Floridian Blends
My $50 Mohegan Sun gift card giveaway in honor of their Restaurant Week ends tonight! Hurry and get your entries in!
My lovely lady blend and Florida resident Brittany of Go The Extra Mile was home for her winter break while I was visiting Florida last week, in the same general area. Um, hello meet-up! We knew we’d be in the same place around Christmas-time since we got to talking during the Chobani dinner at HLS in August, so we’ve been psyched for our December meetup for several months. And it did not disappoint.
Brittany and I were seatmates at the Chobani dinner!
This gorgeous girl drove over to my family’s condo and she and I set off to try a “hippie restaurant” (thanks for the hilarious reference Chelsie – my family seriously does use this term to describe these kinds of restaurants) in Palm Beach Gardens called Christopher’s Kitchen. She and I both were way up for a vegan/raw lunch, and everyone else we knew was way down (as in not OK) with it, so it was the perfect spot for our blate (blend date).
Talk about a view!
We chose a sunny table outside (it was a perfect, clear and mild day) and got to work on the agonizing decision of what to order off the lunch menu. Our waitress was very helpful and answered our many questions. I also appreciated that the table was “equipped” with a big glass water bottle so we could refill our own glasses as we pleased. Bonus points – the water was not ice cold. Hate cold water. I’m weird.
Blogger caught in the act!
Our waitress informed us that the menu’s half portions were a good size for a lunch, but I decided to order two half portions (one of each of two kinds of salads) so that I could maximize my menu-sampling. I figured I could take the rest home, but the portions ended up being a bit small so I’m glad that I got two bowls! All that remained at the end was lettuce.
Salad smugness! Protein Salad on left, Falafel Sald on right.
The Protein Salad (mixed romaine & kale, chopped sun burger patty, spicy zucchini bacon, cucumbers, tomato, carrots, avocado, vegan caesar dressing) was my favorite of the two. I’d expected a softer sun burger, but since it was raw it was actually crunchier. A unique twist and the texture paired well with that of the veggies. Of course I loved the avocado but I couldn’t really find the spicy zucchini bacon. A bit of a bummer! Still a tasty combo and that vegan caesar rocked, though it was not as good as ION‘s. The Falafel Salad (almond falafel & fresh tabbouleh, romaine, seasonal vegetables, sprouted almonds, herbs, cashew dressing, red pepper hot sauce) threw me because I was picturing/craving the falafel I’m used to, but this falafel wasn’t really visible among the tabbouleh. It was mixed up with it and looked a lot like the typical bulgar wheat does in traditional tabbouleh. So that was a bit of a bummer because I was just really craving some fried falafel goodness. Seeing as this was a raw dish, I should have seen a variation coming! I adored the cashew dressing, not so much the red pepper hot sauce. Looking back I think I would have preferred a full size version of just the Protein Salad, but it was so great to try two new dishes.
Brittany’s dish, photo courtesy of her.
Brittany was a bit disappointed by her small portion, because given our waitress’s advice she had expected a more adequately sized lunch. We girls like to eat! But she still really enjoyed her selection, the Asian Noodles (zucchini noodles, mango, avocado, cucumber, red pepper, pea shoots, mixed herbs, sesame seeds, almond ginger dressing). I had a bite and it was quite yummy, I want to try making zucchini noodles at home, I just need the right kitchen equipment! The dressing was super tasty too.
We could have talked all day but Britt had to get over to the mall and brave the crowds to do some errands and belated Christmas gift shopping. I had a blast learning more about this special lady, hearing about her New Year’s Eve plans, and chatting blog “business”. Don’t worry, this was far from a “working lunch”! Just being around Brittany was so calming – she is one chill lady and I admire her carefree attitude. Totally inspiring!
Before departing Christopher’s Kitchen, we explored the small health food/drink/book section in a corner of the restaurant. I was going to buy a bottled juice to go, but when the waitress rang it up as $13, I put it RIGHT back. So ridiculous! I also saw chocolate covered kale chips…intriguing! But alas, their $15 price tag meant I would NOT be trying them during that visit.
By the condo pool!
I had such a lovely lunch with Brittany the blend and I only wish we could have met up more while I was in Florida. Brittany, send me more chill vibes from down South now that I am back up in CT, and I hope we can hang in person again soon!
Are there any types of restaurants no one in your family will visit with you?
Which of my salads sounds better to you – the Protein or Falafel? Or maybe Brittany’s dish?
Who else hates cold water?
What was your last blend encounter?
