.Combo, will feature grilled chicken, fresh Mozzarella cheese, ripe avocados, fire-roasted tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, tender baby greens, a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar, and a hint of pesto, served fresh on thinly-sliced whole-grain bread. The scrumptious sandwich will appear in the showcase of the Millburn Deli for 6 months. I won the opportunity to have my name immortalized in the annals of sandwichdom ( ha ha)  during a charity auction at the Newcomers/Encore Club of Millburn-Short Hills’ Winter Gala. It’s so cool to be able to give back to my community in a way that’s so much fun! What better way could there be to show your appreciation than by filling bellies and helping out a great organization, like the Millburn-Short Hills First Aid Squad, in the process?

 The Millburn-Short Hills Volunteer First Aid Squad, which will receive $1 from the purchase of each  Sue Adler.Combo, has been serving its community since 1958 and provides emergency first aid and service to the Township of Millburn and neighboring communities without regard to sex, race, color or creed. The Squad is operated wholly by volunteers and is funded entirely by private contributions.

So gather your friends and family, and come on out and try my sandwich and support our local First Aid Squad in the process!

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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?

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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.

Unfortnately there are two other competing sessions going on at the same time. Several award winning internationally acclaimed chefs will be having a cooking demonstration, AND the third is a seminar on Food and Wine Pairing 101, matching food with the appropriate wine.

The afternoon of the 25th there are great classes on Sake Tasting, wine tasting, cooking demonstrations by Ingrid Hoffman, a Food Network celebrity, as well as a book signing of her best-selling cookbook “Simply Delicioso”.

From 4-6 PM there is a class on Power Entertaining with Wine and Food for everyone who has wanted to perfect their hosting skills.

Saturday evening is the major gala six course dinner with each course prepared by a different celebrity chef and paired with the finest wines from around the world. Not to be missed!

 The events continue on Sunday starting at 10 AM with   cheese and wine pairings, more cooking demonstrations by master artists, with the evening ending with a gourmet burger showdown featuring 25 of the best chefs in the country!

Wines  

Chefs

Sommeliers

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