april 26th was my husband's birthday (fox is his middle name for those who don't know), and when we celebrate birthdays, we usually choose a new or favorite local restaurant. after all, it was at a restaurant where we first met...on a blind date...so it only seems fitting that we celebrate all of life's milestones with food :). our usual go-tos are terra and motor supply company (both EXCELLENT), but this year we decided to try a newer to the local scene restaurant, tallulah. the dinner was actually a wine pairing dinner, and since we both love wine, we decided to try something new! we were already familiar with the distributor, aleph wines, and the sommelier, Jean Pierre Chambas, from a previous wine event in lake city, sc, so we made reservations. the room and table was beautifully decorated. all five, stemmed glasses were perfectly arranged, ready to be filled with some of the most delicious wines aleph has to offer. we were greeted with a group of smiling faces and a sweet sparking wine cocktail that was mixed with purple basil simple syrup and lemon juice, and topped with a sweet basil leaf. this birthday dinner was a little different for us because it was a group dinner. if you aren't familiar with group-style dinners, get to be. not only are they a lot of fun, but you meet some really great people. amongst the night's guests were a french couple, the owners of local quail farm, manchester farms, one of aleph's representatives, and a lady named bubbles. Well, there was actually bubbles and her friend, but i can't remember the other's name. bubbles was enough to keep us intrigued :), the menu was more of a tapas style (sadly i didn't get a picture of it) with dishes ranging from scallops and oysters to lamb and ravioli. each perfectly paired with wines from all over the world that complimented the flavors best. group dinners can be a little awkward at first, but when there is alcohol involved, it doesn't take long before you're chatting like old friends. with group dinners, the table topics are always varied and interesting, you never leave less educated than when you sat down, and sometimes you even meet new friends!
even if the meal itself isn't fabulous, usually the company is. the other thing about this dinner was that it had a preset menu. preset menus can also be interesting. because you have to be willing to "roll with the punches" when it comes to what they put in front of you. of course, if you are highly allergic to something, it's best to ask the waiter for a substitute or better yet, to skip that dish all together. but the best thing i've found about preset menus is that you learn to like something different each time. or sometimes you just try something you've not tried before. either way, it's a fantastic opportunity to expand your pallet and learn how different, or not so different, flavors marry together. the fox and i have gotten a lot of cooking inspiration from dinners like these. the meal ended with a coffee liqueur paired with a savory dessert, and our bellies full. all in all, the dinner was a good choice. like i said, it wasn't our typical birthday celebration choice, but we were pleased with the result. if you get a chance, check out tallula. Or if you aren't in the columbia area, find a local restaurant that does preset menu dinners and try one one. If it turns out the food is horrible, you can always grab some fast food on the way home :). bon appétit!
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those who know me know i'm a thrifter. a yard saler. and a trash digger. i'm not at all embarrassed by a hobby that was passed down from my parents...well, mostly my mom...because we've found some pretty awesome things over the years. like...tory burch sunglasses anyone? the things we find range, obviously, and you can't have anything in mind when you go. you usually don't find anything you set out to find, so you have to have an open mind...and sometimes an open wallet. case in point -- at a yard sale this weekend, we found one of those gorilla ladders for my husband. we weren't necessarily in the market for a collapsible ladder, but when you find it for a good price, you grab it. because, like my family's motto says - "when you want it, you won't be able to find it (at all or for a good price), so get it when you find it!" so my hubby and i are now proud owners of a nice ladder and we can now pitch our old, rickety ones that have almost killed us more than once... (call us cheap, but hey! i've saved a lot of money over the years!) to say i like secondhand items is probably an understatement. at this point in my life, it's my hobby and is something that gives me a thrill. what can find today? how much can i pay for it? how much is it really worth? of course it can be addictive, so sometimes i take breaks, but i've usually always got my eyes open. how it started saturday mornings used to be my enemy. my parents would drag me from my warm bed to join them on a weekly yard sale jaunt. i would get car sick, i hated having to eat breakfast so early, and i really had no interest in finding anything that was used. i mean, gross! i was young, cranky, and all i wanted to do was sleep. but i grew to love it and now it's something that i enjoy doing with my parents. we laugh, we convince each other to or not to buy something, we share stories (good, bad & the ugly) and we compare finds. it's not uncommon to do a saturday call-in to see what was found, passed up or missed (ugh, missing things is the worst!). secondhand online so when my mom and sister both mentioned thredup, i was intrigued, but not yet sold. not being able to see the pieces to determine if they were stain and hole-free kinda made me standoffish. then, just recently, i connected with a fashion blogger who has moved to columbia, and she was featuring 2 super cute pieces that she had purchased from thredup. i decided to took a looksy on the site and boy am i glad i did! they just happened to be having a 40% off sale, so naturally i was determined to find something! in the end, i found 2 pairs of shoes and decided to take the risk of them not fitting or not being "secondhand perfect," because for the price, they were worth it! within a week, i received my package and waited no time in tearing it open. the packaging was cute and each pair of shoes was wrapped separately. i eagerly unwrapped each and slipped them on. to my surprise, they both fit perfectly! i was a little concerned since the brands were not something i had worn before, but they were just what i'd hoped. one pair is a leather espadrille wedge and the other a super colorful, beaded slip-on sandal. both are going to be perfect for summer! i'm looking forward to styling these babies and can't wait to see what i find next...oh wait, i did find something else! ekk! this weekend they had an earth day sale with 20% off, and I scored these cuties! fingers crossed that they fit as well as the other two! moral of this story: check out thredup! or go to your local thrift shop. you just never know what you'll find! happy hunting!
What was bumble & dola is now ebonn yvonne! Welcome to my website and thank you for visiting! I hope to bring my passion of photography design to you.
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