The two week (and 1 day) countdown is on until my due date. Some days I’m feeling very anxious and I’m just ready already. However, I’m trying to heed people’s advice by enjoying the quiet and spending time with Hubbs, just the two of us. So Friday night we decided a date night was in order.
We wanted something new with delicious food and a friend mentioned a place in Davidson to us, Restaurant X.
The name doesn’t tell you much, right? But we were up for giving it a try!
Immediately I loved the cozy feel of the place.
And with the nice weather, we decided to sit outside and enjoy a leisurely meal.
And enjoy we did! Since Hubbs and I both like to try a lot of foods, we opted for two appetizers and an entree. But not without a beer first… not for me of course… but soon!
Hubbs loves his IPAs.
I got my kicks off the appetizer menu instead, opting for the shrimp spring rolls.
Usually I’m hesitant to order anything fried, but our friendly server explained to us that Restaurant X is a family owned restaurant, and the chef, Chris Phillips, is the owner. Also, that he takes great pride in his food – everything is made from scratch, he filets his own fish and makes all sauces to order. WOW.
I was so impressed and the spring rolls showed the pride he takes in his food. These were crunchy on the outside, and packed with flavor on the inside. The shrimp weren’t mushy, and the drizzle of sauces… oh so yummy!
Next up, calamari, which is cut by hand so there are no tentacles- YAY! Those always freak me out. And the aoili it was served with I could have eaten with a spoon. We asked for another portion of it because it was that great.
Hubbs loves brisket, so we decided to split it as an entree. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to a restaurant where everything I ate was truly delicious, but everything we had was amazing! The vegetables were crisp, the mashed potatoes flavorful, and the brisket and sauce had a slight sweet flavor which made our mouths happy!
I just love when I find a new spot with incredible food. Plus, I hate chain restaurants, so I always want to support locally owned restaurants… especially when their food is amazing!
I spent the rest of the weekend playing in the kitchen and eating… might I recommend the following:
Holy Deliciousness Hummus from Caitlin. It has GOAT CHEESE in it and makes an incredible dip or sandwich spread!
Zucchini Bread. I won’t kid myself- the only healthy things about this recipe is the shredded zucchini, but this bread is a crowd pleaser! A bit crumbly on top and seriously delicious!
Oven Fried Ranch Chicken. It is perfect for kids, husbands, boyfriends, picky eaters, etc. Who doesn’t love chicken fingers?
Whew- long post for a Monday, but this weekend’s food was worth sharing!
I’m curious..
Do you like chain restaurants?
If so, which one is your favorite?
Or do you try to support smaller, local spots?
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
Calamari tenticles freak me out too! How can something that tastes so good look that digusting?
I’m glad to see that you’re relishing the chance to enjoy the quiet times with just you & your huband before your little one arrives! I’ve loved reading all about your pregnancy and think you’ll make a fantastic momma!
I haven’t been to Restaurant X in way too long, thanks for reminding me how tasty it is! Putting it on the list to revisit soon.
We like supporting local restaurants as much as possible, but the local Italian restaurant is pretty pricy, so our favorite chain to visit is definitely Carrabba’s! Delish!
Oh Carrabba’s… I haven’t been there in forever, but I won’t lie- their bread and oil dipping mix does have a place in my heart!
Looks like a fab weekend! I’d be anxious too waiting for the little one to arrive
I try to support local restaurants if I can, but I try not to go out to eat all too often. Sometimes I forget about all of the local places though when we do decide to eat out!
What a great restaurant! I am usually hesitant about fried food, too…but isn’t it nice to be surprised?
I think I’m going to have to investigate that hummus recipe…
I don’t like chain restaurants at all but unfortunately, they make up about 90% of Dothan’s restaurants which is why I usually cook. If I had to choose my fav here – it would be La Parilla Mexican Grille. TGI Fridays, Applebees, Long Horn, Chili’s —-> No thanks
. Hummus and the zuc bread look delicious!!!!!!!
Let the countdown begin!
I wish we lived in a place where we could only eat at local restaurants. Unfortunately, Jacksonville, FL is also made up of about 90% big chain restaurants. The result is positive however, as we wind up being almost “regulars” at the local spots we love. And we always seek out the local gems when we travel. I also spent yesterday playing in the kitchen and the result was your AMAZING pesto shrimp pasta recipe. SO good. Think it’ll show up on our menu this week until the pesto runs out!!!
Oh I’m so glad you liked the shrimp pesto- so delish in summer!
I love Jacksonville- what a fun place to live! In college we went every year for the UGA/UF game… oh memories
I’m not really a fan of chain restaurants. I guess the one I’ve gone to the most would be Chevy’s.
Looks like you had a great weekend!
We have lots of local restaurant here so it’s easy to avoid them.
I’m glad you and your hubby were able to enjoy a nice date night! The food looks incredible, and how nice to hear that the owner takes such pride in his food.
That sounds like a lovely evening out. I prefer local spots, but every once in a while I just “need” an Olive Garden soup/salad/breadsticks or a Texas Roadhouse steak/sweet potato meal.
Those rolls and the brisket looks so amazing! I love mashed potatoes when they are covered in sauce!
I frequent a couple of chains (Chipotle, Le Boulanger, In and Out), but on vacations we have a rule to not eat chain food – at all. So far it has paid off and we’ve found some great food.
In a perfect world, I would be surrounded by affordable local restaurants but in all reality, there’s a lot of chains around here so I do end up eating at them. Favorites = Carrabba’s and Noodles and Co.
There is a great irish pub/restaurant in town that I love. They make delicious corned beef boxty’s. And, I love the Polish restaurants in Hamtramck which is a big polish community nearby. Let your countdown begin! I’m due Oct 1st and yesterday, a friend mentioned that I could technically still be pregnant by Oct 14. Eeek!
It isn’t nice when people remind you that you could go PAST your due date, is it?!
Someone mentioned that to me at a cookout this weekend and it hit me like a ton of bricks… no way I’ll still be pregnant after Sept 6, right?!
You’re in the final countdown, too- so exciting!
I just tried a new-to-me small restaurant that’s thisclose to my house and LOVED it. Small, local places are my favorite!
The tentacles are my husband’s favorite part of calamari. They freak me out too, though so I let him have them all. Hahaha
I love going to restaurants and truly enjoying my meal. I am equally upset when restaurant food is not good or not what I wanted! I like chain restaurants, my favorite is probably Maggiano’s, but I am partial to Italian food
I like the idea of 2 apps + 1 entree – making a mental note of that!
Nice.
I like to support local businesses, and when you can find a great chef, that’s a real treat!
Looks like a fun weekend! My husband loves IPA too. When I was pregnant, I would always order dessert when he was drinking beer–just to make myself feel better
I like to hit up the local restaurants that serve ethnic foods like thai, indian and middle eastern, sushi- I am always looking on yelp for the new place to try! I don’t really eat out for casual “American food” because I could probably make it myself- unless it was a gourmet place like where you went!
p.s.: I went four days past due date- I had NO braxton hicks at all my entire pregnancy, I was induced due to low fluid (I noticed less movement) She just had her first birthday this past saturday =) good luck to you and your husband during the first year and beyond
I kept thinking about you all weekend wondering if you were still pregnant! I love that you two are just trying to enjoy quiet time together. That’s such a great idea; remind me to do that in a few months
And I’ve been looking for “the best” zucchini bread recipe for awhile, so I’ll need to try yours out!
Tentacles are my fav part of calamari! Thankfully most people don’t like them, more for me! In the area I live in (East Hampton, Long Island) they don’t allow chair resturants. I didn’t grow up here but my boyfriend did and its so funny (awesome) to me that he grew up 40 mins from the nearest fast food joint! Its a big vacation/seasonal spot and there’s a big focus on preservation and local industries (farming, seafood) so its awesome. The resturants can get pricey in the summer time but winter they have great deals. I do go to chains occasionally when I’m traveling, rushed or not near home. I love supporting local places where I know where my foods come from, or even who caught it haha. It tastes so much better don’t you think?
Your meal looks amazing, you’ve inspired me to plan a date night this week!
Haha I wrote chair instead of chain lol oops pregnancy brain at it again
The food looks good! I do like chain restaurants. Some of my favorites are On the Border, Chipotle, PF Changs, The Cheesecake Factory, and Panera. And before I list 100, I’ll stop.
Not exactly a fan of the chain….although, I do go for lunch out at Chickfila! I typically love all of the smaller, local restaurants and lucky for us UGA peeps, Athens has a ton of amazing places to eat!
HI Brittany, looks like a great pre-baby dinner! Hope you have a few more quiet days before Baby D arrives!
I generally like chain restaurants because I know that if I find something I really like I can order it at any location. A few of my favorites are The Loop, Panera Bread, and Firebird’s. But there are also a few local restaurants here in RDU that I just L-O-V-E…Foster’s Market and Vivace’s. Thanks for sharing your yummy meal and some great recipes!
Both! I’m all about the local places but sometimes a good ole chain fits the occasion.
We are going to have to try Restaurant X. It looks wonderful!
gosh – I can’t wait to check your blog one day and see a picture of your sweet baby! Every day I go to read your post I think, ‘Today is going to be the day’ so I can’t imagine the excitement and anticipation YOU must be feeling!
Hummus with goat cheese sounds unreal! Can’t wait to try that! And I’m definitely more of a local restaurant kind of girl! But my number one choice is usually my own kitchen!
I hate chains. I only choose locally owned/independent. Luckily for me, I live in MPLS and there are an abundance of indie places!
15 days- wow! So so exciting
Eek I can’t handle the tentacles on calamari either. It creeps me out! Restaurant X looks so good- I love going to local restaurants. I can take or leave chains, though I do love me some Chipotle!
Looks like a great time you and hubby had together.
Thanks for all the recipes
Thanks for the recipes. I’m definitely going to make that hummus today!
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