[Photograph: Demeter]
I associate the Demeter perfume brand with highschool—for some reason it always ended up in Christmas stockings, and was a popular Secret Santa gift-of-choice. Luckily, this lets me slot their new scent into a nostalgic box, surrounded by other strange and unusual options like Stringbean and Angel Food, so it doesn't seem quite as weird as it might otherwise. The fresh fragrance? Pizza, of course.
Demeter's own website recognizes that it's a bit of a stretch as a wearable scent, but they wanted to attempt the perfect balance of "tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella, and a touch of oregano" for the adventurous spirit. Insanely, it has a pretty good rating so far—almost 5 stars—although most people agree that while it smells delicious, it's not especially practical. I can't say I see myself wearing this...but I'm definitely curious to smell it for myself!
The Jersey Journal has reported that Hoboken rock club Maxwell's is no more—or rather, no longer a music venue. The new owners of the iconic space will keep the old name, but have plans to transform the space into a family restaurant, specializing in "thin-crust, artisanal pizza". Evan Dean and Pete Carr, new owners, say the change reflects the shifting nature of the neighborhood. "You can't help but notice all the baby strollers on Washington Street these days. Those young families need a comfortable place to have dinner." They claim to want to keep some of the original spirit, and are open to the idea of live music performances, but it remains to be seen if the old clientele will be lured back or not—and how the pizza plays out.
For any of our Midwestern readers (at least, if you happen to like Hungry Howie's), be sure to tune into the Super Bowl this Sunday, and pay extra attention to the ads. The chain is running two ads detailing how to enter the "Howie's for Life" contest, where one lucky person gets—you guessed it—pizza for life. The official site for the contest is currently little more than a placeholder, but will go live this Sunday, February 2nd, at 7:30 PM with more details. Good luck to anyone who enters!
About the author:Kate Andersen is a Contributing Editor for Slice.