What a great weekend. Nathan and I were so looking forward to a weekend of exploring new things but also getting some serious R&R and that’s exactly what we did.
I kicked off Friday with a killer workout that did me in for the rest of the weekend! Between all of the jumping lunges, jump squats, and weighted wall sits, my legs were done-zo. I spent the rest of the weekend waddling around.
…and this was the easy part.
Friday night, we went to Westbrae Biergarten. It just opened up a few months ago and with the weather being so beautiful lately, we were psyched to find such a great outdoor spot.
Who gets wine at a beer garden?!
We grabbed a bite to eat there and then headed around the corner for some ice cream. The flavor choice after tasting a few was overwhelmingly unanimous.. thai coconut sorbet it is!
This was the longest I was allowed to hold the cone.
Saturday we drove down to Carmel. We picked up some lunch at Bruno’s for a little beach picnic and then completely chillaxed.
Salads galore!
I call this active rest day.. savasana is my favorite post, after all.
A lesson we’ve yet to learn is that sunscreen is always your friend, even when it’s a little cool and foggy. I’m legitimately as red as a lobster and my skin hurtsss! But sunburn means you deserve In N Out on the way home, right?
Just gimme all your fries.
I don’t even like burgers.. this was Nathan’s, but I definitely helped out on those fries!
Sunday, between my sore legs and my crazy sunburn, I opted for another rest day. I made some delicious plantain protein bread Lifting Revolution
I have a feeling these will all be slathered with nut butters.
..we took a nice walk to the grocery store, and had an amazing dinner at Haven. We bought a Travelzoo deal months ago for dinner and never got around to using it. Until it was just about expired! I don’t know why we waited so long!
Chilled melon soup with coconut milk, lemon verbena ice, and frozen melon chunks.
Tomato salad with smoked goat cheese, basil, and bagel crumb.
My salmon with cabbage, turnips, spaetzel, and hot mustard.
Nathan’s flat iron steak with crushed potato, broccoli, and black garlic puree.
Yellow corn budino with cornbread, blackberry jam, and toasted husk ice cream.
Everything was so well executed and very flavorful but the chilled melon soup stole the meal. The combination of the melon and coconut was unlike anything we’ve had before. The smoked goat cheese with the tomatoes and bagel crumbs mimicked the taste of smoked salmon which was unexpected and delicious. My salmon was perfectly cooked and cabbage, spaetzle, and radish added some great textures to the dish. My one comment is I felt like the mustard overpowered the salmon. I ended up scraping most of it off so I still got some of the flavor and I loved every bite.
The crushed potatoes and black garlic in Nathan’s dish were to die for. So chock full of flavor and the potatoes were creamy, but still had great texture, unlike regular mashed potatoes. And finally, the corn budino was again, unlike anything we’ve had before. It was corn 4 ways and the toasted husk ice cream was the winning component of the dish. Overall, I’d go back in a heartbeat.. if we got another deal. It’s a bit on the pricey side but the freshness, flavors, and execution were wonderful.
Like I said, a wonderful weekend. And glad to get back into meal routine again 😉
Swanson Giveaway Winner
Congrats to Anel for winning my Swanson $45 Giveaway! Please email me at Brittany@BarrAndTable.com within 48 hours to claim your prize.
Weekly Meal Plan
Sunday – Haven
Monday – Piri-piri chicken with blood orange and roasted brussels sprouts
Tuesday – Lomo saltado
Wednesday – Leftovers
Thursday – Roasted salmon, sweet potato, and side salad
Friday – Leftovers
Saturday – Leftovers
Food for Thought
What were your fun plans over the weekend?
Barr & Table 