Food served in a star plate makes it taste that much better

Last Friday, my dinner at Five Star was served in an actual ceramic star plate. 


The last time I ate there, my food was merely served in a black bowl. Psh.


This was way cooler. Maybe five stars cooler -- Oh yeah, I went there, haha. I was also not the only one in the restaurant taking photos of these plates. There were iPhones and flashes galore, so I wonder if it's a pretty new thing for them? Regardless, it was a good decision on whoever's part.

Pictured: Chicken lo mein. It's so yummy, but it's even better if you ask for a side of hot sauce. And even better than that if you eat your leftovers with even more hot sauce and you wash it down with a ginger flavored Izze. (More about this delicious natural sparkling juice in another post.)

Artsplosure!

Saturday was Artsplosure again in downtown Raleigh. I love seeing artists from North Carolina (and other areas in the South) with their booths set up all around Moore Square.

When I walked through the center of Moore Square, I saw a collection of painted trash cans. I immediately recognized the one that was done by artist Keith Norval. I have been a fan of his for probably as long as I have lived in Raleigh and first saw his work in Artspace. His characters are fun animals with bright colors, which is right up my alley.

Keith Norval's can-vas

Anyways, I found out more about this movement in Wake County and it's called 86 it: Respect the can. Many artists (86, actually, I think) painted cans and they're going to be distributed around Raleigh. It's supposed to attract people (aka litterers) to the cans. I really hope they put one on Hargett Street by the bars near my building. You cannot imagine how many cigarette butts I see on the ground every day.

Respect the can.

After seeing Norval's work, we decided to walk to his studio in Artspace. Outside, is the (temporary - they paint over them every couple months) mural he painted. Enjoy!

Keith Norval's mural

Adventures of Riley

I love being outside. I love eating outside and napping outside (in the sun by a pool) and reading outside. I loved it in middle school when teachers took class outside. One thing I'd never done, though, was spend the night outside in a tent. In the woods.


So last Sunday, we went camping! J grew up camping and had all the gear and knowledge, so all we had to do was pick a day and buy some food and go.


We chose a campsite in W.B. Umstead State Park. We had our pick because about a week in advance, no one else had booked a site! (There are 28, I think, and were probably about 6 other groups camping. We ended up switching sites because we saw a vacant one we liked better.)


Shopping for a trip (even just a one-nighter) is one of my favorite things. I love having all the things you "need" for a special activity. Mostly what we had to buy, as I said, was food. For two people (and a puppy) for one night, we probably went a little overboard, but it was so much fun picking out what we wanted. I wish I'd taken a photo, but we had a cooler of dry goods and a cooler for things to be refrigerated.


Anyways, we got to our site and set up shop. I took a photo of the before but forgot the after!





As soon as that was done, we got to cooking because we didn't want to lose sunlight. We brought ground bison meat to grill burgers, asparagus, green beans and red potatoes. (We forgot butter, so we ended up adding cheese to the potatoes and mashing them so they wouldn't just be plain!). We also forgot mustard, actually, but the bison was so fresh and delicious and smoky we didn't have anything with it other than white onion, garlic (mixed in the patty) and the bun. Yup, that's how good the Whole Foods ground bison is. Go get yourself a half a pound. S'more were obviously consumed after dinner.

Riley was such a good camper. She loved it all and spent a lot of time sleeping in the dirt and leaves chewing on a stick. Tent sleeping? No problem. We were lucky our "neighbors" let us have some thick padding pieces to sleep on because the blowup mattress didn't fit in the tent (I didn't think it would!) and the ground would have been hard otherwise.





The next day was sunny and not too hot. We made breakfast (yogurt parfaits) and took down camp. It was kind of crazy to spend hours putting up a camp and then taking it apart less than 24 hours later, but we wanted to get everything cleaned up and packed before our hike.


The trail we did was 2.75 miles and the trailhead was at the bottom of the campgrounds, so it was a no-brainer to pick that trail. It was a good one with a stream at the beginning where Riley played around.

Adventure dog!

Things we saw on the trail: Too many frogs to count, a black snake, two snappy dachshunds, one adorable yellow lab, someone's leftover Easter egg hunt (about 10 of them still filled with candy and homemade "coupons") that we left there in case they were doing it later... 

That's it! I was exhausted at the end of the day, but it was really fun and a great way for me to be introduced to camping. We have plans for a longer trip in the mountains, so now I won't feel as overwhelmed for that. Mission: Accomplished.

Spring Awakening

I totally missed the first day of spring a couple days ago! So I'll celebrate today with this Oscar Wilde quote:

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." 

Something about that makes me think of the coming of this great season. Spring totally brings me joy and happiness as the sun shines longer, and I can comfortably sit outside in a T-shirt, jeans and flip-flops without getting too hot so I can soak up some Vitamin D (with sunscreen... most of the time!). At this point, winter leaving also makes me happy!

Two weekends ago, the musical Spring Awakening came to Raleigh. I was lucky enough to win tickets from the nOg Running Club I've mentioned. I'd heard about this show years ago (and really wanted to go when it came through Atlanta while I was still living there), but I honestly knew very little about it besides the fact that the Broadway production (which won several Tony awards) starred Glee's Lea Michele... that's why Jon Groff played the special Glee guest role as Jesse... Lea and he were lovers in the show.


Anyways, I was blown away by the music (by Duncan Sheik - remember him and "Barely Breathing") and especially the lighting and the set! It was only in town for Friday and Saturday nights, and we went on a Friday, and I was a little disappointed that there were so few people in the theater.


My two guesses as to why that was:
1. No advertising. I had no idea this show was in town, so if I hadn't won tickets four days before, it would have come and gone, and I'd have never known.
2. It's got some adult content... but so does Rent and that definitely sold out many shows in Raleigh.


Here's a clip I found of the original Broadway cast performing three mash-ups from the show for the Tony awards in 2007.





Again... I'm so happy spring has sprung!

Boylan Bridge beer flights and best in the Triangle?

For the month of March, I've been voting in the Triangle Arts & Entertainment's poll for what I think is the "Best Brew in the Triangle." For the most part, I pick Big Boss Brewing Company because I love a lot of their beers (Blanco Diablo, Aces & Ates and Brown Betty, to name a few) and they also host cool parties at their brewery (such as the "Who's Your Paddy?" gathering I went to last night). They get a bunch of food trucks, such as the delicious Klausie's Pizza, to park in their lot and have bands playing in the warehouse and have the taps pouring out $3.50 pints. It's a good time.


There are 14 breweries listed on the poll, and I think I've tried 9 of them (but most I don't remember what I thought about their beers and only 3 of those 9 have I had recently). The leader in the poll is Aviator, and while I've only had 2 of their beers and I really really liked them, I want to try more before I vote them the best. Though I'm not really convinced I think it's the best, I do really like the beers from the Boylan Bridge Brewpub. I've voted for them a couple times, too, just to put them on the board.


Speaking of the BBB, I had a LivingSocial deal, which included a free flight of their beers, and I took advantage of it with J yesterday for lunch because the weather was nice enough to sit outside (and I know their porch will soon explode with people, especially on the weekends).

Beer flights

What we ordered: Crab Dip and Bacon Wrapped BBQ Shrimp to start. The dip was our favorite out of the two starters and is something I'd order again. J went with the Spicy Chicken Philly he already knew he really liked, and I tried their $5 sandwich of the day, which was fried catfish. I of course had to trade chips for sweet potato fries because they are so good there, and they serve them in a little paper bag, which is just too cute.

Fried catfish sandwich

If you want to vote for your favorite Triangle beer, the poll closes March 31. You can vote once a day!

Oscar Wilde Thursday and committing to the walk

"For who, being loved, is poor?"
-Oscar Wilde

Last night I committed to joining the team of a friend to raise money for the SPCA of Wake County. The SPCA recently decided to become a No-Kill shelter, which of course requires more money to keep animals alive until they are adopted.

My mom keeps reminding me that I am totally a dog person (this is when I was freaking out the first two days after I adopted my pup). Before we got our family dog in fifth grade, I would volunteer at our local animal shelter by playing with the dogs. Even when we did have our dog and I moved to North Carolina in high school, I still occasionally volunteered at this SPCA I'm now raising money for.


The shelter where I got Riley (the Animal Protection Society of Durham) doesn't have the funds to be a No-Kill shelter. It takes $250 to support the life of an animal for 2 weeks, which is the amount the 3K Dog Walk is asking each participant to try to raise.


I hope you will consider donating to this cause, or if you're in the Raleigh area, please consider joining our team April 16 for the dog walk downtown! I've heard it's a really fun time.


Go here to visit my fundraising page and/or join the team. Animal lovers unite!

Riley says: Help support us in the 3K Dog Walk!

St. Patty's Run Green 8K

Saturday afternoon I ran this super fun 8K in downtown Raleigh. It started at Tir na nOg Irish Pub, which also hosts a running club every Monday night. The race was great because it was at 3 p.m., and I could walk to the starting line from my apartment!

I was really excited because I had recruited some friends to run with me and had everyone meet at my place to walk. I think because I was with other people I was distracted while leaving and didn't realize I didn't have my Garmin or my iShuffle until we got to the race. I was treating this as a fun run at the end of marathon training, but I still wanted that Garmin to pace myself (and good thing. I didn't see one mile marker the entire race, but I know they were there). I ended up running back to my place 10 minutes before the start and realized I was going to be way too hot in the top I was wearing, so I also changed clothes really quickly.

I made it back to the start soon enough and crossed 2 minutes after the gun so I was back with families with strollers. It was fine, but it was a lot of weaving at the beginning. The race flew by for me I think because I was looking for my friends the whole time. I never found them, but somewhere along the line I must have passed one of them. Obviously by the name of the race this was a St. Patrick's Day run, but I was still shocked at the number of people wearing green!! I was decked out in full Carolina blue in preparation for that night's game versus Duke, which was amazing, by the way. GO HEELS!!

Anyways, I felt really strong the entire race. There were a lot of uphills, but they were pretty tame compared the ones I run on my normal routes. The best part was my knee didn't hurt!!! I don't know if that's because it knew it was "go time" or what... but I'll take it!!!

I crossed the finish in 44:25 which isn't a PR, but I wasn't going for one. My goal was to do the race in less than 45 minutes so yay. It blows my mind to think that in just three weeks I will have run 5 times what I ran Saturday (plus an extra 1.2 miles)!

The after party was so much fun! Race participants got a free pint glass and a beer from the local brewery Natty Green's (I think I drank Wildflower... they had several to choose from), which was quite refreshing. I missed the memo that we were all meeting at a certain spot after the race, so I went straight for the beer line when I finished before meeting up with my friends (below):

While we were hanging around, Ryan saw a booth for Shoes for Soles. You donate shoes and they go to someone in need. He wanted the T-shirt they give you for donating thinking it said something like "I love shots" (for St. Patty's Day celebrations was his train of thought there) when it really says "I love shoes." What an unpleasant surprise for him because he had to walk home barefoot!

Anyways, I hadn't run a race since Thanksgiving (it was directed by the same people, actually, for MS) and I always forget how much fun they are! I'm really looking forward to my marathon now.

Raleigh in the spotlight for the NHL All-Star Weekend

Raleigh was taken over by hockey the past few days. For months I've stared at a huge banner advertising the NHL All-Star Weekend (and advertising some Carolina Hurricanes players) hanging from one of the downtown high rises. I'll kind of miss that banner now that it's over, but at the same time I'm kind of happy I'll be able to take pretty sunrise photos without it getting in every shot.

So I didn't go to the All-Star game Sunday, but I did watch it from the comfort of my own home. It's funny how hockey players are pretty much the only guys in the world who can be missing a tooth and still be attractive. I'm looking at you, Alexander Ovechkin (right). 

I was bummed that Team Staal (Eric Staal from the Canes) lost 11-10 but was still glad the attention was on Raleigh last weekend. 


Because hockey fans were visiting for the game, we made friends Saturday night with a group of guys trying to find someone from Canada to buy a drink for. They asked me because I was holding a can of Labatt Blue (a Canadian beer... the only one I drink when I'm at Hurricanes games, by the way), but my friend actually is! So my girls and I won that game. Bonus!

On Friday night at the free concert downtown, I snapped this photo of fireworks behind the City of Oaks light mural on the back of the Civic Center. It's about the only time I like to see it red (for the Hurricanes! I'm referring to N.C. State red versus Carolina blue.). I just think it looks so good, especially at night. And what is it about fireworks that makes everyone stop what they're doing and stare into the sky? They're really a powerful thing!

Eating out at Capital Club 16

Last night I ate dinner with my parents at Capital Club 16, and we will all definitely be back. (Seriously, we're going back in a couple weeks for my dad's birthday!)


I'd mentally put CC16 on my list of places to check out because it's a restaurant downtown that I'd walked by several times and always thought it looked cool. My parents had actually eaten dinner there a week or so ago, and they wanted to introduce it to me as well. The bar and chairs in the restaurant have a really cool story to them. They come from a restaurant in New York City (I can't remember the name), where my dad and granddad used to eat together when he was growing up. The owner and chef of CC16 moved to Raleigh from NYC and brought these pieces from warehouses up north. My dad was so excited to see them again! They're pretty deco and go well against the open white-wall feel of the rest of the space.


Anyways, we were actually the first to arrive for dinner, so I picked the table right in the window. I love people watching. I enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay while my mom opted for Big Boss Brewery's Aces and Ates. I was pretty excited when she ordered it so I could have a sip (it's a heavy stout - think Guinness) because Big Boss is a great Raleigh brewery, and I desperately wanted to try that beer, but not with my dinner! It's brewed with Larry's Beans, which is a local fair trade and organic coffee company. I've bought his espresso beans from Whole Foods and man oh man is it a good roast! I can't get it every time because it's a little pricey (you get what you pay for, though: fair trade organic beans) but it's so worth it when I can.


We all started with the roasted vegetable soup (yumm) and also got a bread basket with German pretzels (double yumm). Dad then got the potato cakes with applesauce, and I got a Caesar salad. It may have been the best Caesar salad I have ever had. They definitely make their own dressing and croutons in house. It was just so delicious. For our entrees, we all ordered the special, which was NC trout in a cream sauce with spinach and cherry tomatoes over black rice. The trout was cooked really well (overdone fish makes me sad) and the cream sauce was so good (but I wanted a little more to mix with my rice). Then for dessert, Dad got the chocolate bread pudding, and Mom and I shared some apple blintzes (basically fried apples I think) in a vanilla sauce with vanilla ice cream. What a delicious meal! Though we were the only people in the restaurant when we ordered, it was packed when we left.


Like I said, we will definitely be back for my dad's birthday (and then some). Granddad will actually be in town, so he'll get to see that bar and those chairs from New York! I'm happy I can cross off a place I wanted to go from my list.

Photo: NewRaleigh.com

I love my city and a blog title

The New York Times posted this great article/slide show Nov. 19 called Raleigh-Durham: North Carolina's axis of cool. I was super-pumped when I read it. I love Raleigh. I'm so happy to be back in the area after being gone for about three years.


The article actually covers a lot of things I've either experienced or heard about. Here is everything mentioned in the article:

• Raleigh Denim - I heard about them a year ago when I somehow ran across a video about their handmade jeans while doing research for my job (an environmental website).
• King's Barcade - It's a bar, and I've never been there, but I know where it is. It's on my list of places to go. I know a guy who DJs there (I think) so I really should check it out sooner rather than later.
• The Pig - A restaurant in Chapel Hill. I'm pretty sure it wasn't there during my undergrad, but I'd be interested in checking out their country-fried tofu.
• Independent Weekly - A magazine I grabbed up as an undergrad at UNC that gives a lot of great info on the art/music scene in the Triangle. I follow them (@indyweek) now on Twitter (shameless plug - follow me @medfirecracker), but I should pick up hard copies more often since I do see them around.
• Onlyburger - Oh, man. I love food trucks. I started my food truck affair when I lived in NYC. I was really excited to read about a food truck I've actually eaten from!! I went to a food truck and concert "event" at Big Boss Brewery and tried their veggie burger. SO good. Great price, too ($4.50 according to the article). And the guy gave me free cheese!
• Mac McCaughan and Andrea Reusing: I'd never heard of this couple from Chapel Hill, but I had heard of their businesses. The husband founded Merge Records (can we say Arcade Fire) and the wife if the chef at Lantern. I always wanted a date to take me out to Lantern while at UNC, but it never happened. Guess I'll have to get myself out there to experience the food from a woman shortlisted for a James Beard award! I'm swooning just thinking about it.
• North Carolina Museum of Art - I have always adored this museum. Besides their great exhibits, I've seen some great concerts there (Tift Merritt and Jeff Tweedy and both under $10 I think!). I cannot wait to check out the new renovations. Their trails are one of my favorite places to be outside in Raleigh.
• Rock Paper Scissor Salon - Never heard of it! It's in Durham. I don't get up there very often unless I'm seeing a show at the DPAC.
• Locopops - Another local company I first found out about while working for my company! I took my mom to the Hillsborough Street location about a year or two ago. They really make some deliciously interesting popsicles.
• Raleigh Rickshaw - It's a nice service I've seen around downtown. I've never taken anyone up for a ride, though.
• Vintage 21 - A church downtown. I am so intrigued that this church is included on a travel list. I've actually run by their space before, but I had no idea what it was. I assumed it was a club or a bar. I would really like to check out a service.

So the thing that popped in my head when I read this article was, "If you don't totally love Raleigh, you're just not doing it right." I've decided this is a good title and theme for this blog... only I've made it more general, obviously. I shouldn't just think about enjoying my city (something I already do). I need to think about my life in these terms!