I know some of you do and some of you don’t have kids. Let me go ahead and ruin the surprise for those of you that don’t and tell you that once you have kids, previously seemingly dull events become the stimulus for a date.
Por ejemplo, we’ve been trying to meet with our CPA for a while now, so when the appointment ended up falling on a Friday afternoon in Charlotte, my mind lit up with all the lights and sirens that signaled- DATE!
And date we did. We turned it into a Charlotte restaurant hop that began with a late lunch at Kindred in Davidson.
It’s pretty much my favorite restaurant ever (Bon Appetit agrees). I ordered the avocado lunch sandwich which had a ripe avocado on a milk bread bun with a fried egg, daikon radish and Australian pea shoots. Kale and cashew salad on the side.
Locals: if you’ve been wanting to try Kindred, I highly suggest a lunch date! Prices are reasonable ($10-12), food is incredible and if you have kids, they will bring out dough for them to play with.
After lunch we took off to our CPA meeting, where David and I both geeked out over discussing financial planning before making our way to Heist Brewery in Noda.
It was our first time there. I had heard good things, and boy did it live up to it– this place was awesome! It’s huge, the atmosphere is a blend of rustic and upscale and we wasted no time ordering a flight to share.
I would love to meet a group of friends here, but David and I had a pretty good time with just the two of us. We chatted and took notes as we watched the bartender made a “smokey Manhattan.” She lit wood chips on fire, then turned the glass upside down over it to trap the heavy smoke. After letting it sit for a bit, and allowing the smoke to create flavorful film on the glass, she poured the bourbon blend.
I will definitely be trying one next time!
We perused the menu and though there were many delicious-looking options, we finally chose the pork spring rolls.
The mustard seeds in it gave the tender meat a solid kick of flavor and spice and we devoured them in about 30 seconds.
We decided to start making our way north so we paid and took off, admiring the sky line on our way.
Our next stop was Primal Brewery in Huntersville. It was full and lively and again, we ordered a flight to share. I really liked the cozy atmosphere and wished we would have made it into the room with the couches and fireplace– next time!
Smokie Joe’s BBQ food truck was set up outside and we grabbed a sampler.
Both the buffalo chicken empanada and the pulled pork taco were really good, but the brisket sandwich stole the show! Mmm.
We were feeling adventurous at this point and decided to try out one more before heading home. I confused my restaurant names though so we unintentionally ended up at Cork and Cast in Cornelius. The drink selection was good, but the food was not. Given we only tried the chips and dip, but they were disappointing enough that we didn’t eat more than a couple bites and decided not to risk ordering anything else.
By this time it was really getting late… almost 9:00 maybe? #weareold
Still needing a little something more to eat, we ordered a Marco’s Pizza, then had a “pick the best jam” contest using David’s Spotify list. I’m pretty sure I won with my Uptown Girl selection, but David tried to clinch the win with Don’t Stop Believing.
Total cheat. You can’t use an overplayed classic no matter how incredible it is.
I maintain my victory.
True to form, we were in bed by 10:00, pretty much making it the perfect date day/night.
I really intended on mentioning my meal planning and prep in this post…
which included a fresh batch of these that Kaitlyn tried to devour, but this is a little longer than I anticipated so I’ll save it for another day.
For other Charlotte NC posts, click here.
And congrats to Tara M for winning the 80Fresh giveaway!
Anyone else have a date night this weekend?
What are your favorite places to hit up on a date night?
sherry says
That sounds like a wonderful Friday!! I’m sure you won with Uptown Girl–I’ve seen you with that one!
Lee says
That sounds really fun. Also, Marco’s pizza is surprisingly delicious.
Brittany Dixon says
Marco’s is really starting to grow on me! I was so hooked on Papa Murphy’s that it was taken so getting used to, but yes, it’s quite good!
Kate says
Lots of food and in bed at 10? Sounds like an awesome date to me! #kidswilldothattoyou
It’s funny, I live in beer-drinking county (Bavaria, Germany), but I haven’t been to a beer sampling ever. Maybe we should try that on our next date. It sure looks like fun. 🙂
Brittany Dixon says
Gosh I loved the biergartens in Germany when we visited– you definitely need to go to one! I’d love to make a trip back and if I do, I’ll drag you with me 🙂
Kate says
Great idea! We would have so much fun. Let me know when you get on the plane… 🙂
John J. says
Good to see David’s still got some of his brewski moves! Our Saturday date was UGA basketball win over Mississippi and a gyro and brew to celebrate.
P.S. Good choice with Uptown Girl!
Hilary says
That sounds like such a fun date night! I might have to suggest doing something like that for my next date!
Melissa @ Freeing Imperfections says
Breweries are my absolute favorite – with or without kids! I love that they bring play dough! My husband is a home brewer, so we hit ALL the breweries.
I’m really craving just going to a bar for a date since those are not exactly kid-friendly 😉
Brittany Dixon says
Love that your husband brews! David does too, but hasn’t in a while. Somehow we still have 3 n tap in the garage though!
Heather says
Love it! My ideal dates now usually revolve around good food and drinks and they typically start much earlier than pre-kids. There’s something to be said about dates that begin early in the day and end by 9:00. Then we still have time to throw on a show before calling it a night and waking up early with the kiddos the next day. 😉
Brittany Dixon says
Yes, exactly! We started a 30Rock replay but I was out before the end of it 😉
Sara @ Oats & Rows says
Heist has such great food! I have yet to venture up to the breweries more north of Charlotte. The only one I’ve been up to there is D9. I liked the environment inside the brewery, but it’s in the middle of an office park, which kinda threw me off. Great beer, though!
Glad you both had a lovely date!
Brittany Dixon says
Yes, we’ve been to D9 and on the way I remember thinking, this can’t be right… what a strange location! Cool spot though 🙂 Primal is a pretty good one to check out and AssClown is next on our list!
Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me says
My family used to frequent a restaurant when I was little that gave out dough to the kids and I LOVED it. I was so easily amused and I’d always ask if we could go there. I’ve not thought about that place in years, but it was a highlight of my childhood definitely! That burger looks incredible!
I didn’t have a date night this weekend, but I do have a lunch date today, and I’m really looking forward to it! 🙂 Hope you have an awesome Monday, Brittany!
Brittany Dixon says
Hope you have a wonderful lunch date! Lunch and breakfast dates are my favorite!
Alyssa @ renaissancerunnergirl says
Sounds like an awesome date afternoon/evening. Good food and the company of your best friend, what could be better?
Lauren @ Oh Hey! I Like That! says
What a fun day! We actually went to another friend’s house this weekend which is so rare for us, since usually people congregate at our place! It was great!
Natasha says
Your hair looks great!! So wavy and full looking 🙂 The food all looks so yummie. Your city skyline looks like you were here in Sandton 😉 Looks like you had lots of fun, date nights are so important, we get so caught up in daily life that we forget sometimes to just connect.
Looking forward to your meal prep post;-)
katie says
Lets talk about that purple cauliflower!!! The brewery date seems great, but I agree, day dates are pretty darn good!