Stone Cove's Kit Bar

It was Friday night. I was in the mood to relax and be at the beach. Since I couldn't be at the beach at that moment, I decided we needed a proper date night at a restaurant that made it feel like we were at the beach. So we decided on Stone Cove's Kit Bar in Herndon. It doesn't have a particularly be achy feel but its not a restaurant we go to very often and it is the type of restaurant we might look for when we're on vacation at the beach. The weather was nice and balmy so it was as close to being on vacation at the beach as we were gonna get that night. I'll take it.

This is a fairly unique kind of restaurant as almost all the seating is bar seating.  There are a couple booth off the side but you really want to be at the huge long bar that takes up the entire center of the restaurant. If you just have a party of 2, you can easily get two regular barstools. If you have a party of 3 or 4 there are a few small bar tables built into the bar itself, as well as a few other regular bar tables surrounding it so no matter where you sit you still have that "bar feel".

Their food menu is fairly small but everything is pretty tasty and filling. While they do offer a few entrees, the main event is flatbreads and small plates. They have quite a few seafood offerings, which we were sort of avoiding. As much as we love seafood, we're waiting to see if hubby might have developed a seafood allergy. Yikes! *Fingers crossed* he doesn't… But there are plenty of non-seafood items as well.

lobster cones from previous visit

also previous visit...crab lettuce wraps in the making

crab lettuce wrap about to be eaten

Pet peeve moment: All small plates are meant for sharing, no matter what restaurant you're in. If you don't like sharing, you shouldn't be ordering small plates. Its kinda annoying when you take someone out to eat for small plates and they hoard their small plates all to themselves and don't even offer to share!…okay pet peeve rant over.

I don't think these are on the menu anymore and I'm not even sure I remember what they are but I know they were yummy!

previous visit: ahi tuna sashimi

Anywho…we began with a Mackinac Flatbread…definitely enough for at least two people. It is topped with bacon, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheddar cheese, and your choice of steak, chicken or shrimp (we chose steak) and drizzled with a jalpeno mayo sauce. As if all those flavors aren't delicious enough on their own but combined it was euphoric. They cook all their flatbreads in a big stone oven in the middle of the open kitchen that sits in the middle of the bar. What I like most about their flatbreads is they cook the meat separately and add it to the top after they take the flatbread out of the oven. Most of the time, its added before it goes in the oven and it ends up overcooked and chewy. This steak however was medium rare, as requested, and perfectly seasoned. Almost as good as if we had ordered just a steak at a high-end restaurant.

Then we decided to split a sandwich…the Bayou Quarter French Dip.  A toasted ciabatta bread with sliced prime rib that was super juicy and tender, you almost didn't need the au jus…almost! Along with the au jus it was also served with jalepeno mayo for dipping as well. And a bag of chips! While a french dip sandwich is not usually my favorite, I have to say I would most definitely order it again from here!

sometimes I get so hungry and into eating that I forget to take pictures...

If you decide you want to check this place out, make sure you save room for their flatbread s'mores!!

previous visit: we took these home, still yummy hours later!

BrB

BrB…what does it mean? Be right back. Better read Bible. Beach ready babe.

Actually in this case, it means Be Right Burger. Its a littler burger joint on the corner in Reston Town Center. They serve made-to-order burgers, sandwiches, and frozen custard treats. They have a few specials that they've already created for you or you can create your own burger. They also offer veggie burgers and turkey burgers for healthier options and a variety of interesting toppings. Nothing they offer is particularly earth-shattering or unique but all tasty in the right combination.

Hubby took me here on an impromptu lunch date one Friday afternoon. The weather was gorgeous so it was perfect day for lunch outside on the patio. I went for the California burger…topped with guacamole and a chipotle aioli plus traditional lettuce and tomato. A little heavy on the sauce but I'm definitely a sauce girl so I didn't mind too much.

Hubby went for the Wild West burger, topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, and bbq sauce, lettuce and tomato. A little smoky, a little sweet. Yumma! The burgers themselves, while I've had better, much better (i.e. Melt and Five Guys…my two favorite burgers ever), these had a nice char-grilled flavor to them. And the fries that were served with them, while again I've had better, I did like that they had a crispy coating and were dusted with garlic powder.

All in all, it turned out to be a deliciously lovely lunch date!

Lulu's Cafe and Donuts

We had some very nice weather in Myrtle, still warm but not hot with the perfect breeze! We decided to take advantage of this gorgeous weather and do some outdoor activities we wouldn't normally get to do because it would normally be too hot. One thing I'd been wanting to do for the last several years is visit Brookgreen Gardens.  It is a lovely place with sculpture and botanical gardens, as well as a wildlife preserve. It is a combination of art, history, and a zoo!

Before we headed to the gardens, we needed breakfast! Lulu's Cafe is one of our standby's we like to visit in Myrtle.  We had recently heard they were opening their own donut shop separate from the restaurant. But when we located the donut shop, it was closed! Unfortunately they were closed because they were about to move to a different location. That meant no Lulu donuts for us.  :(  But we did get a chance to meet Lulu, herself. Very cute and friendly lady! She reassured us that Lulu's Donuts weren't going anywhere, they just needed time to find a better location. I hope she has good luck with that so we can try their delicious donuts next year!

So we headed to their cafe instead.  Lulu's has the perfect mix of Southern cuisine and 1950s diner. We split a meal...two fried eggs on a biscuit with bacon and sausage gravy with grits on the side.  Biscuits and gravy is one of my favorite breakfasts! And this place does it right. Simple, but delicious. Complete with a glass of fresh orange juice and a good cup of hot coffee.

It was so good, in fact, that we went there again later in the week. This time hubby got a stack of hot pancakes.  Delicious, sweet, and fluffy!

I had two eggs over-easy (one of my new favorite ways to eat eggs when I'm out. I haven't quite learned how to make them at home though so I usually eat scrambled. Boring, I know, but easy to cook without messing up) and a side of corned beef hash.  I love corned beef hash because its kinda salty, a little meaty, and the perfect side dish for mixing with the runny egg yolk. It also reminds me of my childhood, when my dad would take me camping. After spending the night in the tent, we'd wake up in the morning and crank up the camp stove and heat up some corned beef hash and bacon!

Even Pablo loved it! He gave Lulu's 3.5 ants!

Croissants Bistro...not so much

For the last several years, one of our favorite breakfast places to visit in Myrtle has been Croissants Bistro & Bakery.  We're not fans of the typical tourist breakfast buffets or low budget chain restaurants, like those that offer 3 kinds of toppings for pancakes and think they can call them "international"(ouch, yes I went there).  We like to search for places that are a little more unique with local flavor.  Those kind of places are sometimes hard to find in an area like Myrtle that thrives on tourism. So when we discovered Croissants, we thought we had found a gem. But something changed this year.

In the past we've always had a great experience at Croissants...great food, high end brunch offerings, attentive service, the perfect breakfast for our first full day at the beach.  This year, however, when we went to Croissants, there was one disappointment after another. We arrived and discovered we were there about 10 minutes before they were supposed to open at 10am (which is kinda late for breakfast) so we drove around the block, came back around 10:05, and the restaurant was already packed out! Clearly we missed something. Ok fine,whatever, we get our table...and then we wait.

Past visit...beautifully plated omelet with hashbrowns and fruit

Past visit...Eggs benedict with steak

Past visit...side of candied bacon

It became clear to us that they were short-staffed and struggling to keep up with the demands of the diners.  How they could be short-staffed on a Sunday morning knowing they would be busy is beyond me but I can sort of forgive that (ya know, stuff happens) if the food is good and the service is compensatory. However, we received neither good food or good service.

Our meal began with complimentary raspberry mini-muffins.  Tasty and cute; a good start. (And that's about where the positivity ended). We, then received our menus, which were different because one of them ended up being out-dated.  And of course, the outdated menu is the one we wanted to order both of our meals from and those meals were no longer offered on their current menu.  Ok back to the drawing board or what to order.

Then it took forever for our food to come and there was no apology or explanation as to why the food was so late.  When the food did finally arrive, it was all way over-cooked.  Edgar ordered eggs benedict with hashbrown casserole.  The eggs were not runny at all. In fact they were on their way to being hard-boiled.  The hollandaise sauce had little to no flavor at all, except that of bland unsalted melted butter. And he had to specially request bacon as a side instead of the country ham that came with it. Country ham was offered with almost every dish while bacon was a scarce commodity.

doesn't look too bad on the surface...

and theres the almost-hard-boiled center

I ordered the quiche du jour...a chorizo quiche with grits on the side. The quiche wasn't bad but I've had better for less money (I've made better for less money) and the top was almost burnt. The grits tasted more like cream of wheat, very mushy and a lot sweeter than grits.  I like cream of wheat but when I order grits, I want grits.

the "grits" look more like mashed potatoes (which I love but again, thats not what I ordered)

The part that was most disappointing was that there were several other small changes we noticed that made us realize that it wasn't just an off day in the kitchen. It was clear they had changed their menu and the focus of the restaurant to better appeal to the masses of cheap buffet-going families that travel to Myrtle as tourists. They now covered their pristine white linen tablecloths with craft paper and provided crayons for the children to color on it. The menu items we used to love were either No-more or were altered, and the entire menu was dumbed down and included items that didn’t even make sense for a typical brunch menu. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to family restaurants with craft paper and crayons, they have their place, but there are plenty of those around already.  

Croissants used to be a nice place for adults to go and enjoy a quiet brunch of quality up-scale food and perhaps a fancy juice or coffee before a day of lounging on the beach. Overall there were a lot of little disappointments here that added up to a big failure. They have allowed themselves to be taken over and sold out.  Sadly, I doubt we will return.

Even Pablo gave Croissants only 1 ant (and that was only for the mini-muffins).

Charleston Crepes and Farmer's Market

Our last day in Charleston, we were afforded a unique opportunity.  In the square right across the street from our hotel, the Charleston Farmers' Market was setting up bright and early that morning. Apparently its one of the largest farmers markets in the state of South Carolina. We have a few pretty nice farmers markets up here in Northern Virginia but even ours seem like small potatoes compared to this one.

the view of the market from our hotel room

Pablo is ready for breakfast

First of all, its huge. Not only in size and number of vendors and farmers, but in variety of things offered. There are over 100 vendors comprised of farmers, bakers, artisans (both in food and craft), restaurant/food truck vendors, and even performers.

We decided this would be the place for breakfast.  But what to choose from?  Pablo helped us choose the Charleston Crepe Company. Hubby opted for a savory one and I got a sweet one.

Savory: potatoes, bacon, cheese, onions...

Sweet: nutella, strawberries, powdered sugar... I think Pablo favored the sweet one!

Both were super delicious, hot and tasty! And the staff was friendly and quick-serving! A perfect start to the day!

pony rides

Pablo met an otter friend

Aside from all the yummy food and fresh vegetables, there was a wide variety of artisans from glassware to baskets to pet products to jewelry and much more.

There was a young girl playing violin and a tumbling dance crew. It was quite exciting!

And as an after-breakfast snack, we had a fresh, home-made popsicle...great healthy breakfast right? Hey, at least there was some fruit in there! Blackberry mojito flavored!!