We shared plates of Buffalo Cauliflower tacos (cauliflower, hot sauce, slaw, feta, and scallions) and Lobster Tacos (honey truffle butter, poached lobster, sherried wild mushrooms, and fresh herb salad). The cauliflower taco was our favorite and a recipe that I'll definitely be recreating.
Saturday's are my favorite weekend day and today included all of my favorite things. Sleeping in, a morning bike/run brick, a caramel latte from Not Just Coffee, and a trip to the farmer's market.
Look who else came to partake in girls' weekend?! Bailey enjoyed a fun morning hanging out with us and partaking in all of the festivities.
We made our way to Ballantyne to do a bit of shopping this afternoon. I've heard many compliments of the Xenia Hospitality Group restaurants (Nolen Kitchen, Maverick's Rock Taco) and chose to try another of their locations, Ilios Noche, for dinner.
For an appetizer we shared a platter of their four housemade dips:
- Roasted Eggplant ‘Melitzanosalata’ - toasted walnuts, red onion, mint
- Cucumber Yogurt 'Tzatziki' - imported goat's milk yogurt, garlic, dill
- Roasted Red Pepper 'Htipiti' - barrel-aged feta, chili pepper, arequina olive oil
- Hummus 'Revithiasalta' - crushed chickpeas, roasted garlic, capers
The roasted eggplant stole the show, but the roasted red pepper came in a close second. Being the carb-loving ladies that we are, we devoured all of the pita and nearly all of the dips.
I was completely undecided with my entree, but ultimately selected a traditional Greek specialty - Moussaka. I would best describe it as a Greek lasagna, with layers of potato, eggplant, lamb bolognese, and cream souffle. The meal itself was quite unlike the food I would typically order, but I really enjoyed the heartiness and creamy combination of flavors. It was a huge serving and left me with a hearty portion for another meal.
Girls' weekend continues tomorrow at the Ramblin' Rose Triathlon in Rock Hill. I'm a blog ambassador for the event and have enjoyed spreading the news about the beginner-friendly women's triathlon tour. After exchanging many emails, I finally met Caitlin from Healthy Tipping Point in person.
Tomorrow's race is a very short one - 225 yard swim, 8 mile bike, and 2 mile run. Some say short and sweet, but the reality is shorter = more painful. It's going to be an all out sprint for this non-sprint-loving girl!
An early morning race calls for an early bedtime. Bailey has already called it quits for the night and it's time that I head to bed as well!
All of that food looks delicious! I haven't had Tzatziki since I moved to the Midwest from the West coast in September. I need to change that!
ReplyDeleteBailey is adorable!
My favorite use of tzatziki is on a pita filled with falafel and veggies. If you're ever in NYC, you'd love a falafel pita filled with tzatziki at Taim.
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