Rico's Acai and the Panther's Super Bowl Rally

Sunday night, am I right? It has been a great weekend around these parts -- the perfect mix of relaxing and adventure (with some delicious food thrown in for good measure).

In an effort to keep the fun weekend vibes going, I wanted to tell you about my Friday! Normally I work on Fridays but my previous job at New World Olive Oil has come to an end (their last day of business was sadly last Saturday) and I'm not starting my new job until this coming week. I figured a solo outing was in order to take advantage of the sunshine so I headed to Uptown.

Have you heard? The Panthers are going to the Super Bowl. To say this city is excited would be an enormous understatement. Traffic signs that would normally say "Caution" or "Merge Right" now say "Keep Pounding" or "Go Panthers." [I'm really hoping these signs weren't safety-critical].

On Friday there was a Panther's Super Bowl rally in Romare Bearden park in Uptown. I had to park over a mile away (100% should have just walked from my apartment) and it felt like I was in a parade walking down the street to the park. I even wondered if it had been declared a public holiday there were so many adults and children playing hooky. All of this to say, it was PACKED.

The rally itself was filled with music, mascots, cheerleaders and lots of whoopin + hollerin. 

[Full disclosure: I am currently and always have been a Saints fan. Born and raised. But seeing as I live in Charlotte and the Saints decided to take an extra long vacation this winter, I am 100% rooting for the Panthers. In sum, Geaux Saints (but for the time being keep pounding)].

I was approaching hangry level at the rally and knew I needed to act quickly for lunch. I headed a few blocks east to try Rico's Acai food truck (parked on S. College in front of the Mint Museum).

Rico's has been on my list for months but I'm rarely Uptown so hadn't had the chance to try it. I've been an Acai bowl groupie for about a year now and am delighted they are now trendy and popping up everywhere. Any food with fruits + granola + coconut + nut butters is a-ok in my book.

I got the Panther bowl (because it was to theme) and it had acai + banana + black&blueberries + coconut + granola.

Rico's is opening a brick and morter shop in the 7th Street Public Market soon and I can't wait! More acai! More acai! The crowd goes wild!!!

Have you tried acai bowls? Favorite acai place? 

Strikes My Fancy Saturday #2

Hello there, beautiful readers!

The sun is shining in Charlotte -  a welcome sight after 24 hours of total gloom and rain and cold. It has been many moons since I shared some of my favorite things with you, so I thought I'd pop in and do just that!

Speaking of weather (because everyone loves talking about the weather), just LOOK at the icon for the weather tomorrow.

I'm not holding my breath for snow [but actually, I am].

Two highlights here! First off, I made another batch of my Baked Honey & Banana Oatmeal this week. I love having breakfast ready for four days of the week and how can you resist that brown sugar banana caramelized goodness?! Secondly, my spoon! I was lucky enough to unwrap this spoon on Christmas morning and it makes every breakfast brighter. It is also entirely accurate. 

In the midst of holiday madness, I *may* have forgotten to cancel my Blue Apron for this week. So (surprise!) one arrived at my doorstep on Wednesday. The first recipe was this Seared Salmon & Salsa Verde and was super easy and delicious and would be a cinch to make at home. PS - I have a few free Blue Apron meals to give to friends - if you're interested leave a comment! 

New year, new planner! I've completely switched over from my iPhone calendar to a good old-fashioned paper calendar and I'm not looking back. I've also upgraded to a jumbo sized planner so I have plenty of room for to-do lists and doodles. I snagged this Sugar Paper planner from Target for $10! 

As I mentioned, the weather last night was truly atrocious. Torsten and I ventured out to Crepe Cellar in NoDa and split Malbec, pesto fries (!), burrata, a savory crepe and an outrageous brownie sundae concoction. It was the coziest.

And I'm leaving you with this picture from a tiny beach in Kauai, just because.

Have a great weekend friends! 

Charlotte: Legion Brewing

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

I truly can't believe that Christmas is in a few short days, but my advent calendar doesn't lie. 23 chocolates down, 1 to go!

I'm sorry it's been so quiet on the ole blog lately. Between exams, lots of extra shifts at the olive oil shop (Christmas shoppers out in full force, I tell ya) and holiday happenings it has been a jam-packed December. But I imagine you all feel exactly the same way, so I shan't drone on anymore.

Instead, let me tell you about a brand spankin' new brewery in Charlotte! Legion Brewing opened just last week in Plaza Midwood and I wasted no time dashing and prancing over to check it out.

Fast "facts" --> Legion is open late (until 11pm!) on Sundays which is very rare in Charlotte. This automatically places it in my good graces. The brewery is located in the old Brodt Music Company and the old signs and some instruments were left behind = charming and cozy vibes.

 We ventured to Legion right after a *very close* Panthers game on Sunday (Keep Pounding, yadda yadda) and the brewery was hopping (hops pun intended).

There is a ton of seating and space inside, some carefully placed TVs for sports watching and board games to play, should you get bored of your beers.

As is tradition upon first visits to breweries, flights were in order!

 

We slurped down each and every beer with verve. Hoplights include both of the IPAs, the brown ales and the Cranberry Saison. But I'd drink every beer in that flight, easy peasy. Insider information: if you ask for pretzels at the bar, you shall receive! Free!

Now I probably should apologize for taking a photo in the bathroom at Legion, but it was too cool not to share (and a huge upgrade from most brewery/bar bathrooms). And since ~50% of Charlotte/the world will never get to see the inside of the Women's restroom, here you go...

 

That art deco looking art installation on the wall? Look again - it's the tops of toilet bowls! Cool, huh? 

So there you have it! I'm obviously a big fan of Legion Brewery, the beer and the atmosphere. I can't wait to go back!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year friends! I'm off on a tremendously exciting family vacation on the 26th - I'll be sure to give you a full report in the New Year (hint: it will involve palm trees, macadamia nuts, papayas, and hopefully not contracting Dengue fever).

Cheers!

 

 

Race Recap: Thunder Road Half-Marathon!

What. A. Weekend.

It's one of those Mondays where I could really go for another weekend (but really, that's every Monday). My parents were in town for the weekend and we had a great time exploring Charlotte, eating lots of yummy food and walking up a storm.

But, I digress. I also ran the Thunder Road half-marathon this weekend! After 12 weeks of following Hal Higdon's Intermediate training plan (with speed work galore) the moment had arrived!

As you can see, I take Hal very seriously (neurotically?). It's as if he watches over my running shoes and tisks-tisks if I miss a speed workout or tempo run. Although I certainly didn't do every run Hal asked for, I did do most! I think I've decided that 4 runs a week is more than enough for me, so Hal's suggestion for a 5th run went down the drain towards the end of training. Sorry Hal! I did keep up with strength training and foam rolling *much* more this time around, which I think helped immensely in preventing injuries and making me speedier-ish.

Friday night involved Pure Pizza and a Birdsong beer, as promised. The temperatures Saturday morning were a tad chilly (around 37 degrees at start time) so I bundled up. After my trusty pre-race breakfast of toast, Justin's almond butter, a banana and coffee, it was time to get the show on the road.

After getting dropped off at the start, I somehow, totally unintentionally (I promise!) walked straight into the VIP runner section in BB&T ballpark. I was all "wow how awesome is it that all runners get to use ACTUAL toilets before the race!" and "geez how neat is it that we get to hangout inside the ballpark before the start!" I strolled around all pleased as punch until I left the ballpark and saw large signs for "VIP ENTRANCE ONLY" at the ballpark entrance. Whoops! But also - HA! Great success.

The race started promptly at 7:30am which my chilly and anxious self appreciated. I must say at the get-go, that this is a *hilly* course. I had heard rumors to this effect, but I'm not quite sure I was aware that it is really and truly ALL hills. So yes, this means that you go up and you get to go down the hills. But there was very little by way of "flat" on the course. Let's just say that it kept things varied and interesting, shall we?

See what I mean?!

It was a beautiful morning for a race, and the crowd support for most of the course was awesome. I saw a ton of signs that said "Keep Pounding" --> the Panthers rally cry. My slightly tired and running delirious self was highly irritated that no one thought to make a sign that said "Keep Pounding... the pavement!" 

In an effort to keep this from being a novella, I'll sum-up the miles as follows:

Mile 1: Feeling great! Patting myself on the back for making a stellar playlist. Forgot to start my GPS, grrr! Start my GPS.

Mile 2: I keep a look-out for my parents and Torsten. There they are! They have cowbells!

Mile 3: Oh, this is uphill. Still feeling strong!

Mile 4: Oh, another uphill. Billy Joel's "My Life" comes on and I'm groovin.

Mile 5: Oooo a pretty neighborhood! Which house should I live in...

Mile 6: THE LONGEST GRADUAL INCLINE.

Mile 7: YES it's time for my Honey Stinger gummies! Man, it's hard to eat while running. How am I still maintaining this 8:36 pace?

Mile 8: Hey! This is my running route! Home turf now!

Mile 9: The most brutal hill up E. Morehead St. Unfortunately, we drove this road on the way to the start and I knew it was coming. Much heavy breathing ensues.

Mile 10: HOW am I still running at an 8:36 pace?? I'm tired! [Between you and me, I may have said "ohh I'm tired" aloud at this point.]

Mile 11: Ok, almost there! I can do this!

Mile 12: STILL almost there. I would have killed for more crowds at this point.

Mile 13: Time to sprint! Immediately followed by the realization that I'd started sprinting too early. BUT THEN, two young whippersnappers (they were probably actually just my age) decided to sneak up on me and my *competitive drive engaged*.  I left them in the dust! Read: I beat them by about 2 inches.

FINISH!! Official time --> 1:52:37. 

Time for:

All in all, I loved running this half-marathon in my new city. It's a beautiful course and the crowd support and bands along the route are great. I'm really happy with my time (though I missed a PR by 3 seconds -- I blame the selfie I took at Mile 6). I'm also excited to not be training for a half-marathon anymore! I see some delightful 5Ks and relaxation in my future.

What did you do this weekend?! What's your favorite race course of all time?

Charlotte: Foxcroft Wine Co. Dilworth

I, myself, am tremendously excited about this weekend. My parents are driving up from Atlanta today and I'll be toeing the line for the Thunder Road Half-Marathon bright and early tomorrow morning! To top it all off, we have reservations at Kindred on Saturday for some much needed post-13.1 and spectating refueling.

Like the good RD-to-be that I am (read: I just really love food), I've been fueling all week for race day. The highlight of all of this fueling came last night when Torsten and I tried the brand spankin new Foxcroft Wine Co. in Dilworth!

While Foxcroft has another location in the South part of Charlotte that I've wanted to try for ages, this location is much more convenient. And good thing, because it's AWESOME.

Spotted: a charming patio with twinkly lights! Will be stellar in the warmer seasons. Not a great photo (hey, I was hungry and thirsty and in a rush to get inside!) but you get the idea.

This window is like the adult version of the windows at FAO Schwartz or a candy store. All the wine!

Foxcroft was lively on a Thursday but we arrived at 6:30 pm (the early setting sun has my whole "wait until a trendy time to eat" thing go down the gutter) and had no wait. There were, however, many people waiting from about 7-8.

You can either order wine off the menu OR you can browse the walls and walls of bottles for a wine to uncork. It's a $10 corking fee *unless* you spend over $30 so naturally we found a Pinot Noir (from my beloved Willamette Valley in Oregon!) for $31.99. 

We honestly could have ordered everything on the menu, but after much deliberation decided on the Ricotta with olive oil and olives and toast (they have a more eloquent name for it that has slipped my mind), the truffle fries (because obviously), an amazing Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, soy sauce and chili dish, and the lamb sliders. All were delicious.

I'm so excited to have a place like this nearby! 

So that was my Thursday evening! Tonight will include some pizza and my traditional pre-half marathon beer (carbs and hydration). Send some speedy vibes my way in the morning! Looks like it's going to be a chilly one...

Charlotte: Your Mom's Donuts

A very dreary Sunday morning called for a foodie adventure. [Side note: Do I sound like a broken record with the dreary thing?]

Your Mom's Donuts has been on my radar for a few months now, but the 20 minute drive had dissuaded me from making the trek. I want to go back in time and give my former, oh so naive, self a big shake. What was I waiting for?! I missed valuable donut eating months of my life!!!

If you haven't already figured it out (catch up!), Your Mom's Donuts is absolutely delectable. This is why the phrase "everything in moderation" was invented - so future RDs like yours truly can indulge in mouth-watering- dense-but-also-light-and-airy donuts without any regrets.

 

The donut shop is buried in a strip mall and very unassuming - be careful not to miss it!

They use all locally-sourced and organic   ingredients. They also serve local Pure Intentions coffee. Swoon.

We ordered a half-dozen of these bad boys but (oh so unfortunately) could only manage 3.75 donuts between the two of us. 

The line-up: Cinnamon Sugar (my #1), Vanilla glazed (TBD), Blackberry with Lemon (So sweet! So tart!), Honey Glaze with Orange, Sugar and graham (TBD), Salted Caramel (literally hot out of the fryer and with flecks of sea salt on top - I MEAN!), and Apple Pie with Apple Cider Glaze (runner-up donut. Caused many groans and exclamations).

We will definitely be back to Your Mom's Donuts. Flavors change every week!

After our donut fest we checked out McAlpine Creek Greenway Park for a nice long walk. Super cool park with tons of trails and lakes. Pairs nicely with the post-donut sugar coma.

What's the best donut you've ever had?!

Cooking Class at Chef Alyssa's Kitchen

Happy Sunday, friends! I hope you're having the perfect mix of productivity and Sunday funday.

As you may have seen in my last post, I just returned from a glorious week at the beach (Harbor Island, to be exact). I'm suffering from a bit of a vacation hangover and thought it might be fun to reminisce about a fun little date night from a few weeks ago!

For my birthday, Torsten signed us up for a cooking class at Chef Alyssa's Kitchen at Atherton Market in Charlotte. I've heard lots about her cooking classes on the interwebs and was very excited to try it out for myself! The classes focus on healthy and approachable meals and they offer classes for every level.

We attended a cooking class centered around local tomatoes (summertime!) that I believe was an "intermediate" class. The class was $65/person and you could BYOB (the best).

We ended up grabbing beers at Good Bottle Co. beforehand instead, but will definitely bring a bottle of wine next time! [Of note: Good Bottle Co. has started carrying pumpkin beers and I can hardly contain myself. I may have already purchased 4 for my October Pumpkin Beer Tasting 2k15 but please don't tell anyone because it's definitely still August...]

 

When we arrived, there was a little appetizer waiting for us and cucumber water to sip on. I need to add cucumber to all of my water! So refreshing. We were also provided with a fancy chef knife, a recipe book that we could take home featuring all of the recipes from the evening, and a cutting board.

 

 

Torsten and I were at a table with another couple who were our cooking buddies for the evening. For the next 2-ish hours we worked together, with instruction from Chef Alyssa, to prepare a 4-course meal!

 

 





 

At one point, we filled local zucchini blossoms with a mixture of ricotta, garlic, parmesan goodness. Apparently, it required the utmost concentration...

 

 

Even though we were cooking for 2 hours (about 4 times longer than I usually spend cooking dinner...) we had a blast learning new techniques and chatting with our table mates.

 

The best part.... EATING! After we had prepared everything, we sat down to taste the fruits of our labors. (This is punny because tomatoes are fruits).

 

 

We made ricotta stuffed zucchini blossoms with tomato jam (tomato jam is a revelation), eggplant involtini with buckwheat groats and tomato sauce, and a caramelized onion tart with a fresh tomato topping. For dessert we had a watermelon tomato sorbet!

 

Everything was so delicious. Many others in attendance needed take home boxes for their leftovers but, needless to say, Torsten and I left our class empty handed and bellies oh-so-full.

 

I'm already eyeing future classes at Chef Alyssa's. Game Day Favorites and Dim Sum are the current front-runners!

 

Have you ever taken a cooking class? What did you make?!



 



Charlotte: A Night at the {Mint} Museum

I'm on a bit of a grown-up summer break right now before I start full-time classes at Winthrop, and I'm trying to get as much exploring and adventuring around Charlotte done while I still have free time.

Lucky for me, living in a new city makes it pretty easy to explore. Also lucky for me, I have a very willing co-explorer (Hi Torsten!). Unlucky for me, a student budget isn't the most conducive to fancy restaurants, weekend getaways or shopping trips.

That's why I was super excited to see that the Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte has free admission to their permanent collections from 5-9 pm every Wednesday. And BIG BONUS, they also have buy-one-get-one free wine glasses in the gift shop! Sold.

Torsten and I ventured over to the Mint Museum around 6:30pm and promptly found the BOGO wine. Priorities. There were also free snacks! Be still my heart.

This was my first time to the Mint Museum in Uptown and I loved it! It's mostly contemporary art with some craft/design thrown in and some intriguing looking special exhibits (there is one on Body Art right now).

Me: "Torsten, take my picture with these ones! We match!"
Everyone else in the gallery: "What a dweeb..."

Here were some of my favorites from the collection, if you'd like to see!

I think this would make a good studying desk, don't you? 

This installation is one of 10 commissioned by the Mint Museum in 2010. Trippy!

The night ended as all of my favorite summer evenings do - with this ohsoyummy rose from the Winestore.