Like I said, ain’t no one breathing ’round these parts until Wednesday.
But tonight’s dinner with Eli was the perfect way to wind down after a whirlwind few days. We’ve had to re-schedule this friend date of ours far too many times and for far too many reasons. So when I saw her on my calendar for this week and knew that we were actually going to make it happen, I was as pleased as punch.
I love getting together with girlfriends on the weekends, but there’s something about catching-up after work over a glass of wine that just can’t be beat. Probably because it forces you to slow down when everything else in your life is telling you to keep moving forward.
Because ladies’ nights, are by definition, meant to be peaceful, we pilgrimaged to Toast in the Warehouse District. Largely because it’s lovely, but also because it has been on our dinner date To Do list since October.
It just needed to happen.
Plus, how could you not be soothed by the sight of this?
I know. I KNOW.
Be still my heart. Y’all know that if there’s a charcuterie plate on the menu that’s priced even somewhat reasonably, I will always pick that first.
Even though I’m usually hesitant to label a specific food as my favorite (let’s be serious, I eat anything and everything), I’m completely comfortable saying that a lovely spread such as the one pictured above is My Favorite Food.
It’s the one meal where you can eat an entire dinner without having to commit to a full plate of one thing. I’m not kidding when I say that I can’t remember the last time I ate a coherent meal outside of the house. It’s always bits and pieces, here and there. Dinners composed of the things I really want instead of the things that the kitchen happens to put on my plate.
And, most gloriously, it’s exactly the kind of meal that forces you to savor every bite.
Which fits perfectly with the theme of slowing down.
What’s your favorite dish to order when you’re out of the house?
Do you prefer to eat one-dish meals or do you pick at lots of different things?
How gorgeous, no?
And yes, for those of you who were wondering, Marcus was trying to channel Vampire Bill post-silvering with the bags under his eyes.
I think this should be mandatory at all showers.
Obviously y’all know that I was in heaven 
Pro: New Holland Brewery’s Dragon’s Milk is absolutely delicious.
Apparently they’re meant for using and not hoarding. Obviously.
I had a Wild Brunette, which is a wonderful brown ale made with Wild Rice. It wasn’t too heavy (I was trying to slow my roll and all that) and you could really taste the wild rice flavor. As it turns out, wild rice in beer is a fantastic idea.
I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that we built our entire itinerary around this one stop.
And what an inspired idea that was! Someone had to remind me to snap a picture while Marcus and I were mid-inhale.
Our search? Was for hurache, which kind of seemed to be the Mexican cousin of pupusa.
Enter: A corn pancake, topped with refried beans, cheese, meat (we went with Tinga de Pollo!), avocado and the odd drizzle of sour cream.
Our final stop was only necessary in the sense that we needed a serious chance to start the digestion process.
