Spring in Cape May Brings Fresh Flavors to the Table

CAPE MAY – Cape May welcomes you this spring with a variety of delicious tours and activities sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Come to Cape May to sample these new food and wine events or return for some of your favorites that will tempt your taste buds.
Are ghosts your thing? Come and sit down to Dinner with the Ghost Writer on Fri., April 13 at 7 p.m. Join psychic medium and ghost writer Craig McManus at Aleathea’s Restaurant at the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St. for a Friday the 13th dinner. Tickets are $50.
New in 2012! Break out your spring wardrobe and gather your best girlfriends for a Girlfriends Getaway Weekend, Friday, April 20 to Sunday, April 22. You’ll enjoy time away from your significant other and those lists and errands during these events that focus on fun, food, wine and fashion, especially for you and the girls:
Come to a Friends of the Physick Estate Fashion Show & Tea at the Carriage House Café & Tearoom on Friday, April 20, at 2:30 p.m. On the beautiful grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., you’ll enjoy a delicious light afternoon tea in the garden tent with your girlfriends while floor models show romantic, Victorian-style fashions from Cape May’s Uniquely Yours. Reserve your place in advance for this event sponsored by the Friends of the Physick Estate. Tickets are $25 for members of the public or $20 for Friends of the Physick Estate. You can become a member and get this and future programs at low or no cost. On Sat., April 21, enjoy Lunch & Antiquing by Trolley beginning at 12 p.m. when you hop on board a MAC trolley at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., and head to Aleathea’s at the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St. Here you will enjoy lunch with time to browse for antiques at the Inn of Cape May. Then, it’s back on the trolley as you embark on an afternoon of crafts and antiques shopping with stops at West End Garage, 483 Perry St. in West Cape May; TreeHouse Antiques, 742 Seashore Road in Cold Spring; and Cape May Antique Center, 1228 Route 109, in Cape May. The trolley returns to the Physick Estate at approximately 5 p.m. Tickets are $30 which includes lunch and transportation; parking is free at the Physick Estate. On Sun., April 22 at 9:30 a.m. it’s time for Brunch, Bingo & Lace as you join the lovely ladies from Lace Silhouettes/Cotton Company for a fashion show and enjoy a delicious breakfast at Aleathea’s at the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St. Laugh along with your girlfriends as you play a little bingo and win some great prizes. Tickets are $25; the event is limited and reservations are required.
To drink or not to drink, that is the dispute between saloonkeeper Patrick Collins and Jennie Wales, staunch advocate of the temperance movement. Enjoy the Luncheon and Temperance Debate, at the historic Merion Inn, 106 Decatur St., a lively living history program, on Thu., April 26, at 12:30 p.m. Join Dr. Physick as he attempts to maintain decorum during this spirited debate. Admission is $25 and includes lunch.
Gracious, yet casual, dining returns to the Carriage House Café & Tearoom on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. The new a la carte menu includes signature salads, wraps, paninis and tea sandwiches, as well as homemade soups and quiche, plus the popular Classic Tea Luncheon and a new kids’ menu. If you have a busy schedule, everything is available for takeout, too. The Carriage House Café & Tearoom re-opens for the season on Friday, April 27. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. For reservations call 609-884-5111.
Cape May’s 17th Annual Spring Festival is April 27 through May 6 and features a tempting selection of new food and wine events along with some returning favorites:
New in 2012! What’s your favorite thing to nibble on – a tempting sweet concoction or a delicious savory snack? Take on the Sweet & Savory Smackdown on Saturday, April 28 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. This new event will have you touring a selection of historic properties and sampling a signature sweet or a savory snack at each. Then, vote for your favorites and get the recipes via email. Adult tickets are $25; children (ages 3-12) are $15. New in 2012!Who said that chocolate and beer don’t go together? Not America’s beer authority, Gary Monterosso. Try this delicious combination at a Beer & Chocolate Tasting at the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St. Join Monterosso as he hosts a sampling of beers and chocolates that go perfectly together on Saturday, April 28 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30. Making its Spring Festival return is the Chocolate Championship Tour & Tasting on Saturday, May 5 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. You are the judge as you taste the area’s best chocolate concoctions. Visit participating historic inns and B&Bs, sample their signature desserts and vote for your favorites and decide who will take home Cape May’s Chocolate Champion title. Those who turn in completed evaluation cards will get recipes by email. Adult tickets are $25; children (ages 3-12) are $15. If you delight over a good whodunit, join the Impromptu Players as they set the scene for the original mystery, “A Very Noir Pinot” at Aleathea’s Restaurant at the Inn of Cape May, 7 Ocean St. at Murder Mystery Dinners during Spring Festival. Enjoy a three-course dinner as the cast sets the stage around you. Contemplate the clues, interact with the cast and help solve the mystery as it unfolds. Tickets are $45 per person. Saturdays, April 28 and May 5 and Sundays, April 29 and May 6, at 7 p.m. If it’s lunch you prefer, enjoy a three-course meal during Murder Mystery Luncheons and take part in the thrill of solving the mystery as the clues unfold before your eyes. Lunch is $30 per person. Sundays, April 29 and May 6, at 1 p.m.
New in 2012! Take a walk-through tour of the Cherry House, a beautiful private home, built in 1849 in the Federal style, situated on one of Cape May’s oldest residential streets and then enjoy afternoon tea in the Carriage House Café & Tearoom during the Cherry House Tour & Tea. Cherry House is open from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and can be visited at any time during the hour. Tea may be taken anytime from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $18. Offered on Sundays from April 29 through June 17.
Ready to enjoy an afternoon of good spirits? Try these events that introduce you to the flavors of the Cape May area’s outstanding vineyards and new brewery:
Relax over a glass of wine at the Cape May Winery, 711 Townbank Road as you take a Winery Cellar Tour & Tasting. See how the grapes are grown and then learn about the winemaker’s art as you enjoy a barrel-tasting accompanied by cheese and fruit. Saturdays, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20; the event is limited and reservations are required. Spend the afternoon touring the wineries of Cape May County at your own pace on the Self-guided Wine Trail. Visit Natali Vineyards and Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery and taste the unique flavors at each. Offered daily from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 and includes a map with the wineries listed and a tasting glass. New in 2012! What’s brewing in Cape May? Some great spirits, as you’ll find out on the Self-guided Wine & Brewery Tour of two area wineries, Natali Vineyards and Hawk Haven Vineyard and Winery, plus the new Cape May Brewing Company. Take a tour at each stop and sample some of their products. Admission is $13 and includes map with directions. Tours are offered on Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Spend the day visiting Cape May County’s wineries and sampling the unique flavors of each during the Cape May Wine Trail on Sat., May 12 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. First enjoy lunch at the Carriage House Café & Tearoom at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., and then board the trolley, which will take you to Natali Vineyards and Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery where you’ll learn about viniculture and visit the tasting rooms. Admission is $75 per person and includes lunch, wine tastings at each vineyard and a wine tasting glass. Limited event, reserve early.