Man it had been too long since we’ve biked downtown!! So happy to be free on two wheels again 
This afternoon fitness hungry caught up with me!!
A little of this:
Then a massive grocery store trip…
Then a lot of that:
I came home from the grocery store famished at 4:30 and had a big old smoothie for a snack. Smoothies stick to my ribs!
In the mix:
- Spinach
- Half a banana
- 2 tbsp Vega Choc-a-Lot
- Ice
- ~2/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- Granola
I wanted my smoothie to hold me over well through dinner tonight because I didn’t want to get stuck starving with only cheese cubes at art galleries!
Remember a month ago when we went on the gallery crawl? Well it’s been a month!! First Friday Round II.
We toured 5 different galleries tonight. The art was just as fantastic, but the food + drink were not nearly as good as last time! Highlights included a few grapes, some pretzels, a few candy corn and a small glass of white wine
We walked up and down the mall trying to decide what to have for a real dinner. I wasn’t hungry, per se, but I wanted some veggies and weight in my stomach.
We ended up biking up to Main Street Market to a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try for ages: Orzo. They have a full restaurant and much to our surprise, tapas at the bar! Perfect fit.
We sat at the bar and ordered what we felt was "lightly" which ended up feeling like a real meal!
A flight of red to share (2 for him, 1 for me)
Complimentary flat bread and hummus!!!!
We ordered two appetizers:
Local Pork Sausage with Grilled Veggies in a Lemon Glaze. Lemon glaze = made the dish. It was incredible!!
Plus the best mussels we have EVER HAD. The thick feta cheese sauce was sooo good, and the grilled bread made an excellent dipper.
And for the nutrients, a side of sautéed spinach, which was amazing but I am now regretting for the garlic taste in my mouth!!
Fabulous meal for not too expensive.
I’m very tired from being up so early – and excited tomorrow is Saturday!
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
How do you look gorgeous after biking to these things? I would be a sweaty, windblown mess!
Well thanks, but it’s not very hot here anymore!
C’ville seems like such a neat place. I’m putting it on my list of places to visit!
What a fun night. I love the restaurant with the open window, so cute. After your hard workout today you deserve a fabulous dinner.
wow I can’t believe it’s been a month already! September flew! downtown looks so cute, I love it!
The restaurants you go to in Charlottesville all have such delicious (and gorgeous!) looking food! Must be heaven for a food blogger
Looks like a great way to kick of the weekend! I tried mussels for the first time last week. They didn’t really seem like anything special but I’m sure if they were prepared in a restaurant rather than by me, they’d be much more tasty. Have a fantastic weekend
Seems like an incredible evening. The biking in this weather must have been perfect!
What a fun evening. You live in an awesome place!
Any place that serves complementary pita and hummus is definitely a winner! Nice call!
That gallery crawl sounds really fun. I’d love to have something like that in my town.
I LOVE Orzo! Glad you finally got to try it.
Looks like fun! I’ve been looking for Vega everywhere…I think I’m going to buy it online soon! Have a good weekend
That sounds like so much fun!
just curious why you would eat a whole dinner when you arent hungry? do you just have to eat dinner?
I was hungry, just in a different way than I normally would. And we tried NOT to eat a ‘whole dinner” which is why we got appetizer portions and shared them.
it’s been so long since i’ve had mussels – i’ve always loved them, even as a kid!
Wow! It’s been a whole month? I really wish our town had something like that. I love the charm of the First Friday nights.
I’d like to bike more, but the logistics always get me. When you bike, do you wear a helmet? If you do, how do you keep your hair looking decent, and what do you do with the helmet when you get to your destination? Thx!
I do always wear a helmet and usually pull my hair back but I take it back down as SOON as we get back off our bikes. Sometimes I do get ponytail hair!
Yay! Glad you guys are biking again! That food looks so good. Feta sauce?! Mmmmm.
The pork sausage looks so good. What a fun way to spend an evening!
I too am excited that tomorrow is Saturday
Enjoy your weekend Kath!
I really like you in that red shirt. It’s one of my fav colors, yet I have no red clothes. I love the way your pictures show off the fall weather. I always miss that living here in Cali.
Wow, was that really a month ago?! Time flies!! I miss mussels, haven’t had them in years…
Red looks good on you, Kath!
Your appetizers look delish. So wish Dustin and I lived in biking distant of such elegant simplicity.
Rock those flip-flops, girl.
looks like fun! love when you can try a little of everything
Looks like a great evening! I hope this weekend is beautiful for you!
It looks like you had fun! You reminded me with those crackers that I wanted to try and make themt oday! Thanks!
I love all of the pics of C’ville…. thanks for sharing!
I’m so jealous of your First Fridays….
I think those fabulous art galleries are what I would love the most about your adorable town. That is so fun!
What a fun night!! I love how that little girl totally caught you taking the picture…like 5th one down? haha
long-time reader, first-time commenter here. i am potentially moving to charlottesville next summer (find out by december) from iowa city, and posts like this make me SO excited for the city. thanks for the great post and pictures…!
you’ll like it! holla when ya get here.
Wow! That looks like a lot of fun! I’ve never even heard of a gallert crawl before! LOL!
Since going vegetarian about four months ago, mussels are one of the foods that I miss the most.
Such pretty photos!
The picture of you sitting in the chair just reminded me of fall. I love fall!