Mary, Kirstie and I took a road trip and landed in Philadelphia, PA for a day! We LOVED it, can you tell? Hahahaha.

We chilled with/got to see our girls Michelle and Catzie from Yellow Rage. Thanks to Gayle, Toni, Gary, and everyone that we met that night at the Asian Arts Initiative – the show was amazing! Kelly Tsai is a phenomenal, personable performer. We travel far and wide to see, hear, taste and feel good poetry. The other open mic’ers were brilliant and I hope to be back there soon! Philly is definitely in my Top Three U.S. Cities list.

janice.

Guests coming into town? Not sure what to feed them? Don’t stress. We’re introducing Square Bowls, a family-style noodles and salads option for feeding a family of four to a group of 50. Just like all our dishes, Square Bowls are 100 percent customizable, which makes them a great way to ensure everyone at home, at the party or the office will find something they like. Check out http://noodles.com/squarebowls/ for more information.

We have a fabulous little…well not so little impromptu family-style dinner last night at Pio Pio on the Upper West Side! It wasn’t just that I hadn’t eaten all day, but the fragrant Peruvian roasted chicken and calamari, pollo empanada appetizers were super mouth-watering and extremely fulfilling.

This particular location, according to Derrick, is the most spacious of the four in Manhattan.  So, first came the sangria.  It’s sweeter than your traditional red wine, so to the alcohol-intolerant be wary.  We had to wait a bit as a party of eight, since it was a bustling Friday evening, plus Jay and I were late (sorry!).  But once seated, service was pretty prompt. 

Before anything else, they placed a couple cups of their special aji sauce.  Tina and Caroline raved about this and it sure didn’t disappoint.  This light green sauce is apparently a secret Peruvian condiment the restaurant won’t reveal (but does sell for $5 upon request).  From what I’ve read in the blogosphere, it’s a blend of Peruvian chilis called aji amarillo and “black mint.”  Whatever it was, it went well with everything! 

We had the fried calamari and empanadas de pollo to start, and of course instead of using their accompanying sauces, go with the aji instead!  These appetizers were pretty standard, but definitely got us ready for the rotisserie meal to come.  Out came platters of juicy (or as Jay would say, water-filled) roasted chicken, marinated Peruvian style.  The combo came with avacado salad, french fries, rice and beans, and fried yucca!  The chatting definitely stopped for a good 45 minutes as soon as the plates hit the table.  I was a big fan of the fresh avacado salad, which offered a good balance to the plethora of flavors.  The chicken, of course, was the main attraction, savory and fresh out of the oven. 

With the eight of us, we ordered two of these meals.  And even with four guys, we walked away with leftovers filling one of those large shopping bags, like the ones you carry out of Crate & Barrel when you buy an espresso machine.  It’s a lot of food.

Last night I attended a celebration at a local Russian restaurant and it was family style. Now I know I’ve told you all before that I try to avoid family style meals given all of my allergies, but after looking at the menu online I had high hopes for this restaurant. To my astonishment, I could eat almost every dish that came my way last night, veggie and non-veggie alike….and boy was I stuffed! Seconds? Thirds? Oh, allergy friendly you say? Yes please!

To anyone allergic to a large array of items similar to mine, I highly recommend trying a Russian restaurant. It will make you feel like a normal person again! I can’t remember the last time I was so happy eating out.

If you live in northern California, check out Russian Family Restaurant for some delicious food! I know I’ll be back!

My wife Nancy and I picked up our hobbled friend Joe Henning for supper on Saturday evening. We tried Touchdown Sally’s, the new sports bar/restaurant on the westbound service road north of Interstate 30 in Benton, where Weng’s was located for the past few years.

(Joe was struck by a truck while walking to the Benton Public Library a couple of months ago. He’s recovering, but it’s been slow.)

It was fun and the cheeseburgers were good. We watched the Razorbacks run up a 42-0 halftime lead over Eastern Michigan on one end of room while waiting for the rain to stop before Game 3 of the World Series on the television at the other end.

Our server Brandon was dressed all in black on that Halloween night with a U.S. postage stamp cut from felt glued to his shirt — blackmail! It was clever, but his attractive wife, Hayley, who was seated nearby, had to tell us what he was supposed to be.

It’s a comfortable, family-style atmosphere and Mike Robinson and his partners have done a great job of getting the place off to a good start.

We figure that the place will be rockin’ tonight with former Razorbacks pitcher Cliff Lee of Benton pitching for the Phillies against North Little Rock native A.J. Burnett of the Yankees. With New York up three games to one in the World Series, it’s a must-win situation for defending champion Philadelphia.

Party on, Benton!

In New Hampshire now, staying at another B&B.  I chose the hotels for the trip and for some reason booked all B&Bs.  I now have Chintz fatigue.  I banged my head on the sloping ceiling in our charming room so hard that it knocked me onto the floor and I burst into tears.  Steve wasn’t very sympathetic (we’re at the bickering stage of the vacation).  He reminded me that when he hit his head on a beam in the dining room earlier I barely looked at him and continued to talk to the chef about my food allergies.  I did point out that he didn’t fall on the floor dramatically like I did, so he only had himself to blame.  Also the light in the room is annoying me, as is the antique squeaky furniture and the quaint custom of room keys being optional.  (Inkeepers always say that the people staying are like ‘friends, not paying guests’ which is just stupid.  I don’t know them.  They could be criminals or knicker-sniffers for all I know.)  At least this place has separate settings for breakfast.  In New York state they have this awful habit of having ‘family style’ breakfasts, meaning you sit at a big table with a bunch of strangers having your pancakes and wishing you were still in bed.  We always vow not to do it, but so far it’s happened a couple of times.  The first time we were sat opposite the couple in the room next to us, who’d kept us awake with their bedroom antics the night before.  (When the guy passed the maple syrup, all I could think about was whether he’d washed his hands or not.)  The second time everyone else knew each other and they’d start really interesting conversations like, “So, is Drew still going to those swingers clubs after the handcuff incident?” then remember we were strangers and lapse into silence.  The third time it happened, we were the first in the dining room and just looked at the place settings ranged ominously round the table, then left and went to a local diner.

Rating: A fun resto-lounge for a decent meal and drinks. Skip the oysters.

I love family-style dining: ie. share plates for everyone!  This comes from the Asian side of me – but it also means that I get to try more food and what can be any better than that? Wherever I go, even if it’s the type of place where you order your own entrée, I still prefer to share and split meals with whoever I’m with if they’re up for it (and even when they’re not, as my boyfriend would know. I think he’s getting used to this now and has finally just given in).

Last night, I tried another new place after I had gotten my fill from shopping.  So, I wandered over to Santana Row which is kind of like two streets of shopping and restaurants (the Yaletown of San Jose?). There, I met up with a co-worker and we wandered up and down the row to try to pick our fuel for the evening. We wandered past a couple Italian places, some really Americanized looking Japanese restaurants, and quite a few other options before we walked all the way back to the first place we stumbled upon: Straits Restaurant – Santana Row.

It was really busy when we walked in around 9 pm, and there was a DJ playing some fairly loud music in the corner. Apparently there are quite a few hockey fans down here as well, since there was a huge crowd in front of the big screen tv behind the bar, watching the Sharks play. The ambience was great – kind of a resto-lounge feel with a lot of lively people, and it was all decorated in time for Hallowe’en.

We started off with a half-dozen oysters – big mistake!  Remind me to not do that again when I’m outside of Vancouver unless it’s in a world-reknowned place for these types of mollusks. A couple of them tasted kind of milky to the point where we were joking around and hoping that we wouldn’t be stuck in the bathroom for the rest of the night.  We also tried the Murtabak, which is basically roti stuffed with some spiced meat and a curry flavoured dipping sauce.  This one was actually pretty salty, and I almost wonder if they accidentally spilled a bit too much of the spice in while cooking. The best of the small plates was the Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio. I loved the flavour of the dressing on the veggies on this – it tasted very fresh and was so delicious! There was a bit of cilantro, some mint, capers (I love their little salty-goodness) and the flavour combination left me wanting more.

Now on to the larger plates: the Origami Seabass was the overall winner here.  I loved the texture and could be biased (this is one of my top favourite types of fish behind sablefish). There were longans (kind of like a mini-lychee nut fruit), red peppers,  shitake mushrooms, and a rice wine sauce and it was served in a neat paper box that kept all of the steam inside.  We had this with a massive bowl of Nasi Goreng – coconut fried rice with prawns and a mixture of veggies. Sometimes I still need to adjust to the sizes of the dishes down in the U.S. because I tend to over-order (and overeat) while I’m south of the border.

The drinks here were also quite tasty. We tried the mango soda which was perfect as it wasn’t overly sweet, and the lemongrass mint soda which was pretty good, but would’ve been better if there was a bit of alcohol in it. It basically tasted like a fresh mohito without the rum. Next time I go back, it’ll have to be when I don’t have an early morning meeting and can try more of the non-virgin options.

I noticed that this lounge has two other locations in California (San Francisco and Burlingame) as well as one in Atlanta, Georgia, should you venture in those cities as well and want to give Straits a try.  Overall, the flavours were fresh, the lounge was bustling and the decor was festive. I will be back.

Eating out can be a challenge for those with dietary restrictions. No matter where you’re eating, I recommend looking at the menu online first so that you can be sure there is something that will fit your diet. It’s also important to talk to your server or someone in the kitchen about your allergies so that you can ensure a safe meal for yourself.

Large group meals may often pose an extra problem if the table is ordering family style or if food is pre-ordered for an event. In the past, I have found it helpful to either talk to the person organizing the meal, or order my own plate that I know is safe to eat. It’s always nice to share, but with certain allergies, like nut allergies, for instance, sharing food can be a huge problem. Even if you decide only to eat one of the many shared dishes, cross contamination from other dishes containing allergens is possible from other silverware in your group. I have found that even though people try to be cautious about these potential risks, often times it’s easy to forget not to touch a particular plate with a serving utensil that has been used on something you can’t eat.

Carrying allergy cards can also make your life easier in restaurants. Several companies can create these for you online, and often times you can print them yourself for free or for a small fee. I recommend searching for these cards on the internet since each company supports a variety of features. It’s also a great idea to print a few copies of your cards and laminate them. This way, they’ll be easy to store in your wallet and will last longer.

For traveling, my favorite company is Allergy Translation because they print two-sided cards (one side in English, the other in the l language of your choice). You can also indicate if any of your allergies are life threatening. I found these cards very helpful when traveling in South America and locally, several restaurants have thanked me for providing them with an easy way of listing my allergies to the chef.

Have other questions or tricks for eating out with food allergies? Leave a comment!

Mike and I were invited to an engagement party on September 12, 2009.  It was a sweet affair, that was held at a somewhat local family style Italian restaurant.  We were one of the first guests to arrive and we were guided to the side room with floor to ceiling windows.  There was a small bar and a small buffet table being prepped for the incoming guests.  We had a great time catching up with friends we have not seen in years!  We actually found other parents that we could communicate with as well.

I stuck with a white wine for the evening as I was chasing our son around when no one was able to “babysit” at the event.  I drank the Pinot Grigio, while Mike had what looked to me like a cape codder for most of the evening.  There were passed hors d’ oeuvres, most of which I had to pass on as they were some sort of seafood concoction.  The buffet consisted of stuffed mushrooms (again I stayed away due to previous stuffed mushroom experiences that had fish oil, or fish juice used.)  Mike had tried one and, of course they were not the way HE would make them.  Too much bread, not enough flavor.  The other two chaffing dishes included a four cheese ravioli with a light cream sauce that was covered lightly with a stream of marinara.  The last dish was a Tortellacci with Parma Ham.  They were ok for a catered event, but as it seems to be the norm nowadays, very salty.

All the dishes were fine, but not what Mike would make, as he would add some funky twist to each item.  As for this being a catered affair, we ate, we drank and we were merry all while celebrating the happy couple.

I love to go to this place either on a date or with a big group of people.  

Photo from: northmetro.blogspot.com

When you arrive, the wait staff will walk you through the kitchen on your way to the table. And if you are lucky enough and request it, you could sit in the kitchen!

Photo from Buca di Beppo

The food is served buffet style.  Each item on the menu either comes in small or large.  Small is typically for 2-3 people and Large is for 4-6.  In my opinion, the quantity of the food is definitely worth the price.  However, depending on what you get, it can get a little pricey.  Also, during their lunch hour, they serve personal portions.

Photo from Buca di Beppo

Buca is located right off 183 and Mopac.  It is right next to the Dave and Busters!

Enjoy!

We didn’t.  It’s just been really busy.   (You know, there’s just too much sunshine for me to be stuck inside! I even mowed my lawn- to which I’m sure my neighbors are all grateful!) Anyhow- here’s some freebies for the week!

• Do you have a snoring problem? Ok, I’m sure the YOU don’t, but maybe someone you know does.  Someone close to you. If so, here’s a sample of SnoreStop.

• If you live in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, or Tennessee you can get a free subscriptionto FamilyStyle Magazine curtesy of Publix.

• Free Photos from Shutterfly! Even existing members can get 50 free prints just by using the code FREEPRINTS at checkout! I’m fairly certain it’s only for 4×6 prints. So go here & start uploading those Easter photos!

• I get at least 5 different magazines delivered to my house each month & I haven’t paid for a single subscription! One reason is Rewards Gold.  I was skeptical at first, but it really is great! If you would like to get a free 2 year subscription to Parents magazine- just click here.  All you have to do is submit reviews for items you use anyhow!

• With planning on homeschooling, freebies like this 1-2-3 Preschool Projects always get me excited! Order one for yourself here (if you you aren’t homeschooling!).

• This would be so cool in a classroom, office, or even a bedroom.  It would be great to see a vistors face when you say something like “Don’t color anywhere except the wall, sweetie!” Go here to get a sample of dry erase paint.

• The last one for today is actually curtesy of me! lol I have some free powerpoint slides that you are welcome to use! I’ll try to add more in the near future.  All you have to do is go here & click on the slide you want.  Then right click & “save as” to save it on your computer.  Please remember these are not for sale so if you share them with others- no charging for them! Thanks!

I love intimate dinner parties. They are great for people who want to have a small get together with friends and family to do special celebrations without the loud thumping music or huge crowds yelling and screaming behind you. This brings me to Pizzeria Mozza, the site of this past weekend’s festivities!

The event was held in the private room of Pizzeria Mozza, a Mario Batali / Nancy Silverton restaurant. It was quiet with a private door to the room just for guests. The room was surrounded by bottles and bottles of delicious Italian wines that pair perfectly to your selections. Since the room was rather dark, there were brighter flowers and details set up to help bring out some softness to the long wooden table. You’ll see those photos below. I loved the table full of beautiful flowers, tons of wine glasses, and delicious family style food. Nothing brings the conversation together quite as well as sharing food with all of your favorite people.

This is almost like a review on the restaurant, since you’ll see plenty of yummy food photos, and let me also send my praise to Nick our server for the evening. He was easy going, helpful, and super funny too!

Henry Chen worked his magic and made the food drool worthy. Thanks a bunch Henry!!!

Please let us know your needs for your next private party / event! Contact us at info @ typeaplanning (dot) com

Now for some of the details:

For party favors there were the favorite Sprinkles Cupcakes custom packaged in individual boxes for each guest.

Personalized and handwritten place cards

Square wooden box low centerpieces with beautifully fragrant and in season flowers, in bright colors. Think peonies, ranunculus, and lily of the valley.

Cool table shot with some details

A Family Style REAL Italian Meal for your Rehearsal Dinner or Reception…. magnifica!

Café Pasta has been a Greensboro landmark for many years, which speaks to the food and service they offer their clients. Offering a quant atmosphere, amazing food, a friendly staff for a good time. Well, did you know that a large part of their business is catering and that it is a great option for your rehearsal dinner or for your wedding reception? They are located on State Street in Greensboro and have been for many years. It is one of my favorite restaurants in Greensboro, and they do amazing things when it comes to catering. Kat and I love working with them. As planners our job is to help you stay on budget, supply you with the best quality vendors, and the best customer service. Café Pasta makes our job easier because they already do all of those things to all of their clients.

Kristin and Kat with the Owner of Cafe Pasta, Ray Essa

THAT’S AMORE!
Café Pasta is a great option for the Bride and Groom who want a lot of good ‘filling’ food and not spend the majority of their budget on it. Spaghetti, lasagna, ziti, champaign chicken over rice, bread, salad…. oh, I am getting hungry just thinking about it! The owner, Ray Essa, will work within any budget and customizes every menu. They do offer menu items that are good and affordable. Ray is a joy to work with, and will bring professionalism along with delicious food to your event.

Café Pasta would be a great location for a luncheon or your rehearsal dinner. You can rent out the restaurant and have plenty of room to accommodate any size party. Anything from table linens to disco balls can be brought in to transform the restaurant to match your theme and style. It already has a very bistro feel and adding to the ambiance is easy! They are fun to work with, and it will be easy to have a good time with them at your event. Café Pasta offers buffet style dinners as well as plated dinners, so the options are endless. Take a look at one of their catering menus below. If you are interested, give them a call and set up a tasting! Tell them Merrymaking Events sent you…. they are a great group to work with. 

 Go on their website to view catering menus, get contact information and more! www.cafepasta.com

Finfine : Ethiopian Cuisine

Yesterday I went to an Ethiopian restuarant for my friend’s 19th birthday! I had never had Ethiopian food before so the menu was a bit intimidating, but all the food was good (so its alll good (: ).

So this restaurant has a unique way of eating. Basically the food is served family style without utensils. The food is pretty much a sauteed assortment of meats and/or veggies (they have vegetarian dishes!) and you scoop it up with these flat rolled pieces of bread (I’m trying not to call it flat read because it’s not at all like what the familiar flat bread is). I recommend the beef, awase chicken, and the vegetarian combination. The only iffy dish was the bass. I’m not sure if the texture was right and there wasn’t much taste. Maybe try the salmon?

Overall it’s a great place to go with friends because everything is family-style and it’s okay to be a little messy (: . The food was delicious. I’d go there again, but it’s a bit expensive; like $10-$18 a dish depending on what you get. I don’t eat a lot of food so when my group of 8 ordered 4 dishes, I was good… However, they decided to order 2 more dishes and I was completely stuffed.

2556 Telegraph Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704
Phone: (510) 883-0167

Returning with something super simple but so delicious.
During the detox, while on the search for various grains to keep things interesting,
I remembered barley.

My mom used to use it in many of her soups when I was a kid. This, of course, makes it an easy favourite for me. It’s hearty and slightly chewy. It’s soft, warm and filling, making it a perfect, but overlooked addition to so many dishes in the winter. Thankfully though, I see it making a comeback in a few other blogs and food magazines.

Treating it like a risotto, is a great way to flavour the barley. And in this case keeping it open to so many different flavour variations. It’s no secret that I love spinach, so pair that with some sautéed mushrooms and even a pan fried tofu and this becomes a perfectly satisfying, affordable and easy winter weekday dinner.

BARLEY RISOTTO

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Shallots, minced
1 Cup Pearl Barley
3 1/2 Cups Vegetable Broth
Sprig Thyme, optional
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, adding the minced shallots to sweat.
Add the barley stirring well to coat with oil and lightly toast.
Cover with all of this liquid at once. Once the mixture begins to lightly simmer, stir and reduce the heat to maintain.
Add thyme, if using.
Stir occasionally until broth is mostly absorbed and barley is tender. (If more liquid is needed add 1/2 cup water.)
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Spinach & Mushroom Topping

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, Sliced
1 Cup Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
4 Cups Baby Spinach Leaves, packed

Heat the oil and add the garlic and mushrooms.
Sauté over a medium high heat until mushrooms begin to brown.
Add the spinach, turning regularly to wilt.
Serve hot over top of prepared barley.

Ramen noodle salad (or ”Asian slaw,” if you prefer) is a perfect crowd-pleaser, provided your crowd isn’t full of “foodies.”  (How I loathe that term.)  Actually, the foodies will enjoy this dish too, they’ll just never admit it.

I last made this for a Mother’s Day barbecue at my place.  Mom loved it, grandpa loved it, brother loved it, boyfriend (who has good taste) pretty close to loved it.  In short, you can’t go wrong with this in a casual setting.  I think ramen salad was really big in the ’90s—make of that what you will.  I seem to remember eating a lot of ramen then, anyway.

-1 pkg. cole slaw mix (or 1 sm. head of chopped cabbage + 1 shredded carrot)
-4 green onions, chopped
-1 c. fresh bean sprouts, optional
-4 oz. slivered almonds
-4 Tbsp. sugar OR 2 Tbsp. honey
-2/3 c. neutral-tasting oil + 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
-1/4 c. sesame seeds
-2 pkgs. uncooked ramen noodles, seasoning packet reserved (“Oriental” flavor is good, if a misnomer)
-1/2 tsp. pepper
-6 Tbsp. rice vinegar (or a lesser amount of white vinegar)

1. Toast almonds and sesame seeds in a dry pan.

2. Toss together cole slaw mix, bean sprouts (if using), onions, sesame seeds, and almonds.

3. Crumble dry ramen noodles on top.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar/honey, oil, pepper, rice vinegar, and seasoning packet.

5. Toss dressing with salad just before serving.

A squirt of Sriracha garlic pepper sauce gives the dressing a nice kick, if you like.  But depending on who you ask, that might up the “gourmet” factor too much.  Then your salad’s just “uppity.”

Thai food can be more accurately described as 4 regional cuisines matching to the four main regions of the country: Northeastern (or Isan), Northern, Central and Southern, each cuisine sharing similar foods or derived from those of neighboring countries. For example, Southern curries contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern dishes mostly contain lime juice. Thai food includes typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to the country of Thailand. Thai Cuisine is famous for being hot and spicy and its balance of five fundamental flavors in each dish or the overall meal – hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty and bitter (optional). Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices as well as fish sauce.

There are quite a lot Thai restaurants in LA where you will find great Thai dishes in a friendly atmosphere. These are great places to come to relax and enjoy a traditional Thai meal. Their menu items include homemade entrees such as a wide array of noodle dishes, curries, and rice dishes. Some also offer unique specialties like marinated house steak, fresh seafood dishes including Crazy Angel Fish which is a deep fried fillet of sole topped with shitake mushroom and baby-corn with a touch of ginger.

Deciding To Take Up Voluntary Early Retirement

If you have lived well into your fifties and feel that voluntary early retirement I on the cards but still feel hesitant, then maybe this is not the option for you. Or you may find that you can’t wait to retire but don’t feel that you can afford it.  Keep Reading  Voluntary Early Retirement

I always said if I had a boyfriend, I’d make him take me to Madison.

Well, I got tired of waiting, so my sister went with me instead.

Madison, Ga. is one of those charming little towns that many Athens dwellers forget about. Just a short 30-minute down 441 South, Madison remains tucked away from the hustle and bustle of lives controlled by high gas prices and ozone alerts.

I had heard about a certain restaurant called The Icehouse, and I had been wanting to try it for a while. Since my sister came to visit me this weekend from Tennessee, I thought we would take a little road trip even farther South.

If you get off 441 and turn right where the really big sign for Madison is, it will take you right into its downtown. The Icehouse is on Washington Street, the second red light you’ll come to. Head North on Washington about a half mile, and it’s on your right.

Claire and I walked in (they don’t take reservations), and we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. In terms of the demographic, Claire and I were definitely the youngest party there. Most of the eaters were groups of adults or families with older children.

Some people may think that’s bad, but we got special attention. The inside looks like a warehouse, and the bar area is lower than the dining area. It looks really neat because it’s in the center of the restaurant, so Claire and I got to spy on other people while we were eating- one of our favorite nosy past times.

Our waitress, Rachel, was really nice, and she came to us soon after we were seated. I ended up ordering the salmon smoked in apple bacon with green beans and asparagus, and Claire got the penne pasta with shrimp and portabella mushrooms.

In the summer, there’s nothing better than a cold beer. I ordered an Amstel Light, and it came with the coldest glass. I won’t ga-ga over it, but the beer definitely hit the spot.

When Rachel brought our salads, they came in one big plastic bowl with tongs. How fun is that? It seemed like a family-style restaurant, but only half-way. I had the balsamic vinigarette, and Claire had their house dressing: Caesar and Ranch mix.

Rachel also brought out some yummy hot bread, and poured olive oil into a saucer with herbs.

Our food came out fairly quick, too. My salmon was perfectly portioned. I’d say it was about 6 ounces, and it had a small piece of bacon wrapped around it. I didn’t realize it was piping hot, so I had to roll it around in my mouth and blow out at the same time. You know you’ve done it, too.

Claire loved her pasta. She said the shrimp were a little tough, but it didn’t stop her from eating about half of the bowl. The sauce on the pasta was light and not too flavorful. It was just right. Claire didn’t want her portabello mushrooms, so I ate them for her.

We were too full for dessert, but we had a lot of fun at The Icehouse. Our trek back didn’t seem as long as it did going down. We even filmed a little tour of Madison’s downtown for you!

So (guys), if you want to take your girl for a fun date that isn’t in downtown Athens, go to Madison. It’s fun, quaint, and the houses in the area are b-e-a-utiful! Madison is famous for its houses.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour outside of Athens. Try it some day!

P.S. Here are some good links that will tell you about Madison

Chamber of Commerce

Wikipedia entry

America’s No. 1 small town

Directions from Athens