Fearrington Inn

I don't recall the year, but the memories will never fade from the first time my mom introduced me to Fearrington Inn, in Pittsboro, NC.  I believe I was in high school and how she discovered this luxurious Bed and Breakfast is beyond me, but I'm so glad that she did.  

Years have passed (more than I care to count) since then but it's always been in the back of my mind that I'd like to take Wes there someday.  Thanks to the generosity of my Mother,  I was thrilled to finally get the chance to share this little piece of heaven on earth with Wes.  

Upon entering the Inn from the road, you are greeted with their famous "belted" cows.  I wondered if the images I had stored in my head would match the way the grounds actually were and my memory served me pretty well.  

The farm part of the estate is the first thing you see, but hidden in the lush greenery you'll find The Fearrington House Restaurant.  They bill themselves to be "one of the south's most venerable farm-to-fork restaurants" and I couldn't agree more.  They are the only AAA 5-diamond restaurant to be Green Certified and are ranked in the top 50 U.S. restaurants according to OpenTable.  The food at the restaurant is sublime and deserves a post of it's own another time.

In addition to the restaurant, they have a quaint village of a couple of smaller restaurants, a bookstore, a home interior store, and a spa.  Each are beautifully maintained and are reminiscent of an old-fashioned small town.

Perhaps one of the most vivid recollections I have about this place are the grounds.  I remember thinking that one day I'd have a flower garden similar to theirs, but alas, I've lived in my own house for 11 years and I've had dead shrubs in my front yard since July!  This trip just revived that desire and I've already started researching various plants for our area.

As if all of that isn't enough, their accommodations exude romance and country elegance.  From heated towel racks, to evening port and house-made truffles, to Egyptian cotton linens, and plush bathrobes, not a single detail has been overlooked.

The courtyard leading up to our room.

As a breakfast lover, the real creme de la creme for me is the complimentary breakfast that is served each morning.  Served in the side porch area of the Inn, the dose of sun provides a magnificent start to the day, not to mention the tremendous breakfast fare that is served!

As we exited down the long road, I found myself already planning our next trip.  Hopefully we won't let quite as many years lapse as I did between high school and now!

Hilton Head Island

Summer is a hectic time around here, so you can go ahead and expect less frequent posting. I was talking to someone today and realized that we always think we can squeeze in so many fun activities, yet we only have 8-10 weekends to cram it all in. Somehow we have to fit normal life in there too. So in between birthday parties, swimming pool adventures, weekend jaunts to the zoo, and summer camps, I'll try to find some time to document our summer on the old blog.

 We started the summer fun a little early this year with a trip to the beach. I hadn't been to Hilton Head since I was a little girl and Wes had never been. We were excited for the boys to get to have some playmates with them who were close in age. I'm happy to report that the kids all got along quite well and none of us got tired of one another!

 Here are a few of my favorite shots from the trip.

Harbor Town

My early birthday present (it's the yacht on the left)!

All the kiddos at the house - waiting to be served I'm sure.

One cooperates.

One doesn't.

A staple of our trip.  These are no joke.  If you see them, buy them because they are hot items!  Since returning to KY, I have yet to find them.  De-lish!

There's another special post coming up about Colin and his sweet friend, Sidney.  They had such a great time together (:

It was sad to say goodbye to our dear friends at the end of the week but it was nice to get back to our normal routine - there are only so many days I can be away from my kitchen! Of course I'd give anything to go back tomorrow!

Day 6: Happy Birthday to me / McCrady's review

What a better way to spend your birthday than on vacation?  Well maybe with great food!  Let me back up a bit.

I had most of the morning to myself to walk the streets of Charleston and just soak up the sun, the charm, and the history.  Wes took the boys to the Children's Museum (which is fabulous if you're interested) and my mom went for a morning of pampering at Stella Nova.

I hopped around town with my 2 dimes trying to avoid getting a parking ticket.  The meter readers take their jobs seriously in Charleston and I didn't want to ruin my birthday with a ticket.  Somehow I only had 2 dimes to my name, so that meant a grand total of 14 minutes.  I escaped the ticket and eventually found a cheap garage to park in for a little while.  In the meantime, here's some of what I saw.

After a relaxing morning, we came back and I lounged by the pool for a bit.  My mom had snuck and gotten me a few gifts while we were there - 2 of which were from the boys.  And a super special present was a card my Grandmother had already had for me with money.  That was an emotional moment for sure.

Wes and I had been looking forward to our date night all week.  It just so happened it was also my birthday dinner.  I'm usually in favor of surprises but I opted to select our destination this time.  I had read a lot about McCrady's, Husk's sister restaurant, and settled in on that.  Thankfully, I chose well.

See, I was really on this vacation!

Having a good waitress or waiter can make all the difference in a meal.  We were lucky enough to get a girl who clearly loved her job and was passionate about both food and wine.  She not only told us her favorite items but described why they were her favorites and specifically how they were prepared.

McCrady's had just rolled out a new menu concept that week.  From what I understand, previously they had been solely a pre-fixe menu but as of the week they were there, they had a la carte items but were in pre-fixe portions.  This was to allow one to order as much as they wanted without committing to a preset number of courses.  It also allows you to try multiple dishes, since the portions are smaller.

Wes and I opted for 4 courses each, including dinner.  We both started with a super fresh Heirloom Tomato Salad.   This was a summer garden on a plate.  If you were to close your eyes, this dish would put you right in the middle of a big country garden, wind blowing in your hair, and the smell of fresh cut grass wafting in your nose.  I'm not sure how they triggered all of those senses but they took me there.  Fresh tomatoes, smoked corn, cucumber, jalapeno, and liquid nitrogen olive oil!  Yes, please.

We also both ordered the Butter Poached Lobster & Scallop.  Our waitress mentioned this was one of her favorites and we could easily see why.  I had to hold Wes' hands down to keep him from licking the bowl.  The 2 large pieces of lobster and 4 smaller pieces of scallop were atop a buttered popcorn puree and topped with a fried ball of parsnip puree.  I had to know how both were made.  The popcorn puree was made by seeping buttered popcorn in heavy cream and then pureed into a liquid - kernels and all!  The parsnips had been pureed (with more cream, I'm sure) and then rolled in panko crumbs and fried.  I could have eaten a plate of that.

We differed on our next course.  I had the housemade egg pasta with clams.  I'm a sucker for homemade pasta even though it only consists of 2 ingredients.  The pasta was good but the previous 2 courses made this one pale in comparison.

Wes ordered the Pan Fried Sweetbreads with rutabaga and mushrooms.  I'm not a fan of sweetbreads, so I passed on his offer to try them.  I did, however, sample the rutabaga and mushrooms - both were excellent.  I think that's the first time I've ever had rutabaga prepared in a savory way.  The mushrooms just melted in my mouth.

We couldn't pass up dessert and thank goodness we didn't!  Wes order the Candy Bar and I ordered the Oatmeal Cake.  Both came with housemade pretzel ice cream and both were sinfully delicious.  I appreciate that neither portion was tiny, as fancy desserts tend to be.  If I'm paying $8-$10 for dessert, I expect it to be more than 2 bites.  My waistline might not agree but my wallet speaks louder (:

Success!  I had a great birthday.  I enjoyed time with my family, had some alone time, got some gifts, and had a fantastic meal.  Let's do it again next year!!

Day 5: Learning to tell time / 3 mini restaurant reviews

Colin has always been an early riser.  I blame that on his mother.  She's always been afraid she was going to miss something and perhaps that has rubbed off on her son.  Enough of this third person stuff, it's hard for me to complain too much about Colin getting up with the chickens when I'm not so different myself.

The one exception I make is for vacation.  Colin, the exact opposite.  In fact after 3 days of 6 - 6:30 wake times, something had to be done.  My poor mother was on the receiving end and got to spend her mornings listening to Oso and Mickey, as she tried to go back to sleep.

I decided it was time for Colin to learn to read the clock and to implement a wake-time, similar to a bedtime.  I told him he wasn't allowed to come out of his room until the first number on his clock was a 7.  He seemed fine with it.  I wasn't sure what to expect but anything was better than 6am!!

The next morning I felt him breathing down my neck bright and early.  He asked if it was 7 yet.  I hesitated to roll over and read the clock because I feared what it would say.  6:05!  Back to bed he went.

I had pretty much written off the possibility of ever getting sleep past 6:30 by this point.  The next morning he proved me wrong!  He came in about 7:15 and he was so proud of himself that a) he had slept that long and b) that he had successfully read his clock.

Success!  Since then 7am has become a magical time.  Even now that we're home, he'll ask if it's 7 yet when he gets out of bed.  7 is much more manageable than 6, so I'll take it!

****

Poe's Tavern - Sullivan's Island - This is very popular place for people staying on Sullivan's, IOP, and Mt. Pleasant.  Both young and old come here to get their drink on and chow on some pub-style food.  The burgers were good, nothing noteworthy, but good enough.  Their main focus is clearly the bar scene, seeing as how 2 of the walls in the front of the restaurant were dedicated bar space.  One interesting note regarding the menu.  One of the items was a fish sandwich that was to be the fresh catch of the day.  Our waitress informed us she wasn't even going to tell us what it was because a couple of people had it earlier and it wasn't very good.  I appreciate her honesty but I've never had someone be quite so frank in regards to a menu item.

Monza Pizza - Charleston - I believe I first read about this pizza joint in Rachael Ray's magazine.  It's right on King Street and has the typical King Street size - tiny.  They have done a great job with the interior of the place.  Lots of exposed brick, an open kitchen, and a huge chalkboard on one entire wall displaying the menu and specials.

The salads were very large and luckily I had read that on someone's blog.  We all split a salad, the Monza Chopped Salad, and that was fine.  We also decided to order 2 pizzas and split those amongst the 4 of us as well.  The shrimp one with pesto (Vanwall Special) was my favorite but the pepperoni and mushroom (Count Louis) was good too.  The crust was cracker-thin and while the pizzas were good, there wasn't really anything special about them.  All of the pizzas are cleverly named after race car drivers, which was totally lost on me, but interesting nonetheless.

Charleston's Cafe - Mt. Pleasant - One of my favorite breakfast places!  I could have gone back several days in a row and never tired of the food or menu selections.  An interesting tidbit I discovered about this restaurant is that it was the former Bookstore Cafe, formerly on King Street and that Wes and I went to 3 years ago!

A few highlights from our meal.  Wes raved about the Corned Beef Hash and he knows his hash!  I loved the Three Grain Pancakes.  I like convincing myself food items are better for me than they really are and since these had 3 grains, they were healthy.  Right?  And the sweet potato biscuit was more like a dessert.  I wanted another one or twelve of those.  They also had whole wheat biscuits and if and when we ever go back, I want to try those.  The waffles with all the berries and whipped cream looked sinfully delicious but even I put a halt on things like that for breakfast.

The location is very unassuming so don't pass it up based on looks alone.  It's in a strip mall and sometimes those hole-in-the-wall places are the best.  Just ask Guy Fieri!

One more review in the pipelines and then it's time to get back to reality.

Day 4: The Beach (finally) & The Glass Onion

You may be wondering about now why we even bother to go to the beach when it took 4 days to even step foot on it.  That's a good question.  Really, we're perfectly content with a pool, the sun, and good restaurants!  Apparently our boys feel the same way because neither of them have been enamored with the sand or ocean.

Colin almost refuses to get in the water now because he's been smacked in the face one too many times by a wave crashing in and Sawyer didn't even want to be held while someone else's feet touched the water.  I guess one time a year isn't enough to get them acclimated. 

Colin did like the sand this time and was excited to build a sandcastle.  That involved a lot of direction from Mommy.  I tried to find him a little friend, and I did, but the kid was more interested in the water than building.  Colin tried, bless his heart, but in the end it was just he and I slaving away.

Meanwhile, this is what Sawyer thought of the beach.

And then Wes decided to get a little more comfortable.  Be sure you notice the shoe in the picture above!

*****

Tonight's dinner was at The Glass Onion.  I loved all the places we ate down there but this was one of my favorites for sure.  It's off the beaten path and I venture to guess that most tourists don't know it exists.  My Charleston friend was surprised I had heard about it.  Ha!  Me?  Research much?

They bill themselves as a fresh, as local as possible, Southern-style cooking restaurant.  The way your grandmother might have cooked (if you were lucky) with very modest price tags.  Like I said, the tourists don't know about it so it doesn't have the tourist price tags.

We ate here on Tuesday so that Wes could take advantage of their fried chicken dinner special.  This has gotten so popular that you can now reserve your chicken!  Apparently once it's gone, it's gone, so this guarantees you some delicious chicken.  Plus, it's brined in buttermilk for 24 hours, so it's not like they can just get some more.

They were kind enough to advise us to get an appetizer to tide us over while we waited for the chicken.  Wes ordered the pickle sampler and my mom got a "fresh from the garden" salad.  The pickle sampler consisted of pickles (obviously), pickled okra, dilly beans, and 1 carrot.  They were slightly spicy but very tasty.  I love the beans, Wes loved the okra.  It would convert any non-okra lover, I'm pretty sure.

Mom's salad tasted like they had just plucked the bibb lettuce after she placed her order.  They didn't though because Colin and I walked around back to see if they had a garden and they did not.  It had some of the same pickled vegetables on it and was lightly tossed in a vinaigrette.

Colin's food arrived early as well and he had his fried shrimp eaten before Wes could finish his pickles!  Colin learned that he loves shrimp!

Did I mention the portions were large?  Our entrees arrived and we all realized we would never be able to eat all of that food.  Wes' fried chicken was a huge breast and maybe a wing or thigh, mashed potatoes, and collard greens.  One thing is for sure, Wes is a fried chicken expert.  If he says it's good, it's good.  Period.  And he said this was really good!  The sides were great too.

I ordered the Crispy Fried Eggplant with Blue Crab Creole.  Sometimes an entree description makes the dish sound better than it really is.  This dish was the exact opposite.  The description sounds good enough but the actual dish was far superior.  It was 4 or 5 large eggplant rounds, breaded and fried, topped (generously) with a corn relish, studded with blue crab claw meat.  The eggplant was crisp and flavorful, which is saying something considering eggplant tends to be somewhat tasteless in my opinion, but the corn salad concoction was fantastic.  As my stomach began to fill up, I knew I was going to have to make a decision as to what I wanted my last couple of bites to be.  I scraped all the corn mixture off and gobbled it up.

This place is a diamond in the rough.  I am SO glad I searched this place out and followed through with it.  There was a moment when I was nervous about it, fearing I had made the wrong choice.  Not so.  This will go on our permanent list of restaurants for Charleston.  I can only hope it remains low on the radar and thus, a hidden bargain!

Day 3: Husk

One minor detail I left out about Day 2 was our dinner.  We ate at one of the only restaurants on Isle of Palms, The Boathouse.  While it was tasty and the service was good, it was over-priced and under proportioned.  We paid more there and got less food than any other stop on our travels.  It satisfied our appetites but would not be a place I'd rush back to.  I will mention that their "award-winning" greens were actually award worthy.  We tried multiple iterations on our trip and these remained at the top of our list.

The highlight of the night was Colin and his manners.  We had reservations at 5:45 but we got there early, hoping they could go ahead and seat us.  Even though the restaurant had numerous empty tables, we were given a pager and told we'd have to wait until our allotted time.  Oddly enough, many other patrons (without reservations) were seated right away.  We found this to be a very odd practice but it allowed Colin the chance to show his Southern charm.

Totally unprompted, he took it upon himself to be the door greeter for the numerous guests as they entered the restaurant.  He held the door for what seemed like 30 minutes, watching each guest as the entered.  Interestingly enough, the majority of compliments and comments came from the male species.  I guess women are just used to chivalry but the men thought it was something special.  He loved his duties and wanted to repeat them at each restaurant we went to.

On to our much anticipated visit to Husk.  A brief background on Husk for those of you that might not be aware.  Husk is the newest offering James Beard Award-winning Chef Sean Brock of McCrady's.  It's one of the many to jump on the "farm to table" approach sweeping the culinary world as of late.  Husk attempts to take traditional Lowcountry fare and jazz them up, if you will, with a modern flare.  To say we were looking forward to this meal would be an understatement!  My Charleston friend asked how we managed to get reservations and I laughed because she obviously had forgotten my anal ways of planning months in advance!

One point worth mentioning, I specifically asked if the restaurant was kid-friendly and I received a resounding, "yes" but upon arrival, we quickly found out differently.  Lucky for us, Colin is a great eater and was able to make a meal off of our dinners and a few extra side dishes because there was no kids menu, nor was the staff willing to create anything different than what was on the menu.  I realize they are certainly not hurting for business and don't need my marketing strategies but in my opinion, it would behoove them to at least try to be a little more accommodating.  After all, Charleston is a touristy spot that many families visit year round.   

That one little nuance aside, the meal was most enjoyable.  Both the exterior and the interior of the restaurant exuded Southern charm.  With a double-decker front porch, inviting chairs and rockers, and a huge shade tree, we felt right at home (yeah, if only our house looked like this!).

The inside was much of the same, old fireplaces, reclaimed hardwood floors, and what appeared to be stone ground grits with gourd stems as table decorations.  There was even a sprouting sweet potato in a vase as decoration.  That one confused Colin a bit.

The meal started with fresh baked rolls topped with benne seeds and served with bacon fat butter!  Yes, you read that right, they use 1/2 butter and 1/2 bacon grease to make the spread.  My mom passed, I had to try it but quickly passed, and Wes, of course, loved it (loving all things bacon).

Perhaps the highlight of Wes' dinner was the watermelon soup.  Not one to typically order soup or anything fruity, I was quite shocked with his selection.  The soup was garnished with a crab salad of sorts and while that was tasty in it's own right, the soup was exceptional.  The sweetness was subtle, but still present in the background.  In the foreground was the taste of the garden.  Somehow they had pureed all the summertime goodness and poured it into a soup.  Imagine a gazpacho soup of sorts with a hint of sweetness.  The crab actually took a backseat to the soup.

My first course was a nod to my late grandmother, a beet salad.  Granny loved her beets and ate them almost daily.  In an effort to repeat her longevity, I've decided beets might be the secret weapon.  The salad was topped with bleu cheese crumbles, roasted peanuts, and a country ham vinaigrette.  The country ham really only manifested itself in the saltiness of the dressing - not in a bad way though.  The combination was reminiscent of wilted salad, if you're familiar with that.  It was both tasty and large enough that I was able to share with Colin.

Our second courses came promptly after that.  All 3 of our dinners were impressive but I was glad I had ordered what I did, the Cornmeal Dusted NC Catfish.  It was served atop a bed of corn and field peas and topped with smoked or charred okra.  The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned but the highlight was the corn and pea succotash underneath.  I could have eaten my weight in it.  I'm sure it was laced with cream and buttery goodness but one probably shouldn't be counting calories in a restaurant of this caliber.

My mom ordered the Red Snapper with Creamy Heirloom Squash and Zucchini, finished with a Citrus Butter.  The skin was left on the snapper, giving it a crispy, crunchy texture.  I happen to love fish prepared this way, assuming it's prepared correctly and this one was.  The vegetable medley underneath was also tasty but again, that citrus butter made it shine.  Oh butter, I love you.

Wes kindly ordered the Wood Fired Chicken with Butter Beans and Benton's Braised Greens, so that he and Colin could share.  Colin could not get enough of the chicken, much to Wes' dismay.  Wes spent most of the meal trying to figure out how they were able to infuse such a smoky taste into the meat.  It wasn't a traditional smoky taste, which added to his confusion.  The greens were good but The Boathouse tops my list of greens.

For dessert, my mom and I opted to go to Kaminsky's (a disappointment in the end), while Wes and Colin decided to split a dessert at Husk.  I can't remember the fancy name but it was basically chocolate and peanut butter mousse with chocolate cookie crumbles.  Wes may have gotten 5 bites before Colin inhaled the rest.  Colin later told me that he loves mousse now, however I'm pretty sure he thought it was moose.

Husk is doing things right.  The one thing about Charleston is that the chefs are always trying to one up each other.  That means we benefit as consumers.  Charleston is definitely a foodie town.  A town that I love because of it!

We made it to Charleston (IOP)

There will be more, much more, birthday recapping but I need to get back on the travel trek or I'll never finish. 

So we made it to Charleston with only minimal pain.  Sawyer did sleep some, thankfully, but the traffic was less than desirable.  It became a joke between Wes and I to guess what the hold up was.  It's amazing how a stalled car on the shoulder of the road can slow traffic down that much.  I mean people, quit looking and drive!  Argh!  Very frustrating. 

Upon our arrival, we had a few hours to kill before Mom and Colin's flight was to arrive.  We did some sightseeing at a local Barnes & Noble (for Wes) and Marshall's and TJ Maxx (for me).  It was ghetto-fabulous.  It was hot, the stores were smelly, and I was ready to just get to the beach already.  I was pleased that I found a floppy beach hat for myself though. 

It was time to head for the airport.  Just as we were nearing the exit, my mom called.  They had missed their flight out of Charlotte!  I was calm as a cucumber - in part because I had just heard a little voice in my head, not 10 minutes earlier, advising me to stay calm if mom called to say they had missed their flight.  What?!  She was a bit of a wreck, I could tell, but hopefully my calm voice reassured her.  To make a long story a little shorter, they were delayed leaving Lexington (we're not a big city so why would that ever be a problem?) and ran like the wind to try to make the connection.  Poor Colin cried because he was running so fast, his shoe came off, and he was thirsty & hungry. 

They found a ticket agent and were able to get on the next flight, an hour or so later, on standby.  My mom plopped Colin up on the counter and he whined about being about to die of thirst, so the nice lady gave them 2 free food vouchers.  Nice but really the least they could do considering it was their fault. 

While we waited, we went on and got our groceries for the week and took them back to the house to unload.  The house looked nice enough from the outside but I didn't get to go in, as we were racing against the clock.  So the crip ran up 2 flights of stairs (x2) to take the cold items in and off we went. 

I'm not sure who was more excited to see who - Colin or me?  We gave each other a big hug and we were off to dinner.  Thankfully I'm a planner and had already planned and scouted out where we were going for dinner.  Oh and I should mention that Colin did great on the airplane.  My mom said he was the perfect traveler.  Surprisingly, he wanted to keep the shade pulled down over the window most of the time.  I thought for sure he'd want to see the wing and the sky but maybe it scared him.  Nothing too frightening though because he's ready to go again.

We ate dinner at Bowen's Island.  BI received the 2006 James Beard award for being a beloved regional restaurant.  Some things have changed since 2006 (and since 2008 when we were there last).  The place burned in either late 2008 or 2009 and they restored it to more spacious accommodations.  You go to BI for the food but even more spectacular are the views.  It's nestled right on the water and there's something about eating greasy fried seafood while watching the sun set on the water that is just magical.  The food isn't really all that noteworthy but somehow you don't even really taste it with the breathtaking views.

Back to the house for our first night's sleep.  The house was nice, 4 stories nice.  That might seem impressive but by the end of the week, we were ready to ditch the stairs.  Sawyer fell in love with them so it was a constant fight to keep him away.  The floors were also all hardwood and in case you aren't aware, hardwood is not soundproof - quite the opposite.  You could hear everything! 

Colin had NO trouble sleeping in his plush queen-sized bed.  We rented Sawyer a crib and while it was fine, it was crammed in between the bed and dresser, leaving me about 6 inches to stand next to it to get him in there.  It was also a stationary crib that was on the lowest setting.  I wasn't tall enough to reach all the way down in there to place him, so he woke up nearly every time.  Talk about frustrating!  Wes took over several nights, thankfully, and had a much easier time.

Good night day one. 

And we're off...

Several months back, my mom suggested that she and Colin fly to Charleston, while Wes, Sawyer and I drive.  It would give us more room in the suv, no one would have to ride in between 2 kids for 8.5 hours, and they wouldn't have to take any luggage on the plane, thus making it a lot easier.  Sold!

That left Wes, Sawyer and I to hit the road.  We like to break the trip in half and spend the first night in Asheville, NC.  We would normally like to get out of town in enough time to eat dinner there but that wasn't in the cards for us this time.  A quick reminder and update on Wes' broken toe - well he had to have surgery and have a cadaver pin put in.  That's all well and good but that left him in a boot with stitches and thus, no water.  As in no pool, no ocean, no shower!  Great timing when you're about to leave for the beach later that week.  He went Friday to for one last appointment and he got all but 1 stitch removed.  So close, yet so far away.  To add to the fun, he also had to cram in a full day of Continuing Legal Education in order to get it before the deadline.

We finally hit the road and didn't have much trouble at all, thankfully.  Our hotel was nice enough.  We got to see a disgruntled guest upon our arrival that made me laugh.  Imagine a large man getting mad and literally turning his back to the front desk attendant, as if that was going to do a darn bit of good.  Sawyer slept well which was no surprise given that he didn't sleep at all in the car.

The next morning I couldn't wait to get up and get going because I had a breakfast spot already picked out.  We were ready to leave by 7:30 (yes, Sawyer is an early riser) but sadly found out the restaurant didn't open until 9.  I decided to eat a pre-breakfast in the hotel lobby and then I felt guilty so Sawyer and I walked around the perimeter of the hotel until it was time to leave.  I'm sure I burned about 10 calories but it made me feel a little better!

I had been wanting to try Tupelo Honey since the last time we went to Charleston 3 years ago.  I read a review on another blog and I knew we had to stop this time.  The only regret I have is that we didn't get to eat every meal there!  It was charming, local, had lots of vegetarian options, and was delicious.

It was a beautiful morning, so we chose to eat outside on their covered patio.  A young couple came in behind us and were seated close to our table.  I overhead the guy talking to the waitress and after a little bit of conversation, I deduced that he worked there.  I later asked him and he said he did in fact work there.  I told him that spoke pretty highly of a place if the employees choose to eat there on their days off.  He said he thought the food was awesome and he ate quite a few of his meals there.  I can see why!

Wes was sold on the Fried Chicken and Biscuits.  Me?  The girl who lives and breaths pancakes?  The Sweet Potato Pancake was calling my name.  After all it was deemed their "claim to fame" and was served with whipped peach butter and spiced pecans.  I went all out and upgraded with Grandma's Maple Granola and pure maple syrup.  If you're going to do it, you gotta do it right!

Our waitress told us she'd be right back with our biscuits.  Biscuits?  Am I in heaven?  Dough and dough!  These biscuits were the real deal.  Huge, fluffy, and as tender as they come.  To top it off, they served them with fresh blueberry preserves.  Talk about delicious.  They literally melted in your mouth.  Wes and I split one because we both knew we had a lot more food coming.

Um, yes, the portions are huge here!  Wes' entree was large enough for 2 grown men to share.  2 of the huge biscuits, 2 pieces of fried chicken, all topped with milk gravy.  He wanted to keep eating and eating but eventually had to make himself stop.

My pancake was huge, tender, and yummy.  Admittedly, I've had better but there was certainly nothing wrong with this pancake.  I didn't get any peach flavoring in the butter, nor did the pecans taste spiced but I definitely tasted the sweet potato and the granola was a great addition.

If you're ever in the Asheville area, Tupelo Honey is a must try.  We really wanted to stop here on the way back through but we were too stuffed from breakfast to stop.  The lunch and dinner menu sound equally delicious.  I especially appreciate all the vegetable side dishes - very unique things like smashed root vegetables, cheesy smashed cauliflower, brown butter brussels sprouts, and candied ginger cornbread.  We're definitely planning a return trip sometime soon.

A Culinary Adventure

I apologize for my absence but I have a really good excuse. Wes and I went on a little weekend getaway to Chicago. It shouldn't surprise anyone who has been following this blog to note that our primary purpose for the trip was food! After watching Top Chef Masters, we were smitten with Rick Bayless and Graham Elliot. Conveniently enough for us, they both have restaurants in Chicago. Wes jokingly mentioned that we should just fly up and hit both of them and I laughed at first but then the wheels started turning. I rationalized with myself that we could use this as our Christmas gift to each other. After all, it's something we would both thoroughly enjoy and Christmas is right around the corner. Well whatever you label it as, we had a great time and had some darn good food!

I debated on writing reviews for each of the restaurants but I ultimately decided against it. I will at least mention them though and if anyone plans on going to the area and would like more details, feel free to ask.

First up was a non-Top Chef restaurant but it has it's own acclaim. Alinea is ranked #20 in the WORLD! Seriously, I ate at the 20th best restaurant in the world - can we say once in a lifetime?! The creativity this chef demonstrates is unmatched. He has his dinnerware and the accoutrements made especially for the restaurant. It truly was amazing and a night we won't soon forget. I'm almost at a loss for words in trying to explain it to you. I was able to snap one photo of our dessert masterpiece before I was reprimanded for the flash. The chef himself came to our table to create this delight. I believe there were in the neighborhood of 10 different elements to this dish. And yes, that is right on our table - no plates for this one!

After coming down off that high, we had breakfast the next morning at Yolk. It has been voted "best breakfast" but I was not impressed with either of our dishes. Wes reminded me we weren't in the south and no one does breakfast like we do!

We walked off breakfast rather quickly and were ready for our brunch/lunch at Frontera Grill. For all the hype surrounding Rick Bayless after his Top Chef victory, I was not terribly impressed with his restaurant. Perhaps he needs to spend a little more time and effort on that and less on becoming a television star. The food was mediocre at best and the bathrooms were disgusting! Seriously, I would have been ashamed if I was the owner to walk in and see such shambles.

Finally we sucked in our guts and stumbled over to Graham Elliot for dinner. Of all the places we went, I was most impressed with the decor here. It was urban chic and just put off a hip vibe. The food was all very good but after having eaten at one of the best restaurants in the world the night before, it was hard to compare. The most notable part of the dinner was the brioche twinkie served alongside the Caesar salad. Seriously, the creativity and ingenuity the chefs these days have is just amazing!

You know me well enough to know that I had to hit up a few sweet spots as well. We stopped at 2 cupcake joints, Sugar Bliss and More (see photo below from More). I got a red velvet at Sugar Bliss and a white velvet at More. My hands down favorite was Sugar Bliss. The icing was more my style - less butter and more cream cheese. More wins out in design and artistic flair. They also have some of the most interesting flavors I've ever heard of - Thanksgiving Feast was one of them and it was a savory cake with a stuffing-flavored cake and sage butter icing. They also have one with Foie Gras. I wanted to try one of each but big city = big price tags!

We had a great time but were anxious to get home to see Colin. Too bad he couldn't say the same. He had so much fun at Buff and Ba-baw's that he didn't miss us for a minute. Wes and I wondered how long it would take him to totally forget us. I'd like to think he'd eventually miss us?!