Shop Localista: Picnic Perfection, Maplewood Style!

Ah, I love the idea of a perfect picnic:

The weather would be ideal; the sky periwinkle, the clouds pudgy puffs of white. My husband and I—svelte and tan—would sip Viognier as we watched our children run adorably about, laughing with moderately pitched glee. All this would take place on an impeccably beautiful hand-crafted quilt while we nibbled gourmet treats worthy of Martha Stewart's envy off of color-coordinated plates.

[Insert record scratch sound here.]

In reality, we'd hardly make it into the car before my children deteriorate into a subpar WWF squabble. Once on location, I'd realize that the blanket I'd brought wasn't fully dry when stored and now gives off a scent reminiscent of rancid buttermilk. The wine I'd cleverly uncorked while at home would have taken the opportunity of the car ride to saturate all other contents in my basket, and my husband would spend most of the time building thumb muscles on his Blackberry while I restrain our children from maiming each other. Oh—and our dog would annihilate an entire family of fluffy, yellow ducklings as I shoved the soggy remnants of our shattered outing back into the car.

[Awkward pause]

Okay, enough pessimism! I'm going to hit town with the goal of purchasing picnic items that will bring my perfect picnic scenario to fruition!

First Stop, No.165: I've always thought of this place as THE eye-candy store for shopping. Now they've got a delectable array of kitschy candy, too. When it comes to prime picnic picks, just ask Mary or any of the gals to point you towards their witty and wonderful assortment of ritzy, reusable utensils and plates or the irreverent and ingenious gizmos the stores specializes in offering. I love the fish corkscrew ($12.50), the swashbuckling BBQ sword ($28.50) and the clever mustard and ketchup Tag salt n' pepper shakers ($11). The array of plates is also sure to please all tastes and budgets, too. They even had a basket that could have come straight from my Grandma's to store it all in ($22.00).

Next stop, Village Wine Shop for something to flatter my fancy new fish corkscrew! Viognier is a revelation when wonderful, risky when not. Owners Alan and Rosetta quickly steer me in the direction of a dependable Viognier from California (Cline, 2008, $11.99) and served up several other suggestions (pictured) including a Montepulciano ($13.99), a Savignon Blanc ($17.99) and a Rose ($14.99).

Last stop, Crane's Delicatessen & Cheese Shoppe—My BFF surprised me one birthday with a Buck's County road trip complete with a Crane's packed lunch. I still crave that day. Stop in and Steve or any of his staff will put together a perfect picnic to satiate any craving and accommodate most any price point. Don't even get me started on the cheese plates. The pictured platters: Salad Tray with Black Bean & Corn and Haxian Chicken ($45), Large Assorted Sandwich Platter ($85), Crazy Salad ($6.95) and Cheese Plate (price depends upon selection).

It's a wrap! I'm chomping at the bit to put 'Operation Perfect Picnic' into action this weekend, and I'll let you know how it turns out. Just the thought of how great all these items would go together is making me feel svelter, tanner and a tad more optimistic already. Hmmmm, maybe I should try a 'girls only while the kids are at school' approach instead…

THIS WEEK'S SECRET SHOPPING CODE? Mary at No. 165 is hooking us up with a 20% discount on any red, white or blue item in the store from Friday June 4-Tuesday June 8! Just mention the code PATCH 165!

C'mon, share your picnic perfection advice or thoughts below: