Happy 59th to Karen, a wonderful mother-in-law and friend!!
Tonight we went to Hamilton’s for the first time. We’ve been passing by it on the downtown mall for a year and had yet to stop in.
We prayed for a good meal : ) Not because we expected bad, but because, you know, the praying mantis fit the blog post theme!
Luckily, the meal was quite good. And I loved seeing all the local meats on the menu. So glad Cville has great local farms nearby!
We started the meal with a martini for Karen [Grey Goose, dry, straight up, always] for Karen and the Trentadue Old Patch Red for Matt and me – a honeymoon favorite from Sonoma that we were excited to see on the menu!! I had probably 2 big glasses – maybe 2.5 – throughout dinner. It was delicious!
Matt started with local pork shortribs – had a bite. Excellent!
We had some simple bread to start as well as side salads included in the meal –
For dinner I had the Snapper with Ratatouille and Kale. It was very good – two thumbs up
Karen and Matt were way too stuffed for dessert. I would have liked the quadruple chocolate platter!! But I was outvoted.
Luckily Karen brought me some of her famous Boar’s Head Inn Bread Pudding she had for her Rotary lunch today and I had a tiny bit of that when I got home. Craving filled!
Hamilton’s has been a family favorite of mine for years! Consistently good, fresh food, and great outdoor seating 🙂
Happy Birthday, Karen! We should all be so luck to have mother in laws like Karen <3
Happy Birthday Karen! I’m glad you had a nice dinner out!
I love that little leaf plate at the end — Anthropologie?
I think so!?
SO jealous of your sweet mother in law… Mine is… well not so sweet. Where did you get the dress Kath???
Loehmann’s!
I heart Loehmann’s! Used to go to one in Durham (which is now closed, i think) when I was in undergrad.
Wow – I went to grad school at Duke and used to hit that Loehmann’s all the time. Now I’m in Boston and TJ Maxx has to suffice.
Your dish sounds awesome! Totally something I would have ordered!! I loooove snapper!
Happy birthday Karen!! And many more 🙂
I love praying mantises (manti?)! I think they’re totally cute (weirdo here…)
Never too full for dessert!
Is it common for restaurants to have local meats, products? I don’t think it is around here.
Your hair is so pretty down! It makes you look younger. Not that you look old! Y’know – less serious or something 🙂
Agreed- that second picture of you is the cutest ever! I love photos that seem to capture a part of someone’s personality 🙂
Looks like a great evening! Happy Birthday, Karen! 🙂
Happiest of birthdays to Karen! Sounds like an excellent celebration! Loved your dress 🙂
You look so beautiful in that second picture!!
Matt’s dish looks absolutely incredible – and I would’ve been all about ordering that chocolate platter with you if I were there 🙂
Glad you guys took Karen out for such a nice celebration – Happy, happy birthday to her and many, many more!!
🙂 happy birthday to karen! looks like an awesome night out to celebrate. i hope y’all have a great labor day weekend.
All that food looks fab! Beautiful pictures as always!
Happy birthday, lovely Karen!
And EEEEEEK … that is my absolute favorite wine. It’s very hard to find around here. Gotta build up my stash. 😉
I can’t believe there are even restaurants you guys haven’t tried left in C’ville! It seems like there is a never ending supply of amazing places there!
Love the cobalt blue dishware at that restaurant!
Happy Birthday to someone I really admire! Karen you are amazing. Are you still doing the bakery books as planned? It’s never mention and I was curious!
Thanks for the birthday wishes! I’m not doing the books but have been given other duties! I think I’m helping a lot! Best to you! Karen
I love finding new restaurants! I’m glad that worked out for Karen’s birthday dinner!
Wow- your dinner sounds amazingly delicious, and the pics are gorgeous! Happy Birthday to your MIL!
Happy Bday to Karen!!!!
Boar’s Head Inn Bread Pudding = that shouts out: DELISH to me! I love bread pudding and that one looks like a big winner!
Cute dress, too, Kath 🙂
Beautiful photos! Happy Birthday Karen!
Happy KERF-day to you and Happy Birthday to Karen!! Your dinner looks so great and your descriptions of C-ville (and the warmer southern temps) always make me want to abandon the north and fly south…for the winter at least 🙂
Happy Birthday!!!! Oh, Karen is Matt’s mother?!!! Am I right?? I always like when youninclude her in ur posts, she seems to be very nice and kind!
Yay for birthdays today! My nephews turned 3 today…for cute pictures, see blog. 🙂
Oh man, I’m ALWAYS up for a quadruple chocolate platter! 🙂
I love that Karen rocks the martini. Cheers to that! 🙂
What is Boar’s Head bread pudding?! Please tell me it involves meat/bacon.
Haha – it’s just regular bread pudding from the Boar’s Head Inn here
Happy birthday Karen! May she have a wonderful birthday and year to follow!
It was so nice seeing you on the downtown mall tonight! Y’all are so sweet!
Happy Birthday to Karen!
Your dress is so cute!!!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
You don’t know (well maybe!) how lucky you are to have Karen in your life. She is a gem and one of a kind.
Happy Birthday Karen!
THAT is my favorite cocktail as well. 3 olives make it the perfect appetizer!!
Looks like a wonderful birthday dinner. I kept thinking of the Pixar movie when you mentioned you had Ratatouille:)
Happy Birthday to Karen – you both look lovely, and your dinner looks like it was divine :-).
Happy Birthday Karen. Looks like you all had a great birthday dinner. I love how you find all these restaurants that serve local meat.
My mum turned 59 this year too!!
…That sounded more exciting in my head.
Oh Kath… I’m obsessed with your blog! So inspiring, uplifting, and fun to follow! And the pictures are absolutely scrumptious! Happy 4th Birthday to KERF!!!
Also, I’m in love with that little orange spoon in the last photo. I’ve seen them in other food pictures, but I can’t figure out where I could get one, too!
Thanks!!
The spoon is from Crate + Barrel
We looked at Hamilton’s for our rehearsal dinner. The in-laws weren’t in love with the price (and I wasn’t in love with the potential room), so we went elsewhere… But, love their food.
Although the wine is tempting, I’d have to join Karen with the Gray Goose martini (mine are always extra dry, 3 olives). Mmmm, martinis… Cheers, Karen!
Happy birthday to Karen! Grey Goose is one of the few vodkas which defo doesn’t wont leave me with a hangover the next morning!
don’t think i’ve ever seen a preying mantis in real life – i remember the film strips i used to watch though, very well!
happy bday karen!
Happy Birthday Karen!
I definately would have wanted to quadruple chocolate platter! YES PLEASE!
I believe you have mentioned Karen’ battle here and there with cancer and her treatments. I love see ing people who don’t let cancer run their life, she is living it and I admire her. Happy Birthday Karen!! I am also a cancer fighter and it has definitely given me positive attitude with life.
🙂 Hope you are well too
I like the photo of Karen with Matt. She looks so vibrant! We have a good friend that goes in this December for his final test post treatment. If everything goes well he will be deemed cancer free 5 years after treatment conluded!
Happy birthday to Karen!! She looks great. And Matt looks leaner with every new pic! Kneading dough must be quite the workout. 🙂
Dinner looks delish but my eyes are on the bread pudding. Sounds yummy!!
I think it’s the facial hair!
Happy Birthday Karen! You all have so much to celebrate!
Your hair looks really cute in these pictures! I can’t wait to eventually explore Charlottesville as every picture looks amazing and so fun and funky. I love the restaurant’s blue glasses!
Happy birthday Karen! Looks like a fun celebration 🙂
What a great celebratory day for all of you! Happy KERF day to you, Kath, and happy birthday to Karen!!
Happy Bday to Karen! She looks fabulous!
Happy Birthday Karen! I’ve only been to Cville once for my brothers wedding, and I fell in love with that mall area as well as all the vineyards around– so much fun!
Dinner looks great! I love the C-ville restaurant scene too, so many great restaurants that put such an emphasis on locally wholesome ingredients… I wish we had more of it in Richmond quite honestly!
Happy birthday to Karen! Dinner looks delicious. I can’t believe the two of them passed up something with “quadruple chocolate” in the name though! 😛
Happy birthday to Karen! I am glad the mantis joined in the celebration, too 😉
Happy Birthday again to her! Im glad she had a wonderful one!
OMG I would have ran away if I saw that praying mantis!!!!! Those things FREAK.ME.OUT!!
Have you tried the Trentadue Chocolate Merlot Port? To.Die.For. and just a little sipper fills so many different cravings at once!
We did when we visited the winery!
Happy birthday Karen
Happy birthday to your mother in-law! We went down to Charleston, SC this summer to celebrate my future mother in-law’s birthday… It was a beautiful vacation and great time spent with family. There’s always something special about a family members birthday 😀
Looks like a cute place to eat! Love the praying mantis photo! They have been everywhere lately! I guess they come out with the change in the weather
Awesome Kath! I am glad you guys enjoyed it. I too had a wonderful meal there!
Happy Birthday Karen!!!
Kath, if I were to burgle your home, I would only go for your food props! That dish and spoon is soooo cute 🙂
Happy Birthday Karen! 😀
Why did I not realize all this time that Karen was your mother-in-law?? Happy birthday, Karen. The food looked scrumptious!
Your meal looks wonderful and my husband would have enjoyed your husband’s as well.
Happy Birthday Karen! Looks like a wonderful evening! 🙂
Hooray for local meat! Are you touring any farms Monday for Meet Yer Eats?
Probably not because we have to do major house packing on Monday 🙁
Happy Birthday Karen!
happy birthday to karen!