Jujube
Happy Easter!!
I thought I was beating Matt’s cold, but it has gotten the best of me today:( I wasn’t able to go to church or brunch, but my parents were nice enough to order us a pizza and come over for the Duke game.
I really thought I was on the up-and-up Saturday, and attempted a date night. I figured beer is the best medicine (only in the moment…)
Matt and I stopped at Milltown in Chapel Hill and had a drink at the bar – this dubbel was fantastic!!!
I hate how having a stuffy nose affects your taste buds! I figured Asian food might stand out, so we checked out the bar at Jujube, a fusion restaurant with Chinese and Vietnamese influences in Chapel Hill. We decided just to share a cocktail and were blown away by the Hot Date – jujube [date] preserves, bourbon, cayenne, and lemon. Hot and sweet and oh so perfect.
These were melt-in-your-mouth pillows, and again, the sauce made this dish outstanding.
Crispy beef short rib and goat cheese wontons with hot pepper-basil jam arrived next, and while the insides of these were good, I tasted just a little too much of the fried shell and didn’t ever taste any goat cheese Can’t complain about the hot pepper sauce though!
Everything we tried was so unique and flavorful that we decided to just look at the dessert menu. Yeah right. We simply had to try the fried apple-goat cheese dumplings with vanilla-bourbon ice cream and black vinegar caramel. Basically my dream, fried into a pocket.
There were four dumplings under there, and we quickly discovered that the goat cheese was lurking in the corners. Absolutely to-die-for!
I’m so glad we tried something off the beaten path!
And now, my friends, I’m not gonna go to bed; because even though I feel lousy I’m on spring break and I’m gonna stay up past my bedtime watching random tv!!
Read MoreChuck’s
It was a low-key weekend around here because of the big holiday week coming up. So, we got drinks & nachos with friends on Friday, and had date night on Saturday. Of course, other boring things like laundry, spinning, and grocery shopping took place.
Matt and I have been planning to buy our wedding bands during the annual sale at Diamonds Direct – I was expecting it around Christmas, but was surprised to hear that it was this weekend! So, at the last minute, we headed Raleigh to get 20% off! We weren’t prepared and felt a little rushed, but after a glass of champagne and a lot of guidance from the wonderful sales people, we both found rings!!!! I got a simple band with pave to match my engagement ring and Matt got a palladium ring with two small lines along the border. Making the purchase got me really excited – we are exchanging vows in just 6 months!
But really, the point of all this is to say that we were in Raleigh on Saturday, and took the opportunity to check out a burger joint. Chuck’s is one of Ashley Christensen’s restaurants – we loved her other two: Poole’s Diner and Beasley’s Chicken and Honey! The restaurant was really casual and the prices were low. I just love it when you can get an awesome meal at a restaurant with a cool vibe and not spend a fortune.
We were very hungry when we arrived, so we ordered the Belgian fries right away. I really liked that we got to pick sauces (along with ketchup) – we chose the sweet chili sauce and the horseradish aioli. All were good! And the fries were absolutely perfect.
I appreciated that the menu offered little burgers (5oz) because the half pounder looked too big. I picked the Last Word, which had truffle cheese, shredded kale, and hazelnut vinaigrette. The flavors were so unique and this was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Even Matt, who had a massive man-burger with chili, slaw, and cheddar, liked my burger the best:)
The true Last Word was the salty peanut butter and banana milkshake that we ordered with bourbon!!! Talk about a sweet ending…
I only wish Chuck’s were a bit closer so I could go back!
Only two days this week and both were declared jeans days – I’ve never been this pumped for Monday:)
Read MoreNothing Better
There’s really nothing better than pizza and wine.
Actually, there is – gourmet pizza and wine with friends…
These lovely ladies (and the men) and I went to the new Pizzeria Toro for a late birthday celebration. The restaurant is a adorable, but small, and we were told there would be over an hour wait for a table. Luckily, we were seated after only 30 minutes! Our table shared pizzas topped with…
The Iberian Pig
I’ve got another restaurant experience to tell you about. It was so good that I just have to share! Matt parents took us to the Iberian Pig in Decatur when they were visiting. ALL the tapas were devine, so there’s really no need for me to tell you how delicious, fabulous, unique, mouth-watering each dish was. I’ll just leave you with the description of what I tried, and know that any positive adjective would probably fit:)
Drunken goat cheese (soaked in red wine), goat’s milk cheese from Valencia, and chorizo with smoked paprika with sauce pairings (sweet and savory)
Tortolini stuffed with drunken goat cheese, manchego, and paprika – served with a pistachio pesto cream, golden raisins, and pine nuts
Flatbread with serrano ham, chorizo cantimpalo, salchichon, shaved manchego cheese, pistachio and arugula
Manchego mac & cheese with manchego-pork belly cream, butter toasted panko, and thyme
Ravioli stuffed with slow braised veal shank – served with a Rioja-cream sauce, black truffle crème fraiche, white truffle oil, roasted shitake mushrooms, and fresh thyme
Wild boar sausage meatballs stuffed with piquillo peppers, Macedonian dates, and roasted tomatoes with a pimenton crème sauce and oyster mushrooms
Braised crispy pork belly with chickpea puree & sherry-honey gastrique
I may just move right on over to Decatur! Such a delicious town.
Read MoreHalf Pounder, With Buttercream
That epic dinner on Saturday? It took place at Leon’s in Decatur, a gem that many of you recommended! T’was my restaurant soul mate.
Why? Because there was outdoor seating, old garage doors that open in the summer, a long beer list, reasonable prices, a strong menu, a casual atmosphere, a feeling of excitement, and a great dessert. Leon’s has it all.
I started with a solid red wine. I think it was a tempranillo, or something full and earthy.
Matt and I had to ask the waitress to come back multiple times because we just couldn’t decide what to order. Two of our four choices were from the specials menu – we didn’t want to miss anything special. Of course, because these peppers were a special, I don’t remember what kind they were…but something rare and medium in spiciness. They were flash-fried and topped with sea salt. Matt loved them, but I’m not a huge pepper person to begin with (unless they are peppadews).
We just had to try the pub frites because of all the sauce options – we choose tarragon ketchup and goat cheese fondue (!!). Great fries!
We ordered a pan-roasted snapper with all kinds of summer vegetables in a curry broth. Very fresh tasting, but the broth was also quite flavorful! Perfect for summer.
The star [of the savory fare] was the seared “veggieloaf” with roasted cauliflower, shitake-sundried tomato salad, and pecan romesco. Sooo fabulous. The loaf was made with quinoa and who knows what else, but it was bursting with flavor and the sundried tomatoes were a perfect compliment. Matt and I didn’t even have to fight over this because the portion was large, and at $15, we’ll prob be back to get another before summer is over.
And that bag from last night’s post? That’s the half pounder.
We were so stuffed from dinner that we didn’t even consider dessert, but when I accidentally saw this on the menu, I knew we had to have it.
That’s right, two huge oatmeal cookies filled with cherry buttercream.
It really doesn’t get much better than this.
Leon, I love you.
Read More
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?