Carton Brewing

This is Kevin, Casey's husband bringing you another rousing brewery review.  We decided to check out Carton Brewing out of Atlantic Highlands, NJ this go-around.  Now you may ask yourselves, what is the algorithm for brewery selection?  It could be location, yelp/google reviews, or because I have tried a particular beer from a brewery that I've enjoyed enough to warrant a visit.

This may sound creepy, but at times I just hang out at the craft beer section at liquor stores and observe patrons selecting beer.  If someone is shopping around for a while, unsure about what to get, then I know they are just experimenting with a new brew.  However, if someone dives right in to the beer cooler with a purpose, I know right then and there that they must enjoy what they are getting.  In this case, I observed someone walk right in to Whole Foods' craft beer section, and made a bee line for 077xx, a double IPA by Carton Brewing.  Long story short, I grabbed a 4-pack of cans and checked out as well.    Delicious.  It was one of the best double IPAs I've had, right up with Victory's Dirt Wolf DIPA.

Upon arrival at the brewery, we took a short, basic tour through the facility.  Tours are required for tastings in New Jersey.  One interesting fact about this particular brewery is that it is right next to a school.  Because of that, they are not allowed to ventilate the brewery the way other breweries do, giving the building a strong brewing aroma, which honestly should be captured in a candle or something...amazing.  Another uniqueness to the brewery tour is that they have a 20 gallon "experimental" brew kettle for them to create new recipes.  They have these small batch, experimental brews rotate through the tap room depending on what recipe they are trying to perfect and feedback received from their regulars.

After the tour we headed upstairs into a modestly-sized tasting room. The first thing we noticed was the incredible artwork.  I am usually the most oblivious person in the world when it pertains to interior decorations.  In fact prior to marriage, I think every domicile that I've inhabited has had bare, white walls.  This artwork was really cool though and added to the ambience of the tasting room.  The artist is Kira Yustak and I recommend checking out her artwork online.  My hope is to eventually acquire one of her paintings when we buy a home.

For $5/ea we received 6 tastings, one of was an obligatory Boat Beer, which is their flagship beer.  The other five I tried were BDG(Brunch, Dinner, Grub), 077xx, Red Rye Returning, Launch Golden Ale, and Carton Canyon.  Casey tasted just about the exact same, but also tasted a Gilded Lily which is a fruity ale with truffles infused.  Of the tastings 077xx was still my favorite but overall all of the beers were excellent.  Red Rye Returning, a RyePA, was very smooth with a perfect balance of hops, maltiness, and good mouth feel.  That was my second favorite of the batch.

All in all, I highly recommend checking out Carton Brewing.  If you are ever planning a brewery crawl and stumble through the northeast, this place is a must.  Don't just take my word for it, BeerAdvocate gave Carton's brewery a place score of 99/100.  Try and go early in the day if you can.  By the time Casey and I were left it was packed wall to wall.  I recently read that they purchased the building next door for future expansion, so hopefully that will alleviate some of the crowding later in the afternoon/evening hours.

Cricket Hill Brewery

This is Kevin McClarnon, Casey's husband.  It has been decided that craft beer is my domain so I am here to share our hoppy story.  The second brewery that Casey and I visited since moving to NJ is Cricket Hill Brewery based out of Fairfield, NJ.  It is fairly close to where we live, and I randomly bought, and enjoyed their Hypnotic IPA giving us reason enough to kill a Saturday there.

The tour itself was pretty unremarkable, it seemed as though it is a typical microbrewery.  Fun fact: brewery tours are required for tastings at breweries in NJ.  The brewery was cool but nothing about it stood out in comparison to some of the other breweries and tours that we've been in on.  One highlight was the presentation of the chemical equations that go into brewing.  It was over both of our heads, but interesting nonetheless.

The tastings were ample and of a generous size.  We sampled Cricket Hill's American Pale Ale, Colonel Blides ESB, East Coast Lager, Hopnotic IPA, and their Pumpkin Ale out of their year-round brews.  The small batch brew on tap was their Sim-Notic Imperial IPA.  The IPA and Imperial IPA were pretty good, not great, as was the East Coast Lager.  The rest of their offerings were mediocre at best.  I'm not a fan of pumpkin beers, so I'm biased, but I found their pumpkin ale to be disgusting.  All in all we had a blast trying out new beers(who doesn't?), but were not overly impressed with Cricket Hill's offerings.  We much preferred the atmosphere and staff at New Jersey Brewing Co., but were definitely pleased with the sizes of the tastings at Cricket Hill.

Bottom Line:  If you are seeking to try a new, above average IPA, give Cricket Hill a shot.  Just know that there are better ones out there, presumably closer to where you live.

We enjoyed Christmas from Indiana to New Jersey and New York

Happy 2015 everybody! I can happily say that I typed the year correctly on my first attempt......wooohoo the year is already off to a great start! I have so much to tell you about that I feel like I will be talking about our whirlwind holidays for months! Oh well, it was amazing! We started our journey back to Indiana with Stella and Bella on December 23 after Kev got off work. Probably not the smartest idea since we had an 11 hour drive ahead of us (it took us over 14, none of which I drove), but we were so excited to get back home that we did it anyway. I was so excited to see family, most of which I hadn't seen for about seven months, so it was a big deal for me to make as many rounds as I could! You never really know how much you miss your family until you can't just hop in your car and see them in 30 minutes.      

While we unfortunately didn't get around to seeing absolutely everyone, each place we went was uniquely different yet created lasting memories that you take for granted when you're younger. My ultimate joy from the trip back home was seeing my grandparents who were so surprised to see us. I saw my grandma's face light up as she laughed like I never had before. And the stories, ones I had never heard, were amazing. Truly something for me to hold on to until I get to see them again. I learned so many things about all my grandparents that I never knew before. It's amazing the lives they have lived! After packing in multiple meals, drinks, games (Cards Against Humanity was my favorite inappropriate family game), and all the family time we could, it was time to leave though this time we had family it tow!      

It was our first Christmas being on the East Coast, so we tried to do as many touristy things as we could. The only problem? Everyone else was doing the same thing! There were thousands of people everywhere and you couldn't move so we did what we could. One of the things we can all cross off our lists was seeing the tree and ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center. It was absolutely beautiful and enormous, though as I said before, extremely crowded. We definitely picked the wrong time to go, but you live and you learn and none of us had seen it before so it was great overall. The Empire State building was also in the festive mood lit up with its red and green lights. It is such a great place to be at Christmas time. I can see why so many people travel here to see it all! We will just have to be smarter about the times we do things next year!  

It is really great to be back and I hope you all get everything you want out of 2015! While my 2014 wasn't bad at all, I just feel that this year is going to be amazing! Look for more about what we did over the holidays in the weeks to come (hint: Madison Square Garden has become our go to place). Let's see what great memories we can make this year!

Jose Tejas, Fairfield, NJ

Kevin found this restaurant for us one day when we decided to go out exploring our area. The way he was describing it, I thought it was just another Mexican restaurant (though that wouldn't bother me since we have yet to find out white queso like back home). Turns out, Jose Tejas is tex-mex and cajun cuisine (think Mexican food meets Louisiana). It was so amazing! We went around 1PM on a Saturday and it was pretty packed, but not so much that there was a wait. Personally, I like when a lot of people are at a restaurant I haven't been to because it must mean it's good. Once I know I like it though, the masses can leave the restaurant alone haha!   

We were served the standard chips and salsa which were good, not anything insanely special. We both accompanied our chips with a margarita on the rocks with salt on the rim of course. It, like the chips, was your same old typical margarita. I'm definitely not complaining though because the real showstoppers were our meals. Kevin got the blackened swordfish, complete with cajun seasoning. It was served with black beans and corn, rice, and mango salsa. I had a bite (or two) and it was so delish! The swordfish had great flavor with just the right amount of kick to it. The sides were quite tasty as well. I may consider getting it next time, but I like to try different things so we will see. For my entree I opted for a quesadilla. I know you're thinking how boring, but you couldn't be more wrong! It was a shrimp and crawfish quesadilla. It was jam packed with shrimp, crawfish, cheese, and tons of flavor! I was absolutely in love with my choice! I had never had crawfish before and while this isn't the traditional way to eat it, I sure didn't mind and would do it over and over again! Stay tuned next week for a post on Cricket Hill Brewery before I take a break for the holidays. We will be traveling back to Indiana for a couple of days, then we have family coming out here to spend time in New Jersey and New York (in case you were wondering where New York Christmas posts have been, I've been waiting for family)!

                               

Toast, Montclair, NJ

 

Like pretty much all of my brunch spots thus far, Toast was introduced to me by one of my girlfriends! Hey what are girlfriends for right?!?! It's always nice to catch up on the weekends and get away from the boys for a bit......sorry babe! Toast is the perfect place to do just that. From the outside it looks like a tiny little building. but when you go inside, there are three levels of seating and it is jam packed with fellow brunchers. They have a menu that is very accommodating to everyone's needs in your party. The menu consists of traditional breakfast foods like your waffles, eggs, and pancakes. To more decadent versions such as the Bella Nutella (pictured below left), which is Nutella stuffed French toast with strawberries, S'mores pancakes (below right), and, Red Velvet pancakes. 

There are also food items for those that have certain dietary or diet needs. Pictured below is their gluten free carrot cake pancakes (they were amazing). And in case you're wondering, this food was from two times there (I usually take my hubby another time if I love it so he can experience it too). So besides all the amazing food choices there is something else that is amazing about this restaurant........it is BYOB! Those mimosas that the ladies  and I enjoy with our brunches usually come at a hefty price (around $7 per mimosa). However, by bringing our own bottle we end up saving about $40 (split between us) which adds up! This will definitely be a spot I will want to take those who come visit, but if you are in the area you should check it out. Beware it does get packed (the longest wait I've had is 30 minutes) because it is soooooo good!  

Indianapolis Colts @ the New York Giants game

In light of last nights game, I thought I would post something uplifting for my fellow Colts fans. So let's discuss the Indianapolis Colts @ the New York Giants game that happened Monday, November, 3rd. Well to start off, an outfit had to be picked. These were a few of my choices for the cool 46 degree temperature that I was going to be sitting in. I had the traditional Andrew Luck jersey, a breast cancer Colts shirt (I know that breast cancer month was officially over, but I hadn't worn it yet, and a 12 is the new 18 shirt from Hayes & Taylor (not quite fitting since we weren't playing Peyton, but we were playing the other Manning, Eli). On top of that I had leg warmers, headbands, hair ties, and a bracelet (the three latter made by yours truly). Even though my top half didn't end up getting shown due to the cold, I opted for the jersey with two shirts underneath, the leg warmers and the horseshoe headband.

I have posted photos of MetLife before from other events (Jets game and Eminem/Rihanna concert), but I wanted to take it again because they change the lights depending on who is playing (the Jets and Giants share the stadium). If I haven't mentioned it before, the best part about the stadium is that it is 10 minutes away. The worst part about the stadium (aside the face that it's the Giants and Jets home) is that it is 10 minutes away. On game days we just stay as far away as possible because like all sporting events, the traffic is horrible! This was also the first time that I noticed the you could see the Empire State building from the stadium. I thought it was really neat to see. The emotional national anthem was played by the famous trumpet player, Chris Botti. It brought tears to many fans and players (Reggie Wayne in particular) eyes and can be viewed here. It was absolutely beautiful and a nice change of pace from the traditional singing that we normally hear.  

One thing I have learned from living out here is always be prepared. In my normal purse I carry a charger, hand sanitizer, hand lotion, a kookie, etc. because you never know what you will need when. Well in this case, I brought my colts beanie hat in case I got cold, which I did, and apparently a tan once I put it on (I swear no filters were used). For the most part, of course there were a few obnoxious fans, the Giants fans were really nice. They talked to us about Peyton and how amazing he was and how we made a great choice with Luck. I was worried because of our previous dealing with the Jets fans at the preseason game, but overall it was great. We did come out the gate running though, so they really couldn't be too mean because the Giants fans had nothing to back it up :)! We started the first quarter taking the lead and just kept going from there, ending the game with a final score of Colts 40 to Giants 24. Not only did we win, but Reggie Wayne moved up to eighth on the all-time receiving yard list. It was such an amazing thing to witness your "home" team not only winning, but breaking records at the same time! 

Hopefully that is enough to cheer everyone up from the game we all witnessed last night! Until I see you on the East coast again boys in blue!

 

Skinner's Loft

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great week! I was super swamped with other things so I decided to take a week off........I hope you haven't missed my posts too much :). So if you haven't figured it out yet, on Mondays I do a post regarding the things we are doing around the New Jersey and New York area. It has been so much fun exploring and trying new things! I wish we would have explored more when we were back in Indiana, but who knows, maybe we will be back there one day. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen that I asked a question about what I should get and posted the picture a few months ago. That is because I was originally introduced to Skinner's Loft by some girlfriends when I met them for brunch. In case you're wondering, I got the Lobster BLT the first time I went with the girls and it was delicious!

I fell so in love with this spot that I knew I had to bring my hubby here to try it. I just love going to the non-chain restaurants here. They are small and quaint and usually have a phenomenal menu. Skinner's Loft is no exception. It has two levels of indoor seating and a rooftop that allows for amazing views of the Manhattan skyline in the summer. This time around, I got my second option, and the most recommend item I saw on Yelp, the Filet Mignon Sliders complete with mimosas of course. They were so juicy and tender with garlic marinated mushrooms on top. Though the bottom picture isn't a good indication (it was taken after they were reheated) the sliders were cooked medium with a perfect pink center, just like I like them. You get three sliders and this huge mound of their shoestring fries with each order. It is so filling (obviously, I had leftovers) and just such a good tasty meal. This is definitely a spot I would frequent and you should too if you are in the area! 

Red Eye Cafe, Montclair, NJ

Last weekend I went to a new restaurant with one of my girlfriends. It's nice finding friends in the area because they let you in on all these little gems and advice about the area. I have discovered a few new restaurants that I may not have found otherwise by myself. So far, they have all been delicious and unique in their own way. The restaurant we went to for brunch was the Red Eye Cafe in Montclair, NJ. It is a tiny (it looked like it sat maybe 20 people), BYOB coffee shop with an eclectic menu (think beet tartar and shrimp & grits).  

I opted for the Chipotle Cheese sandwich (below) which was "Queso de freir with avocado, tomato, refried beans, and chipotle mayo on ciabatta bread. Served with shaved Brussels sprout, apple, red onion, and spiced walnut salad". Of course in usual brunch fashion, it was complimented with mimosas. I was throughly pleased with my selection, but can't wait to go back and try other items on their menu. They don't take reservations so if you plan on going for weekend brunch be prepared to wait (we waited about 25 minutes for 2), though it is worth it. Red Eye Cafe is also a short walk from the train station which makes it super convenient since there is no parking lot and street parking can be hard to find.

If you are in the area, I suggest you try this restaurant out if you have a moment. If you don't have time to sit down for a meal, you can get coffee and a pastry to go. Since I am a sucker for anything French, I got their Sludge coffee to go which they make through a cold brewing method and it is so good and potent! Enjoy your week! 

Pyramid Mountain, Boonton, NJ

In an attempt to practice more outdoor photography, we set out to go to Pyramid Mountain early in the morning. There is a "golden hour" rule that most photographers follow and it takes place right after the sun rises and right before the sun sets. That is when you get really nice, softer light from the sun. Well, I was desperately trying to capture that, but by the time we found the place, it was too late. No big deal though, we still walked around and I practiced a bit. The area was absolutely beautiful and the leaves were amazing colors! It's sometimes hard since we live in a city area and so close to NYC that there is beautiful landscapes like this right around us as well. We walked around for quite a while and had the place practically to ourselves which was nice. I am really glad we found it and will continue my "golden hour" quest and to improve my photography! 

My goofball husband. I told him to give me a pose and this is what he did. He was warned I was going to post it :)

Overlook Park in Paterson, NJ

As the majority of you know, or have realized, we live in New Jersey. We are fortunate enough to live in an area where we can see the NYC skyline and travel there by train usually in 20 minutes, depending on how they are running. Well this weekend we decided to check out a place that is also close to us, but in our own state. Of course the day we wanted to head out, it decides to rain the majority of the day. So there I was sitting by the window like a little kid waiting for it to let up. When it did, I hurried up and got ready like my parents told me it was alright to go out and play again. Which is pretty much the case. Photography, though frustrating some times, is like play for me. I am still so new and learning a ton. While I will never claim to have "mastered" anything, I feel pretty good about most of my food shots I take. They aren't perfect, but for the knowledge I have right now they are fine. Outdoor shots are a little more tricky for me. That's why I wanted some practice and sometimes it's tedious carrying my camera to the city. 

                       

After a quick 20 minute drive we were there. We traveled to Paterson, NJ to Overlook Park to see the Paterson Great Falls. It may not seem like much, but here in the middle of a predominately industrial city lies a roaring waterfall. Part of the park was closed off for repairs for the time being so we couldn't see how massive the waterfalls actually were, but it was such a neat little area. There were actually quite a bit of people out taking guided tours and taking pictures of the area. For me, it's the pictures and seeing the beauty that gets me. For my hubby, it's the history. He was spouting off all sorts of random facts about the area.  

For instance, the building above is the S.U.M. hydroelectric plant, which was built in the early 1900s and was designed by Thomas Edison's Electric Company.  It still powers 11,000 homes to this day. Below, is a picture of Alexander Hamilton, not only one of the founding fathers, but also the person who saw the potential for the falls in terms of potential industrial growth.  Paterson was the first planned industrial city.  Hamilton foresaw the great falls as a great place to set up future water mills which would help drive the industrial revolution. 

I hope you've enjoyed the pictures and very brief history lesson! Have a great week and I look forward to sharing more adventures next Monday! 

Gone Girl

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Ours was pretty low-key, if that term is acceptable where we live, because hardly anything is low-key besides staying home. It was raining here on Saturday so we decided to do something we hadn't done here yet, go see a movie. Pretty simple and straightforward. We left 45 minutes before the show started, plenty of time to get there, park, and get seated. Boy did we learn our lesson, mistake number one! This particular AMC theater is attached to a completely huge, insanely busy mall. It is 15th largest in the US and has over 10,000 parking spaces to accommodate the hundreds of patrons that are constantly there! It is always packed, except Sunday of course, thanks to blue laws. After foolishly thinking we would get a decent parking space, we settled on the first empty one we saw which felt like a mile away. I'm told that a plus about this theater is that it features movies in ETX, which only a handful do and it's supposed to be amazing. You can tell how much I know or care about that lol. We didn't see do it this time, but when we do, I hope I'm blown away! 

Since the movie just came out, Kev bought out tickets ahead of time so we wouldn't have to wait. Mistake number two. We go in and could have walked up to numerous self tickets check outs, but instead had to wait in a line probably 30ish people deep to wait for our already purchased tickets. So tickets in hand, we did a quick sigh of relief because we had about 10 minutes to spare. That was until we saw the line for the ticket taker! Holy cow! I have never seen anything like it! There were so many people! We finally get past, skipped on any refreshments because we had a couple minutes left. We got in the theater and surprise, it was also packed. Big shocker I know! So we sat in the front section, like 5 rows back just as the trailers started! And you though this was going to be a simple, we went to a movie post, but not here, nothing is simple! We learned our lesson though, don't buy tickets beforehand and leave about an hour before if we want the option to choose where we sit and if we get refreshments or not!

So on to the movie, it was fantastic! After hearing many great reviews of Gone Girl, like the one above in US Weekly, I knew I had to see it! Plus, I have had the book on my must read list for quite some time now. I will definitely need to read it now! This thriller had so many twists and turns you never really saw what was coming next. I can't say too much because I don't want to give anything away to those that still want to see it. Simply put, it took pure genius to pull off what took place. We actually were walking out and were basically speechless. It was like oh my goodness, that really happened. My only complaint, I didn't really see a chemistry between Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, but I have never really been a Affleck fan so I might of had too high of an expectation from him. I do highly recommend you see this movie, especially if you love thrillers! 

This last photo is just me being a little silly. When we were walking out I saw MAC in the sidewalk and it mad me think McClarnon's were here. Cheesy I know, but I liked it and thought it was cool haha. Lastly, we came home and had a pasta dinner cook off. Again, cheesy especially since we were the two cooks and judges, but we had fun! I was the clear winner, Kevin's words, not mine. I made my simple pasta, my favorite, healthier way. I cook and drain 1/2 cup rotini noodles. I place those in 1/2 cup pasta sauce that has been heating in a small skillet. I coat the pasta with the sauce and sprinkle 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella on top and place in the oven until the cheese melts. I then serve it over 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. It is so filling and a little over 300 calories. Not too bad! I hope everyone has a great week!