Dinner at Revival in Decatur

I was going to share a lil Thanksgiving week recap with you all, but seeing as it's already Wednesday (and December 2nd), it seems a little "SO last holiday." Cliff's Notes version: we went very traditional with our feast, had oodles of leftovers (making a breakfast casserole out of stuffing was a revelation), walked our tails off and watched lots of football. It was perfect! Now it's time for final exams, group projects (groan) and papers for the next two weeks.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. While it might be too late to share Thanksgiving happenings, it's *never* too late to tell you about an awesome new restaurant in my home town! Come Friday evening, we were all a little kitchen-ed and turkey-ed out, so a night out on the town was in order. Take the term 'night' lightly, as the only reservation we could get was at 5pm! I know, I know... we're a wild and crazy bunch.

The early bird dinner time was more than worth it, though, as I'm sure you'll see! Revival opened in downtown Decatur a few months ago. Chef Kevin Gillespie is a notorious B.I.G. deal in Atlanta and this is his newest venture.

The restaurant is in the most charming house. I probably said 100 times over the course of the meal "this is my dream house" or "I could really get used to living in here" followed by "especially if they would bring me this food every evening."

The restaurant is based on the notion that they want you to feel like you're at Grandma's house. They even have a faux old-timey kitchen that you can dine in with a big group!

Everything we ate was delicious and a nice respite from leftovers. Let me show you!

We started with Toasted Deviled Ham Tea Sandwiches.

Next up was the complimentary Skillet Fried Corn Bread. OH BOY was this ever good.

For our entrees --> my dad got the Spiced Carolina Catfish, my mom ordered the Coca-Cola Braised Beef Shortrib, and I had the Anson Mills Farro with butternut squash, apples, and pumpkin. We also shared sides (or as they call them, trimmings (!)) of Stone Ground Grits with Caramelized Onions and Hickory Smoked Local Greens. [Full disclosure: we licked our plates clean except for approximately 4 bites of collard greens which I shamelessly requested a to-go cup for.]

For dessert we shared the Pineapple Upside-down Cake with Dr Pepper ice cream. It was phenomenal (something I never thought I'd say about pineapple upside-down cake) but truly un-photogenic, so I'll spare you.

At the end of the dinner, our delightful server left us with this little card. How charming! How Southern!

No, I'M much obliged, Kevin!

I'll leave you with some seasonal tidbits. I'm going whole-hog with Christmas this year. It helps counteract the Finals doldrums....

It wouldn't be Christmas without middling milk chocolate advent calendars! Trader Joe's was SOLD OUT already, but World Market came to the rescue...

And a tiny little (real!) tree for my tiny little apartment. Decorated with ornaments from when I was a kiddo! 

Seasonal PSA: The lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is on NBC tonight! My sole goal for the today is to finish studying in time to watch. Priorities.

Have you tried any new restaurants lately? Do you have an advent calendar? Real tree/fake tree?

Friday Night at Kindred

Last Friday night, I made the 25 minute trek up to Davidson for dinner at Kindred. Kindred is a relatively new restaurant but has been on my "I really want to eat here soon" list for several months.

Spoiler alert: It was so. darn. good.

We got to Davidson a little early (possibly on purpose so we *had* to grab a drink at the bar).

 

 

The restaurant is really cozy inside (although there is a whole second floor I didn't even explore!). Charming dinner vibes = on point.

 

We asked to be seated outside because it was actually a tolerable temperature with a slight breeze... and the birds chirping... and the sun setting... and unicorns prancing... okay, I'm getting carried away. But if someone brought this milk bread to your table with salted butter and a glass of chardonnay, you would get carried away too. Trust me. 

 

 

Plates at Kindred are meant to be shared but aren't as tiny as tapas style plates. I appreciated this because tapas style plates tend to stress me out. What if my favorite dish is gone by its second trip around the table!? Kindred-sized portions didn't require as much aggressive food hoarding.

 

We ordered:

• Corn soup with lime, buttermilk and corn
• Heirloom tomato tartine with burrata
• Gnocchi with basil, parmigiano and garlic
• A fish that I'd never heard of and cannot for the life of me remember but was locally caught and delicious, pictured here. I'm afraid it wasn't very photogenic :( Edited to add: I found it! It is Wild North Carolina Cobia, cracked bulgur wheat, baba ghanoush, and tahini kefir sauce! Yum.
  

And last, but not least, the peach cobbler with sweet corn gelato.

 

Everything was delicious, we never felt rushed, and the whole experience was delightful.

 

 

Twinkly lights are the way to my heart. Also rose.

 

I will 100% be back to Kindred and highly recommend that you go as well if you're in the area! If you come to visit me in Charlotte, you probably won't have a choice.

 

I shall leave you with this sign I found in the bathroom at Kindred. If they hadn't already won me over with their good looks and dashing smile... this would have done it.