First Lady Christie Visits Favorite Princeton Eats [VIDEO]

By Megan Malloy and Anthony Bellano

First Lady Mary Pat Christie stopped by some of her favorite restaurants in Princeton on Wednesday to raise awareness and money for those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Christie stopped by Winberie’s Restaurant and Bar, Teresa Caffe, Mediterra Restaurant and Tavern and Witherspoon Grill in celebration of National Dine Out Day, a day in which participating restaurants donated a portion of their sales to the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund. Superstorm Sandy struck the state on Oct 29 of last year, causing damage across New Jersey.

With more 2,000 restaurants participating nationally, Mary Pat Christie hopes to raise money and awareness for those still dealing with the storm’s aftermath.

“There’s a lot of people still suffering and people’s homes are not rebuilt yet,” Christie said. “As much as we want people to come back to the Jersey Shore because the boardwalks are up and running and the amusements and the arcades are busy, we know that families that were displaced are still displaced.”

Christie began her day in New York, where she visited Lombardi’s Pizza and Carlo’s Bakery, before making her way through Hoboken and then to Princeton.

“I’ve been eating all day,” she joked.

On a more serious note, Christie said her family relocated from their Mendham home to Princeton for eight days during the storm.

“It’s kind of our home away from home,” said Christie, adding that her family ate out a lot during the storm.

“(We ate) everywhere,” she said. “Teresa’s, Winberie’s, Witherspoon, Mediterra. We hit PJ’s Pancake House and Twist. Any place that was open, we seemed to hit.”

After thanking the staff at participating restaurants, Christie was joined by her husband, Gov. Chris Christie, for dinner at the Witherspoon Grill.

The Christies greeted patrons before sitting down to eat dinner.

Gov. Christie appeared with President Barack Obama in Brigantine two days after the storm hit, and the two appeared together at the opening of the Seaside Heights boardwalk in May for Memorial Day Weekend.

Christie, who is up for reelection, has been criticized by his base for working too closely with Obama, and the governor said he knows his relationships with Obama and former President Bill Clinton may cost him politically.

He still maintains high approval ratings, though. In the latest Rutgers University poll, Christie maintained a 70 percent approval rating.

To date, the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund claims to have raised more than $11 million in aid for home rebuilding, mold remediation, financial and legal counseling, economic development and social services such as mental health support and food pantry replenishment.