Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Tropical Grille

I recently tried out Tropical Grille (formerly Tropical Chicken Grill) for the first time.  T has been raving about this place for months, but their only location was 25 minutes away from my office; too far to pop over on my lunch break.  They have just opened two more locations closer to me, one on Woodruff Road, and one near the intersection of E. North Street and Pelham Road.

Tropical Grille is a Cuban restaurant popular for their Chops;  a protein of your choice chopped up and served over vegetables and rice.  I wasn't quite sure what I wanted, so I opted for The Classic, grilled chicken breast served over yellow saffron rice.   I feel like you can never go wrong with a menu item called "The Classic", and this dish did not prove me wrong.  What really makes the meal is the sauce that you put on top of everything.  I tried two different sauces that I loved. The first one was a cilantro garlic cream sauce, and  the second was a yellow curry sauce.  Both were packed with flavor and were a perfect compliment to the chicken and rice.   If you try the garlic cilantro, make sure you've got some gum or mints on hand.  You'll be breathing garlic for the next several hours.   


When I go to a restaurant for the first time, I can't just order one thing.  I think I may have a slight problem.  I feel this urge to order several menu items to really get a taste of what the restaurant has to offer. Luckily, Tropical Grille's prices were so reasonable that I ordered two things without breaking the bank.  I opted for the Baked Sweet Plantains, because at $1.79 who could resist?



The plantains (which look more like chicken wings in the picture above) were not that great.  The best ones I've ever had were in Puerto Rico, and since then I've been trying to find a good place to get them in the States.  They weren't sweet enough for my taste, and were a little too chewy.  If you are looking for good plantains in Greenville, check out Sacha's.  In my opinion, they're the best in town.

Although the plantains weren't my jam, the Chop was amazing.  Nothing about the dish is greasy either.  The chicken was cooked to order, and was all white meat.  And the fluffy rice isn't doused in butter or cooked with tons of oil.  The sauces that I tried both seemed to be cream-based, but they're so flavorful that a little goes a long way.  I left the table feeling comfortably full, but not disgustingly stuffed.

I've been trying to figure out a way to get back to Tropical Grille ever since I left.  If all goes to plan, I may be scheming T into picking up some to go for dinner tonight.  Wish me luck.

Tropical Chicken Grill on Urbanspoon

 

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Weekend Recap

I hope y'all had a wonderful long Memorial Day weekend!  T and I spent our weekend at Lake Wateree visiting my parents. The weather was great, and we had such a great time out in the sun.  I think I finally have the beginnings of a summertime tan. 


Apparently I have become one of those dog owners that lets their dog lick them in the face.  Never thought I'd see the day, and I'm not quite sure what to think of this. 


Saturday afternoon we got a special visit from this sweet thing, my niece Camille.  April and Ian came down from Charlotte for a few hours with baby Millie.  I know I may be a bit biased, but isn't she just the most beautiful baby?  I loved getting to hold her again; there's nothing like it.


I hope everyone had a fun and safe weekend as well.  Thank goodness it's already Tuesday!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Life Lately

Its been pretty hectic around these parts recently- there's been a lot going on in our lives!  On Wednesday evening we welcomed my sweet niece, Camille Elizabeth, into this world.  I'm so in love with her, and I'm already scheming how I can see her again soon. 

I loved being a part of April's labor and delivery. It was such a special day with such an amazing ending to it all: holding this sweet thing in my arms. 



I took it as my task as Aunt to document the entire day; snapping pictures at every moment. I was afraid April may yell at me while my loud camera was clicking through her toughest contractions, but I knew she'd want every moment documented.   Having these pictures will hopefully make it easier to remember every minute of this incredible experience. 

I'll let April do the honors of sharing all of the other pictures with you, but I had to give a sneak peak of two of my favorites. Check out April's blog here, I'm sure she'll be posting Millie's birth story soon. 


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Brewery 85

T and I recently tried out Brewery 85 for the first time. We've enjoyed drinking their beers at various bars around town, but we were really looking forward to going to the actual brewery and hanging out. T's family was in town, and it was the perfect mid-afternoon activity for the six of us.

We went on a chilly rainy day, so unfortunately sitting in their outdoor area was not an option.  There's not much seating inside, but luckily we were able to snag the one indoor table that they had.  All of the beer that we tried was very tasty, and packed with flavor and hops.  The three beers they have aren't for the faint of heart. If you're strictly a pilsner/ hefeweizen drinker, their current beer offerings probably aren't going to be your jam.  However, they are in the process of brewing a Weizen, and it will be out on May 17th.





I think I would have been happier with Brewery 85 had we gone on a warm sunny day.  The inside just doesn't have enough seating, and there's a lot of wasted space.  We do have plans to return, try out the Weizen, and check out their beer garden out back.  The brewery boasts a huge beer garden overlooking their orchard where live music will perform. 

This week, May 12-18, is American Craft Beer Week.  In observance of this week, Brewery 85 will be hosting Wheatfest 2014 where they'll christen the new outdoor space and debut their newest brew.

Brewery 85 on Urbanspoon
 

Monday, May 12, 2014

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday everyone! I cannot believe the weekend is already over.   I feel like we did so much in just two and a half days!  Friday night we went to a Greenville Drive baseball game (our local Red Sox affiliate team) to celebrate a friend's birthday. Saturday morning T and I got up early and ran errands, and that evening we headed to a wedding shower for two of our good friends. We then went straight to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena for the Brantley Gilbert concert.  T won tickets at work, and it just so happened that T's sister and her husband were planning on coming up from Columbia for that concert as well.  It was so great getting to spend time with them this weekend.  



Sunday morning we headed to Columbia to go out to lunch with T's mom and dad, and then proceeded to take a mini photo shoot outside of the restaurant.   Thankfully the guys were good sports about it; I just can't ever resist a good photo op!




 I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend happy Mother's Day to all the moms!


Friday, May 9, 2014

Five On Friday

Happy Friday! Today I'm linking up with April, Darci, Natasha, and Christina for the Five on Friday linkup.  Here are my five for this week:

{one.} First and foremost the one thing that is getting me absolutely giddy on this Friday is the impending arrival of my sweet niece.  My sister April was due on Monday, and her baby girl is taking her sweet time making her debut into this world.  I just want to hold that baby in my arms!  Hoping that today or tomorrow may just be the day.  Here's a picture that came up on my Timehop today from six years ago.  It's hard to believe that April was my age in this picture, and now she's about to have a baby!


{two.} Earlier this week T and I took a stab at grilling our pizza, and it was so much easier than I anticipated.  We used these directions, and it turned out so well.  The grill gave the crust that wood-fired taste and the texture of the crust was better than any baked crust I've ever made. It was soft and airy on the inside, but crispy on the outside, just like a good Italian bread. I still need to work on the presentation of the pizza though, it looks rather sloppy in this picture.


{three.} If you live in Greenville or the Upstate area, you've probably heard of Artisphere.  It's a three day arts festival featuring visual, performing and culinary arts, and it's this weekend.   I'm embarrassed to say that I've actually never been.  Since we've been in Greenville, we've always had something planned for that weekend.  I've heard so many wonderful things about the festival, so I'm excited that I get to see what its all about tonight, provided I'm not in Charlotte awaiting the arrival of April's bebe.

{four.} T and I usually aren't big concert goers, we'd usually rather spend that money on a nice dinner out and a fun trip to Home Depot.  A few weeks ago we won tickets through T's work for the Brantley Gilbert concert.  I honestly cannot remember the last concert that I attended, so I'm really excited for it. 

{five.} I tried out Murasaki for lunch the other day, and their lunch special is unbeatable.   You get  your choice of soup or salad, one 8 piece roll, and three pieces of nigiri all for $8.00.  Murasaki is our favorite sushi restaurant for dinner, but it's not cheap.  Now that I know their lunch special is so reasonable, I think I'm going to be coming back mid-day more often!


Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Weekend Recap

I decided to take Friday off last week, so my weekend started a day early. Thursday evening T and I headed to the Peace Center to see a concert.  My company has a yearly conference called Food For Thought, and every year they end the conference with a big concert at our performing arts center downtown.  This year they brought in Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, and the show was awesome.  If you haven't heard their music, you need to look them up.  They've got an awesome sound, and seeing them live made me love them even more.


Friday afternoon, T and I headed down to Lake Wateree to spend the weekend with my parents.  We're on serious baby watch right now for my sister April, and we decided to go to Columbia so that we could be closer to Charlotte just in case we got the call. (If you read April's blog, you know that we never got a call,  that baby is still in April's belly!)

Saturday afternoon was spent on the boat, cruising around the lake.   The weather was absolutely perfect.  It felt so good to be in a bathing suit soaking up the sun.  Oh, and sipping on our margaritas wasn't too shabby either.


We decided to take George along for the ride, and he absolutely loved it.  He spent the majority of the cruise on the bow of the boat with this paws up on the rail and the wind blowing his ears all around. 


We even managed to get him in the water, where his water dog genes really shined.  Those big puppy paws and webbed feet went to work as soon as we got him deep enough in the water; he was truly in his element.


We had such a great time at the lake and spending time with my parents.   We haven't had many weekends that were spent relaxing outside in the warm sunshine, and this weekend was exactly what I needed.



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