We made it!!! 5 hours in the car flew by. Mike and I have a lot in common!
My very first taste of PB&J!!!!
Sadly…..I was not blown away. I think the Peanut Butter Cookie is better. But this was still good!
Also snacked on a few almonds.
We arrived!
I can’t believe I have a husband. And he is cute. And we’re together again! Yippee!
We made our way out for an early dinner at Mas, a tapas restaurant in Belmont that I’ve had so many people recommend.
I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve had a glass of wine! I ordered a great red. I had a wonderful time with the menu, which was detailed and grouped by region in Spain. I ordered the Erial ’06 – a perfectly juicy tempranillo with "ripe plums and figs."
Good company! Our Great Harvest advisors 
After only 30 minutes we were seated and snacking on olives
Note Polyface Farms as a locally sourced farm at the top of the menu!!!!!
We got [large] handful of tapas for the table, and I had a nice bite of each. It was the perfectly portioned dinner for 4!
Chiles stuffed with ham and provolone
Arugula Salad with Tomatoes, Egg, Manchego and Sherry
AMAZING artisanal, cave-aged blue cheese with tart quince paste
Pan-Roasted Brussels with Potatoes and Peppers
Carne Asada – Cedar-River Grass-Fed Beef Tenderloin with Smoked Tomato Aioli and Flatbread
Jumbo Gulf SHrimp with Alioli and Gray Sea Salt
[ I was full at this point and moved to much smaller bites!!]
Dates + Bacon!
Akaushi Skirt Steak with Arugula
Crab!
Until I got to this dish…
Jumbo White Beans with Verdant Green Chard <—- Best dish of the night!!
We all politely turned down dessert – no room at the inn!
I’m sleepy and so ready to get 8 hours of sleep for the first time since Tuesday?
BIG DAY AHEAD!
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
MAS is soooo good! those dates are to die for, and the hummus…holy cow. i gotta try the bean dish next time.
welcome to c-ville
hope you guys enjoy your weekend. maybe i’ll see ya around town, and cant wait to find out where the store will be!
I really like the pb and j lara bar but I havent tried the peanut butter cookie one. I have one in the pantry waiting for me though
Now I’m even more excited to try it!
Looks like you had such a great and delicious dinner!
I can’t believe you’re just trying PB&J larabars now! I simply adore them. I think any of the flavors with a touch of salt are so much better
Agh those are all my favorite things! I love tapas. They are the perfect indecisive eater’s food. Why should you have to choose between arugula and brussels and fruit and cheese and bacon stuffed dates and crab and shrimp and steak etc. etc. etc. etc? So much more fun when you can have little tastes of ALL of them!
Tapas is one of my favorite ways to eat, having much to do with my obsession with Spain! Those bacon-wrapped dates are to die for
Wow, that’s quite the spread! That blue cheese with the quince paste looks aaaaaaa-mazing!
And those brussels! 
Love it! Everything looks muy bueno!! 
Jenn
so glad you enjoyed mas! good luck and have fun around town tomorrow
Yum! I love tapas, especially as an excuse to have a great Spanish wine
Yummm.. I can’t believe that I’ve never been to a good tapas restaurant!
I love PB&J Larabars! SO AMAZING, I wish I could find them more easily.. If only Trader Joe’s kept a steady stock, I’d be a super happy girl!
So exciting about your new city/home!!!
Charlottesville looks like such a cute place…dinner looks delicious! Tapas are so great because you can try so many things without feelng so full.
Have a great weekend!
I have only had the Cherry Pie and Apple Pie Larabars and they are sooooo good. I bought the PB cookie at Trader Joe’s today, and I can’t wait to try the PB & J.
That food looks rich and filling and delicious!
I would have to agree with you on the PB & J Larabar – it’s good, but not as good as the straight up PB one.
And hellow bacon wrapped dates. Yum!
Ahhh that blue cheese looks so delicious!!!!
Amazing pics, amazing eats!
Have an amazing weekend, Kath!
Brazilian XOXO´s,
Gabriela
What a fantastic looking meal! I’m jealous!
I make the PB&J Larabars myself and I think homemade ones are better. Actually, after making homemade LB’s for a while now, I like them a lot better! Homemade is fresher.
Have a good sleep!
K
I will look for your recipe!
Enjoy your cute husband … you deserve each other.
Thank you for all of the fantastic food photos !!!!!!!
Yay, you made it! Thanks for the pic of Bodo’s now I have a huge craving, ugh! Have an awesome weekend, can’t wait to see what’s in store for your new adventure!
I love tapas, its so much fun to go with a group and try a bunch of different dishes!
I felt the same way about the PB&J larabar! I think the dates provide more than enough fruity sweetness.
Enjoy your time in VA (the best state eva!) and good luck!
That dinner looks divine! I’ve never been to a tapas restaurant but I’m dying to try one. I’m still amazed that you and Matt are opening a GH. Good luck with everything!
Enjoy! Everything looks delicious! Hope you get some sleep soon!
Aw I’m so happy you’re back with your hubby- and so happy about it! You’re too cute!
it’s so cool you have a cute husband…so do i!
seriously though, I’m so glad you guys are back together…i’ve been away from my husband for about 3 hours and i’m already sad! can’t wait to see more of the weekend adventure tomorrow!
the brussels look terrific!
Whoa! I had to do a double take. You are in my town! Had to delurk to say that. Welcome to Charlottesville.
Want to join our KERF group for lunch on Sunday?
Dates and bacon, that sounds interesting…I like dates
I love restaurants where you can al just share, it’s so much more fun!
Have a good day tomorrow
Hmm, did my comment work? If not…
I love that you put a shot of Mt. Barracks there! Good ol’ Charlottesville
And I coudl so go some blue cheese right now!
wow looks delicious all of it……
who needs stinky lara bars when you have all that delicious cheesy meaty tapas-y stuff??? glad you enjoyed
a bientôt
the paris food blague
that quince paste is called MEMBRILLO, it is a fruit, and my grandma cooks it with water and sugar, like jam. In Spain is very common with cheese!
I am happy the Spanish culture of tapas is going everywhere!!!
saludos!
My Spanish mother’s boyfriend does as well. So good! In fact, I had no idea what the English word was until several months after I first had “dulce de membrillo.” My boyfriend loves to combine it with queso para untar and bread. Yum!
What a great meal!
Hope everything goes well today! I’m so curious to see where you guys end up in C’ville.
YUM! I LOVE eating tapas!
polyface = the farm featured in food inc!! that’s so cool. and that restaurant looked amazing
there are so many great places in cville and i’m excited to experience them all virtually as you and matt go!
I’ve never been to a tapas restaurant. They look fantastic and would be great for conversation versus stuffing your face with one big meal. I’ll have to look for one nearby!
Mmm it all looks delicious, Kath! Great night out in your new home!!
LOVE tapas – my favorite way to eat out!!
Food looks amAzinggggg!!
Tapas are so much fun! It looks like you guys picked all the right ones, too.
I love the name Charlottesville- do you know how it came about? I also love, love tapas- the best I ever had was in the Medieval quarter just off Las Ramblas in Barcelona, we used to have churros con chocolate for breakfast (sugar high!), paella for lunch and tapas for dinner… tiny little tastes of everything, and lots of sangria- real, proper, fruity stuff. If you ever can, go! Good times! Please can you come and open a Great Harvest in England?!
Great post! I’m drooling over the food and I LOVE Tempranillo.
.
I met my hubby in Spain, so I have a soft spot for their wines and food
Happy weekend!
Bacon-wrapped dates….and the olives….
Welcome to our (soon to be your) fabulous town!
As a huge Michael Pollen fan I’m really impressed you are in the same area as Polyface farms. Have a great trip
Hi Kath! I am a semi-new reader and can I just say… your cville posts make me so JEALOUS ! I went to school at UVA and lived in VA my whole life but had to relocate to Austin, TX with my hubby. Austin is great… but not many places can beat cville. Your Bodos and Mas photos made my mouth water and took me back to the good ole days
Have fun and good luck on your new venture!
I LOVE Charlottesville! My sister is in law school at UVa and she raves about Mas. We’re supposed to go the next time I go visit her, hopefully this spring sometime. Are you guys relocating to Cville permanently?? So jealous. What a fantastic place.
If you’ve read Omnivore’s Dilemma, Polyface Farms is the farm that Michael Pollan visits in the book!
Crazy! I know Mike – I have known him since I was a little girl and used to watch his kids, who are now almost all grown up! Wild!
Hope you guys have a great time!
thats so cool! i loved the part in food inc. with Polyface Farm!
I love MAS! Glad you are excited about moving to Charlottesville!