ah, so good to be back for the first official new restaurant wednesday experience of 2015! some friends tried out naanstop a couple weeks ago (much to my dismay since i was out of town), so tonight we bring you the review of saltyard, a small-plate dining experience that is casual and ambient, luring yet not pretentious. with its globally-inspired menu and perfectly-paired beverage selection, it sounded like a flavor odyssey that we couldn’t miss.
i know it’s dark, but i promise it says putters patio and grill.
last week and this week have me traveling to winston-salem, nc for a client. hello, tar heel state! although it isn’t the shortest drive up 85, it isn’t so far to keep me from visiting. the client is amiable and the work is straightforward, a nice change of pace from the complex projects i sometimes have to handle.
with a new city comes new adventures, and as you could expect, i couldn’t help myself from trying some local eateries. last wednesday was the first wednesday of the year, and even though i couldn’t celebrate nrw back in atlanta, that didn’t stop me from celebrating it here in winston-salem at putters patio and grill.
at last! our final day of fun in dc ushered itself in on sunday morning. our flight wasn’t until the early evening, so we had plenty of time together before everything came to a close.
after getting our packing done, we headed out the door for brunch, but wait! not before i can coordinate these adorable photos on the stoop of our chinatown home! aah, i looked at them and could hardly contain myself. what a great trip because of these gems!
saturday morning came a little earlier than i would have liked, but there’s no time to lose when you’re on vacation in dc, so i rallied (can you rally at ten a.m.?) and we set out to take on the day.
we stopped at panera bread for some quick sustenance and then hopped on the blue line in chinatown to head to arlington. we plan our annual trip around the wreaths across america ceremony, and with this year being the 150th anniversary, i wasn’t going to miss it for anything.
we woke to a beautiful friday morning in chinatown, mildly rested and ready to take on the day. there was food to be eaten and things to be seen, and we weren’t going to miss any of it! we set off on foot through our neighborhood to begin our adventures.
okay, i’m a touch behind on my writing, but better late than never, right? right! i’m glad we agree. so, without further adieu, i give you the first day of last week’s fifth annual dc december trip!
we flew out of atlanta around eight p.m. thursday night to arrive in our very chilly capital city at a decent hour. the trip was quick and uneventful, just how i like my cross-country treks. well, this trek was not technically cross-country, but we certainly were no longer in the south. we freshened up and joyously retrieved our suitcases from baggage claim. i say “joyously” because one year my bag was very much left in atlanta all on its lonesome. poor little guy! delta quickly delivered him to our door the next day, though, so all was well.
a $25 cab ride later, we were at the doorsteps of our humble abode for the weekend in chinatown. nathan had found a sweet townhome for our visit on vrbo, and with six bedrooms and three bathrooms, it was perfect for our large group.
we dragged our things up the stairs, in through the doors, and pleasantly found peter and shaun inside, greeting us with drinks and food. it was actually sarah’s birthday that day, so they surprised her with a dinosaur cake; how thoughtful! he was affectionately named barnabas and kept us company most of the time we were in town. the yellow cake was thickly topped with frosting so sweet that i almost had a stomachache afterwards. but! it was nothing a little adult beverage couldn’t remedy.
we enjoyed the rest of the night as we sipped on manhattans with one another. the fun was only beginning!
my garth & me!
the new year seems just around the corner, and with our resolutions come changes, and kelseyv.com shall not be left out of the fun! my regular readers will start seeing some improvements and new features over the next several weeks, and i want to first point out perhaps the most exciting one: a restaurant map! on the new restaurant wednesday page, you’ll find a map of the greater atlanta area with red stars of all the restaurants we have visited and reviewed. it should help you find the perfect place to dine no matter where you are!
as you begin, or continue, to explore kelseyv.com, please send kind recommendations my way. there’s always something bigger and better out there!
some of my plans fell through this evening (which seemed to be continuing the weekend trend…), so when clark got back home from auburn, i easily persuaded him to go try gypsy kitchen in the buckhead atlanta area for dinner. i love going out to eat with clark because he’s always up for it and is usually interested in trying a new place with me. gypsy kitchen had opened back in mid-october, and after driving by it nearly everyday and seeing it pop up on my facebook newsfeed, it was time we see what it is all about for ourselves.
***author’s note: since our visit last fall that prompted this post, la urbana has unfortunately closed its doors. do read on, though, to hear about how we enjoyed this local joint.
we brought nrw back this week and took it to the westside of town at la urbana, a spot that came highly recommended from my coworker batkinson. now, i already have my favorite mexican place in town at bone garden cantina, so i was looking to be impressed.
la urbana opened in march of this year, and considering their peripheric location, i’m sure they were thrilled to have nine people come in for dinner. their spot took over some pizza joint that used to be there a couple years back, and they’ve certainly made it their own. the large space isn’t too crammed with tables and chairs, and i think we were all comfortable at our tables that were pushed together.
so, check this out, mis amigos. last weekend our uncle craig was in atlanta before taking a whirlwind tour of the southeast for some client visits. we got to spend some fun time with him as we gave him the local tour of the city, and considering he had never been here, it was great getting to show him around town.
of the many fun things we got to do while he was here, one of them was grabbing brunch at sun in my belly before he had to hit the road for the carolinas. uncle craig is from the fair city of san pedro, california in southern los angeles, so we just couldn’t pass up the chance to show him how the south does food.
The Atypical Journey of your Typical Family of Six
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kelsey v 