Unlimited Craft beer samples, unlimited gourmet food in a luxurious setting ? Where can this be found you say ? It was at the 5th annual Bull City Food & Beer Experience http://www.bullcityexperience.com/ Held at the fabulous DPAC in Durham. This one of a kind event took place in the lobbies of all 3 floors of the venue. Every imaginable beer was represented here from 35 breweries and a plethora of gourmet bites from 35 restaurants in and around Durham were sampled alongside the suds. FOOD
BEER
Guests had 3.5 hours to stroll, eat , drink and repeat . It was a festive atmosphere and people came to have fun and talk beer. Some were beer novices and some were experts. The breweries pouring were very informative and educational. Who knew so much goes into a can or a bottle ? Grapefruit beer, apple cider and tangerine beer were just a few of the interesting types on tap
Everyone in attendance got to keep their tasting glass as a reminder of this wonderful event. Be sure to get your tickets early when they go on sale for next year. They sell out fast. Cheers !
Yesterday, I shared highlights from my recent visit to the Nasher Museum with my family. Well no visit is complete without dining at the Nasher Cafe.
Winner of Open Table Diners Choice 2015, it did not disappoint. It’s set in a open bright area adjacent to the museum lobby with patio dining available.
The restaurant is one of the many culinary dining experiences of the Giorgios Hospitality Group. A native of Greece, Giorgios Bakatsias has been the creative force behind more than 25 restaurants, food venues and gourmet markets in the Triangle.
KIDS MENU
My daughter ordered off the kids menu for fruit plate and her own little deconstructed sandwich.
Crayons and coloring options to spark your lil one’s creativity
Hot Chocolate Smiles..no whipped cream but the staff customized with steamed milk foam and chocolate drizzle. How fun!
The kids menu is for ages 12 and below. All kids meals are served with choice of fresh fruit or kettle chips. #outandaboutAva loved dipping her apple slices in the nutella. Finger foods are a hit with kids!
BRUNCH MENU
They have a special weekend brunch menu on Sat and Sundays. It was hard to choose when so many items looked appealing. We finally settled on the Steak and Eggs and the Fajita Omelette. Both were done to perfection.
BRUNCH COCKTAILS
We had one of their specialty blackberry cocktails and a classic mimosa. These always mean “BRUNCH TIME” !!
DESSERTS
Two cookies almost bigger than her face !
Molten Lava Cake was GOOOOD !!!!!
We all really enjoyed everything. Service was awesome and our waitress couldn’t have been better.
Perfect spot for culture and food in a stylish comfortable setting.
This past Sunday, I planned a Family Funday at The Nasher Museum of Art. Set on Duke University’s West Campus, this museum is known for leading-edge exhibitions that travel to institutions worldwide. On display now are the works of Nina Chanel Abney , which was one of the main reasons for my visit.
The exhibition Nina Chanel Abney: Royal Flush is on display until July 16, 2017 and features art from a 34-year-old African American woman from Chicago who was identified by Vanity Fair magazine as one of the many artists championing the Black Lives Matter movement. Be sure to mark your calendar for April 11, 7pm for Artist Talk with Nina Chanel Abney where you will get a chance to meet the artist and celebrate her first solo show at the Nasher Museum.
Royal Flush is a 10-year survey of approximately 30 of the artist’s paintings, watercolors and collages. It is her take on various current and historic observations and comparisons to societal attitudes and norms toward everything from race relations to sexuality. It was colorful and insightful. Since my daughter is 5, I opted to take her into the exhibit and focus on the colors, shapes seen in the artwork. I explained how Abney uses spray paint and stencils to create her art and talked about the materials used such as acrylic on canvas.
* Savvy Tip: You can ask staff to show you a preview of Nina Chanel Abney’s work regarding the mature content so you can make the call of whether or not to bring your child into that pavilion.
In the other pavilion, you will find their permanent collection with objects ranging
from Medieval art to African art to Central American to European. They have a scavenger hunt that goes along with that pavilion in particular, so my child really enjoyed that activity! You get a minibooklet where the little ones are to find various artworks depicted throughout the museum. They even are to make a sketch of their favorite piece. Needless to say, #outandaboutAva loved playing detective in the Nasher Museum !
Savvy Tip: Admission is always free every Thursday , 5-9pm . Go to nasher.duke.edu/calendar to see when you can catch other free events like their Free Highlights Tour and Free Family Day !
The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University is a stylish modern museum that always has interesting exhibits, tours and guest speakers. In addition, they have a wonderful restaurant in the museum where we had the pleasure of dining at their popular Sunday brunch. Check back here tomorrow for my #FoodieFriday review of the Nasher Cafe !
If you are looking to make Sunday Funday plans with your family while visiting Durham, NC, I highly recommend a visit to the Nasher Museum !
My husband’s first job as a teenager was at a pizza joint, so he is a pizza snob. He makes our pizza at home and is very particular about his pie. Because of him, my family LOVES PIZZA! Always have. A few years back while visiting Rome, he needless to say, was in utopia.Many of those awesome pizza spots had one thing in common. Their pizza was baked in a brick oven. I did a little research as to why pizza in brick ovens just seemed “better” than pizza cooked in a traditional oven and here is the TMI answer :
Because of the high heat stored in the dense walls, the brick oven is designed to cook pizza very quickly. It takes approximately 2-3 minutes maximum for the pizza to cook.
Better crust – At such high temperatures, the radiant heat from the fire and the heat bouncing off the inside walls of the oven crisps the outside of the pizza very quickly. Any moisture in the dough is thus sealed off. This prevents the base of the dough from becoming soggy and results in a flavorful crust that’s puffy, yet soft and chewy.
Unique flavor – Only a wood-fired brick oven pizza imparts that unique smoky flavor that cannot be reproduced in a normal kitchen oven. The high temperature produces other flavors not achieved by slow cooking.
That being said, SobeSavvy was delighted to be hosted by BRIXX Wood Fired Pizza at Parkside Town Center this past weekend. With over 30 locations in 11 states, Brixx prides itself on being unique. Did you know they had 5 locations in the Triangle, 1 in Chapel Hill, 2 in Raleigh and twolocations in Cary – in Parkside Town Commons and in Bradford Shops? We are lucky to have that many options nearby!
Much more than just a pizza and beer kinda place. The dining room was bright and colorful. They even have mini chalkboards for kids and kids at heart to be artists while sitting at the table !
At the bar, you’ll find they have over 24 craft beers on tap and 14 wines by the glass.
The foundation of its menu – traditional and whole wheat dough, focaccia bread, fresh mozzarella from Wisconsin cheese curd, meatballs, hummus, bruschetta and more – from scratch every morning and it shows or rather tastes ! We started with delicious tomato soup and a order of bruschetta . The focaccia toast was fresh and the balsamic glaze was divine over the roma and sun dried tomatoes!
I ordered the Chicken Florentine pizza and the wife ordered a Mediterranean Salad with grilled salmon on top. The salad was fresh and flavorful while my pizza was great!
My little one ordered penne pasta w/meatballs. She gave the thumbs up the way only a 5 yr old can! Service was superb and we even had root beer float to close out our first Brixx experience .
Brixx is dedicated to supporting the local environment as well, recycling everything possible and offering mostly draft beers to eliminate landfill waste.
We enjoyed our visit and look forward to trying some of their pasta dishes and sandwiches when we return.
SobeSavvy Tip: Take advantage of their #LateNightBOGO specials. Brixx has some of the best daily specials in Cary, including all bottles of wine half-priced Sundays and $2.50 craft drafts Mondays. Open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. – serving guests for lunch, dinner and late night eats. When other restaurants are cooling down, Brixx is heating up!
Although not at this location, Brixx at Bradford Shops offers a special lunch combo from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday – enjoy a smaller version of any housemade pizza and a half salad, quality food delivered to your table in about 10 minutes from ordering. So whether for lunch or dinner, Brixx is there to satisfy your family’s Italian cravings !
Learn more at http://www.brixxpizza.com. Be sure to Follow on Facebook for the Cary locations @Brixx Pizza – Parkside Town Commons and @Brixx Pizza – Bradford.
Ansel Adams is one of my favorite artist and America’s most renowned photographers. His black and white photographs reveal the importance Adams placed on the awe-inspiring power and beauty of the natural world. When I heard that his Masterworks were on display thru May 7, 2017 at NCMA/North Carolina Museum of Art, I knew I wanted to plan a day for my family (fondly referred to as #HeighPartyof3) to visit Raleigh’s beloved art museum. All hands in, let’s get ready to explore!
I have been to the NCMA before to catch a special theater performance presented by Theatre Raleigh , but have never been during the day or with my husband and daughter. We moved here in 2015 and still are discovering places we love to go to as a family. This art museum along with its park is now one of our favorite places. Admission is always free (there is a charge for programs and special exhibitions), there are Weekend Family-Friendly tours and Free Public Tours, a restaurant on the premise, and an amazing museum park ! Before you even step inside of the buildings, there is art and the beauty of nature to behold.
The North Carolina Museum of Art is the crown jewel of the Southeast U.S. art world .It is comprised of two buildings, East and West and a Museum Park. This complex has an impressive collection of art and artifacts comparable to other first tier museums. Be sure to ask for special kids art exercisize booklets that the little ones can use while touring the museum. From ancient Egyptian artifacts to Monet watercolor paintings to Rodin sculptures, this museum is world class. We started in the WEST BUILDING ,which is home of NCMA’s permanent collection, it houses Iris Restaurant and Iris Sip, the Museum store and the Southeast’s largest collection of sculpture by Auguste Rodin in the Rodin Court and Garden. As impressive as their permanent collections are, their special exhibits are just as amazing.
*Savvy Tip: if you are seeing the museum with your child/children ages 2-5, be sure to pick up a What’s in the Box? Activity Cards. We had fun exploring art through themes provided on the cards.
We needed a food break and lucky for us we scored a coveted reservation at the renowned Iris restaurant inside of the West Building. Most museum restaurants are known for high quality food and Iris did not disappoint. Their brunch menu was available and we took advantage of it. Uur 5 yr old enjoyed their all the fixins waffle. While I had their chicken salad and hubby ate the Huevos Rancheros. All inventive and filling without being too heavy.The airy atmosphere and all of the smartly dressed guests made it a pleasant lunch to remember.
*Here is where I take my break from getting my Ansel Adams black and white photography on to show you their delicious food in color! *
After Brunch, we headed over to the EAST BUILDING , which is where the exhibitions are, the North Carolina Gallery, the seasonal film series is held, contemporary galleries, the Art Reference Library, and the Membership and Box Office is located. Here is where we picked up our tickets for our time slot to see Ansel Adams Masterworks. No photography is allowed in the gallery and they do have family friendly guided tour times.
As one of the most famous American photographers, Ansel Adams captured the natural wonders of the American west like no other. This exhibit had a plethora of original Adam prints taken over the course of his 5 decades behind the lens. The framed black and whites are placed at even eye level with the perfect overhead lighting. It was crowded but you could still freely gawk and ponder at all of his wonderful work.
I hope my family’s visit to the North Carolina Museum of Art (and my personal black and white photo tribute to Ansel Adams) has inspired you to plan to go with your family. There is something for all ages to enjoy! Follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @ncartmuseum or Check out ncartmuseum.org for tickets and more information !
If you read my ‘Travel Tuesday’ blog post on Greensboro, NC , then you know my family I enjoyed our weekend in the Gate City. I shared where we played, where we stayed and wanted to give you a more in depth review of The Table on Elm as a ‘Where to Eat’ place when visiting Greensboro!
This little charming to go bakery/bistro/coffee shop has become a very popular place for all things fresh. The original eat in restaurant location is in Asheboro so some locals were already just waiting for this outpost to open. Their baked items are now iconic. Very fresh and their selections sometimes vary to keep things interesting. They also have ready to go salads and sandwiches. My daughter wanted a picnic so we stocked up on a salad, some soup, iced coffees and pastries and off we went. The service here was refreshingly genuine and competent. The ladies out front gave some great suggestions and I think we took them up on all of them. Their extensive coffee offerings have something for everyone. They also use fresh local dairies for their milk and make their own in house syrups. Some of which are for sale in the store. Local and fresh are the two words used here a lot and it shows.
So the next time you are in Downtown Greensboro and looking for a place to have a couple of espresso drinks, enjoy some dessert or baked goods or want to grab some sandwiches, salads or soup to go…..then tucked away in a lovely alleyway, adorned with murals and botanical wrought iron gates, lies a hidden gem that every Foodie should visit, The Table on Elm.
With a great selection of 135 attractions, Greensboro has been on my family’s radar to visit ever since we moved to Raleigh, NC almost 2 years ago. That’s why when I learned the Triad Women’s Blogger Network was holding their first meetup of the year in The Gate City, I took the opportunity to reach out to VisitGreensboroNC.com, who guided us in where to stay, eat, play while there. Here is a look at my family’s, aka #HeighPartyof3, itinerary during our weekend visit.
This extended stay property is located near the airport, so for those flying into and out of Greensboro this is a great location. They have a nice gym and a indoor pool. Breakfast is included so you have fuel to start your day of exploring Greensboro !
SATURDAY
I attended the meeting with Triad Women Bloggers Network, while my husband and daughter checked out The Greensboro Children’s Museum.What is the Triad Women Bloggers Network? It is a group, founded by Ashley Carter of http://www.fabellis.com, of women bloggers in the Triad North Carolina area who connect, build, empower and encourage each other. The meetup was held at Urban Grinders which is part coffee shop, part art gallery, 100% cool. It was the perfect place to hold the event, which included an amazing Blogger panel, swag bag for each attendee and great networking. Check out photos from the meetup here.
Having a 5 yr old means that you first realized that there are actual museums devoted to just children, What a concept !!
Having visited other kids museum, this one turned to be pretty unique. Besides the usual pretend Post office and Dentist office , this museum has an extensive outdoors area dedicated to agriculture, vegetation and even a tractor and a hen house. Science and hands on arts and crafts made this museum a fun and a learning experience. Centrally located downtown , this is a can’t miss for families with the under 10 set.
We met up for lunch at The Table on Elm, located in Downtown Greensboro . I will be sharing an in depth review of this restaurant as my #FoodieFriday feature this week, so stay tuned! I will say that this place is a must try and I am still dreaming of their desserts. It’s the perfect grab and go eatery to get lunch, and walk to one of the 2 nearby parks.
City Center Park is a stylish park with beautiful walkways sprinkled with public art pieces that sometimes are actually benches ! They have an attractive amphitheater where free concerts and events are held all summer long.
Lebauer Park is a new urban park/playground area we had heard so many positive things about. It takes up a few acres of prime real estate downtown so it did not disappoint. What makes this place great is the plethora of activities that can be had at one time in a clean and modern park setting. Ping Pong tables, badminton, miniature golf..ALL of the equipment right there for the public to use at their leisure. I have not seen anything like this here in the states before. Other places would charge for these facility perks but here it all for free. They have a lot of tables on the perimeters where coupes and families were enjoying their lunches whilst their kids romped around. It was very pleasant and even though there was a crowd there on a Saturday afternoon, it never felt crowded. A must see for any visitor to the Gate City of Greensboro.
#soTravelSavvy tip: Get off the beaten path when visiting a new city. You never know what you may find. We saw so many beautiful murals while doing so!
SUNDAY
No Family Travel to Greensboro would be complete without a visit to the Greensboro Science Center.
This attraction has a trifecta of activities. The aquarium, Science museum and the outdoor zoo. We spent the entire morning here looking at snakes and sharks and tigers ! The layout is logically set up so guests meander throughout the indoor sections that eventually lead them to the outdoor zoo and Skywild zipline/elevated walkway attraction. We so enjoyed every part of this complex. The interactive science experiments were so much fun. The zoo had Gibbons and of course that big Bengal Tiger.The petting zoo was an awesome part also that my little one enjoyed. The whole complex is just a wonderful concept.Here is a video roundup of our day at the Greensboro Science Center. Enjoy!
#soNCsavvy Tip: Don’t leave Greensboro without learning more about the role this NC city played in the Civils Right Movement, Black History and American History.
Although it was our first visit to Greensboro , it won’t be our last as it is a quick road trip away. Tell me, have you been to the Gate City of Greensboro and explored all they have to offer ? If not, what are you waiting for?! If so, share your experience below….as seen here at The Greensboro Science Center, we’re all ears!
Bonefish Grill https://www.bonefishgrill.com/ has been a mainstay of mine over the years. I used to live on the road almost 200 days a year. If I was working/living in a city then as long as they had a Bonefish Grill, I would be okay !!
The only thing Bonefish Grill was missing was my favorite meal of the week. Brunch. Spending the past 18 years living in Miami Beach, FL { the defacto king city of brunches} I became a expert at this meal. This past Sunday, my family and I headed to the always chic area of Raleigh called North Hills to do brunch the Bonefish Grill way. https://www.bonefishgrill.com/brunch-menu/brunch-favorites
Brunch without mimosas is just a sad breakfast! I am happy to report their mimosas/bellinis are just $5. What a great price for the crown jewel of brunch libations. They also have specialty drinks for a nominal price. I had the mimosa and hubby tried their blackberry sangria. It was out of this world. So we were well hydrated so food was up next.
Besides their inventive fresh seafood menu, Bonefish Grill also has stellar service. Our waitress was informative, cheery and efficient. Good service means I will return. Bad service means no matter how good the food is, I will be a one time guest.
They had a myriad of sweet and savory options on their menu. For some reason hubby and I both were in a eggy mood ! I ordered their crab omelette. It came with asparagus and a generous amount of REAL LUMP crab meat on top. Being from Maryland, I take my crabs serious so needless to say, my omelette vanished promptly !
Hubby ordered their twist on the crab benedict. They took traditional crab benedict and instead of ham/canadian bacon they used their uber popular Bang Bang Shrimp and put on an egg benedict ! Yes, it was as good as it sounds. Their hollandaise sauce had a little kick to it and it worked perfectly. I should thought of that !!
To sum it all up, Bonefish Grill is now in the Brunch game. The only question is are you coming to play ? You should.
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways”. This Valentines day instead of just reciting poetry, why not recite it in the charming old world atmosphere of Simply Crepes restaurant in Lafayette Village in Raleigh http://simplycrepes.com/
They are having a special romantic Valentines Day dinner that is not to be missed. Multiple courses at one reasonable price.
According to their website ..” For The Héroux Family, with a French Canadian background, the wondrous scent of crêpes cooking is one of the simple joys of life. The recipe used in their home and now at their restaurants has been passed down through many generations.
What makes it special is its versatile ability to translate such a wide variety of foods to the plate. Whether its breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, the crêpe works as the medium to serve you a delicious meal!
During these cold days in the peak of winter come on in to Simply Crepes and be amazed by this new menu.
They have 9 awesome choices from the appetizers section. You can choose them a la carte or order 3 for a flat $20.
My daughter ordered a crock of the creamy potato chowder from their list of Pantry Soups. She loved it.
Brussel Sprouts
Hubby and I shared an order of the Brussels Sprouts & Chevre. Served crispy in a sweet balsamic dressing with a “dollop” of chevre cheese. Hand down this was one of the best dishes I have had in a long long time. It was perfect. Just order it.
Wine Menu
They have a delightful wine menu. Lots of familiar and not so familiar choices. Every Wed they have a “Wine Down Wednesday”. It is 50% off all wine by the glass or bottle.
I ordered the wine flight, which is the only wine choice excluded from that special.
A Rose’, Chardonnay and a Pinot Grigio. A great way to sample different wines!
Entrees
The first entrée we had actually came from their Morning menu
Shrimp and Grits ! The grits were creamy and of perfect consistency. Served with jumbo shrimp chorizo, Andouille sausage and bacon. It disappeared in a matter of moments !
The Winter Menu entrée we had was the Creamy Cajun Chicken and Rice Crepe. It comes with a bell pepper cajun sauce. It had the right amount of kick and flavor. The chicken was of outstanding quality {and quanity}
Desserts
It was now time for what my 5 year old calls.. ” THE MAIN EVENT”..Dessert !
We decided on 3 out of their numerous choices of dessert crepes. You can order them standard or “petite” sized !
I fell in love with crepes on the streets of Paris, France. Crepe stands in Paris are as ubiquitious as hot dog stands are in NYC !
Oreo Cookie Crepe
This was outstanding. If you like Oreos then you will LOVE this. Filled with sweet vanilla cream, this was my little ones favorite.
Banana Walnut
This was simply decadent. Filled with Crème Brulee cream and sautéed bananas, candied walnuts and vanilla bean ice cream.
Cinnamon Apple Crepe
Cinnamon apples, sweet cream and caramel. This was like if the best apple pie came inside a crepe !!
Keep in mind if you are anyone in your dining party suffers from Celiac Disease, crepes here can be made Gluten Free using buckwheat batter.
They also have a curtained off area that can be utilized as an event space for up to 40 people {30 to 35 comfortably !}
*Simply Crepes Tip #344 Sign up for their exclusive birthday club and get a very nice discount off of a meal during your birthday month !!
Yo Baby, Yo Baby, Yo!!!! Old School ruled and packed the house last night, Saturday February 4, 2017 at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium for the Back 2 the 80’s Tour !
Fans came out ‘funky fresh dressed to impress ready to party’ to see this show featuring Doug E Fresh, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Whodini, Al B Sure, Cherrelle, Hi Five and Chubb Rock!
The music was great, the vibe was nothing but a Generation X party y’all and I would definitely recommend seeing this show if you love old school REAL Hip Hop and RnB.
Cherrelle opened the show. She became legendary with a myriad of solo hots and also with Alexander O’Neal. Father time has done nothing to slow her beauty or vocal chords.
Followed by Chub RockChubb had great interaction w/the audience as he hosted an old school hit after hit review !
Hi-Five sang a melody of their greatest hits including “The Kissing Game”, They also paid homage to New Edition, with “Can You Stand The Rain” .
Here is a short clip of Al.B.Sure working his way thru a crowd of lady fans singing RnB classic “Secret Garden”. It was an uplifting experience for one lucky fan!
Whodini: The trio of Jalil Hutchins, John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, and Drew “Grandmaster Dee” Carter filled the early ’80s with memorable jams such as “Magic Wand” and “The Freaks Come Out at Night,” which they performed while escaping from straitjackets underwater. They were in all their glory onstage with their infamous wide brimmed hats and all.
Big Daddy Kane: The Grammy-winning rapper and former member of the Juice Crew’s mix of rapid-fire rhymes and swagger inspired generations of MCs, including former hype man Jay-Z.Big Daddy has not lost once ounce of his iconic swag. He is still the ultimate “smooth operator”. He took the crowd through a playlist of his biggest hits culminating with his number one smash “Ain’t no Half Steppin”
Slick Rick: Allmusic dubbed the Grammy-nominated rapper “hip-hop’s greatest storyteller” for reasons that become obvious when listening to hits such as “La Di Da Di” and “Children’s Story”. This UK import has a unique way of weaving a tale while keeping a rhythm all of his own. It took me back to middle school and just had me smiling from ear to ear.
Doug E. Fresh was as always was the MC extraordinaire. He kept the crowd grooving with his unique blend of rap, beat box.He is literally a walking encyclopedia of hip hop. One of the originators of the genre. His icon status was on full display as the crowd went wild during his set !!
Look out for the Back 2 the 80s Tourcoming to a city near you ! Check your local listings and Ticketmaster to buy tickets here !
SobeSavvy 
