Tre Figlio: Escape the Bustle of AC for Award-winning Italian Cuisine

The bustling lights of Atlantic City lights pleasantly subside at Tre Figlio. Boasting top Zagat ratings for numerous consecutive years, the award-winning Italian restaurant is a not-to-miss dining opportunity for anyone with a taste for the classics. Pasta is made fresh on the premises every day and includes a mouth-watering range of choices—from gnocchi della casa to classic cannelloni to bow tie-perfect pappardelle—to compete with the array of prepared meats and seafood. The extensive wine selection can be paired by your waiter or you can go with what sounds best—it's such a well-curated selection that you're bound to be pleased with whatever you get.

Tre Figlio
500 West White Horse Pike
Egg Harbor City, NJ 08205
(609) 965-3303

Taste the Exotic Flavors of Thailand at Rama Thai

Get a taste of Thailand at Rama Thai. The beloved restaurant adheres to its culinary and cultural traditions, serving classic Thai dishes and using fresh, carefully selected ingredients in each of its platters. The authenticity doesn’t end there, however, as the waitresses all wear long silk dresses and the waiters don silk jackets to capture the style of Thailand as well as its hospitality. All of the favorite dishes are on the menu (summer rolls, pad thai, mee grob), but if you’re new to the cuisine or feeling indecisive, it's worth trying the combination plate in order to sample a little bit of everything.

Rama Thai
3003 English Creek Avenue
Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234
(609) 677-1004

The Knife & Fork Inn: Boardwalk Empire Brought to Life

The name brings to mind a simple greasy spoon. It couldn’t be further from the truth. This four-story Flemish-style castle rises above the street like the prow of a ship. It was founded in 1912 as a club for crooked politicians and white-shoe mobsters, including ‘Nucky’ Johnson, now immortalized in HBO’s series Boardwalk Empire. After being raided by bottle-smashing G-men during Prohibition, the Knife & Fork resurfaced as a classy restaurant that hosted Sinatra and Burt Lancaster. Restored in 2008 to its Jazz Age glory, it’s now a stunning confluence of old and new. The interior is a warm fantasy: polished mahogany, leaded glass and softly glowing fixtures transport you to old Atlantic City. It’s opulent but simple, and the menu has similar spirit, with big steaks, big lobsters, and big prices.  You can’t get more classic than 2 1/2 lb. Lobster Thermidor ($42)—split open to highlight its absurd thickness, the lobster is sautéed in butter and finished with mushrooms, cream, mustard, and Parmesan.  Eat slowly, because sides like plump, tangy-sweet braised cippolini onions are some of the best treats on the menu. There’s not much invention here; just timeless food served with astonishing skill.  And don’t worry—no one will smash the wine list, which is worthy of ‘Nucky’ himself.

Knife & Fork Inn
3600 Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
(609) 344-1133

Head to The Crab Trap, Ocean City’s “Best Seafood Restaurant”*

The Crab Trap name has rightfully become synonymous with fine seafood in South Jersey—it was even voted “Best Seafood Restaurant” in 2009 in a Press Readers Poll*! Opened in 1967 as Maenner's Café, a Somers Point spot for grabbing a beer and a sandwich; the original owners have since turned it into the 400 seat, full service restaurant that it is today. Whether you choose The Crab Trap for a romantic date, a family gathering, or an al fresco drink at Crabby Jack’s deck bar; you won't be disappointed. And with incredible dishes like crab stuffed flounder, sesame crusted tuna steak, crab cakes topped with a chardonnay cream sauce, and a 2009 bronze-winning “Best Lobster Dinner,” this timeless restaurant shows no signs of slowing down.

The Crab Trap
2 Broadway
Somers Point, NJ 08244
(609) 927-7377
www.thecrabtrap.com

Flyers Skate Zone: Hit The Ice

It’s fair to say that New Jersey loves itself some hockey, with the Devils one of the most popular teams in the country. So when locals want to get in on the action, they slap on ice skates and get themselves to Flyers Skate Zone, a fantastic indoor rink with several locations in South Jersey. With a DJ and live light show, the open skates are fantastic times for skaters of all skill levels to get some ice time, but the real attraction is the amazing educational programs. If your young one wants to play hockey, the Skate Zone offers a progressive program for kids age 7-13 that will get their skills polished to a razor sharpness. If you’re looking for general skating instruction, you can get that too with the USFSA program, widely regarded as the best way to get up to speed on the ice.

Atlantic City Flyers Skate Zone
501 N Albany Ave
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
(609) 441-1780

Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone at Voorhees
601 Laurel Oak Road
Voorhees, NJ 08043
(856) 309-4400

Virtua Health Flyers Skate Zone at Pennsauken
6725 River Road
Pennsauken, NJ 08110
(856) 488-9300

Best Non-Fiction Books of 2011

2011 saw people hungry for information. These four non-fiction books offered some of the year's best (and most entertaining) sources:

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
A competitor in the U.S. Memory Championship, Foer delves into scientific research and the cultural history of memory to help readers stop forgetting and build better memories. As we learn through conversations with varied personalities, we are the sum of our memories.

The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick
Information is now overly accessible in our culture, but Gleick traces how this reality evolved with the growth of information technologies and the contributions of figures such as Alan Turing and Claude Shannon.

What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes
Drawing on his personal experience of being a 23 year-old lieutenant, Marlantes weaves an affecting portrait of the consequences of war for young soldiers. Including thoughts from Homer, Jung, and others, Marlantes illuminates a difficult to imagine reality for many readers.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Isaacson’s candid portrait of the late creative entrepreneur is based off two years of over 40 interviews with Jobs himself along with quotes and opinions from family members, friends, co-workers, and competitors.

Manna: A New American BYOB in Margate

New American cuisine is the star at this Margate BYOB. Manna owners John and Vicki Merlino strive to create a comfortable, friendly atmosphere for diner, and food that is classic and recognizable but with a twist. Start with a classic app of French onion soup or Caesar salad, or for something different, try the wild mushroom bruschetta—crunchy slices of toasted semolina crostini topped with creamy boursin cheese, sautéed wild mushrooms, parmigiano cheese, and truffle oil. The menu also has a half rack of baby back ribs as an appetizer, smothered in Manna’s own smoky barbeque sauce (a full rack is also available as an entrée). Main meal choices include dishes like paella, jumbo lump crab cakes, and vanilla-maple lacquered chicken breast stuffed with brioche, and served with pecan crusted sweet potato casserole and roasted baby carrots. Save room for dessert too—Grammy’s Pecan Pie is a definite hit, baked with love by John’s own mother. Make sure to visit on Tuesday – Friday—beginning at 5 p.m. the restaurant offers a prix fixe four-course menu for only $35.

Manna
8409 Ventnor Ave.
Margate, NJ 08402                  
(609) 822 7722

Estell Manor Park: Where Nature Meets Recreation in South Jersey

For the best hiking, camping, fishing, mountain biking South Jersey has to offer, look no further than Estell Manor Park. About 1,700 acres in size, it is the Atlantic County Park System's most popular park, and the headquarters of the Division of Parks and Recreation. Its expansive nature study offers excellent opportunities for those who like bird and wildlife watching, as well as studying nature and the environment. If you’re looking for a good workout, hit the park’s exercise trail, a 1.5 mile path with exercise stations. Boaters can canoe or kayak off the floating dock, and sport lovers can hit the ball around on the softball and soccer fields, check out the volleyball courts; or mountain bike on any of the widespread trails. Make sure to bring your camera for plenty of photographic moments.

Estell Manor Park
109 State Highway 50
Mays Landing, NJ 08330
(609) 645-5960

Bowl A Perfect Game at Strike Zone Lanes

The gentlemanly sport of bowling has made a comeback in recent years, as both hipsters and regular folk are enjoying a relaxing evening at the lanes. If you’re itching to play a little tenpin, get yourself to Egg Harbor City’s Strike Zone. Offering 18 carefully maintained lanes, there’s almost always room to play, whether just for fun or in league play. Strike Zone also offers a number of special events on different nights—Wacky Wednesdays let everyone bowl for just two bucks a game all day. After 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, you can have unlimited bowling and shoe rental for just ten bucks until closing time. And Fridays and Saturdays see the disco lights turned on for Red Pin bowling, where thrown strikes can win bowlers free games and more. If you’re not into the pins, you can play poker, arcade games, and more.

Strike Zone Lanes
1400 White Horse Pike
Egg Harbor City, NJ 08215
(609) 965-2299

Atlantic County Bikeway: A Scenic Recreation Trail

The 7.5 mile Atlantic County Bikeway is a scenic bike and pedestrian trail, available for walking, biking, running, and rollerblading from dawn until dusk. The 10-foot wide asphalt path is located between the Shore Mall in Egg Harbor Township and the Atlantic County Vocational Technical School in Mays Landing, running along the former West Jersey/Reading Seashore railway line. Trail heads are located at the Shore Mall, English Creek Avenue, and the Vocational Technical School with limited parking. Signage along the trail provides information on Pinelands plants and animals, as well as history of the railway. Future plans call for the trail to be extended to the Cumberland County line.

For more information about  the trail, visit www.traillink.com/trail/atlantic-county-bikeway.aspx.

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