They huddled by the fire cooking the kill of the day, sharing stories, snoozing under the stars. Staring at the flames, humankind bonded.
We’ve since swapped loin cloths for designer clothes, and replaced the kill with the catch of the day. But our archetypal need for a warm fire persists.
The makers of the chat pit know this. O.W. Lee (www.owlee.com), the California manufacturer of outdoor furniture, created a table that holds its own bonfire. Gas or wood, copper or mosaic, the table encircles the fire and we sit around the table.
Garden Cottage, in Fairfield (www.teakwickerandmore.com), sells chat pits to homeowners who want to create a “relaxing atmosphere” in their yards, according to sales associate Chris Manley. The gas chat pits come with an end table, which cleverly disguises the propane tank. Then you need matching outdoor chairs. You don’t plan on sitting on the ground to roast your wienies, do you?
Top-of-the-line clan-building doesn’t come cheap. O.W. Lee’s tables run up to $4,200. Or, you can get smaller, less expensive fire pits and chimeneas for a few hundred dollars. Garden Cottage carries some 60 models.
Finally, consider adding this season’s hot seller, the Dune Day Bed, by Barlow Tyrie, (www.teak.com). Plus, a top that looks like a sail. You’ll need about $6,000 for the bed and sail.
But think about crashing in your day bed, fire burning bright in the chat pit. Nesting takes on a whole new meaning. Just keep your loin cloth on. You never know when a neighboring tribe will be by to visit.
If you are a dog or cat owner, these are scary times. Nearly every day, it seems we hear about another pet food that is being recalled for dangerous contamination.
If you are Scott Hild, retired K-9 officer from Lyndhurst, it is a good time to be selling an alternative pet food. Hild’s K-9 HP company (www.k9hp.com) distributes raw dog food to pet stores across the state.
We caught up with Scott at Mike’s Feed Farm (www.mikesfeedfarm.com) in Riverdale, where he was giving out free sample patties to the pooches (and owners) who happened by.
How can you not like a company with the slogan All Natural, Less Crap?
It has a double meaning. Scott says he designed the food so dogs who go raw do their business fewer times a day, in, shall we say, a more contained manner. What dog owner could resist? Especially on those mornings when you just can’t get out of bed!
Mike’s Feed sells raw pet food from Scott and several other producers. There is a huge freezer full of raw bones, raw beef and poultry. For humans, the sight of so many body parts may be a bit unsettling. Our Lab would do cartwheels.
Why should you consider switching to raw pet food? A vet we know says it’s just better for your animals, regardless of the dry food contamination. As for fears about e-coli, or salmonella, the vet points out that dogs eat their own…hey, let’s not go there again.
Suffice to say your pet’s stomach can handle raw food. The question is, can you?
Down in Cape May it’s the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts’ Spring Festival, Friday through Sunday. Look for craft and antique shows, food and wine events, Victorian house and garden tours. Check the schedule at www.capemaymac.org or call (800-275-4278).
Cape May is not Enn-Jay’s only Victorian treasure. The Salem County Historical Society (www.salemcountyhistoricalsociety.com) plans a Queen Victoria festival Saturday starting at 10 a.m. with tours of homes, businesses and churches built 1837 to 1901. Tickets $15. A candlelight reception kicks it off Friday at 6:30 p.m., $40. Order online or call 856-935-5004.
At Rutgers, they’re expecting 20,000 people for the 33d annual New Jersey Folk Festival, run by students as part of American Studies class. This year’s theme is music of the Dominican Republic; you’ll also hear bluegrass and traditional Irish song and visit crafts booths. On the lawn of Eagleton Institute at Douglass, (732) 932-5775 or www.njfolkfest.rutgers.edu.
Speaking of Latin American festivities…check out the Newark Museum’s “Mexicana: Discovering Mexican Popular Arts,” opening Saturday. The exhibit features painted earthenware pottery, glazed majolica, lacquer ware and textiles. www.newarkmuseum.org.
And speaking of Newark, celebrate the classics with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (www.njsymphony.org) in concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (www.njpac.org). They’ll play Schuman, Rachmaninoff and (Ta-da da-dummm) Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Friday 8 p.m. and Sun, 3 p.m., $22–$77
We are so festive that we are extending our Weekend Picks to Monday, when the Taste of the Nation (www.tasteofthenation.org) dinner tour arrives at the Westin Princeton, Forrestal Village. The tour has been making its way across the country with the participation of 4,000 top chefs serving great food and wine to support ending childhood hunger in America. Next New Jersey stop is May 7 at the Olde Mill Inn, Basking Ridge. $85 in advance, $95 at the door.
A few weeks back, in the midst of the post-deluge traffic deluge, we found ourselves taking refuge at a little café in Lawrenceville.
The locals know this place, but being six miles south of Princeton, the Fedora Café (2633 Main Street, Lawrenceville, 609-895-0844)
lives in the shadow of better known casual eating joints that line Nassau and Witherspoon.
At first, we felt like we landed in a Pier One warehouse sale. There’s a couch with the Middle Eastern pillows where we can slouch until we are happily horizontal. We sat under a light fixture in the shape of dragonfly. The seat cushions don’t quite fit the chairs, but somehow make sense. It’s all like that here in this eclectically charming little storefront.
Brother and sister chef/owners Chris and Nicole Curtis preside with humor. For example, despite the name, there are no hats here. Nicole says, “Fedora” came to the restaurant’s former owner in a dream. To further the dream theme, the décor has a sprinkling of moon and stars.
We escape the flooded roads, and enjoy an egg sandwich dripping with cheese, spackled with bacon. There’s an ambitious lunch and dinner menu; prices are reasonable and ingredients look to be fresh and creative. Sunday brunch may be the best meal of all.
The bakery display is like the Land of the Living Chocolate. Cakes with and muffins with mounds of chocolate and chocolate-related items (read: M&M’s) melted in chunks over, around and through. Most of it made in view, in the kitchen that overlooks the eatery.
Some restaurants post glowing food reviews on the wall. Fedora pays homage to its best customers with plaques, each honoring a different loyal foodie.
So escape the Princeton crowds at Fedora. It’s a great place to hang your hat, metaphorically, of course.
The empress of tunics and totes, aka socialite designer Tory Burch (www.toryburch.com) wowed the ladies who lunch at the Short Hills Neiman Marcus (www.neimanmarcus.com) last week. The store hosted a sold-out midday fete for the popular designer to tout her spring and summer line.
The Burch style, classic and bohemian, resonates for women of all shapes. The “it” tunic for summer is a bold navy signature-geometric print that goes from pool to party. Fashion wags call the look “Hampton Cottage”—but don’t be afraid to wear it down the Shore.
The other Burch signature look is the cap-sleeved sequined cocktail dress, worn by the likes of Hillary Duff, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Fergie. New this summer is the navy version.
Why the buzz over Burch? Her recent romantic linkage to Lance Armstrong feeds the gossip news cycles. But for those who Shop For A Living, it’s about the clothes—and accessories, stupid.
She uses the word “easy” to describe her look: dresses that are easy to wear, colors (navy, beige and white) that are easy to combine. The styles are for women of all ages and are kinder to their figures than many designers.
Her Burch ballet flats are red hot. The handbag line—featuring the patent leather Tory tote—is a summer staple. And the pricing, comparatively speaking, is easier on the wallet.
That’s the Tory story. If you want to hear it tell it, click on the picture of her and watch the video. Tory Burch is not a person of many words, but when she speaks…the ladies who lunch listen.
Buds are popping up, forsythias are yellow, Branch Brook’s cherry blossoms are in bloom. All good reasons to put a little spring in our steps!
First, we head for World Pottery (www.worldpottery.com) in Montclair. We love the colorful pots from South Africa and Mexico. We can wander through their indoor-outdoor displays and find something to fill every space in our garden or greenhouse.
His still life looks better in real life… you need to see our friend Frank Diaz’s amazing floral photography at the Jacklyn Kling Gallery, also in Montclair. (www.klingarts.com/JKDF/gallery.html). He helps bring the natural world indoors year round.
Buy a great spring dress with flower power. Shop at Princeton’s www.shopzoeonline.com and check out the Rebecca Taylor rosette mini. Or Rozae Nichols' red hot silk floral. Or get the authentic flower power look at the Hippie Shop (www.hippieshop.com), on-line or at their Fairfield warehouse.
Petal over with the bikers at Branch Brook Park in Newark and Belleville (www.branchbrookpark.org) on Saturday, or drop by “Bloomfest 2007” on Sunday. More than 2,000 trees are blooming—more cherry blossoms here than in the nation’s capital!
Make your own greens greener… hire an organic landscaper. There’s a list on www.nofanj.org, the group that represents organic farmers in the state.
Finally, surround yourself with the romantic scent of those fine floral perfume bouquets at Floris (www.florislondon.com) in the Garden State Plaza.
Remember... you never know who may stop by to help your garden grow.
The cavemen had it right.
If you are a dog or cat owner, these are scary times. Nearly every day, it seems we hear about another pet food that is being recalled for dangerous contamination.
The empress of tunics and totes, aka socialite designer Tory Burch (
Buds are popping up, forsythias are yellow, Branch Brook’s cherry blossoms are in bloom. All good reasons to put a little spring in our steps!
