Looking at the straws and cups made from corn (entirely recyclable and compostable), the natural pebble flooring, and minimalist white décor flooded with natural light, it can be easy to wonder if the unassuming new pizza place in Wyckoff, NJ is more about eco-style over substance: it’s not. Open since December 2009, The Flatz Company makes a tasty and healthful pizza pie, and is one of my favorite new lunch spots.

The “flatz” are thin as tortillas, and crispy as crackers with creative pizza toppings on the menu like “The BLT” complete with chopped lettuce sprinkled on top; “Swimming with the Fishes” for the anchovy lovers out there; the “Jammin’  Banana Fruit” topped pizza flat, or even “The Prestige” with white truffle oil and shaved parmigiano reggiano.

The Flatz Co boasts their ingredients are “better than organic,” abiding by stricter standards than required for organic certification. For instance, the wheat flour used in the base of the flats is free from chemicals with nothing added and nothing removed. Which makes this mom’s heart go pit-a-pat – in a good, healthy way.  Served simply over paper on a reusable plastic tray, my kiddo actually likes to take care of the small amount of waste to use the  automated bin doors for recyclables or trash on our way out.

With each “flat” measuring about 12 inches in diameter, they’re more than enough for one person and easy for two small kids to share, and to that end The Flatz Co has a “Buy Two Flats, Get One Free” special on Mondays and Tuesdays. The three pizza flats should be about right for a family with two small children, as the three of us order three and end up taking about the equivalent of ¾ of one home. I also like their natural drink offerings like Boylan’s fountain soda, Mash sodas or Harney & Sons ice tea.

The Flatz Co plans to expand with four new locations in Manhattan and California over the next year. I suggest you keep your eyes peeled for one near you, but in the meantime, try it out the next time you make the journey over the GW Bridge into Bergen County.

The Flatz Co

314 Franklin Ave

Wyckoff, NJ 07481

201-560-0150

If you’re looking for some family-friendly fall fun, look no further than Terhune Orchards in Princeton, NJ. Snaking through the tree-lined back roads near the esteemed university, you’ll feel fall envelope you as you drive past the colorful falling leaves. Then as you choose your parking lot on Cold Soil Road (deciding between the apple-picking entrance or the farm and pumpkin activity entrance), you’re welcomed to Terhune Orchards with crisp fresh air and gardens of choose-your-own wildflowers. Yep, you’re in the country now.

What Terhune does best is offer such a variety of fall activites that they have something to keep even the most picky or active child entertained. There’s a tractor-pulled wagon/hayride through the apple trees, flower gardens and pumpkin patch so you may enjoy the ride, or stop to pick your own. Then there’s the barnyard of ducks, goats (you may feed), ponies (you may ride one for $5), and on some days, alpacas too. Terhune Orchards has the usual wood-cutouts for photos – even a wooden cow with working udders that children can try their hands at “milking.” For active children, there are ride-on tractors and bikes, a corn maze and plenty of space to run around (a one-mile nature trail too) - even live music on the weekends for the kids to dance along to.

Perhaps your children are more interested in food and treats. No worries: caramel apples covered with M&Ms or Reese’s or nuts, candy apples, donuts, apple muffins, cider, hot dogs, soup, chili, and more are available to purchase and enjoy at picnic tables. Face-painting and a “Garden State” adventure barn are fun activities too.  Oh, and I didn’t even mention that Terhune Orchards offers some great backdrops for family photo opportunities while out at the farm.

The next three weeks, Terhune will be hosting fall festival weekends from Noon until 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and is otherwise open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily. Mmmm. . .cider. . .donuts. . . candy-coated caramel apples. Excuse me, I have to go find my keys. . .

Terhune Orchards

330 Cold Soil Road

Princeton, NJ 08540

609-924-2310

Photo credit: Heidi Leder

Labor Day ceremoniously marks the end of summer and beginning of the fall season for us, although the calendar doesn’t note the official start of autumn until September 22nd. When the screechy hum of the cicadas fills the air, the winds rustle the changing leaves on the trees, and the skies turn cloudy all day, it certainly feels like fall: time for family outings to the orchards near us for apple-picking and fun in the country.

We enjoy visiting Demarest Farms in Hillsdale, NJ in Bergen County – not because it is exceptionally fancy, but because it does a great job offering the basics of peach, apple and pumpkin picking. Beginning with a hayride past the peach trees to the apple orchard to pick apples, then off for cider and donuts back at the store, as well as a made-from-scratch soup and salad bar (some say the best in the county, made with homegrown vegetables and fruits), dried fruits, homemade ice cream, pies, decorations and treats to peruse during your visit. Demarest Farms has the experience down pat . . . and they should, considering that they’ve been offering apple-picking and hayrides for over 30 years, and have been an operating farm for nearly 125 years.

Demarest Farms is located near Route 17, about a half-hour drive from the GW Bridge. On weekends (and holidays), it costs $5 per person for the hayride through the orchards (kids under 2 ride free), and $7 per bag of apples. Each bag holds 12-15 pounds of apples.  During the week, the days are reserved for groups with hayrides and apple-picking open to the public from 3-4:30 p.m. daily, and at the deep discount of $5 per person and free bags. The store is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

So if the sound of simultaneous crunches from others biting into their just-picked apples is calling you, or maybe the sweet smells that attract the late-season bees to the fallen apples and sticky cider spills entices you, then perhaps we’ll see you at Demarest Farms this fall.

Demarest Farms

244 Wierimus Road

Hillsdale, NJ 07642

201-666-0472

Growing up in a small town in Ohio with only 4,000 people, if you had told me that each subsequent move I made (except one) would be to a bigger city than the prior one, I wouldn’t have believed it.  I subsequently moved to 1) Columbus, Ohio, 2) Chicago, Illinois, 3) Mexico City (yes, the one in Mexico) and then 4) Hoboken, New Jersey.  Hoboken, to me, is a wonderful combination – we are right next door to one of the greatest cities in the world and yet the pace of life is a bit slower than Manhattan and although there is a thriving night-life Hoboken is also very family-friendly.  Driving up the West Side Highway in New York, you can look across the river to Hoboken. If you haven’t popped over for a visit, armed with your Google map, you should!  There are many summer activities put on by the city that you can enjoy.  I took my kids on a big circuit of the Hoboken river-front in our double stroller and you and your family can either do the entire circuit or stop anywhere along the way.

Getting there:  The easiest way to get to Hoboken is to take the  PATH train, but the most scenic way is to take the NY Waterway ferry.  Both the PATH train and the ferry will bring you into Hoboken Terminal.

First stop:  Pier A  Pier A is a park that juts out into the Hudson River and is adjacent to the Hoboken Terminal.  Having both a shady section and a sunny section, there are ample opportunities for sunbathing, picnicking or sports.  A shaded gazebo at the water’s edge is a terrific place to watch boats go by.  On a recent visit, we were surprised to see a class from the Parsons School gathered around the gazebo painting the spectacular views up and down the Hudson River.  There is also a fountain where children can cool off on a hot day.

Next stop:  Stevens Park  Walk north along the water until the walkway ends.  You’ll see on your right the new Pier C park that is under construction.  Take a left and walk one block.  On the hill on the right-hand side above the ball field, is Stevens Park.  It’s a small neighborhood park but complete with slide, swings and a small fountain.

Next stop:  Elysian Park and/or Maxwell Park Hudson Street runs along the eastern edge of Stevens Park.  Walk north on Hudson Street and you’ll come to Elysian Park just north of 10^th Street.  Elysian Park is a nice spot if you’re looking for shade.  If you keep walking on Hudson Street, cross over Sinatra Drive and angle off to the right, you’ll find Maxwell Park which is a nice, sunny gated park right on the water’s edge.  Both parks have grassy areas for picnicking.

There are several nice spots to eat close to the water along this circuit:

The Melting Pot – a fondue restaurant on Sinatra Drive (along the water) adjacent to Pier A.  The restaurant is somewhat upscale, but there are more casual tables outside.

Trinity – a restaurant on Sinatra Drive a couple of blocks north of the Melting Pot.  Again, it’s an upscale restaurant but there are outside tables.

The Crepe Grill – a casual cafe on the water adjacent to Stevens Park and the new Pier C.

Walking southbound on Hudson Street from either Stevens Park or Elysian Park will bring you back to the Hoboken Terminal.  If you’re still in the mood for some exploring, you can walk back on Washington Street and enjoy the shops, restaurants, bars and cafes along our main street.  

I knew the first time I entered La Dolce Divas Bakery  in downtown Englewood, NJ  a year ago that I was in trouble. I threw caution to the wind as I gazed at the scrumptious cakes enclosed in glass domes along the counter, teasing me to try a slice of their moist, decadent goodness. I could hear the excited “oohs” and “ahhs” as customers stopped into the shop, followed quickly by their silence as they perused the shelves behind the glass counter trying to narrow their decisions on which luscious cupcakes and sweet treats to order.

Who can’t help but smile standing amidst the delightfully charming ambiance of the bakery with its customer moldings and chalkboard menus? It’s become a must-stop shop for us every time we visit the area, and is a great treat to dangle in front of my son while we’re shopping for clothes, gifts or furniture downtown Englewood. He rushes in to look at the latest theme-decorated cupcakes (currently back-to-school and baseball) and excitedly watches through the window to the kitchen where the concoctions are baked from scratch and decorated, then relays a play-by-play to me as I pay for our tasty treats.

La Dolce Divas celebrates a “back-to-basics” approach to baking. Native Jersey gal and co-owner of La Dolce Divas Bakery, Danielle Maschuci describes her baking philosophy as “butter, sugar and old school recipes.” Which explains the half-inch think buttercream frosting that indelibly winds up dotting the chins and cheeks of every child in the place as they cheerfully bite in and chew away.

Customers flock to the shop for their carrot and red velvet cupcakes (named best cupcake in Bergen County), though they offer others like peanut butter and jelly, mint chocolate, pistachio, strawberry, coconut, and cream-filled ganache. The cupcakes sell for between $2.25 and $2.80 a piece. Other cookies, bars, whoopee pies (three flavors – including red velvet!) and tarts range in price from $1.50 to $3.50 each. Cakes cost either $26 or $80 depending on size, and they can accommodate special orders for weddings or parties. La Dolce Divas serves bottled water, oragnic juices, tea, coffee and hot chocolate if you’d like to leisurely enjoy your treat at one of the bistro tables. (I can never wait long to bite into dessert, especially the vanilla-y, peanutty scent wafting from a chocolate peanut butter cupcake.)

Maschuci was inspired to open her own bakery while attending law school in NYC during the famed cupcake boom in Manhattan. Together with her aunt, Ava Okuniewicz, the two chose to open La Dolce Divas in Englewood when they were searching for a town near New York City in need of a sugary haven. While they prepared for the April 2008 launch of La Dolce Divas Bakery, they opened Ocean Grove Bake Shoppe on the Jersey Shore in 2007. Ocean Grove Bake Shoppe is a more traditional bakery retail shop offering breakfast breads and donuts in addition to the desserts found at La Dolce Divas.

La Dolce Divas Bakery is a charming dessert shop that caters to the kid in all of us, and is worth a visit if you find yourself along that part of Route 4 and in need of a smile.

La Dolce Divas Bakery is offering NY Metropolista readers an exclusive deal: purchase three cupcakes, and get one free when you mention this article on NYMetropolista!

La Dolce Divas Bakery

44 E. Palisade Avenue

Englewood, NJ 07631

201-871-1230

Ocean Grove Bake Shoppe

55 Main Avenue

Ocean Grove, NJ 07756

732-774-8235