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Whether we’re making fine dining reservations or meeting friends for tapas and cocktails, we’re always searching for a specific experience. At Jockey Hollow Kitchen and Bar, Owner Chris Cannon and his staff have created a space to experience (and taste) everything. Across three floors, Jockey houses four separate dining spaces, each offering a unique ambience and menu. This winter, we visited Jockey Hollow for a firsthand look at its versatile atmosphere.

Jockey Hollow is located in the heart of Morristown inside The Vail Mansion, the former home of AT&T’s first president, Theodore Vail. The 15,000-foot. structure, built in 1917, features 17-foot-tall marble columns which were inspired by Italian Palazzo style architecture. The mansion was originally meant to be Vail’s museum as well as his home, only he passed away before he could move in. In the years that followed, his daughter sold the property and it became Morristown’s city hall for nearly seven decades. Today, many have come together to restore the mansion to its former glory, including Cannon, who began working on Jockey Hollow in 2011 after falling in love with its history and stunning marble interior.

While the structure’s history will never be forgotten (Vail’s initials are literally carved into the Italian marble), the restaurant has made a name for itself since opening in 2014, and given the scope of Jockey Hollow, it’s no wonder it has become so popular. General Manager Ron Morgan, who has managed everything from tapas bars to Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City, oversees all four dining spaces. Requiring a talented (and massive) staff, Morgan recognizes the restaurant’s challenges, but has never felt so rewarded in his career. He explained, “I’ve overseen restaurants with one kitchen, one menu, and one dining room and between 30 and 50 employees. At Jockey Hollow we have two kitchens, three menus, three bars, and four dining spaces. We have 100 employees.”

The Vail Bar

We began our visit at Jockey’s Vail Bar, a 1920’s style cocktail lounge which was commissioned from the mansion’s first floor library. Jockey’s bar staff, who specialize in seasonally-inspired craft cocktails, started us with a few of their signatures, including the banana hammock cocktail which is comprised of Laird’s Applejack, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, and banana liqueur among other things. With applejack in season, the rum cocktail was a great pairing with Jockey’s double tier of oysters, clams, mussels, shrimp and lobster.

While Jockey’s Renaissance style facade may seem intimidating, sitting beside the fireplace in the The Vail Bar allows one to feel at home. The room itself echoes Morgan’s efforts to create a warm experience for his guests. “We’re serious professionals, but we want to create a fun and memorable experience,” said Morgan.

Oyster and Wine Bar

Adjacent to the Vail Bar, is Jockey’s Oyster and Wine Bar which catches one’s eye with its high ceilings and marble floors. Although the space was created from the mansion’s art gallery, accents like modern wood tables and leather banquettes make it ideal for a relaxed, casual dinner. The Oyster Bar offers a variety of raw foods, charcuterie, traditional entrees and fine wines which were hand picked by Cannon himself along with his sommeliers.

We started with a Peter Lauer “Barrel X” Riesling and a 2014 Navarro Rosé. The Navarro had more structure and color than a typical rosé, a direct result of it having more skin contact with the grapes, what the wine staff refers to as “Rosé with guts.” As a fan of raw bar, the pâté de campagne (with whole grain mustard) and hand cut sirloin tartare made for excellent starters. And while I am not an avid rosé and riesling drinker, I was surprised by how well their dry characteristics complemented the food, underscoring its meatiness.

The Dining Room

When you make your way up the main staircase, above the Oyster Bar, that’s when you truly appreciate the breadth of everything. At the top, overlooking the property’s 1500-foot reflecting pool, is the Vail family living quarters which has been transformed into Jockey’s fine dining room. The dining room is perhaps the most unique of the spaces as it exudes exclusivity and pushes the boundaries of common culinary ideals. Executive Chef Kevin Sippel explained, “Each dining room has its own food identity at this point, the Oyster Bar and Vail Bar, are very casual, everything is very approachable. The dining room is more hands on pushes the envelope without being pretentious.”

Sippel’s farm-to-table menu is deeply rooted in the classics of France and Italy, and utilizes the best of what New Jersey’s agriculture has to offer. “We are in the middle of the Garden State, we have such a wide variety of farms out here utilize. Cooking with local ingredients is pretty much how we’ve eaten since we’ve been on the planet,” said Sippel. Through strong relationships with Ralston Farms and Barnegat Bay, Sippel is able to source what is in season, and use wintered vegetables during cold months.

Our four course meal began with the grilled Spanish octopus, a delightful starter which was served with eggplant and black olives. This was followed up with hand rolled garganelli, which is made with braised veal and a lamb ragu. As a pasta dish, the garganelli stole my tastebuds and left me damn near mesmerized, that was until I tried Sippel’s kurobuta pork filet with parsnips and mushroom ragu.

The Rathskeller

Located in the mansion’s basement, the Rathskeller houses Jockey’s wine cellar and also serves as an event space that offers live music, wine dinners, sports and classes (depending on the night). Featuring brick walls and industrial metal beams, The Rathskeller is a great place to unwind at the end of the night (even though it once housed the city’s jail cells).

We enjoyed our final course and a housemade digestif in the Rathskeller, which was prepared by pastry chef Erica Leahy. The most notable of which was the blood orange sundae, and yes, it’s every bit as bloody good as it sounds.

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In just over a year, Jockey Hollow has climbed to the top of the New Jersey food world and has become a cultural hub as well as a world class culinary destination. The restaurant itself is so dynamic that it cannot be duplicated anywhere, even in Manhattan. With the change in season, Morgan and his staff are excited about growing their events program and opening their fifth dining space on the patio (coming in May). “I hope that guests come here to relax after a long day or a long week of work and feel energized by a lively environment, great food, great beverage, and warm service.”

Holly Walk 2019 will be a Three Day Event

The 2019 Holly Walk, a long-standing and beloved Morris County tradition, offers visitors the opportunity to visit seven local historic sites decorated for the Christmas holidays with one admission ticket. The event has been extended to three days, the Morris County Tourism and its partners are pleased to announce.

Holly Walk 2019 will provide an historical overview of the celebration of Christmas from Colonial days to the present with each site featuring decorations authentic to its building's time period.

Ticket holders will be able to visit the sites during Friday, Saturday and Sunday, December 6, 7 and 8. Days and times of operation vary according to location. Schedules and maps will be given out with each ticket purchase.

Participating sites:

Each site will offer something special for visitors in addition to being decorated authentically to its time period.

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms in Morris Plains will be decorated for a 1910s Christmas. Guest artisans will demonstrate beadwork and candle making. Visitors can tour their current exhibit The American Arts & Crafts Chair: A Message of Honesty and Joy.

The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts in Madison will be hosting a Craft and Trade Show where Holly Walk guests can watch local artisans produce unique products and gifts for the holiday season. Refreshments will be served. Christmas decorations will reflect early 20^th century style.

Visitors to Historic Speedwell in Morristown will see the historic Vail House decorated for a mid-19^th century Christmas. The 1849 Carriage House will host a dance space with festive evergreen décor and replica Currier and Ives prints. Activities will include a scavenger hunt, dance instruction, live music and a games and crafts area. Have your picture taken while seated in an historic sleigh. A special wassailing activity is planned.

The Ford Mansion at Morristown National Historical Park and the Schuyler-Hamilton House will feature decorations of the Colonial period, while Macculloch Hall Historical Museum will present early and mid 19^th century décor. Acorn Hall will feature Victorian decorations of the mid to late 19^th century.

All the gift shops will be brimming with unique merchandise, some handcrafted and locally sourced, all reasonably priced, so bring your holiday gift lists, and support the preservation of local Morris County historic sites.

Tickets purchased through Dec. 5 are $30 per person until December 5, and may be purchased online through morristourism.org or Eventbrite.com, or from the Morris County Tourism Bureau, 6 Court Street, Morristown. For more information call: 973-631-5151. Ticket prices are $35 when purchased on December 6, 7, 8.

Holly Walk is generously underwritten by Normandy Partners, NJM Insurance Group, Jeanne and Joe Goryeb, Atlantic Health System's Morristown Medical Center, the Washington Association of New Jersey and media partner NJ.COM. The MCTB receives funding through a grant from the NJ Dept. of State, Division of Travel & Tourism and an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

The Morris County Tourism Bureau is a Destination Marketing Organization that positively affects the economy of Morris County by promoting the area's exceptional historic, cultural and recreational opportunities.

Morristown and Roseland Property Company took center stage at the 2011 Sales and Marketing (SAM) Awards held recently in Atlantic City, sponsored by the New Jersey Builder’s Association. Roseland’s luxury condominium building, 40 Park in Morristown, was named “Community of the Year,” capping off a thrilling night in which Roseland won an amazing 16 awards for its communities in Morristown.

40 Park garnered 13 of those awards as it virtually swept through the competition at the 24th Annual SAM Awards, which annually recognizes excellence in residential design and marketing and sales programs within New Jersey. The 76-home condominium building overlooking the Morristown Green added to its impressive list of accolades, which includes two prestigious national awards from the National Association of Homebuilders: The 2010 Pillars of Industry award for “Best Mid-Rise Condominium” and the Best in American Living Platinum Award for “High-Rise Multi-Family Buildings Six Stories and Over.”

The Metropolitan at 40 Park, a 130-unit rental building overlooking a public piazza, won three SAM awards. John Dickinson was named Project Superintendent of the Year for his work on the Epstein’s redevelopment project, which incorporated both 40 Park and Metropolitan at 40 Park. Both buildings were developed by joint-venture partners, Roseland Property Company and Woodmont Properties.

The award-winning night underscores Roseland’s commitment to excellence and to downtown Morristown, where Roseland/Woodmont has invested more than $300 million in historic renovations, redevelopment and new construction. The developers have won numerous state and national awards every year for their construction of The Highlands at Morristown Station, a 217-residence luxury rental community near the train station, their historic restoration and condo conversion of the Vail Mansion, the former home of AT&T’s first president Theodore N. Vail, and their work at 40 Park and Metropolitan at 40 Park. Past awards include a 2006 Smart Growth Award from New Jersey Future that praised the redevelopment of the Epstein’s site in Morristown, a 2008 Building of America Award for Vail Mansion and a 2008 Best of American Living Award for Vail Mansion.

The Roseland/Woodmont partnership has helped Morristown emerge as one of the state’s most desirable places to live, with a variety of restaurants, cafes, boutique shops, theaters, mass transportation options and upscale residences.

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“The SAM Awards was an extraordinary night for us,” said Debra Tantleff, a Vice President of Development for Roseland Property Company. “Morristown is just an exceptional town which is why we’re so committed to creating new opportunities for residents to live in the heart of downtown and enjoy all that the area has to offer. The sales and leasing activity we’ve experienced at our communities provides vivid proof that Morristown is in high demand, and we’re thrilled that our success has been recognized in such dramatic fashion.”

40 Park is 75 percent sold and 60 percent occupied. Several floor plans have completely sold out and buyer traffic has been steady. Vail Mansion is 100 percent sold and occupied.

Activity at the Roseland/Woodmont rental buildings has been even more impressive, as both Metropolitan at 40 Park and The Highlands were fully-leased within a year of opening.

“Both renters and home buyers have shown that they like living in our buildings and they love what downtown Morristown has to offer,” Ms. Tantleff said. “With The Highlands and Metropolitan at 40 Park fully leased and Vail Mansion sold out, 40 Park is the best option for anyone looking to experience the vibrant, pedestrian-friendly urban lifestyle of downtown Morristown.”

The Roseland/Woodmont commitment to Morristown extends beyond residential development and historic conversions. Bringing in the right complementary retail to the community is a key part of the partnership’s development plans, so 70,000 square feet on the first floor of 40 Park and Metropolitan at 40 Park was committed to retail space. “The Shops on the Green” currently includes such upscale tenants as Starbucks, Roots Steak House, Urban Table, an AT&T retail store and Qdoba Mexican Grill. Discussions with potential new tenants are underway.

For more information on 40 Park, call 973-359-0010, or visit www.40park.com. The community is located at 40 W. Park Place, Morristown, NJ 07960.

About Roseland Property Company

Since 1992, Roseland Property Company and its principals have grown to become recognized as industry leaders, having developed over 40,000 high-end residential units. Roseland's vision for creating dynamic mixed use communities has resulted in such celebrated developments as High Street in Williamsburg, VA which blends upscale townhomes, rentals and 105,000 square feet of retail; 40 Park including the 70,000 square-foot Shops on the Green spearheading the revitalization of downtown Morristown, NJ; and Port Imperial, a dynamic 6,000-unit mixed-use community rising along the Hudson River directly facing midtown Manhattan that also features 1,000,000 square feet of office, retail and entertainment space and a full-service hotel.

Attention, anachronologists! And you, temporal voyagers! I mean those who like to slide playfully backward in time. On Saturday April 9, the Steep-Punk! Steampunk Tea and Photo Shoot at Morristown’s historic Vail House should be your cup of tea.

Steampunk, as its fans know, is a retro style that arises from the Victorian- and Edwardian-era science fiction and fantasy of authors such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Steampunk refers to Nineteenth century fantasies of the future in novels like Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Wells’s The Time Machine. In our own era, the 1960s television series (and later, movie) The Wild, Wild West embodied Steampunk’s fascination with yesteryear’s sense of the techno-tomorrow.

Steampunk enthusiasts enjoy role-playing and dressing up in costumes that combine 1800s attire, ranging from corsets to bowler hats, with goggles, gadgets and weapons that seemed futuristic at the time.

The Vail House, at the 8-acre National Historic Landmark site called Historic Speedwell, dates to the early 1800s. It has hosted a number of Steampunk gatherings in recent years, including a weekend festival of lectures, performances and vendors.

“The more we looked into it,” says Maressa McFarlane, historic education and volunteer supervisor for the Morris County Park Commission, “the more we realized what a good fit it was. [The Vail House has] the tradition of being an historic site that talks a lot about technology and inventions.

“That’s what’s really at the core of the genre,” she adds. “It’s taking the Victorian period and giving that society the technology we have now, only powered by the technology available in that era, like steam and gears.”

This year’s event can accommodate up to 40 participants, who are invited to arrive in Steampunk costumes and accoutrements. Costumes and props are optional, and must be provided by the attendants. The reward is that participants will be photographed by a professional photographer in the fully restored Vail House’s authentic Victorian setting.

The portrait session will be followed by a three-course high tea catered by Landauer Café in Montville, which also operates Matilda Café at the park commission’s Frehlinghuysen Arboretum.

The menu, built around fine teas: Tea sandwiches. Roasted turkey and Swiss with honey mustard; Virginia ham and cheddar with strawberry mayo; and herbed cream cheese with chives, onion and cucumber. Sweets. Scone of the Day, with assorted preserves and butter; double chocolate chip brownie; Linzer tart.

Guests will take home a 5 by 7-inch print of their Steampunk-inspired photo.

Historic Speedwell is considered the spot where modern telecommunications was born. Alfred Vail worked there with Samuel F.B. Morse to conduct the first successful public demonstration of the telegraph in 1838. In the site’s Factory Building, visitors can enjoy three floors of interactive exhibits, linking this earliest form of electronic communication to today’s interconnected digital world.

The Steampunk Steep-Punk event runs from 6 to 8:30 pm.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here.

Historic Speedwell 338 Speedwell Avenue Morristown

Where is Parsippany?

When people ask me where I live, and I say Parsippany, they ask, “But where...Lake Parsippany?” After this happened a number of times, I realized that most of the historic town of Parsippany is not visible as a town.

If you had come to Parsippany in the 1940s, you would have seen a different streetscape, one with an actual town center. Cobb’s Corner, at the intersection of routes 46 and 202, had a building on each corner, plus the Parsippany Methodist Church, the old orphanage and the old schoolhouse.

Single-family homes lined Littleton Road and Parsippany Boulevard. This was a Parsippany of two-lane roads and dairy farms—the development boom of the 1960s and '70s had not begun.

The development of the Jersey City reservoir “drowned” part of Parsippany, the completion of interstates 80 and 287 removed more houses and changed the geography and the placement of old roads. The development of Hills of Troy removed entire hills that used to be in that area.

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The present Town Hall faces I-287, because the former road to Boonton ran in front of the building. The site of the mansion that was the Morris County Children’s Home is now occupied by an office building.

The Parsippany Methodist Church site is under I-287, which also took most of the houses on Littleton Road. The apartment development boom of the 1960s also replaced most houses with rental complexes in the area.

The Presbyterian Church and Vail Cemetery, Righter House and the other small houses on Route 46, and the Livingston Benedict House off Parsippany Road, are all that remain in 2011 of the historic hamlet of Parsippany. The area around the church is now termed “Percipany State Historic District” as a reminder of the town that once existed.

Parsippanong, the Lenape name for Parsippany, meant “place where the brook breathes through the valley.” Percipany, the archaic spelling of the word, appears on colonial maps.

Parsippany-Troy Hills Township was created in 1928, when Parsippany, Troy, Littleton, Mount Tabor, Lake Hiawatha and Lake Parsippany voted to separate from Hanover Township.

The larger township was composed of many small population centers, each settled by a different group of people and each with its own distinctive quality.