Living a tasteful life

Monday, February 8, 2016

Life Lately: January | Food with Friends

Is it just me, or did January just fly by?!  Here's a look at what I've been up to lately. If you follow me on Instagram, some of these photos may look familiar. It looks like all I've been doing is eating lately. 

We started the first day of the new year off right with an unhealthy dose of greasy food, rightfully so after an evening of  numerous bottles of champagne. Whit and I finally paid a visit to the Tattooed Moose. We split Mike's Famous Duck Club, the Thanksgiving Sammy and a side of duck fat fries of course.   
Mike's Famous Duck Club
We went to our first oyster roast of the year to celebrate my friend, Megan's birthday. Comfortable and warm clothing was a must. I may or may not have planned my outfit around these new shoes I got for Christmas. They are so comfy!

I was watching the Food Network per my usual Sunday morning routine, and discovered a recipe I had to make. As soon as Ree Drummond finished making her ginger steak salad, I was out the door to purchase the ingredients. I seriously can't wait to make it again. It was that good!

We kicked off the first week of the new year at work with champagne and sweet treats to celebrate our 2015 successes. 

The celebrations continued later in the week with homemade pizzas, cooked on the Kamado Joe and in the oven. 
We've been thoroughly enjoying our fireplace this winter, Monster especially. 

I finally had dinner at Grill 225, and it was amazing! I had one of the most delicious french onion soups I've ever tasted, a ribeye steak, and we shared the fried green tomatoes and brussels sprouts. 
For dessert, we split a chocolate mousse bon bon and panna cotta.  The bon bon won, hands down. 
Photo Credit: Grill 225
We went to a cooking class at Charleston Cooks to celebrate our friend Erica's birthday. I had been wanting to take one of the classes for a while, so I was happy to hear that this is what she wanted to do. I think taking it with a big group is the way to go. We had such a great time. Our menu was Thai based and consisted of hoisen spring rolls, spicy shrimp with noodles in coconut sauce, a chicken dish with lemongrass, basil and peanuts, jasmine rice, and a lime sorbet for dessert. 

My girlfriend from Atlanta came to visit, which turned it into a full-blown girls weekend, since Whit was out of town. 

We enjoyed the nice weather with champs and cheese outside, followed by a few cold beverages at Bay Street Biergarten.


Later that evening, we had dinner at Virginia's on King. This was another first for me, and it won't be my last visit. The food was wonderful. It was restaurant week, so we took full advantage. I had a mouthwatering, cheesy, tomato pie, and the braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts. 



Sadly, we struggled the whole weekend to find someone that was able to take a decent photo of all of us.  This one is about as good as it gets. Regardless of the poor photo opps, we had a great time together. 

I had the opportunity to check out dinner-to-go from Mercantile and Mash. You can read my full review here

Another exciting food highlight from last month was attending a guest chef event with Jenn Louis, author of the cookbook, Pasta by Hand.


I left the class feeling less intimidated by the thought of making pasta at home. I'm a huge fan of pasta, but typically only order it at restaurants when the craving strikes. I'm excited to actually give it a try myself. #futureblogpost 

The small samplings of pasta that we had left me craving it even more. So, we met some friends at Al Di La for Avondale restaurant week a few days later. This place is by far one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Charleston. They have the best gnocchi, hands down. I order it every single time we eat there. If only you could taste these little pillows of heaven in this photo.


I may have gone on a slight Italian binge. I made some spinach and mozzarella chicken meatballs that were quite the hit. Stay tuned for the recipe tomorrow. 

We made the most of January with good food with even better friends! 




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8 comments

  1. both the sandwich and the steak salad look SO good!!!

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  2. I love how you slipped the "little pillows of heaven" comment in there. :) I'm definitely going to try that ginger steak salad now.

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    1. I couldn't refrain from that description. Glad you caught today's post. :) You will love the salad. Definitely give it a try!

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  3. Everything looks so delicious! I love Ree Drummond, she always has the best recipes and tips! Have a great day :)

    http://www.mintnotion.com

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    1. Thanks! And I agree, her recipes always look so good. Thanks for reading!

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  4. that sandwich looks sooo good!

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