Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend of fun…and celebrating the mothers in your life! Our weekend was pretty darn jam-packed, if I do say so myself…
Friday was officially my last day at my office job: I decided to treat myself to a mani/pedi in celebration after I left the office that afternoon. I tried out OPI’s Senorita Rose-alita: it is a rose toned deep pink shimmer polish – so pretty!
That evening, we made our first visit to a restaurant in Dunedin: The Living Room on Main. I’d heard good reviews about the food from a number of people, so I was excited to try out the menu. The restaurant serves small plates tapas-style, so we ordered things one at a time until we were satisfied. First up was the garlic dusted calamari fritti, served with marinated olives and pickled peppers. The calamari were breaded very lightly and fried just to a light golden brown. The squid itself was tender and not chewy: it was a winner in our table’s book.
The next small plate we tried was the Black and Blue nachos. Blue corn tortilla chips were topped with blackened chicken, bacon, roasted corn, tomato, jalapeno, mozzarella, provolone, and gorgonzola fondue. The topping combination was very tasty, but boy oh boy was there a LOT of cheese involved. We had to request an extra bowl of blue corn tortilla chips to even out the chip/topping ratio, but that wasn’t a terrible thing in the end. The use of non-traditional nacho cheeses was a nice touch, and the crumbles of bacon were a tasty addition.
We couldn’t resist trying out one of the flatbreads on the menu: the Pane Bianco. It featured herbed goat cheese, provolone, mozzarella, pancetta, and wilted arugula. The flatbread was served pre-cut into 4 square servings, which was perfect for sharing around our table (seeing as there were 4 of us). Also, I’m a sucker for anything with goat cheese…it’s the best.
Finally, our stomachs were starting to get a bit full, so we decided to order one final plate to share. It was the item that we’d been hearing great things about, so the expectations were high. We knew we couldn’t leave the restaurant without trying the Hoisin-Glazed Pork Shanks. And oh, were they delicious. The pork shanks are slow braised and topped with a hoisin barbeque sauce, and served with a side of carrot and cucumber kimchi. To say the pork was tender would be an understatement: the meat literally fell right off of the bone, leaving them completely clean. Dang. The hoisin barbeque sauce was sweet and savory in the right combination, and the kimchi was sweet and spicy (beware to those of you who can’t handle some heat). I could have eaten all three of the shanks that were served, but we all managed to share nicely. Yum!
I can definitely see a return visit to The Living Room in the future: it was a fun atmosphere, and I enjoyed the tapas-style menu. Being able to try a variety of items across the table is always a fun way to dine!
So, as for the rest of the weekend? On Saturday, Justin and I finally got to the movie theater to see The Avengers. Oh my gosh! Loved it. You’ve got to love a movie that appeals to the guys and the ladies (hello Thor and Captain America…and hey – Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man isn’t bad either…am I right?). Sunday was not only Mother’s Day, but it was also Justin’s birthday! It was a packed day: I cooked lunch at the in-laws’ house, and then we headed over to spend the evening with my parents. Busy busy busy!
So – what were you up to this weekend? D
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