Hello everyone! It seems you all are excited about the giveaway. I am too! The giveaway ends June 19th so if you haven’t entered remember to check it out right over here: “Must Have Been Something I Ate” by Peggy K Giveaway! Oh, and remember that recap I mentioned earlier? Well, it’s about time I share it before it becomes archival.
- I invited some of my closest friends to one of my favorite restaurants in Richmond.
It was one of my friend’s first time eating Indian food so I knew I had to take her to my favorite Indian restaurant ever. They have this incredible buffet that is constantly changing daily. If you’re trying Indian food I’d say going to a buffet is the way to go because there are so many different flavors that it’s hard to simplify and describe when someone asks “what does it taste like?”
- We went on a Monday night so we could enjoy their dinner buffet + UNLIMITED MANGO LASSI!
They were my favorite before the unlimited mango lassi, but now that they have this deal… they are definitely at the top of my list! My friends and I got refills, and sometimes it’d take awhile because they were making another batch in the kitchen. Fresh mango lassi of course.
- M’mm I love Indian food.
Sadly, they didn’t have my absolute favorite dish out on the buffet spread, but the owner told me that if I call beforehand and tell them what I want they can make it and add it to the buffet. My favorite dish is their paneer pasanda which is “fresh homemade cheese cubes cooked in a creamy mango sauce with almonds and raisins.” Not what you usually find on an Indian restaurant’s menu, and that’s one of the things I love about this place. Great food, great service, and so many unique dishes. We all left with happy bellies, and surprisingly we didn’t feel like giant beach balls that could just roll away.
- Things at my place were more simple–almond butter and apricot jam on sourdough.
I had found this interesting recipe on CHOW’s website. That’s where I usually find interesting ideas for things like grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Dinner to go!
I roasted a Japanese sweet potato, and sautéed it with beets, spinach, and a splash of balsamic. Then I topped it with a cannellini bean puree and goat’s cheese.
- We made sure to see each other before I left Richmond, but we’ll be seeing each other again. I know it!
Who knows where!
- My other dear friend wanted to take me out to lunch to “a place I’ll miss”
Hmm.. I had already gone to India K’raja and Cafe Gutenberg, but then I remembered one of my other favorite places! I usually come to Balliceaux to hang out or for dinner. It was interesting to go there for lunch, but I knew they’d still have their great and seasonally-changing menu.
- Contemplating what to order.
- First, we got the mezze platter as an appetizer.
- It came with edamame hummus, tabbouleh, marinated market vegetables, chickpea salad, and grilled pita.
Everything was deliciously fresh and flavorful! The marinated market vegetables were jicama, green beans, and something else I can’t remember. The tabbouleh was the best I ever had and very unique. The edamame was alive with flavor, and the chickpea salad… gosh I just want to remake it all! All together with warm grilled pita bread–yum!
- I ordered the heirloom veggie burger made with beans, seeds, and grains, served with tomato and garlic mayo.
I also got a side of greens aka super spicy vegan southern style collard greens. There was something in those spicy greens that just made me want more despite the runny nose.
- My friend got the falafel flat bread wrap: roasted eggplant, lettuce, tomato, garlicky tahini, pickled onion and carrot.
He was so thoughtful to get the roasted eggplant on the side since I’m allergic. We ended up splitting our meals in half so we could each try the deliciousness!
- At the end of our meal I was sad to say bye bye to Balliceaux.
- Later that day I went to a potluck, which was Indian themed and someone brought mango lassi!
- My last week in Richmond also involved packing of course.
- Which resulted in a stuffed minivan rental!
- Passing through Georgia we stopped to pick up some peaches.
These peaches are so juicy that you can eat them over the glass and have peach juice leftover~
- We also stopped at a gas station and it happened to have this place called Fresh.
They gave us a sample of their avocado dream smoothie: avocado, banana, coconut cream soymilk, and yogurt. I was honestly surprised that there was a menu like this at a gas station. Usually stopping at a gas station means it’s potty break time and nothing else. But this time it also meant “get some dinner time”.
- And it was tasty!
- I got their Apple Harvest Chick’n Salad, which used Gardein.
The salad was very ‘meh’, but better than dipping cold toast into a tub of hummus. I also realized that albeit this is a salad, the volume kept me fuller longer. I don’t know why but my stomach is hard to satisfy on road trips. It’s definitely not out of boredom either because my stomach starts growling. Anyone else get super hungry on car trips?
- When I got back from my long road trip I went to the kitchen and discovered a new flavor combination.
In fact, I had it for breakfast the very next day! The delicious and satisfying combination is mission figs, fresh blueberries, and peanut butter. You’ve got the density and sweetness from the fig, tart blueberries, and slightly salt and very nutty peanut butter.
Ah it feels good to be back in Florida. I miss my friends up in Richmond, and after years of living there… well my life was up there. But I’ve been the kind of person who’s been to a lot of different places and I don’t feel like I’m tied down by “what I’m use to”. Because I can get use to anything! Except for things like violence, rudeness, constant stress, and negative things like that. And the true friends that I make will always be a part of my life in some way or another. I believe that me and my friends are connected by our souls and not by our location. There are many things on my plate right now, and that part is making my head spin a little. I just need to talk about my plans outside of my head more so that I can get some insight and clarity on what I want.
And once again don’t forget to enter my “Must Have Been Something I Ate” by Peggy K Giveaway!
