Cool To Do

Last weekend was a flurry of entertainment and new places. I thought I'd put them all in one entry because I had a quick spin through all. Enough to want to say something positive, but not in-depth enough to devote a whole entry to them. We went to a communion party at Ariana's Grand in Woodbridge, then we went to a bunch of cool places in Asbury Park.

Woodbridge-

 

Ariana's Grand: http://www.arianasgrand.com/

That was the party venue. We'd never been there. It is a really nice space. The outside has a carport and valet, so if it's raining, you have no worry of running with an umbrella. It looked like there are two large party rooms. We were in the one to the right of when you come inside. It is a large spacious room with a huge bar. There is also a very large outdoor patio that overlooks a garden. That garden was set up for an outdoor wedding ceremony, I assume, for the next day. It was very pretty and spacious.

There were around seventy people at the party but the room could've comfortably accommodated twice that amount. Especially in warmer months when you'd utilize the outdoor patio area. It was a weird weather day, hot and cold at different times, so we didn't spend much time outdoors but I'm guessing they probably have those outdoor heater things for times they're clearly necessary.

The cocktail hour was awesome. Granted, it all depends on what a particular person chooses to serve at their own event, but B's friend Sal chose wisely! The cocktail hour was in the same room (vs separate rooms), and the food was plentiful and delicious. Lobster tails, shrimp, antipasto, pasta and carving stations, fruit, veggies, and then some. It was consistently replenished too, so you never felt like you had to grab some while you could. I've been to affairs where there wasn't enough food or food ran out before you got a taste. I felt like everything I tasted was really good and there was something for everyone. E and I are the pickiest and we both were full by the start of the main entrée. It's not close enough to us to do any kind of event there, but it's definitely a lovely spot in that area.

Ariana's Grand
800 Rahway Avenue
Woodbridge N.J. 07095
tel: (732) 326-1400
fax: (732) 326-1411
email: ari.arianas@gmail.com
Web: www.arianasgrand.com

Asbury Park-

Confections of a Rock Star Bakery: http://www.coarock.com/Index.html

I walked in and I knew immediately I would love this place. It is all cool, rock n' roll vibe. Pink walls, photos with and of famous musicians, and a stocked display case. Just how I like it.

Just like Goldilocks wanted- not to big and not too small. JUST. RIGHT. That describes the cupcakes. You don't feel like they're skimpy and you don't feel like you need a week in the gym just for indulging in one cupcake. They have a lot of really fun flavors- all named to fit in with the rock n' roll "theme". R'Asbury Park, oREO Speedwagon, Red Carpet, S'more than a Feeling, to name a few. They also have this mason jar filled with a strawberry shortcake parfait kind of thing. That is right up my alley.


I got one of those mason jars, a Cookie $Dough$, and three more cupcakes. I also bought three French Macarons. I've mentioned that I LOVE those. Not all are made the same. I ate all three in about sixty seconds. Not just because I was starving, but because they were SO good. I think I got two strawberry- I ate them too fast to remember what berry they were. The other was a hazelnut. Fab. I didn't eat the strawberry shortcake until the next night and it was still perfectly fresh and moist. I had the cookie dough one a night later and it was also really great- stuffed with cookie dough.


The cupcakes are on the heavier side. They're almost muffin-like. That definitely leaves you satisfied. This isn't a situation like I've had from other cupcake places, where I've felt like I could cut into like three flavors and eat three quarters of all of them and barely equal one. I felt like there could've been a little more frosting on it, but I'm probably alone in that. Most of my crew prefer more cake to frosting. It also wasn't super sweet. I tend to feel the sweeter the better, but for someone like B, he likes them less sugary. He was very happy with my choice for him- SugaRUSH. That's a chocolate and peanut butter mix.

Next time I'm trying Greetings from Asbury Park. It's a vanilla and cinnamon creation. I didn't see that when I first stopped in, but I was dizzy from hunger and there were too many people in there. I saw they had minis of those when I went back to pick up my order. Oh, did I mention they let me purchase what I wanted, but then leave it in the store so we could go walk around. I didn't want to put them in a car for hours that was going to probably get over eighty degrees. They close at seven o'clock. I went in around quarter to five to pick up and I think all their regular size cupcakes were gone. But they had a bunch of minis still and that's when I saw the vanilla/cinnamon. I just didn't want to bring home a ton of cake.


I also got a tour of the very clean and large kitchen, where they make everything on-site. They also make specialty cakes. Everything is fresh and they use all their own ingredients. Just wanted to throw that out there. That they're not buying and selling anyone else's stuff. Y'all know that's a huge one for me.

So go check them out!

 

550 Cookman Ave

Unit 104

Asbury Park, NJ

732-455-3510