Best Saturday afternoon ever? Quite possibly! Zin Yoga & Wine in Garner hosts puppy yoga on Saturday with a donations-based Slow Flow class with PUPPIES at 12:30 p.m. 🧘 (Puppies will be available to adopt, too, so head over to find your new best friend! 🐶) Freedom Beverage Company will also be there offering a free wine tasting alongside Groovy Kinda Grub food truck.
Slow Ride
Slow things down on Sunday morning and cruise into Cars and Coffee at 2333 Walnut Street in Cary. This event features an indoor and outdoor car show with some unique rides being shown off by collectors and enthusiasts.
Come Monday…
I hope you’ll be back at Carter-Finley Stadium for one more evening of hockey with NC State vs. UNC! The event is free, but please donate to help the non-funded student teams with the costs.
It’s Been a Week…
I swear I don’t know what it is about a short week, but damn if it doesn’t make it feel like the longest. By the time this hits many of your inboxes, you’ll be reading this on Saturday morning, so thanks for welcoming me into your weekend with you, y’all! I was so excited to share this fresh start to the new year with some of my favorite salads you can enjoy at lunch or dinner and not leave disappointed that I just didn’t want to skip pushing this week’s edition out. Did I miss one of your personal favorite salads? Hit reply or drop a comment to let me know where I can keep working on that 2023 “eat better” resolution!
I Don’t Even Scan the QR Code Menu at Tazza, This Is the Salad I’m Having
Hands down, I’m coming out of the gate with this week’s lineup with my #1, all-time, don’t @ me, this is the salad that all salads wish they could be. And as Raleigh Weekend’s vegetarian who eats a lot of tired salads simply because that’s my only selection on the menu, I can tell you that this is the one I crave when I’m trying to make better lunchtime decisions. Drum roll, please… Tazza Kitchen’s Crunchy Potato and Arugula!
Say “Hello, Old Friend” to Bella Monica’s Longtime Salad Staples
This week I enjoyed my third Bella Monica meal in less than a month—which, by the way, doesn’t even begin to elevate me to “regular” status at the longstanding West Raleigh neighborhood favorite—and my sister-in-law welcomed her Pear & Gorgonzola Salad (topped with beautiful shrimp) with a warm, “Hello, Old Friend!” This selection of mixed greens, chianti-braised pears, walnuts, gorgonzola, and pear and thyme dressing takes the idea of a tired lunch or dinner salad and walks it politely out the door.
This “Chef’s Baroom and Restaurant” Consistently Serves up One of the Tastiest Salads in Town…
If memory serves, as the seasons change at Downtown Raleigh’s Whiskey Kitchen, so do some of the menu selections, but I’ve never had a salad here that rubbed me the wrong way. On the menu currently are a Smoked Mozzarella Salad (pictured above – local greens, house-smoked mozz, cherry tomato, picked red onion, croutons, citrus and champagne vinaigrette) and a Spiced Honey Crisp Salad (local greens, beet puree, shaved fennel, local apples, spiced pecans, chai vinaigrette), both of which sound spectacular, especially with those better-than-uninspired-ranch dressing offerings.
After Salads: Order up a Mocktail or Two
Whether you’re longtime sober or just taking it easy on your system in Dry January, there are several spots to whet your whistle without sacrificing flavor. Two of our faves? Killjoy and Dram & Draught, both of which have longtime offered non-alcoholic bevs on their inventive cocktail menus.
On Tuesday, Jan. 17, Killjoy is doing more than just offering a few mocktails on their menu… they’re featuring a whole mocktail class for your enjoyment. Tickets are just $25!