Arch's

So, if you move to Charlottesville, I'm almost positive someone along the way has mentioned Arch's delicious frozen yogurt. I crave this stuff regularly - especially the Vanilla Bean with ooey Gooey Brownies on top (don't worry - no salmonella). The Vanilla Bean is key. I had No-Frill Vanilla this time and it just wasn't the same. We decided to check out their regular food menu at the Emmet Street location for dinner tonight. Charlie and I walked out totally stuffed and wondering how Arch's would fit into our long list of sandwich favorites. Let me tell you, they are up there and have definitely earned bonus points for the frozen yogurt option post sandwich. We both picked sandwiches served on sub rolls which were then grilled - really a cool twist that I haven't seen before. The grilling wasn't a typical Quizno's type of grilling. It was almost panini style without the grease. The ingredients seemed very fresh and the place was packed. It did take a little while to get the food but it was worth it. The salads looked awesome too. Also - Monday night special - free chips and a drink when you order a sandwich - perk #2! I think Tuesday's special is similar but with a salad order.

ahh

don't you just love swimming pools?


*this pool is not in charlottesville...

The Local

Dinner Club #3's trip was out to Belmont to visit The Local. I had heard great things about it and figured most of the Econ kids don't get out to Belmont very often. We set up a reservation for 12 and got ourselves ready for a night out.

Unfortunately, we waited over an hour and a half for dinner to come out. Thank goodness there was good company and we kept ourselves entertained - but I think an hour and a half is a little too much. When the food finally came out, people weren't as impressed as I thought they would be. 4 people ordered the spare ribs and while the presentation was fun (individual dutch ovens for each) there was nothing to write home about. The trout came with bones in it and the skin on (totally fine but unexpected) and I had a pasta dish I could've made in my own kitchen. The food was by no means bad, but I was a little disappointed since I had heard such great things and it didn't seem like the food warranted the prices they were charging. The only dish that got a rave review was the Carbonara. Surprising!

The atmosphere of the restaurant is really cool and Charlie and I decided that we could be the fun couple who go to nice restaurants just to sit at the bar. The Local will be added to that list.

Book Sale

The Gordon Avenue Library had a pretty large booksale last weekend. One of the ladies who works in Charlie's department told him we might want to check it out since they had a lot of children's books. It was crazy - we got almost 50 books for $10. My teaching library is growing!

We'll have to remember to look for the next one and give people a head's up.

Gardening

We planted our first seeds together. Cheesy I know - but I can't help but laugh and call our new seedlings "Our Love Ferns" (thanks Kate Hudson). We hopefully will have a bunch of herbs, green beans, pumpkins for the fall, and wildflowers. Some of the flowers might not pop up because the day after we planted them, our landscaping guys came through and re-mulched all the beds - covering our baby flowers - I was so bummed.

yummm

The most delicious smell has entered our house courtesy of Archipelago Botanicals' Almond Sage candle. I can't get enough of it. I stopped in O'Suzannah yesterday and picked up some fun books to help Charlie and I come up with some wedding inspiration and splurged on this candle - so worth it. mmmmmm

The Nook

Charlie and I tried going here a couple of times but could never quite make it in the door for one reason or another. We made it in this morning for breakfast. I have to say I really love the downtown mall and how you are able to chill out and eat your meal in the middle of the patio area. The Nook is a diner type restaurant near the pavillion end of the mall. I had a waffle (nothing new and exciting here) and Charlie had a breakfast burrito called "the mess". I really liked The Nook and the prices were great too. $11 for breakfast. Since we didn't go inside, I don't how much room there is, but I think we will definitely be back and maybe even with friends.

Dogwood Festival Parade

On our way to find the Carpe Donut Truck (which unfortunately won't be around until September), Charlie and I stumbled upon the Dogwood Festival Parade going down High Street. I had been hearing about the Dogwood Festival but I thought is was just a festival event that was over by now (it started last Thursday). I was wrong. The parade was quite long and added a little fun to our day. I forgot for a moment that we lived in the South until I saw the Confederate Soldiers (just 2 of them) riding down High Street on their horses in full Civil War period uniforms. We also really enjoyed the Vintage Car part of the parade that included a 1980s Cadilac with crazy wheels. It really just looked like they took all the cars off of our street and put them in the parade :) It might be a fun tradition to check out the parade every year just to give us some humor in our day!

The City Market

I got out of bed this morning (before noon, believe it or not) and Charlie a I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather by checking out the City Market. We've been meaning to go but have either had something else going on, forgotten, or I haven't gotten out of bed. Depressing, right? :) My friend, Erin, has a stand at the market where she sells her jewelry and has been telling me to go for a while. The market is fabulous! The flowers are beautiful and the plants they have are awesome - lots of herbs and lettuces. I can't wait to see what changes as the season progresses. The Market really is an awesome positive for living in Charlottesville.

China King Buffet

We did it. We finally visited the Charlottesville establishment that everyone has been talking about - China King Buffet.

The Buffet is off of 29 in the same shopping center as Whole Foods. The decor is typical of a Chinese Buffet and it is hard not to stare at the ceiling that flashes little white lights like stars - classic. For $12 a piece, 4 of us tried just about everything the Buffet offered including the Mongolian BBQ which I really liked. Make sure you request "not spicy AT ALL". I requested "a little spicy" and felt like my tongue had shriveled up and disappeared. It was hot!

Charlottesville may not have the most gourmet Chinese food options. But China King Buffet is pretty fun and definitely worth checking out - especially the ceiling!

Dinner at South Street Brewery

When our friends from DC came down for a short weekend visit, I was asked to find an easy and affordable dinner spot. I decided on South Street Brewery thinking we could hang out there after dinner and make a full evening out of it. While plans changed regarding our post dinner hang out, we still headed to the brewery for our sustenance. There wasn't enough table space for us all to sit together - kind of a bummer - even though the lady on the phone told me we would all be able to fit at one table. The food was very good and the feeling there is like a way more chilled out Fridays. I had a caesar salad which had way too much garlic on it - not really recommended. Charlie tried to dig in to the massive plate of ribs which he really enjoyed and our two other friends we sat with had chicken pitas. While the food isn't the best of Charlottesville, South Street Brewery has a great vibe and good late night menu. Recommended as a bar but maybe not the best place to check out dinner.

Mono Loco

We took a big group of friends who were visiting from DC to Mono Loco for brunch. I was a little suspicious when we walked onto the patio and sat down - the patio is not the cleanest looking place. My hope - a hole in the wall (which, when they're good are my favorites). Service was a little slow but when we got our food - worth it! The breakfast burritos were delicious and huge. Everyone's food looked awesome. The chips and salsa and guacamole were definitely worth adding to the bill. While the food doesn't quite live up to the breakfasts we had in Austin (I dream about them) it is definitely going to be added into our catalogue of breakfast spots... We'll have to try another meal there in the very near future.

Maya

We took the Dinner Club to Maya for their $12 Tuesday special a couple weeks ago. I love being able to walk to these restaurants. It makes the evening so much more fun and more of an event. You aren't just hopping in a car, eating, and heading back home - there's more to it somehow when you walk (and I guess it's good for you too). Back to Maya - The $12 Tuesday menu is somewhat limited but from what I could tell, you can't go wrong with anything. Maya's menu is not Mexican or southwestern like I had imagined (good research on my part) but it is southern comfort food - delicious. I had the chicken fried chicken (I just had to) with collard greens and mac and cheese (yummmm) as my sides - definitely not a light dinner. Charlie had ribs with green beans and masked potatoes. If you know Charlie at all he is a major green bean and potato eater. Other vegetables rarely enter his repetoire. He claims the green beans were the best he has ever had and the mashed potatoes were excellent. The atmosphere of Maya is casual, relaxed, and not at all stuffy. Word is that they have great live music and delicious martinis. I think we'll be back!