I used to love me some weekends growing up ‘back in the day’ in Groton, CT. Especially in the dead of Winter because my mother, Jean Anna Tinsely Hollis, would cook all 7 of her Hollis kids pancakes and bacon or waffles and bacon on Saturday mornings and eggs, bacon, grits and buttered toast on Sunday mornings. Weekends were truly a time to sleep in, eat a ton of “Brunchy” foods and then go to church.
Perhaps that is why to this day I Love New Haven, as it is truly a foodie destination, and restaurants that serve “brunch” are not at all hard to find.
I celebrated my 55th birthday this past weekend with my girls – it was almost 2 weeks after the fact as I was actually born on Valentine’s Day. However, one of my three girlfriends was not available until this past Saturday since I had bucked tradition by choosing to celebrate my birthday this year over brunch instead of dinner. And believe it or not, the hardest part for me was choosing where to go as I had 3 former neighborhood faves in mind: The Pantry,Bella’s Cafe and Lena’s Cafe and Confections.
I spent my first 10 years in New Haven living in the East Rock section where The Pantry was the place to go for brunch. This was back in the day when I was un-clean so I would devour the pancakes made with chocolate chips.
I spent the next 11 years living in the Westville section of New Haven and everyone who lives in Westville knows there are two go-to restaurants for brunch: Bella’s Cafe and Lena’s Cafe and Confections.
“Bella’s,” as it is affectionately known, is long and narrow inside and the food is fantabulous – especially the brunches which are served from 8am-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The brunch menu changes each and every week and they don’t disappoint. The weekend we went I had the fabulous french toast. Yummy! And well worth the long lines and the wait!
Yummy french toast!
Lena’s Cafe and Confections is less than a block away in a much larger space. As it turned out, this was the chosen restaurant. And surprisingly we did not have to wait in line at all and the food was out of this world. I had soft cooked eggs, turkey sausage, cheesy grits and a toasted english muffin with butter.
We are the Fab 4 – ladies who golf (smile)
Hot Comfort Foods are now my new birthday go-to and the good news is there are so many more restaurants to try in so many other New Haven neighborhoods (smile).
Over the past 2 years I have published almost 50 blog posts on The View from Lajeune so I think this is a good time to highlight my top 10 faves. So here they are:
The View (from Lajeune) Check out this blog post: The View (from Lajeune) I chose this blog post because the entire day was truly magical from beginning to end!
A Place of Desert Check out this blog postL A Place of Desert…(almost) 4 years cancer free This blog post will always hold a special place in my heart as I truly learned what it is like to survive colon cancer…
My Very First Bug Check out this blog post: My Very First Bug… This post took me back to a time when I was asserting my independence but too hard-headed to see that the route I chose actually costs me in more ways than one (smile).
Clams on the half shell… Check out this blog post: Clams on the half shell…and roller-skates! This blog post speaks to me as it happens during the 70’s, one of my most favorite decades!
Like Moths to the Flame Check out this blog post: Like moths to the flame… This blog post is special to me because it brought me back 31 years to when I first started my career in broadcast media…
CT “Summatime” Eats Check out this blog post: Connecticut “Summatime” Eats! This blog posts was real popular with TVFL readers who, like me, love Connecticut in the Summertime and the delicious variety of food choices!
Divas in the Desert Check out this blog post: Divas in the desert! My good friend and former co-worker Tony Marinaro, who is a faithful TVFL reader, chose the title to this blog post and I will forever be grateful to him for it 🙂
Cave Girl: Check out this blog post:Cave GirlI thoroughly enjoyed doing the research on this blog post and tremendously benefited from my ‘R & R’ day. I was not allowed to take pictures of us inside the actual cave so what I showed will have to suffice.
Taking Fun Seriously Check out my blog post: Taking fun seriously…my very first golf lesson I had fun writing and doing the research for this blog post and still hope to one day have that golf date with my Dad…
Thank you for reading my blog posts from The View from Lajeune. I have plenty more stories to share…
I had a really good feeling about Thursday December 1st, and my hunch turned out to be correct. 12/1/16 turned out to be a very special day. Let me back up (smile). My co-worker Jamie approached me about 6 weeks prior to that day and asked if wanted to plan a joint client appreciation trip to the ABC studios in NYC to see a taping of The View. Of course I said ‘Yes’ (smile). Once we had the date confirmed and the total number of clients attending the show with us (5), Jamie and I received a 2 page “House Guest List”from ABC Studios on what to expect on our taping day. We were asked to wear bright, fashionable clothing (as if you were being invited to a nice dinner), we were asked to bring our photo IDs and we were asked to arrive by 9am for check-in to the ABC Studios as the doors closed at 930am. We were also warned that we would have to go through a metal detector. And lastly, we were told that although we could use our cell phones prior to the taping, once we entered the studios we would literally be asked to power down all of our mobile devices…
Here’s how my day played out:
I woke up at 4am on Thursday, December 1st, left the house at 510am and met my client, Sheree, at 530am at the News 8 parking lot. Our goal was to catch the 605am train. Sheree was running a little behind so we ended up arriving at Union Station in New Haven at 550AM. Turns out the valet parking, which we planned on using, did not open until 6am (sigh). In the meantime Jamie and her 2 clients Nina and Christine were already at the train station for our 605am train, so Jamie went to purchase all 5 roundtrip tickets at the kiosk (no ticket windows were open until 610am) while I worked on getting the valet parking attendant to open before 6am.
Everything worked out, I got my car in the valet parking lot in time, Jamie got our tickets from the kiosk and the 5 of us rushed to make the 605am train. Whew!
Once on the train, we could finally relax and enjoy our 2 hour journey into the City.
Me and my client Sheree Marcucci on the Metro North train into The City
When we got to Grand Central, we stopped for a quick cup of coffee and muffin at one of the many restaurants. Then we had to hail a cab to the ABC Studios on the Upper West Side. As it turned out Nina was a pro at this, and not only hailed us a cab but managed to get one that was large enough for the 5 of us to ride together in (did I mention she was pregnant while doing it (smile).
When we arrived to ABC studios it was just 830am but there was already a long, long line outside. There was also an audience coordinator working his way through the line to make sure everyone was up to speed. We had only been standing in line about 5 minutes when he got to us and discovered that Jamie and I worked at an ABC affiliate (News 8). He quickly took us out of the back of the line and all the way to the front where we checked in with another staff member who took our names and quickly ushered us inside. As promised we were met by metal detectors and then seated in the waiting area. It reminded me of a medium-sized cafeteria but with a Starbucks in it. They handed us all a juice and left us to our own devices.
It didn’t take long before people started taking pictures in front of The View canvas poster. The View is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year so everything, including the hashtags on the poster and all of the memorabilia being sold at the kiosk had The View 20 on it. We had plenty time to kill as the taping was not until 11am and it was only about 9am. So we took lots of pictures of each other and then helped others by taking pictures of them and their party. When it came time to go to the restroom we were taken 5 or 6 at a time and closely guarded so as not to get lost on the way there or back.
Getting our photo ops in!
Around 1015am the studio doors opened and after waiting in another short line, we were finally allowed to go in. The 5 of us were brought to the center of the surprisingly small studio and seated in the first and second r ows: Sheree and me in the first row, Jamie, Christine and Nina in the second row. I was super psyched!
Totally psyched with the VIP treatment! We literally had the best seats in the house! Front row center!
There was, I’ll call him an audience warm-up guyfor lack of a better term in the studio, so for the next 45 minutes or so the AWGhad everyone in stitches as he went from section to section of the small studio making complete fools out of the people he was picking on! It worked too because the time flew by and before we knew it, we were clapping loudly as the women of The View took their seats. Whoopi, Sunny, Joy, Sarah, and Jebediah. Looking much smaller and younger than they appeared on TV. It was a day for Hot Topics so Whoopi immediately launched into a hot political conversation regarding the post Election. All of the ladies weighed in with their opinions and then after the next few breaks, the often-controversial (CNN’s) Van Jones was their guest.
Van Jones did not disappoint and Whoopi did not want to let him leave the stage as his thinking was so in line with her, Joy and Sunny, the liberal voices of The View…
Then came the Wildings (Elizabeth Taylor’s grandchildren). They were all so adorable to look at and very well spoken. As it turned out it was World Aids Day this Thursday, December 1st, so a short film was played showing Whoopi from years back. This film illustrated Whoopi’s selfless devotion towards working with Elizabeth Taylor on a cure for AIDS. This was at a time when very little people wanted to touch the topic…Then Elizabeth Taylor’s grandchildren presented Whoopi with a legacy award. She was in tears and completely surprised. This was part of what made the day so special — Whoopi was totally caught off guard in a good way, basically she was being rewarded for something she had once been criticized for involving herself in…My cell phone was purposely powered off or else I would have taken a picture to share of this special moment (smile).
As I mentioned before, the actual taping of the show flew by so when I heard Whoopi say, “…take a little time to enjoy The View” I knew it was time for us to go. They quickly ushered us out the side door but not before handing us a special edition magazine of Vanity Fair Iconsfeaturing Elizabeth Taylor (as house guests” we were not eligible for the giveaway of the day). We then walked a few blocks and hailed another cab. This time to Bryant Park as Christine had a good restaurant recommendation there. Once there, we entered into Winter Village at Bryant Park,with free admission ice skating, pop-up boutique-style holiday shops and tree-lined alleyways.
First we ate a delish lunch in Bryant Park.
Sherry and I were having the time of our lives in Bryant Park
We ate lunch at Bryant Park Grille (Christine’s recommendation) and the food was fab! We ordered 2 appetizers and then (keeping with my clean theme) I ordered Monkfish with baby choy, jalapeno peppers, pineapples and brown rice. It was delish! We all enjoyed our lunches.
Yummy!
Bryant Park Grille’s interior was a solarium garnished with Fall leaves and holiday lights (2 seasons!) so we felt like we were outdoors but eating indoors.
After lunch we walked along Winter Village at Bryant Park‘s Winter Wonderland to check out the artsy holiday pop-up stores and restaurants up close as well as to look for a place to eat dessert.
Love NYC!
Bryant Park is not too far from Grand Central so after dessert we walked a number of blocks (instead of cabbing it) back to Grand Central to catch the 335pm train. We arrived at New Haven’s Union Station around 530pm. I was beat down! But I felt gratified as this day turned out better than I could have ever expected…I quite literally took a little time to enjoy The View…
Boy do I miss the year 1998. My oldest sister Dana was living in Baltimore, Maryland then and working for Enron so during the Summer, me, my mom Jean, my sister Casandra, my girlfriends Sherry and Thais, their mother Yvonne and my girlfriend Gina would take the opportunity to get out of Connecticut, shoot down the highway and visit Dana and her family for the weekend. We loved Baltimore for 3 reasons:
1. Lexington Market – a foodies’ paradise — a large, indoor market of good, diverse eats!
Lexington Market – foodies paradise!
2. Baltimore Inner Harbor – Love marinas (as a matter of fact, anything water related) and people watching!
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
3. Baltimore Crab Feast Cruise-to-Nowhere – On this week(end) night cruise-to-nowhere, which boarded at 630pm and departed at 7pm, you could, for one reasonable price, eat all of the hard-shelled crabs you like, be entertained with live music and dance it all off under the starry night sky!
The Baltimore Crab Feast Cruise-to-Nowhere was hands down our most favorite part of the trip. It was like being inside a really cool nightclub (but on the water) with a DJ and finger-licking good crabs for days!
The line to board the cruise ship always wrapped around the block. Everyone and their grandmotherseemed to be in that line. This was back in the daywhen busloads of people came to Baltimore for these crab feasts as good news travels fast! Once inside, and after getting our bearings, we would find a seat at a long wooden picnic table. At the table we were given heavy-duty paper bowls, plastic cutlery, wooden mallets, a sharp knife, hand wipes and plastic bibs. Each table was completely covered with brown paper wrapping and each had extra heavy-duty paper bowls on them for the crab residue. Serious business was about to go down! (smile).
Incidentally, there were also service bars in select areas of the cruise ship but alcoholic drinks were not included in our price.
Here we are all dressed up and ready for our night out.
Here we are L to R: Yvonne, Sherry, Gina, Casandra, Thais, Lajeune, my mother Jean
Here is just one of the picnic tables showing our Crab feast (smile)
Yummy!!!
Here is a picture of me and my late mother Jean right after we ate. Happy faces!
Me and my late mother Jean
Again, this was 1998, I was 36 years old and Enron hadn’t collapsed yet…
One of my favorite holidays growing up (besides Christmas) was Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving in my mind was Christmas without the presents and I mean that in the best way. You see, I grew up in a large, dual-parented family in the small town of Groton, CT. I was one of 7 children and the ‘baby girl.’
My father was in the U.S. Navy and my mother was a housewife (today she would be called a ‘stay at home mom’).
Here’s a picture of my parents when they first met. My mother Jean was 17 and my father Jonie B. was 19.
In my humble opinion, holidays were and are so much morefun when you can share them with your parents and siblings and the bigger your family, the better. I was 6 years old in this picture of me and my six siblings, I’m the second one in from the right.
My mother was the ultimate multi-tasker and as such super organized so the bigger holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) afforded her the opportunity to show off her skills.
She would take one or more of us with her to the grocery store to buy the turkey, the trimmings and the holiday themed tablecloth, plates, cups, cutlery and paper machete turkey.
Between making sure that the house was spick and span clean as well as decorated, each and everyone’s clothes washed and folded, and the food prepped and ready, she was also genius at balancing our lives to ensure that we were where we needed to be at any given time.
I had no cooking skills whatsoever so I marveled at how my mother could wash, stuff and prepare the turkey, bake multiple pies with homemade (not store-bought) crusts and then cook a ton of side dishes with ease.
On the big day, the food was blessed and then we would go around the dinner table and share what we were most thankful for that particular year. This would usually elicit misty eyes…
Then my father, Jonie B., would do the honors by carving the turkey. If he was out to sea during the holiday, my older brother Michael would handle it.
The Thanksgiving menu was not light. It usually consisted of an oversized turkey, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, giblets, sweet potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens with ham bone, corn, mashed potatoes with gravy, string beans with fat back, hot dinner rolls, pumpkin pies, sweet potatoe pies, and apple cider to wash it all down with.
Huge mounds of food on serving plates would be passed around the table, laughter was heard throughout and we all knew that we would be eating leftovers for days!
Football was on TV all day long, Macy’s parade as well. Good times.
Fast Forward to today: with the holiday season quickly approaching, I sometimes catch myself getting caught up in a lot of the negativity of the world. My solution a few weeks ago (inspired by my good church friend, Bobo) was to start a (daily) blessings jar to remind myself that I still have plenty to be thankful for. It works like a charm (smile).
One of the first blessings that I wrote and put in my jar was how thankful I was (am) for my late mother so this blog post is written in loving memory of Jean Anna Tinsley Hollis, gone but not forgotten…
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