Chef’s Kisses: Coast to Coast
July: Jersey → Amalfi
This month I got to live the sweet life, on not one, but two beach vacations. One of which I'm fluent in - packed with all my favorite sweet-treat haunts and activities of childhood summers spent at the Jersey Shore. The second, la dolce vita, I'm still learning.
More Chef’s Kisses:
Jersey Shore – The Sweet Life
The scent of the South Jersey shore may not elicit a sigh of relief for all, but as I stepped out of the car and felt the smack of hot, muggy Atlantic Ocean air on my skin, and low-tide on my nose, I felt my whole body relax. It brought back some of my happiest childhood memories, where I would visit my grandparents on the shore twice a summer. Days were filled with ice cream, rides, pizza, and ice cream again – that was the sweet life.
Tangled up in those happy memories are the painful ones of my grandparents’ last few years. They passed one after the other in the summer and fall of 2024. It was time to go back and visit their grave, and for my parents and me to make some new happy memories at the Ocean City boardwalk.
Ocean City is just an inlet away from Atlantic City, but far less known. Maybe because it’s quite the opposite: quaint and dry (dry meaning alcohol-free; there’s still tons of ocean). Despite going there my whole life, I would not consider myself an expert, but my father (who grew up there) most certainly is. Here are our recommendations for the sweet life, Ocean City style:
Best Bites (aka the perfect 24 hour stay)
On your way in: take a small detour and grab lunch from Hủ Tiếu Miền Tay Restaurant. Bánh mì or summer rolls make for a fantastic beach lunch.
Go to the beach during the day to get some sun and catch some waves (Ocean City has daily umbrella rentals, but if you don’t need them, Brigantine is lovely and less crowded; if you’re up for a longer drive, I hear Cape May is swell). The ocean temperature in July and August is generally fantastic, and on this trip we got blessed with no shells, no seaweed, no undertow, and waves measuring two to four feet (perfect for floating over or diving underneath).
Once evening rolls around, grab a cone of frozen custard from Kohr Bros (not to be confused with ice cream; there is less milk fat but added egg yolks for a smooth texture). Always order a twist – my go-to is chocolate and peanut butter. This is a South Shore staple.
After ice cream, go play a game or two of mini golf. There are nine spots to choose from on the boardwalk, but our favorites are the following. Tee-Time (our absolute favorite, see photo above from a decade ago) has been preserved in time since 1977. It’s full of handmade, mechanized charm, with every hole full of surprise and delight (my favorite is the clown pinball machine that sticks his tongue out). Pirates of the Golden Galleon is also great. Even though it looks simple, it will truly test your putting skills. And bonus: you get a local shipwreck history lesson while you play.
After golfing up an appetite, it’s time for dinner. The only option is Manco & Manco (don’t believe me? It’s among Tina Fey’s favorites too). It was called Mac & Manco when my father was growing up (and during my childhood), but the recent name change hasn’t changed the product much at all. This pie is a part of the Trenton tradition, meaning, as far as I can tell, a swirl of hose-pumped tomato sauce on top, and a liquid-like layer of very melty cheese (probably a blend of mozzarella and cheddar) underneath. All of this on top of a thin, bubbly crust (my favorite part). I strongly recommend ordering a plain slice with a birch beer on the side. P.S. Go to the 12th Street location for better pizza and a more authentic old-school experience.
After pizza, it’s time for rides (if your stomach can handle it, we love the log flume). If that’s not your thing, you can go to the arcade or take a walk down the boardwalk and check out all the sweets shops.
Finish up the night at Johnson’s for the best caramel corn you will ever have. It’s always served hot (if you–for some reason–happen to keep Maldon salt on you, sprinkle it on top to make it even better). I also always ask for a top-off – they’ll add extra caramel corn on top that you can snack on before bed. Pro tip: bring a bag, and they’ll dump extra corn in there too.
Before you head out in the AM, end the trip with a bike ride or run down the boardwalk (five miles round trip). When you reach the northernmost tip, stop and get a half dozen donuts from Browns. The apple cider donuts are fantastic, especially moist and fall-apart-tender (no coffee needed to wash them down). A great companion for the car ride home.
Packing – For Jersey + Amalfi
This trip to the Jersey shore was just an overnight trip, so I packed light and quickly. In a shoulder tote, I packed toiletries, running clothes, and a Sézane linen jacket for the chilly evening (the one I have is sold out, but this one looks lovely). The rest I toted, wearing my WNU linen set (great for breakfast, as a cover-up for the beach, or for just being comfy) with a second-hand St. John knit top (I own many of these: comfortable, high quality, and you can find them at a steep discount), and my new pair of sandal heels.
However, in the haste of my packing, I forgot one thing: beach thongs. As I climbed over dunes, dodging waves and sand castles, I murmured negative self-talk. I must be ruining my brand-spanking-new Tory sandal heels. It was a happy accident, though. These shoes are sturdy! They suffered no damage. So, a week later, when it was time to pack for Amalfi, I packed them both as city heels and as my beach sandals.
Last summer, I published the 10 rules of packing I follow for a carry-on-only vacation. This year, I broke a big one. Tired of only packing black, whites, and beiges, I ditched the neutrals for pinks and purples. This was an excellent choice. Another excellent choice: packing breezy, compact items that are either designed to look good when very wrinkled (this linen jacket + the WNU linen set) or that will never wrinkle in the first place (Pleats Please, Missoni knits, and St. John knits). Besides that, I followed the same rules as last year, and they held up swimmingly. Speaking of swimming…
Amalfi Coast – La Dolce Vita
An ocean away, and two weeks later, I was back at the beach again. This time on the Amalfi Coast, specifically Positano. Unlike the Jersey Shore beach, the sight of the colorful hillside town descending into the ocean was only familiar through the countless images I had lusted over on my phone after receiving an invitation from the Sersale family to stay at their hotel, Le Sirenuse. However, relaxation washed over me just the same, as I hopped out of the car and into the lobby, promptly being handed a glass of barely-sweetened lemonade made with local lemons.
Over the course of our stay, I soaked up the sunshine from the hotel’s pool and beach club, sopped up every drop of their in-house olive oil with bread from their three restaurants, sported a silk siren-printed scarf from Emporio Sirenuse, and continuously wondered how on earth I got so lucky.
As we were being taken to our seats at Aldo’s for dinner on the first night, I stopped to take a photo of the six-foot raw bar of langoustines, Sicilian red prawns, and spiny lobsters. I apologized to the host for holding us up, to which he responded, “We are in no rush, please take your time.” I laughed and thanked him for the reminder – I was, in fact, on vacation. As we settled in at dinner, the four of us were admiring our cocktails and the snacks served in various glassware. Each bowl, coupe, and cup had its own individual quirk and warping shape. My friend Shauna picked up her glass and said she felt like we’d been there for days when it had only been a few hours. Admiring those murano hand-blown glasses, and the wall of mosaiced sea shells formed into scrolls, took us out of our routine and focused our attention on what was in front of us.
Walking to our seat at the beach club, we noticed beautiful hand-painted tiles by Alba Clemente inlaid into the concrete floor. One, a mermaid, matched the mermaids on the scarf tied across my hips. Later, heading to the ocean, I admired the lemon tree waving in the breeze, and the scarf I left on the table shimmered, the lemons on it jumping out at me.
Getting dressed for dinner one night, I found the patterned embroidery of blue scrolls on my skirt fit with the painted blue scroll tiles in my room. The rusty-red printed top matched the walls of the pool. Every bar of soap, towel, matchbook, door handle, room key, ashtray, olive oil dish, and water glass is printed/embossed/tufted/carved/painted with a Sirenuse siren. Every detail radiated la dolce vita.
Leaving the hotel, and taking their signature ashtray with me, I planned to use it as a vide poche (empty pocket). I know that every time I get home and drop my keys into it, it will remind me of dropping olive pits in it on the balcony during aperitivo.
