Even though I sniffle my way through May, it is still one of my favorite months. The smell of newly cut lawns and lilacs with a hint of charcoal and fresh laid mulch in the air always resurrects pleasant childhood memories for me. Unfortunately, for me “the grownup” May is a busy month of painting and power-washing, pool openings and planting, but I never miss the opportunity to stop and marvel at all of the new growth. (Especially after this past winter.)
Here on Jersey Bites, we are celebrating some growth of our own. We are excited to announce a few big developments this month, starting with our new partnership with NJMyWay.com, New Jersey’s first daily e-newsletter offering the scoop on shopping ideas, getaways, spas, things to do every weekend, nightlife… and much more. Jersey Bites is now the official source for food news and restaurant reviews for NJMyWay and we will be cross promoting their exciting NJ Hot Deals along with offering banner advertising on both sites. Look for our first deal on Wednesday, May 4th.
We are also thrilled to roll out this month our very own Restaurant Directory. Restaurants will be able to add a listing in the directory which will include a photo, Google Map link, search engine optimized listing and a link to their website. Readers will be able to locate the latest restaurants by county, town, and cuisine type. If you would like to be notified when this new service launches, please send us an email to Directory@JerseyBites.com, subject: Restaurant Director.
May is also the month for our big Restaurant.com giveaway. Restaurant.com, is all about exploring the local restaurant scene, without breaking the bank. We like that and are excited to be offering 2 $50 Gift Certificates to Restaurant.com. Look for the giveaway to launch on May 16th.
In the meantime, we’ve got some great posts coming your way. We’ll be sharing some special Cinco De Mayo celebrations going on throughout the state. And, May 7th is our self-proclaimed Burger Bites Day. Since May is National Burger Month (you did know that didn’t you?) we have decided to spread out and sample some of the best Jersey has to offer. I will be visiting Smashburger in New Providence, our team members are picking their favorite places to get their burger on, and we invite you to get in on the Patty Party. Whether your burger is vegilicious or double beef with a side of pork, we want to hear about it. Facebook and Twitter will be our “Burger Bites” headquarters for the day. Tune in, upload a pic of your burger destination and give us a peek at what you decided was your ultimate Burger Bite. If you need help finding a place for a great burger, check out the results of New Jersey Monthly’s Best Burger Competition. There are also some restaurants doing some fun things in honor of Burger Month, like Iron Horse Brewery’s 31 Different Burgers for Each Day of the Month. May 7th’s Burger is Hickory Burger with house-smoked pulled pork, sharp cheddar and barbeque sauce. OMG, I want a picture of that one. So, we’ll be wiping our chins and chatting it up on Facebook. Please join us. If you haven’t “Liked” us yet, please do. Facebook.com/JerseyBites and on Twitter.com/Jerseybites. Let’s use hashtag #JerseyBurger shall we?
As we all know, May is that bridge month between Spring and Summer with the final crossover culminating in Memorial Day Weekend. Our own, Alison Heller, from Cape May County will be taking one for the team and covering the Curley’s Fry Fest that weekend. She’ll also be dishing up a great recipe for barbecue sauce and a review of the “Jekyll and Hyde” Cheesesteak at Alumni Grill in Wildwood.
Danielle Kohler will be reviewing “gastropub” Salt, in Byram Township. If you don’t know what a “gastorpub” is, well, I guess you will just have to come back to find out. (Yeah, you could Google it, but what fun is that?) Our South Jersey girl, Beth Christian, took an enticing visit to the Philadelphia Chocolate Tour which will be hearing about as well as her Weight Watchers atonement post of figure friendly BBQ recipes. John and Lisa Fusco will be reviewing Shut Up and Eat! in Toms River (you don’t get any more Jersey than that, do you?) and paying a visit to Cowabunga Ice Cream in Forked River to sample some of their “designer” ice cream. I’m sure their son is going to hate that assignment. Colleen Wood from Camden County will be going to opening day for the Riversharks to check out Kuzina’s new concessions at the ballpark. As always, we will be bringing you more restaurant spotlights, as well as visits to the area Farmer’s Markets and our recommendations for seasonal picks and how to prepare them.
And, lastly, we must not forget our ongoing “Jersey’s Best Wings” competition. I’ll be sharing my favorite wings recipe here this month, but we want to know where you like to go for your favorite chicken wings. If you haven’t voted yet, Click Here, for the survey.
As you can see we’ve got a busy month ahead. We hope you’ll join us as we grow here on Jersey Bites and discover all the best New Jersey has to offer. If you would like to be a “food writer for a day” please take part in our Burger Bites Day on May 7th and send us your pictures and burger reviews. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there and happy Memorial Day. See you in June.
Special Note: I am very proud and honored to be representing Jersey Bites at the Governor’s Conference for Women in Atlantic City this Tuesday on a panel about the power of Networking. If you are attending, please be sure to say Hi. I’d love to meet you.
