Time keeps ticking.
If you’re wondering, yes that cabbage + beans did a number on my abdomen today! I felt some rumblin’!! But I’m fine 
Was still hungry for snacks…..and more fiber…..come 4PM. I packed some fresh produce to munch because I was on my way to the Charlotte Dietetic Association meeting and wanted to fill up a bit.
Apple. Carrot. Trail Mix from TJ’s. Crunch!
An hour later I arrive at my destination: the CDA Social Networking Night at Crave, a dessert bar in Uptown Charlotte. I like the CDA meetings that are informative, but I LOVE the social nights
I started out with a delicious fizzy mocktail -
And surveyed the spread. [Unfortunately my camera got a buzz from the mocktail because none of my photos turned out well!!]
HUMMUS, olives, jalapenos, red peppers, blue cheese and pita platter
Sliiiiiiiders (two kinds)
What I believe was artichoke dip with some chips…
I chatted with Kelsey for a while and then Caitlin, MS, RD arrived and then I decided to get some food. I wasn’t really hungry but I knew I should eat some dinner or I’d be really hungry later! Plus I needed some real food before I dug into dessert 
A pile of hummus, some complements, 2 chips with dip and some pitas. I went back for seconds on the hummus!
Then it was time for the desserts – the craving reason why we came to Crave!
Creme brulees
And a huge platter of bite-sized desserts. Love that they were bite-sized for optimal sampling!
I tried a few varietals – creme brulee, apple crumble, a chocolately thing, cheesecake. In all honesty, I’ve had better desserts 
I didn’t quite finish them all.
But I had a great time networking!!
I’ve spent the past HOUR catching up on emails from the day – whew! Still have more to tackle, plus comments. Wish me luck!
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
That giant bowl of hummus looks SO incredible!
I think the Connecticut Dietetic Association should have meetings like this … I mean, our acronym is CDA too, right??
Glad you had a good time!
That looks delicious! Good luck catching up
I love that dessert platter! Anything nibbler-size makes me happy.
That’s a HUGE pile of Hummus!! Delicious!
I love the sampling of all the desserts
Love anyplace with a lot of hummus!
That…is a giant plate of desserts. How sad that they weren’t up to par!
That is am amazing spread. Guess it looks better than it tasted!
ooo, that hummus spread looks awesome!
and now I have a strange odd urge to eat jalapenos.. I wish i had some lol
The more hummus, the better!
Everything looks great!
Aww I’m sorry the creme brulee wasn’t that great. Its my favorite special occasion dessert!
That pic of the hummus platter has me droooooooling right now…. Hummus and olives – could there be a better combination!?!?!
Oh my God!!
That spread looks fantastic! I want to swim in that hummus LOL. The desserts look delish, even if they didn’t taste that great. Creme brulee <3 Those sliders look so good too, I totally would have had one. 
Jenn
Forget the desserts–that HUMMUS.
Yummmmmmm…everything looks amazing! I love nights out on the town like that!
That spread looks amaaazing!
Socializing with other RD’s is so much fun… and so important!
I so wish I had magic, so I could snap my fingers, and poof! Everything in your pictures would be right in front of me! I guess it’s good that I don’t have magic!
Everything looks so delish!
Been following for a while – I appreciate your comments about parties, but have a hard time believing that it’s so easy to just walk away….be it free drinks or free food. What is the conversation that you have with yourself that makes it ‘so easy’ to do what you know you should do?
Who said it’s easy!?!? I’ve gotten better and better about making smart choices and it’s taken me YEARS – 4 years to put a time on it – to get where I am mentally.
Love your reply, Kath..I guess because it mirrors what i so often feel. I have friends that ask all the time……”how is it so easy for you to stay dedicated to healthy eating habits/ exercise? (especially as I happen to have a artisan bread baking/pastry business! And your answer here is just putting it in a nutshell….I’m 24 and over the last three years it has been a process to get to the point where healthy REAL food is what excites me the most when it comes to my eating habits….
I really hate it when I look forward to desserts and then they totally disappoint! They look really nice though!
What a fun meeting!! Your RD group is great! I love that they focus on not just important work-related “stuff” but on socializing and enjoying great food! Awesome!
Yummy Food
OMG that spread is incredible!! Loves it.
Wow, that huge hummus + peppers + cheese platter looks amazing. Worth attempting to recreate at a party!
The rule is always seconds on hummus! Sorry the treats weren’t that great…that is such a shame! Have a nice evening.
Pretty sure hummus is one of my favorite foods. Or my newest creation, hummus + avocado + chili powder = humamole. Yum!
I love desserts like that where you can try all sorts of things!!
Cool dessert spread!!
Looks yummy- how are you so diligent in drinking mocktails all the time?!
Sounds like such a fun evening! That spread looks really good, even if the desserts didn’t live up to standards.
OMG….I soooo want dessert now! Delish!
looks like you had a fun evening! that massive pile of hummus is awesome
The desserts look too intense for my liking. That is really crappy that a dessert bar can’t make good desserts!!
I would love to have that hummus platter in my refrigerator…right next to the desert platter haha
Awesome! That social media night looks really fun. Wish we had more things like that in Orlando. We are hoping to come check out Charlotte soon actually as a possible place to move to in the future.
I hate when food doesn’t live up to the hype. At least the hummus was good.
Needless to say, the array of food LOOKS very good. sorry the desserts were not the most divine
Hi Kath,
it seems you commute to work/internship? alot, how often do you do the drive? i commute as well, its rough i tell you! makes me feel better that i’m not the only one commuting, thanks for your posts!
~linda
Linda,
It’s an hour drive one way – longer with traffic in the evenings. But I swear these podcats have made ALL the difference.
K
Looks like a great way to spend the evening! (What was in your mocktail? I need to start trying these!)
I asked for club soda with cherry + lime
Hummus is yummus!
- Hillary [don't miss my giveaway]
ah hummus…looks SO GOOD!!! hope you have a wonderful evening!
Good luck! And such a shame the desserts weren’t amazing – but that hummus platter looks splendiferous!
love that pinwheel of desserts!
a dessert bar sounds amazing!! I once went to Pudding Night at a local pub – 6 desserts for dinner! INCREDIBLE! It sukcs when they don’t live up to the taste though
At least you had good company 
Everything looks great! Sorry the desserts weren’t that great; that is always so dissapointing. Glad you had a nice time, that is what is most important.
This is great. I love how you captured the networking night experience. Thanks for sharing!
I really need to go to Charlotte. It sounds like there are so many awesome dining options! I think i’ve exhausted all the good ones in W-S!
Kath, I’m relatively new to Charlotte but have been to Crave a couple times now, and I must say that I definitely agree with you – the desserts are awfully disappointing! I remember thinking on two occasions that my creme brulee tasted almost watery or something…what a bummer! Nice to know I’m not the only one who feels this way
Are those jalapenos piled high on your plate? How brave! It’s funny that nothing really looked that healthy at the restaurant … especially for an RD social!
K
that spread looks amazing! I’m so jealous
Now that is a Caroline-size serving of hummus–I could dive right into that platter:)
I feel the EXACT same way about Crave desserts. My fiance and I went there when it first opened. I think it was for our anniversary. I thought the desserts were just so-so; almost like the were frozen or store-bought (not homemade). I came from a family who turns their noses up at “store-bought” cakes, so I was pretty dissappointed.
But it’s only a block from our condo, so I guess it’s better for my belly that it isn’t so tempting.