Market Burger

Last weekend we went out to the country to get our Christmas tree as is our annual tradition. I have always had a real tree growing up. To me, its just not the same with a fake tree. Though when we moved into our current house, the previous owners left us a fake tree in the garage. Its not the prettiest thing but it does the trick for decorating the basement. I'm one of those people who likes having a little touch of Christmas in every room of the house whenever possible. I have our real, main tree in the library (always decorated with white lights and a different theme each year), the fake tree in the basement (decorated with colored lights and whatever favorite ornaments I want), and I even have a tiny white tabletop tree decorated with tiny glass balls in the main bathroom!! My husband refuses to let me put any Christmas decorations in the bedroom though...

Pablo gives his approval on the tree!

timber!!

my man lugging the tree up to the barn

But I digress...this post is supposed to be about food right?!  Here it comes...on our way back from getting our lovely fat tree, we stopped in a little town called Purcellville for lunch. There's a little gourmet burger joint there we'd heard about called Market Burger and Fries, right in the center of town.

my real tree...snow is the theme this year

Now as you may know, I've recently started on this gluten-free venture, which can make things difficult when eating out. However, sometimes it just takes a little planning to know where and what you can eat. I had already researched their menu ahead of time and noticed they had the option for gluten free buns.

my fake basement tree...bright funky colors!

Alot of their offerings...meat, veggies, cheese, etc... are from local farms, which is an added bonus. And lo and behold, I was surprised to find out their fries are gluten free also! Some fries are gf and some are not, so its nice to be able to have some that are!! They were the best fries I've had in a long time!

a few of the tables were covered with bottle caps!

We both to get their signature burger, the Market burger...cheddar cheese, bacon, egg, herb mayo, lettuce, and tomato. I got mine with the gf bun, of course, and sans egg.  My official review...4 stars. It was a good burger and a fun atmosphere, However, not as good as Melt, which is a top favorite, and its a bit pricey. Almost $40 for 2 people (and we shared the fries)! Don't regret it, its always nice to splurge a bit and have some good food, and try out a new place. But in the future, when we want a gourmet burger, we'll head to Melt!!

burgers and fries...gf bun has seeds!

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!

From Charleston to Myrtle

Our last day in Charleston, we visited the South Carolina Aquarium.  There was no food adventure at the aquarium but we did see some really cool oceanic critters (as well as some other kinds of critters). I'm a huge animal lover so anything involving furry creatures and other wildlife, I'm all in. Pablo seemed to have fun seeing all the other animals too!

Shark Week...hoo ha ha!

 

The touch tank was one of the best parts. I got to hold a sea urchin and pet a stingray! Pablo and I even got to experience the hurricane tunnel. Um, it was a little windy.

Pablo met a raccoon!

spiny sea urchins

petting a horseshoe crab too

Pablo and I in the mouth of a fish!

Pablo and I do everything together

there are some sleeping lemurs in the background high up in a tree.
we were trying to get their attention!

hurricane winds! Don't blow away Pablo!

After all that excitement, it was time to leave Charleston and head to Myrtle.  And it was time for lunch on the way! We decided to swing in to Pawley's Island at  Quigley's Pint & Plate. We've been here a couple times before during previous vacations and have had a variety of southern food...shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, blue crab dip. This time we opted for simple dishes to fill the tummies.

A Steak sandwich with sliced London broil, caramelized onions, and gorgonzola cheese on a toasted ciabatta roll, served with fries. Very tasty, a little greasy and messy, but hey, it is a burger. Juicy meat, sweet onions, sharp cheese, and a toasty bun. What's not to like?

And a catfish po'boy with cornmeal crusted catfish, lettuce, tomato, and caper-tartar sauce on a crusty French roll, also served with fries, of course. Light and fresh veggies on a warm crispy flaky catfish! And the creamy tart tartar sauce perfectly topped it off! Good comfort food sandwich. Would definitely order this again!

We were a little tired and ready for the beach at this point, so it was a nice lunch stop. And just as we were about to leave the restaurant to finish our trek to the beach...it began to pour down rain!! Stay tuned on what happened next!

Pablo gave Quigley's 3 ants. Good food but nothing outstanding. Still Pablo-approved!

Taste of Georgetown 2011

Taste of Georgetown is a lovely foodie festival that celebrates...whats else? The wonderful foods that are Georgetown!  We've been able to recruit a few of our friends into joining us on some recent food adventures and this was one of them.  Our friend, Tierney, joined us on this one!

Many of our favorite Georgetown restaurants were there offering some small tasty bites.  Some things we'd tried before and also some new things. 

A place called Chadwicks had mini Cajun chicken egg rolls served with a sweet and sour sauce. Very crispy and yummy!

Delicious fish tacos from Sequoia. Crispy shell and fresh fish with tomato and lettuce inside.

Baja shrimp ceviche from Sea Catch Restaurant and Raw Bar. Fresh and chunky!

the shadow was trying to steal our ceviche!

Mie N Yu had Spicy Pumpkin and Coconut Soup with duck confit and topped with pepitas.  This was one of my favorites!! And lucky for me, Superking and Tierney (we'll have to come up with an alter-ego name for you at some point) aren't huge pumpkin fans so that left most of it for me!  I love duck and I love pumpkin...who would've thought they'd be so good together in a coconut soup! Amazing!

open wide, honey bunny!

A place called Neyla offered freshly made hummus and baba ganouj with a crispy pita.  Delicious and creamy! The pita also was seasoned with herbs and spices on one side too which added a nice flavor with the dips.

Mortons had simple steak sandwiches.  It was a piece of tenderly cooked medium steak on a simple white bread and spread with mayonnaise.  I would've thought a fancy steakhouse like Mortons would've offered something a little fancier. But it was delicious all the same. I don't think we would've found a steak any better anywhere else.

Bodega's had a huge vat of paella they were churning up fresh which wasn't quite ready for us at that time so we had to wait til later. But while we waited we tried their serrano ham served on mini toasts with a tomato compote.

Thunderburger had juicy little cheeseburger sliders.

a view of the Georgetown Canal

Georgetown Catering had pumpkin whoopie pies, peanut butter and jelly whoppie pies and lobster rolls served with sweet potato chips.  Quite the combination!  But we weren't turning it down!

Of course we had to make a stop at our beloved Georgetown Cupcake!! They were giving away 2 flavors in one box. Tier got the Red Velvet & Peanut Butter Fudge. While Superking and I got the Salted Caramel and Lava Fudge.

We went for a walk and did a little shopping in Georgetown before coming back to the festival for one more small bite.  We went back for the paella which was finally ready. It was thick and hot, full of rice and veggies. Super yummy and worth the wait!

And we got a tenderloin kabob from Sequoia.  Complete with roasted veggies. A nice savory end to the day!

I can't believe we actually ate all that food! It was all so yumma yumma!! This is why I love Georgetown!