Couldn’t wait for our date tonight all day! Good weather, out to dinner, spring concert!
Things got done before I left – bean salad making for tomorrow night’s picnic
And yeah mom, I finally polished the silver
Pretty now!?
At 6 Matt and I headed downtown for dinner. The song “I love this town” came to mind when I found about 1,000 other people dining al fresco on a Thursday night!
When I walked to the podcast this morning, I was handed a free poem sponsored by our library!
I didn’t get a photo then, but I enjoyed a Shakespeare sonnet and a child’s poem about the blue sky by Anon.
They were still out there this evening so we got some more poems to read at dinner!
This one was particularly appropriate for a nice spring day
And this one pulled out some conversation on its meaning that ultimately led to “analysis of Meeting and Passing” being Googled. I kind of miss English class…
Our dining spot was a new restaurant – The Whiskey Jar! We actually debated if we would like the place as much if it had a more generic name like “Christopher’s” or “Bar On Main” and we decided that the “whiskey” and “jar” absolutely made our dining experience more pleasurable. Names are important!
I’ve been avoiding it because it makes me sad that I can’t partake in the delicious bourbon delights, but I will be back in the fall. First for a Mint Julep, then for a Manhattan then for the local Virginia whiskey flight!
I did get a little creative with my mocktail. They had lemonade on the menu and I asked if they could mix it 50/50 with club soda (sure) and “Could you pretty please throw in some of that minty julep mint?!” – Another sure!
Mine was alllllmost as good as Matt’s real deal – so he does declare!
The Whiskey Jar has a nice menu of bar favorites, Southern specials, salads and local ingredients.
To start we shared a basket of hushpuppies and sweet potato biscuits with a sorghum butter and apple butter. I’m not quiteeee sure what the sorghum butter was, but it tasted awesome! The hushpuppies were a bit too onion-y for me, but I ate them anyways due to my love for thick, sweet cornmeal. The biscuits were such a fun pairing and were especially good with the spreads!
At our podcast today, the producer David was describing the catfish sandwich and said it was mouth wateringly good, so I was drawn to it immediately (I also love me a fish sandwich!) The fish was more herby than blackened, but the sandwich, filled with greens, cucs and green tomatoes, was totally awesome!!!
I also loved the side salad + its dijony dressing
Matt went all Southern on the local chicken with collard greens. GREAT meal!
Our final stop for the night was the Pavilion for the Rodrigo y Gabriela concert! Our friends at the radio station where we advertise hooked us up with tickets yesterday. Thanks Garrett!
R y G have been one of Matt’s favorite bands for a long time, and it took me forever to learn their names. I often would just say ‘Enrique y Iglesias’ and he’d know who I meant 🙂
The show was awesome. So much talent under one roof fabric! This was one of those performances where it is nearly impossible not to tap your toes or bob your head to the music!
We actually had to take a while between dinner and the show because “cameras with lenses” were not allowed!! As someone who needs my camera to breathe, this came as a bit of a shock. I had no where to put it but to walk it back home! I thought it was kind of a dumb rule since everyone there was taking photos and videos on phones, and phone photo quality is just about as good as my starter DSLR, but oh well.
When we returned, my mouth celebrated with a wonderful popsicle made from fresh Virginia strawberries by Pantheon! This was the best popsicle I’ve ever had! Seeds, fruit and all.
Tomorrow I’m going to Blue Ridge Dietetics Association meeting, so you might not see me till lunch, although I’m sure I’ll put up a phone post to say good morning : )
My first taste of sorghum butter was actually at Duke by a local jam lady. Mmmm hush puppies!
Mocktails can only take a girl so far- I miss some of those amazing drinks too. Come fall, I’m going to love going wine shopping again and a nice margarita! Mmmmmm!
You evening looks and sounds delightful!
Kath, you are looking amazing! Downtown C-Ville looks cute!
Sounds like a perfect night! Outdoor concerts are the best. And a sweet potato biscuit sounds amazing! I’m in the mood for a popsicle now… should have made some up earlier!
Mm those Popsicles sound so good! We have a similar local Popsicle maker! They are such a summer fave!
Oh gosh, a mint julep! Last time I had one was actually in Charlottesville, at the Foxfield horse race!!! That food looks amazing, and what a pretty night!
That’s this weekend!
oh exciting!!! I went a few years back when I went to school in Charleston, I flew up to visit a friend who’d transferred!
I love hushpuppies! There is just something about fried bread that appeals to me I guess!
Glad you liked the concert; what would be one song that you would recommend?
Matt says Buster Voodoo
“Tamacun” It’s amazing.
Wow so many good things about this post! It looks like you had an amazing night! Ok, so I’m going to ask a possibly dumb question that I could easily google but would rather just ask you – what exactly is a hushpuppie?
A fried cornmeal ball.. I think! I’d have to google it to be sure… 🙂
I saw that camera tweet, that is kinda awk because everyone has a camera these days!
I think the camera with lenses rule is in place since its an easy way to distinguish between professional and not professional photographers… also I am sure most concert security are not experts on the difference between entry level DSLRs and high end DSLRs. Sounds like a great night otherwise 🙂 Hope you have a great meeting!
Looks like a fun night! I love the way you’re coming up with some awesome mocktails…and that you already have your first three drinks at the Whiskey Jar all planned out! 😉
What a fun and fantastic evening!!
It sounds like another fun night! That fish sandwich looks awesome. I want to come to Charlottesville just to eat and eat and eat…and hike.
I’m guessing Sorghum Butter is a compound butter made with Sorghum Molasses.
That looks like such a fun night! And that popsicle sounds amazing!!!
Where I live in Indiana one of the local favorite foods is fried biscuits and apple butter (they have somehow convinced themselves that Indiana is in the South…but I digress).
As for the Sorghum butter, I would guess that it is just what it said. Sorghum mixed with butter. Some of my family has an award winning sorghum mill in the North Georgia mountains. The way we eat the sorghum is always mixed into butter on a fresh hot biscuit.
Way back when I took a stab at blogging, I blogged about sorghum, you can read what I wrote here http://apeachamongcrabs.blogspot.com/2008/11/sorghum-syrup-and-home-churned-butter.html
Cool! And LOL about Indiana
This reminds me of a funny story. My mom grew up in northern Indiana, near Lake Michigan (Michigan City, in fact), and my Dad is from southern Indiana. When they were dating, my mom’s dad used to always give my dad a hard time about being “southern.” (Mind you, my dad’s side of the family does say things with a semi-Southern accent, eg: SEE-ment (cement) and POH-leece (police)…)
Too funny.
Sorghum is popular in Kentucky! Have you not had it before? It’s like maple syrup. I have a good bourbon enhanced one in my dorm room. 😉 Also, next time you get a popsicle, get the orange mint! It doesn’t have any added sweeteners, and it’s SO GOOD. I tried it at the farmers’ market last weekend. You look great, Kath!
I don’t think I had had it before
You made me all nostalgic for the days of analyzing poems in high school and college! How fun 🙂
I love summer cocktails. I think the mojito is my favorite but a mint julip is pretty damn tasty too.
The silver is gorgeous!
The outdoor/spring concert…how fun. Funny, I just posted today that I want to go to more outdoor festivals and concerts like I used to ages ago. You are smart to do things like this now!
Mmm I want one of those popsicles, it looks delish!
I think you have the most charming, cute downtown ever. It’s like a storybook. Or at least, from your pictures, it looks that way. Sounds like such a lovely evening.
It is. I’m in awe that we live here… And so close to downtown too
You live in a superb dining area! I’m jelly all over. 🙂 I love fish sandwiches! Good choice. And ice pops rock my socks, too.
I love the poem idea!
How neat :]
That Popsicle sounds so refreshing!
Really love your posts about Cville. Makes me want to live in a town like that. It’s so diferent than from where I live, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
looks like a great night! (ps, i have the same IKEA green-topped tupperware!)
Lol @ cameras with lenses. All cameras have lenses.
Well they said “detachable” lenses but still…!
I’m curious – what did you all decide about the meaning of the poem?
We think it was a literal meaning but with a second layer of metaphor about their relationship coming and going from different perspectives
Yeah, that makes sense. I like it…
Have a great day!
As an English teacher, may I just say how much I LOVE the fact that people were on the streets in C-ville, just handing out poems? The nerd in me is so, so happy about that!
Your sandwich looks amazing!!! Love the poems too! 🙂
This made me really hungry. And I’ve said it before but I absolutely love your stuff–the cutlery, napkins, etc. you have are so beautiful!
The food looks fantastic! I love hushpuppies. I haven’t had them in such a long time. Nowhere near me makes them. I’m missing out!
I LOVE Rodrigo y Gabriela! I coach gymnastics and a lot of my girls use their music for their floor routines and they’re soooo much fun. One of my favorite floor routines uses a cut/mix of “Diablo Rojo”. Here’s the link to the routine : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8y-EuJtv8U
I love it for its obviously good gymnastics, but the DIVA walk in the middle of it just makes my life complete. Have a great day!
Sounds like a fun evening!
Ahh, this post makes me want to just pick up and move to C-ville! Any town with a walking mall is great in my book. My husband would have died over that bourbon/scotch menu- that’s totally his thing. Me? Not so much. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get into scotch. It just burns my throat!
Silver looks fab. Love the poems. Dandelions of the world get their revenge!
This looks like the best night ever. 🙂 I miss Cville.
I wish we had more restaurants around here that serves local ingredients. I think we might have two restaurants of the such, but that does not compare to all the restaurants that you seem to have.
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Sweet potato biscuits. Yum!
I love how accommodating everyone in Cville seems to be of making your mocktails! It’s always nice to get places that will go the extra mile to make their customers happy 🙂
I LOVE Rod y Gab! We were happy to get to see them a couple of years ago, but unfortunately we stood right next to a screamer. I’ve never heard anything like it. Why do people choose to be part of an audience but then try to become the center of attention!
i like pretty utensils and glass 🙂 i saw this japanese store which sells good looking stuff, but i can’t find silverwares then i remember oh japanese don’t use spoon and fork but chopsticks 🙂
The fish looks amazing! Oh my goodness I want to reach through the screen and grab it.
Just saw Rod & Gab on Monday night in Boston! It was our second time – they put on such a great show!
I’m definitely intrigued by that sorghum butter… I’ll have to google it and see what I come up with!
What a fun evening. The food looked fantastic. I would love to try it all. One day I am sure I will.
there’s a very popular Irish trad song called “Whiskey in the Jar”
The Pogues do a good punk-infused trad version