Highlights
Hey, hey. Hows it goin?
The weekend is over, but for once I’m a bit relieved. The event I’ve been putting together took place over the weekend and I’m happy to say that everything went pretty smoothly! The other co-chairs and I have been working for a few months to plan the programming for the partners of students who have been admitted to Fuqua. I really believe in the support that the partners organization provides and was excited to be involved in such an important event for the partners of admitted students. It felt great to be able to interact with the incoming partners and calm their nerves about the transition. And I didn’t even mind having to work on a Saturday.
Other highlights of the weekend included a margarita enjoyed with friends by the warmth of the fire pit at Alivia’s
And amazing tacos at Nana Taco on Saturday during our lunch break: I got broiled fish, pork butt, and garlic beef and loved them all.
When Matt and I got home from Duke on Saturday evening (he volunteered for the admitted students weekend too), we decided to relax and unwind with a bottle of wine outside on our deck. We always talk about doing this and rarely do. The bottle was a gift from my dad and was just right for a sunny-n-seventy Saturday.
Excited to have a Saturday night with no plans, Matt and I walked over to Rue Cler (a french restaurant) for dinner with a soon-to-expire Groupon. We were able to get a table right away and the service was great. Matt had the beef gnocchi to start and stared bites with me. Perfect pillows and fabulous flavor!
I had a mahi-mahi with lemon and some sort of white sauce. It was served over lentils, picked beets, and cabbage I think? This was tangy and very light and summery!
For dessert, we shared the thin-mint ice cream and a crepe stuffed with strawberries and fresh whipped cream. OMG, the ice cream was amazing! There were huge chunks of thin mint cookies and the consistency was so thick and chocolatey.
The crepe was just ok. It was really thin and didn’t have much flavor, so this dessert was basically just strawberries with whipped cream. While I like that combo, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
Our waiter confused our order and actually brought us a creme brulee, so we ate that too:) It was a pretty standard creme brulee and tasted good with bites of the crepe.
And that’s my weekend. Short, but oh so sweet.
Read MoreTwo Amazing Fishes + One Mysterious Wedge
I have lots to share from our travels to Charlottesville and VA wine country! Too much for one post and since Ecto would probably have a heart attack with all the pictures, I’ll have to split it up, starting with last night’s dinner – easily the highlight of the trip!
Kath & Kanz live in a walkable neighborhood, so we hit the sidewalk to get to our dinner destination: the famous Commonwealth restaurant and it’s rooftop Skybar. Every time Kath eats at Commonwealth, I get virtual food envy, so I’ve been requesting dinner here for quite some time!
There was a bit of controversy over dessert because we ordered a chocolate and peanut butter tart [well I won't take responsibility bc I was in the bathroom:)] and this chocolate wedge with fruit sauce arrived. We were all confused because we didn’t taste peanut butter and didn’t really care for the idea of peanut butter with a sweet fruit sauce anyway. As we continued to eat it though, we concluded that the menu had probably said torte instead of tart and that the peanut butter was just really subtle.
Birthday Brixx
What better way to celebrate a birthday than with pizza and beer? We went to an old favorite, Brixx pizza, to celebrate my Mom’s birthday. NC beers were on special, so I ordered the Weeping Willow Wit. Tasted just like summer! We had a balmy night, so we sat outside on the patio. This, the night shots.
I ordered the pimento cheese pizza and exchanged slices with my Mom and Matt. Mine was super cheesy and the bacon was awesome!
Matt had the thai chicken pizza (which I had two weeks ago) and my mom had a pesto and artichoke pizza. Loved them all. Brixx is the best.
Sadly, there was no cake, but since we all had multiple pieces this weekend, we weren’t too sad.
It’s late and there’s work to be done tomorrow. G’night!
Read MoreVin Rouge
Oh hey Friday,
Sorry for being MIA yesterday. Matt’s company-to-be (assuming he accepts the offer for summer employment) treated us to dinner at Durham’s Vin Rouge. I was pumped that I was invited to join, because Vin Rouge has been on my list since we moved! I’m not always crazy about French food, but have heard fabulous things about this spot and the restaurant itself is adorable.
I had a glass of pinot noir and a glass of cabernet franc throughout the evening (well maybe more because the waitress topped me off one, perhaps two times…)
The bread was crusty french bread, which was actually a bit hard to chew. But the pesto/olive dip was delish.
I started with shrimp and mussels provençal. Everything was soaked in butter and garlic so this was obv. to-die-for.
The main event was enormous, and I think I’m the only person who cleaned the plate. Maybe that wasn’t goo etiquette? This was a bone-in pork chop over mashed potatoes and braised cabbage in an apple cider vinegar. This tasted more German than French to me, but I loved it. We didn’t eat until 9 (and I’m a 6 o’clock dinner eater) so I was thankful for the big portion.
Dessert was a bit disappointing on the portion front. This was the lemon tart – the flavor was very nice, but I like a bit more volume.
Dinner was truly wonderful, and the best part is that I really enjoyed getting to know some of Matt’s future colleagues. I’m so proud of him for getting an offer at an awesome company!!
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Now, I’m off to volunteer for a big MBA auction we are having tonight, and then I’ll be attending the event! See ya
Read MoreBaldy Bliss
I’m back home in Durham and having my usual vacation withdrawal (I ate a whole bag of jelly beans on the drive home…) We had such a fabulous time and the warm weather got me so pumped for spring! Too bad we woke up to pouring rain and dropping temperatures. Rumor has it, we might even see some snow.
But, let’s back up to Friday – Matt and I grabbed dinner at the Bald Head Island Club bar.
We had Scottish ales, hot crab dip, and shrimp quesadillas!
After dinner, we even made some friends at the Inn who shared their birthday cake with us – my dream nightcap!
Saturday, Matt and I had a leisurely breakfast, took a walk, played a round of Rummikub, and then headed to back to the ferry to pick up Brendan and Jill! Jill has been quite sick lately, so we were glad they could join us, if only for one night:)
We showed them around the island and took a big beach walk. T’was glorious.
My family always celebrates cocktail hour, so we returned home to snack and booze while the sun set. I’ve seen this dip at TJ’s for years and never bought it, but it’s soooo good! It’s relatively healthy and quite tangy too.
I also thought this bock was quite good.
For dinner, we walked down to Mojo’s on the Harbour, a restaurant that has just changed owners and has a new menu. I had a Sweet Josie Brown and the shrimp and grits. The huge shrimp tasted awesome, but I was a little disappointed with the rest. The portion was small and much more tomato-y that I would have liked. And it definitely wasn’t worth $21:(
Today’s lunch however was the perfect meal with which to end the weekend. Given the pouring rain, we pretty much sat around and had breakfast this morning, and then headed to Wilmington for a late lunch. We always eat at the Pilot House (or Elijah’s) on the Cape Fear River with my parents, so we wanted to take Brendan and Jill.
I had a Highland Gaelic ale and there was a huge, warm bread basket with corn muffins and biscuits. Best idea ever.
Matt and I split a cup of seafood bisque, which was flavorful and warming. But the best part of the meal was this crispy cajun catfish over cheese grits with collard greens. I just can’t get enough southern food these days. I was somewhat of a picky eater growing up, and mostly ate cheap campus food in college, so I don’t think I had as much exposure to southern fare as one might think (my parents are northerners). Love.it.all.
And that was my weekend. How was yours??
Read MoreAn Offer, A Conert, The Game
Matt came home late Friday night from a trip to Atlanta and announced that he got an offer for a summer internship. Hooray!!! He called on the way home from the airport, so I had just enough time to get this very special beer into the freezer for a celebration.
It was a gift from my Dad for my birthday and it was wonderful. It actually went down so fast with the excitement of the moment, that I don’t remember much about what it tastes like:)
Last night, we headed to Chapel Hill/ Carrboro for a date dinner and a concert. We went to Milltown (hello beer menu) and I had a fabulous Saison. I can’t remember the last time I went to a bar and ordered a nice beer. I’ve been drinking more wine lately. So fun!
My dinner was the veggie sliders topped with mushrooms and gruyere and a massive salad. The sliders were just perfect and some of the best veggie burgers I’ve had.
After dinner, we headed to 506 Local, a music venue where our friend Jeff was playing the organ in a show. I spotted a favorite beer and enjoyed every minute of it during the concert.
The music was lively and I wished I were one of the backup singers!
Hi Jeff (below).
We headed out with the group for a nightcap after the show. I ended with same port I had last weekend, because I loved the experience so much.
And today, I baked lots and lots of cookies for the three super bowl parties we are attending tonight. 52 to be exact.
I call these the double chipper (based on the triple chipper in Boston) because I used both dark chocolate chunks and white chocolate chips.
I’m off to eat and watch commercials.
Go team.
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Welcome to TBT!
I've created this blog because I'm in a bit of a quarter life crisis. Since graduating from college in 2008 and earning an advanced degree in school psychology in May, I still don't know what career path to follow. All I know is that time is moving way too fast and I find myself living only for the weekends. Bear with me as I attempt to reclaim my twenties by finding pleasure and balance in the work week and incorporating my passions of food, fashion, fitness, and fun into everyday life. 
She said what?