Never heard of Wildwood, NJ? Ok, I fess up, I knew nothing of it and it's famed history until a week or so ago when I discovered I'd make a visit as part of the new special I'm taping for Food Network. Remember? I told ya about it a coupla weeks ago when I took in the Buffalo Wing Festival and the Renaissance Fair in Tuxedo, NY. It's basically an untitled show about boardwalks, fairs, amusement parks and the like ... with a heavy concentration on the food, of course. Read up on Wildwood if you are into beaches, boardwalks or into the Doowop and early Rock n Roll eras. This place has history and has held on to quite a bit of the old time charm as well.
Here's where I did bfast this a.m.... got up early because a false fire alarm went off. Figured I was up, might as well go look for food :-). Had a nice walk in the morning air, made up for all the eating I'd done Friday.
The classic car isn't there for curb-dressing the diner ... there were hundreds of them in Wildwood this weekend for a car show. They were all lined up on the board walk. Here's a shot from my hotel room.
Yesterday, we toured the boardwalk with the help of a trolley, really neat for people if they eat a bit much and need a break from walking! Just 2 bucks! I can't give it all away cuz that's for the show, which will air next year. We also went to a fudge shop and were greeted with a lineup of flavors ...
I did the cookies n cream, 10th row of fudge-yummy flavor from the right if ya click to enlarge. It was soooooooooooo creamy!!!
Then, the owners of Laura's told us we weren't the first Food Network crew to come through there, just a while ago Iron Chef Michael Symon was there to tape an episode of Dinner Impossible. He created something there and still after he's gone it continues to sell ... Chocolate Covered Bacon!
I took a pound home for me and my dude ... yummy!
After breakfast and a coupla hours shooting at another location we headed to Maui's, now this is a place to visit!
The hot dog choices were many, I got two, the Texas Cheese and Drunken Dog. Dogs served in dog bowls, love it.
The fries had 7 spices and I can't tell ya the last time I had such a good lunch outdoors. There's just something about eating outdoors, camping, street food, sporting events, I love it. I feel a visit to Coney Island coming on soon before the weather completely gives up on heat.
Have a good weekend and hope you catch Cooking for Real Sunday! I'll do the wings I cooked on Good Morning America, tune in and get the recipe minus the grill for the winter months!
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13 comments:
Awwww - just when I'm homesick you post pics of Wildwood. There's something about that boardwalk that takes a gal back. Some things never change. Thank you Sunny for posting this. It's a fabulous place and I'll have to make sure I'm at the shore next summer - just for nostalgia's sake.
Can't wait to see this special that y'all taped!
Hey Sunny!
I'm surprised you never heard of Wildwood,NJ! I guess you would have to be a Jersey girl to know of it, like me....lol. We were there for a whole week this past July and I grew up going there every summer!
The water on that beach is soooo far, it drives me crazy! But we still love going there...lol. And the piers, one of the ones that you're standing in :)...my kids loveeee!
And can't forget about the fudge places...oh and the "watch the train car please" that replays over and over in your head by the time you leave!
Ok, that's enough reminiscing...lol, but I'm
glad you had a good time and enjoyed it as much as we do every year!
You know - I thought that wing recipe looked familiar - but weren't you missing a few things from the original recipe? Or maybe it was because you didn't say firecracker wings - who knows. That cucumber drink....hmm - I don't know Sunny. I trust you...so I'm going to have to give it a try based on our 'relationship' LOL - tell your dude it's nothing personal.
Can't wait to see that special next year!
Have a really good week!
I'm not so sure about eating out of dog bowls, but I know about Wildwood! Every summer as a kid, I'd go up north to Philly to stay with my grandma. My cousins would always kidnap me and take me to places like Wildwood, Great Adventure, and Seseme Place in Langhorne, Pa.
Boy! Those were the days! I'm glad to hear you're inspired to go and get some more outdoor food before the weather flips on us!
I've actually been to Wildwood NJ! It was for a hockey convention many years ago and we took a side trip for dinner there somewhere.
So, any chance you'll be out this way to do the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk or is it only East coast fairs and such?
lys, your welcome! i knew someone would like the flicks!
kcps6277, isn't the beach lonnnnng?!?!? crazy!!! laura's fudge was the best, we are rationing out the chocolate covered bacon now, just a few strips left lol ....
dtdub, pls for the love of everything ... TRY THE JUICE!!! it is sooooooooo good, pls, trust me. and trust the sugar level too, worked hard on the balance. it is truly crisp and thirst quenching! i sound like a commercial huh? lol, but it's true. and the wing recipe got retitled to fit in with the 4th of july vibe, when gma says can we change the title, a rookie like me says heck yeah!!! put me in coach!
nik snacks, i am just about always the last person to the party. everyone knows about wildwood but me, huh? teeheehee .... lemme tell ya, i'm goin back. wish i had more time there and the sand went on foreverrrrrrr ... plus a slice was 1.90! holla!
mrs. l, yeah, there were several conventions there, seems like a smart choice for one, very relaxed atmosphere to counteract mtgs n such ... as for the west coast, i think the closest we get is a popcorn festival in a city called "brazil", can't wait for that. i can say though that i loved the santa monica pier when i lived in rancho cucamonga, went there a coupla times and loved the view, plus less smog ...
I'm going to trust you here. I always buy those burpless english cucumbers that come wrapped in plastic. I don't know why cuz they taste the same as the cheaper versions - but I feel like I get a better deal or something. I'll pick up an extra one and I'm going to try this. As a matter of fact I'm going to go for a bit of a Jamaican theme myself - and I'm going to do this drink. I'm going to do it this weekend and pics should be up on the food blog by Sunday night/Monday morning. I sure hope this will turn out good.
What the!? Chocolate covered bacon?? Is the bacon crunchy or chewy? I don't know about that Sunny. I love bacon, but... I don't care for chocolate. Yes, I said it, I don't like chocolate. There are some of us out there, ya know? lol
dtdub, yaaay! i don't know your taste buds, but i think they'll like the drink. you can do it with any kind of cucumber, i just like the hothouse cuz it's long and fewer seeds. they actually have seeds, but they are teeny and nothing, kinda like a seedless watermelon. anywho, i can't wait to see your post! ummm, drop some vodka in it and it's trouble ... trouuuble
monika, i feel you ... my dude doesn't particularly like chocolate, but i knew the bacon would bring him over to the dark side lol! it did. it's crispy and chewy at the same time and the salt content is perfect for the sweetness of the chocolate. it really is good ... and don't worry, i'm ok with non-chocoholics, but a former co-worker didn't like mac n cheese, now that, i don't get :-P
I guess chocolate covered bacon wouldnt be that bad..It's been my personal hypothesis that adding bacon and/or cheese to anything automatically makes it delicious. I once accidently bit my finger while eating french fries with bacon and cheese on them, and although it really hurt, my finger mustve been tasted good at the time for me to bite it accidently lol
eric, teeheehee ... i'm down with your hypothesis! poor finger ...
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