Frog Hollow Tavern

Last night, my maternal grandmother (Reece) and her husband (Don) came to visit us in Augusta! It was really nice to spend time with them, and we shared a lovely meal at a restaurant downtown... in fact, the parent restaurant of Farmhaus Burger. So, of course it was good!

Frog Hollow Tavern was fabulous in nearly every way. My only complaint would be the noise level. This restaurant was jamming! Every single table was filled the entire time we were there. Awesome for them, but occasionally frustrating when trying to chat with those whose hearing isn't quite as sharp as it once was ;)

Our meal was delish.  So delish in fact, that all I managed to get a photo of was this bottle of pinot grigio... which was one of the best I have ever had!

I had seared grouper with a fantastic okra, black eyed pea, tomato and corn succotash, while my husband had the most decadent looking shrimp and grits. We also shared a bowl of mussels, which were spectacular.

The concept of the restaurant is very farm-to-table. The freshness of the ingredients was evident in everything we tasted (including the homemade bread... wow!). We will definitely be returning!

PS- I realize that this blog is becoming somewhat of a running restaurant review... my apologies! Between my husband's schedule and my classes, activities more exciting than a nice meal are a rarity these days. Never fear, as soon as more blog-worthy events take place, y'all will be the first to know!

Farmhaus Burger

We've discussed previously my quest for veggie burger perfection. While in Seattle, I found a strong contestant at Lunchbox Laboratory... I might have even said that it was the best!

 However, my husband and I went on a date to Farmhaus Burger in Augusta, GA this past weekend, and their "Organic Sea Island Red Pea Veggie Patty" might have moved into first place.

 Before you call me a fair-weather fan, let me explain. Lunchbox Lab was retro-tastic and Farmhaus was farm-to-table with all the southern fixin's. Guess which one stole the heart of this Carolina/Virginia/Florida girl? I can't help myself. Any place that lets me put pimento cheese on a veggie burger has to be #1 in my book. If you don't understand that... well, bless your heart ;) 

This is it... organic whole wheat bun, veggie burger, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapenos, and pimento cheese. 

So fresh and so perfect! 

We shared the french fries with a feta dip. Yummy.

This was my husband's burger, called the Farmstyle: beef burger topped with smoked gouda, bacon, and a fried egg. He thought it was fantastic!

We ate at the bar so we could watch some NCAA football :)

After dinner, we shared a 'boozy' shake. They had several choices, but we picked the Farmhaus Cherry: vanilla ice cream, bourbon, amaretto, and brandied cherries. Woah... just when I thought our date couldn't get any better! The amaretto was the cherry on top of this cherry shake. Yum!!

I won't be able to live with myself if we don't support this local business a couple more times before our stay in GA ends!

Redwood

DC Restaurant Week happens twice a year in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia, for those not from these parts), and as a bit of a foodie, it is one of my favorite things about late August.  We always try out a new restaurant and splurge a little on the $35 prix-fixe three course dinner. Some restaurants also participate in a $20 prix-fixe lunch, which is equally as fun.

This week we went to Redwood, and I am SO glad that we did. We've been meaning to try this spot for a very long time, so restaurant week was the perfect excuse. Also, we were celebrating my husband finishing up his psychiatry clerkship. Hallelujah! 6 down, 3 to go!

A few things stood out:

1) The happy hour. We arrived a little early for our reservation, so we went to the bar for a drink. The happy hour menu was very well priced and pretty extensive. We will definitely be going back for this.

2) Good service. We were seated outside (by choice), but never felt forgotten. The water glasses were never less than half full.

3) Unique and yummy food.  The menu was a mix of classics as well as more inventive dishes. Everything was delish.

4) Food allergies were labeled. Whether you are vegetarian, gluten-free or have a nut allergy, this restaurant had everything nicely labeled as such. Makes for easy ordering, and definitely a place I would take my in-laws.

The finale of the prix-fixe meal- chocolate peanut butter cake and chocolate mousse with strawberries.

Just lovely...  

Absentee Blogger Confessional

I have been missing around here for more than two weeks. I have a couple of really good excuses about where I've been, but first, I just want to reassure you that I'll do my very best to not abandon y'all without warning again. I'm sure my disappearance was traumatic for everyone.

One of the reasons that I was MIA was because my in-laws came into town a little over a week ago in order to celebrate my father-in-law's 60th birthday!! We had a blast hanging out with them in Bethesda and Washington, DC.  Here are a few of my favorite moments from our many celebrations together!

The Marine Corps Evening Parade is quite a spectacle, and it's a fun (and free) way to spend a Friday night in Washington, DC. Not to mention the fact that Eastern Market (the neighborhood in which the Barracks are located) is one of my favorite places in DC. Really amazing restaurants and fun shops line the main drag on 8th Street. We ate at Zest Bistro before the parade began, and I would definitely return. 

Another meal we shared together, however, was better than Zest. Founding Farmers was such a fun dining experience.  Their menu was so fresh (as their name implies) and inventive, but still reasonably priced... for this area, at least. The lively atmosphere and delicious Tinto Negro malbec we were drinking made us want to linger for quite awhile... so we did :)

Every birthday boy needs a cake, so for my Celiac-diagnosed father-in-law we had a dozen gluten-free cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake. Woah... those might have been better than their gluten-full counterparts. Unlawfully good... 

I will write a separate post about the National's baseball game (because they are SO much fun!) we attended, but we gave my FIL a t-shirt to wear so he could properly display his "natitude"!

There was also a very sad reason I've been missing for awhile... you can read about that here. 

Lunchbox Laboratory

Going to dinner at Lunchbox Laboratory was one of the last things we did in Seattle. This majorly retro burger place was fabulous! Not only was the food spectacular and creative, but Lunchbox Lab was gluten-free and vegetarian friendly. Why do I care, you ask? Although I am neither gluten-free or vegetarian, my father-in-law has Celiac Disease and I am a lover of veggie burgers (a leftover habit from when I really was a vegetarian for 7 years), so I am always on the lookout for both!

Now let me tell you why this veggie burger was the best I've EVER had... and I consider myself to be somewhat of a connoisseur! 

Most veggie burgers are veggie burger flavored- meaning that the usual suspects accompany said burger: lettuce or sprouts, tomato, onion, some sort of spread, various cheeses, and the occasional avocado slices. What made this veggie burger so remarkable is that I was able to have it with the accouterments of "The Tear Jerker" aka the spiciest burger on their menu. I LOVE mega spicy food, so a burger with some jalapenos, a little habanero mayo and "Satan's tears ketchup" was right up my ally. 

It actually hurt my mouth a bit to eat this magnificent veggie burger (it was that spicy!!!), but that is how I like things.  I'm a little wild sometimes...

My husband stuck with the traditional beef "Burger of the Gods," and I think he was nearly equally pleased with his selection.  

This is my main man with the yummy shake we shared for dessert!  Speaking of which, the shakes are why we ended up at Lunchbox in the first place. We came across this article and decided it sounded good enough to check out in person.

We ended up (at the suggestion of our wonderful waitress) getting the Boston Creme Pie shake with a shot of vanilla vodka... they call this 'boozy'! The small size was more than share-able for the two of us, but then again, I had just eaten the best veggie burger of my life. The shake was a great cool off for my mouth fire, not to mention extremely delicious.

To sum it up, this quirky (did I mention that most of their cocktails involve Tang? They take hipster/retro to a whole other level!) burger place exceeded my expectations.  Even the atmosphere- we sat outside in a sweet patio garden, across the street from a cute Lutheran church- was perfection. 

I wish Lunchbox Laboratory was on the East Coast!!!

Pike Place Market

On our very last day in the Pacific Northwest, we were able to actually spend some time in Seattle! 

We hung out at Pike Place Market and went to all of the quintessential places... I even tricked my husband into checking out the gum wall in Post Alley. In case you've never seen it, the gum wall is more disgusting than you'd expect.  My favorite memory from viewing this spectacle was a mom lecturing her child who was posing in front of the wall: "Stand away from the wall... NO! Don't touch it! Just stand still near the wall.... Don't lean on it!!" This seemed like a traumatic photo-op, so we just kept walking without documenting our disgust.

Obviously, watching the fish mongers throw around HUGE halibut and salmon was a must. What made it even better is that we had a pint of fresh raspberries from one of the farmer's market vendors to munch on while we took in the show. Yummy!

Those lobster tails were as big as my arm!!

I loved walking through all of the flower vendors. The dahlias, sunflowers and peonys were my favorites.

As we walked, we munched on a delicious amandine (the best almond croissant ever) from Le Painier. 

Holy cow... I could eat those every day and still marvel at how perfect they are.

Our view from a rooftop bar.

We also went to Beecher's for some of their "world's best" macaroni and cheese.  We took it to-go and ate outside in a park. We also shared a dungeness crab grilled cheese sandwich. Everything was superb! I only wish that we'd had room in our suitcases to take some of their homemade cheese with us.  Our favorite was the Raw Flagship cheese.

When we needed a break from walking around in the blazing summer heat (just kidding, it was in the 70s), we ducked into the Frontier Room for some local beer. We both had an IPA from Diamond Knot.

I guess we really ate and drank our way through Seattle!

One thing we did that didn't involve eating (or drinking) was our visit to Seattle Glassblowing Studio.  I imagine that I forgot to take a picture in the gallery because I was too busy trying to take it all in.  The vases, figurines, bowls, and sculptures were spectacular.  We bought a little evergreen tree to remember our foray in the Pacific Northwest :)

Last, but not least, we saw the first Starbucks shop. It was swarmed with people, of course, so we didn't stop in, but it was fun to see where the coffee magnate originated.

Delong's Deluxe

DeLong's Deluxe was a local burger place we visited during our last week at Fort Lewis.

All of the Yelp reviews would have discouraged me from going here, but after passing this cute walk-up, eat outside burger place when I was running errands, I thought it would be a fun place to go when my husband was craving a good cheeseburger. 

I was right. Fresh ingredients, not greasy, good service. Definitely not McDonald's prices (I think our meal was around $15 for two burgers, fries and a shake), but the quality and selection was far superior. Also, they offered a military discount (10%, I think), which I really appreciate.

It was a beautiful evening when we went to DeLong's, so sitting outside on their picnic benches was ideal.  We would definitely visit again if we go back to Fort Lewis!

Bermuda

Talking about our wedding has made me think about where we went after we celebrated with our family and friends: Bermuda!! Also known as one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, Bermuda was the PERFECT place to honeymoon!

We went on a Celebrity Cruise and spent three days in Bermuda (the other 3 days were spent at sea). I don't think I've ever been as relaxed as I was on that boat... Here are some photos of our fun!

We got a lot of use out of our balcony... drinks, breakfast, reading, champagne...

One of our favorite places to hang out on the ship was the Martini Bar... a frosted paradise with the friendliest bartenders (Igor from Ukraine was the best) and the yummiest martinis!

We made friends with the other couple at our table for dinner: Keith and Lauren! Can't wait to cruise with them again!

Most expensive wine I've ever tasted was at the wine bar on the ship.

The Summit! Oh yea... and the handsome guy in the helmet, too :)

The return of one of our favorite pastimes- scootering!

A few different views of Admiralty Cove. A local's hangout to jump off cliffs into the ocean!

A secluded beach we found when scootering around the island. Breathtaking when you're zipping around corners only to catch a glimpse of a place like this!

The Fourth of July, 2012!!

Taken when we were snorkeling... the water photographed this amazing turquoise color, but it was much prettier in person. Is that even possible?! Oh my, yes.

The happiest honeymooners there ever will be!

Washington Things: Part 4

Last week I decided that I wanted to get something (food-wise) for my husband to take to the hospital for his 'team.'  People periodically bring things in for the group, and I think medical students should participate, too! Although, I was sort of using this as an excuse to check out cool local bakeries.  There was no way I was going to Taco Bell or Domino's Pizza to pick up my husband's contribution (although I'm sure they would've appreciated that, too).

After going online and researching cupcake bakeries and french pastry shops all around the Seattle/Tacoma area, I finally came across Top Pot.  Once I saw their tagline- "Hand-Forged Doughnuts", I knew this place was exactly what I was looking for.  What resident/intern/medical student/attending physician wouldn't want one of these bad boys at insert-ridiculous-time-of-day-here??

This was the top of the box... cute yet masculine. It felt like the packaging for a cool gift... and it was!

This was the precious cargo.  A dozen assorted 'hand-forged' doughnuts!  They have over 40 varieties that rotate through (I'm guessing they had about 20 different flavors available when I was there), so I spent quite a bit of time deciding on these. Aren't they pretty!?  Oh, and I heard they tasted amazing as well... the old fashioned salted caramel and the maple bar being two stand-outs. I think I'll pick some more up 'for the team' before we leave in two weeks!

This was the box of 'some more' that I picked up for my husband's last overnight call... I think they made the 27 hour shift a little more bearable!!

Our Seattle Anniversary

For our first anniversary, we went into Seattle to eat dinner at Sky City, the restaurant in the Space Needle. We were VERY grateful that my husband actually had the day (June 30) off! Hallelujah! 

Side note about the Space Needle elevators... remember the time we talked about my death screams on a certain Universal Studios ride?  Well this elevator gave me flashbacks to that moment.  Luckily I just turned away from the windows and stopped myself short of a full on meltdown. I was fine once we were in the restaurant because it's easy to forget that there is nothing beneath the floor... it seems like your everyday skyscraper. Thank goodness... I was a little worried about how this would turn out when we were on our way up!

Without a doubt, the meal was memorable.  Not only was the view unbeatable, but the food was marvelous, too.

A sweet touch- Sky City had a photographer walking around taking photos that could be emailed to you free of charge. This amazing view only got better as our meal continued because the restaurant turns 360 degrees! I believe they said it takes 47 minutes to make the full rotation, so we made it around twice during our dinner.

One of our favorite appetizers, burrata mozzarella, done extremely well!

Fresh Alaskan Halibut (mine), frites, and a sirloin/lobster tail (his)... yummy!

Just to the right of the skyscrapers, faint in the distance, is Mount Rainier! It didn't photograph well, but it was really spectacular/bigger/easy to see in person.

The same view approximately 47 minutes later.

 It really felt like an 'escape' to relax and dine so far above the city.

Back at our hotel room after a wonderful evening in Seattle. We definitely won't forget this wonderful experience on our first anniversary!