spring may be on her way

it turned out to be such a beautiful weekend here in charlottesville and charlie and i wanted to make the most of it. after a restful friday evening (definitely needed), we decided to check out monticello. just an fyi, they have resident discounts and student discounts, so make sure to check out the deals. monticello really is such a cool place and jefferson is a fascinating individual. we walked around the grounds and i was thrilled to see some tiny purple crocuses popping up all over the lawns. what a beautiful site! while we were driving up to the visitor center, i realized how beautiful charlottesville is and how many amazing things there are around here.

we stopped to get our favorite market sandwiches on the way back and decided that we wanted some trader joes goodies for our pantry. too bad the closest trader joes is in richmond, but we made the trip and it was really fun (rumor is there are plans to open a trader joes around c'ville soon). charlie and i haven't really explored richmond since we moved here and will have to do so soon.

today we enjoyed the sunshine with bayley and some burgers with friends.

can't wait for warmer weather!

taste of china

on the recommendation of one of charlie's professors, we decided to check out taste of china in the albemarle square shopping center. the place was packed and i was extra excited to see a large group of chinese students in the back corner of the restaurant, clearly loving what they were tasting. there was a steady stream of diners through the evening and i understand why. the food was delicious. the restaurant lures you in with the cheesy neon light outside and the wall of menu photos right inside the door. the decor is minimal and the restaurant is really just a large room with as many tables as can fit. we tried the crispy beef, some dumplings, and a duck pancake dish. they were all great but we'll have to go back so we can taste some more of the options.

the chef, peter chang has quite the disappearing act and has attracted a devout group of followers who have followed him from tennessee to georgia to virginia - anywhere they can taste chang's food. no one knows how long he will stay in a location, so once located, people flock to his restaurants.

rumor is to ask for the authentic chinese menu!

tavola

our friends, dao and sarah, wanted to go out to dinner in belmont the other week. we focused on mas since charlie had never been. it turned out there was a super long wait at mas - which is a pretty standard occurance, but we were hungry. so we made the walk up the road to choose between tavola and the local. we ended up at tavola and it was fantastic! tavola makes their own pasta (delicious) and i have an awesome red beet risotto with huge sea scallops. it really was perfect. really great atmosphere, great wine, amazing food. definitely a nicer restaurant - but it comes highly recommended!