Grand Opening of Olly Shoes in Plymouth Meeting!

Olly located at The Plaza Shops at the Plymouth Meeting Mall will have a Grand Opening Family Fun Day Celebration this Saturday, August, 29th from 10 AM - 2 PM. Check out the new store and support Don Tollefson's "Winning Ways" charity benefiting kids in the greater Philadelphia area. Entertainment will vary throughout the day but include the Elmwood Park Zoo, Makin' Music performances, Autographs with Philadelphia athletes and more. Call the store for more information at 610-825-3200.

Jade Garden Now Open!

A few restaurant changes are going on in the Dreshertown Plaza Shopping Center. Carambola closed after dinner on Saturday (8/22) and Jade Garden opened within the past few weeks. Jade Garden, which features Japanese and Chinese cuisine, opened in the old King Tien space (next to Carambola) for those of you that grew up in the Upper Dublin area and remember the restaurant that had pictures that really looked like real water falls (of course I was a kid at the time). I have heard the Chinese is better than the sushi, but I have yet to check it out myself. They are located at 1650 Limekiln Pike, Dresher and their telephone number is (215) 542-3890.

Carambola Closes

Carambola in Dresher closed it's doors after dinner on Saturday evening. It had opened in October 1997 by owner Danny Nejberger. He said rising gas prices starting last summer shrank his customer base and commodity prices rose. His lunch business fell 40 percent after layoffs at local business parks followed by dinner declining as much as 40 percent. He was unable to sustain the loses anymore.

Bounce U Opening in Horsham

I know there are a ton of bounce places around this area, but none as close as the new Bounce U that is opening September 19th. Located just off Horsham Road in the Babylon Business Campus (the same campus as Kids U), this should be a great new place for kids birthday parties and open bounce for the kids!

A couple offers: join their VIP list to hear about special events and announcements (or you can just check back here ;) Email your name, child's name(s) and birthday(s) to horsham.pa@bounceu.com. Their first big event will be the Gala Grand Opening Party in early October! Also, if you decide to book a birthday party before their Grand Opening, they will provide a free cake! Call 215.674.8644 to book your party.

Bounce U of Horsham
420 Babylon Road
Suite C
Horsham, PA 19044

Ambler YMCA breaking ground now!!

Exciting news from the Ambler Y! A groundbreaking celebration will be 9:30 a.m. Sept. 9 for the new Ambler Area YMCA on McKean Road between Norristown and Welsh roads. The future Y will include Olympic-size, warm and family fun pools; an indoor walking/running track; a health and wellness center; aerobic exercise studios; double gymnasium; community rooms and more.
For more info call 215-628-9950 or visit their website.

I can't wait to see the new Y!

Fresh Market Now Open! (and I checked out Qdoba too)

So I checked out the Fresh Market today and was pretty impressed with their selection of food. Everything seemed really fresh and looked so good! Their produce looked amazing! The prices for certain things seemed a little higher than what I was willing to spend for that particular product. It seemed to be a cross mix of Whole Foods and some regular grocery items you would find at Giant. The place was packed with people and it was a little difficult to move my cart around but I managed to get by (even though I did knock something over coming around a bend)!

I ended up purchasing a banana chocolate chip loaf which looked amazing. I got it home took a bite and noticed it had NUTS in it! I was not happy for 2 reasons. I hate nuts in my banana bread and the label did not say banana NUT bread. There was nothing to indicate I was purchasing something with nuts in it. I am not allergic to nuts but am thinking how so many people have nut allergies and would be upset if they went to bite into banana chocolate chip bread and found nuts all over it. I called the store immediately and spoke to the store manager who completely agreed the label should read banana nut chocolate chip bread and offered to refund me my money. She said she would let corporate know as well!

So that's my first experience at the new Fresh Market in town!

I also happen to check Qdoba out as well. It was super hot inside (clearly have ac problems) but the food was pretty good. I had a chicken and cheese quesadilla (which is the only Mexican food I really eat) and I liked it. I also had some quacamole and chips which were fair. I like Baha Fresh's better. My son had a kids version of the chicken quesadilla and ate it right up! They have 3 choices for kids. It was packed at lunch time, but the line seemed to move pretty quick! I am not rushing back as I don't love Mexican food, but it is worthwhile checking out.

Want to stay updated with our blog?? Email!!!

I got some requests that some of you would like to be emailed blog updates. Well, take a look at the right at that nifty little email subscription box. Isn't that cool and aren't I so web savvy? (It only took me hours to figure out how to add that! Whew!)

Anyway, you can subscribe with just your email name or if you want to subscribe using a feed that works too. (I personally think just getting entries emailed is easier for me, but maybe that's because I'm not so web literate?)

I hope you enjoy this new feature! :)

ps. Also feel free to "follow" the blog by clicking on the follow button. This allows you to bookmark this blog (along with any others you like) to keep them organized.

Restaurant Review of Dettera -- a new "wine bar" in Ambler

So a few weeks ago I tried the new restaurant and wine bar, Dettera, in downtown Ambler. I was very excited to try this place as they were marketing it a "wine bar" (and I love wine flights) and it really looked beautiful inside. Though I had a nice time and a good meal, I found it to be expensive and not really a wine bar (just a restaurant with a traditional wine list)

Pros of the restaurant:
- very pretty inside, very hip. I definitely felt like I was downtown or somewhere not 5 minutes from my house. They also have a really nice outdoor alley section that you can sit in which looked awesome.
- I loved the upstairs lounge section -- very cool area with a fireplace, couches, etc. I will definitely be back to hang out in this area with some drinks and apps.
- The food was pretty good! Not amazing, but I also went just a few weeks after they opened so it could be even better now. The menu had a nice selection.
- very close to my house! Always a pro!

Cons:
- Pretty expensive. I went with a group of friends (there were 6 of us) and we shared apps, 2 pizzas, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts. We each had a glass of wine. Each of us paid $50, which seemed a bit steep.
- No wine flights or anything to really make it a "wine bar"

Overall, I liked the restaurant and I will definitely be back. But the next time I go it will be for apps and drinks, not a full meal. (Or I will watch more closely what I order to make sure it's not a fortune!) I think it's a great idea to see a movie at the Ambler theater and then to go Dettera for some drinks after. If you go, enjoy! And let me know what you think!

(215) 643-0111

129 E. Butler Pike
Ambler, PA 19002

Dresher has a farmers market?!

My friend Susie, who knows everything and anything in the area (don't worry, she will be blogging on here soon!) told me about the Dresher Farm Market. Now I have lived in this area for over 3 years and haven't heard or been to this place until TODAY! OMG! I can't believe this!

So I went in today. It is such a great and adorable place! It's right on Limekiln Pike, right where Limekiln and Susquehanna divide (across from those new townhouses that are being built)

Anyway, inside this little gem are amazing, juicy fruits and vegetables, incredible pies, cakes, and cookies (hot from the oven!) and other gourmet, local food items, like fresh tomato sauce, homemade fresh pasta, Bobby Chez crab cakes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and more. Most of their items come from Lancaster and are all fresh. They also have mulch, plants, flowers, etc. The owners were so nice and sweet and very helpful.

They are open 7 days a week, and take credit cards! (I NEVER have cash on me so this is a biggie!) They are open until after Thanksgiving and then close Dec 1st through March. This is a great place to get holiday baked goods (you can pre-order if you want), or to stop in for fresh fruit or for dinner! I am definitely going to become a regular here. So excited! Tonight I'll be dining on some homemade gnocci with fresh tomato sauce and some crabcakes. YUM!

Here is the address/contact info:

Dresher Farm Market
2038 Limekiln Pike
Dresher, PA 19025
215-643-9933

Kid's eat free at Moe's Southwest Grill on Sundays!

In this economy when I hear the word free, I am very interested to hear what that entails! My kids love eating at Moe's located in the English Village Shopping Center in North Wales. With the purchase of an adult entree, kids eat free on Sundays!

1/2 price Sushi at Fuji! YUM!

A few weeks ago I went to Fuji Japanese Steak House in North Wales (next to Whole Foods and Chuck E Cheese) with some friends for some sushi. It was a Tuesday night and we were so surprised to see the place totally packed.

Well, a few minutes later we found out that Mon and Tues at Fuji (every week!) is half price sushi night! And I'm not just talking about a couple basic California rolls, either! Everything we ordered was 1/2 off and rolls were averaging around $2-3 each! Insane! And the sushi there is great! (And I'm pretty picky.)

Three of us ate for $30 (no lie) and got salads and drinks, too. And we ordered a good number of rolls, many of them above your basic spicy tuna roll.

Love this! Maybe I should go back tonight!? Anyone want to join? Yum! Enjoy if you go!

Here's the address and phone should you want it:
215) 793-0960
1210 Bethlehem Pike
North Wales, PA 19454

Qdoba now open!

The new Qdoba Mexican Grill is now open in the new Horsham shopping center on Welsh Road next to The Fresh Market which is opening next week. Check out their menu. It looks like it has all of the usual suspects that you would expect to see at a Mexican grill. Hopefully it will be worthwhile when I check it out. I will let you know!

Free pizza for kids Monday nights at the Fireside Grille!

Tonight I am trying out free pizza night at the Fireside Grille. I have a bunch of friends who love this place, but for some reason I have never been there. I can't wait to try it! I'll report back later...

Fresh Market opening 8/17

I just heard that Fresh Market is opening on the 17th! Woo Hoo! I'll try to get confirmation of this news but this is exciting!

Fresh Market signs are up!!!

I was on the phone with a Lafayette Hill friend today while I was driving past Fresh Market (on Welsh Road by the new Babies/Toys R Us) and she was remarking about how lucky we are to have a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, AND a new Fresh Market opening up, all within a few minutes of us! She's right!

If you haven't seen it yet, the Fresh Market signs are up both on the store and on the shopping center signage. I have never been in a Fresh Market store before, but from what I heard, it sounds like it is a cross between a produce store and a Whole Foods. We shall see!

Anyone know when it is opening?

New local mom and pop pharmacy opening

So I drove by a new pharmacy - I think it's called Eric's Pharmacy? - that's opening up around the corner from me near Maple Glen Pizza. I'm all for people opening up new businesses around here, but a new pharmacy, smack in the middle of already established CVS and the new pharmacy within Genaurdis????? They claim to offer delivery service, which sounds nice, especially when I have sick and screaming children at home to deal with, but I just don't see how they are going to make it. I guess we'll see!

CocoPop!

Has anyone seen this stuff flying out of a machine at the Shop N Bag? It's crazy! These little things that look like a combo of rice and popcorn go into the machine, and 5 seconds later out flies a frisbee-looking rice-cake type of thing. And they are only 16 calories each! I think I like them. I've been eating them for over a week now and I am undecided. I've given a few friends and family a try and have gotten mixed results. So head over to Shop N Bag and watch in amazement and then see for yourself. Ooo! Just found the website! Here it is: Cocopop.

Black is slimming

We all know black is slimming. That's why I had to choose this black template for our new blog. It's called Dirty Little Secrets 19002. I know that sounds a little naughty, but really, we just thought it was a catchy name.

We came up with it last night at our maj dinner at Honey. We all live in 19002, and we all love to chat, gossip, talk about what's happening in the "hood", and we figured... why not share our world with all of you?!

We hope you enjoy! Stay tuned!!!