Is there a season for oysters? Nah...

I love oysters. 

When I was working towards my doctoral degree, I would go to Poor Billy's $1 oyster nights and get a half dozen (or more) every week. (Side note: I haven't been in Blacksburg for about four years and don't know if Poor Billy's is still doing this special) 

Hubs knows this and now keeps an eye out for any news on any oyster places that would be fun to visit. I'm not sure when he came across the CNN article on the best oyster bars in America, but a few days before we left for our honeymoon he decided that we should go to Merroir in Topping, VA. On the post-honeymoon trip to pick up our pup from Grandma's, we went to detoured to get some oysters! 

What a great view of the Rappahannock! It was a bit chilly to dine outside, we'll have to come back again when the weather warms up. 

Seating options. If it was warm enough, we would have been outside because of the view alone. However, it was in the 30's so we went inside. The other options were to sit on the heated porch or the dining room/bar area - we opted for the latter because one of the playoff games was on the TV. 

Everything on the menu sounded delicious. We really wanted to order everything, but knew that we did not have the stomach space for it. If did, we would have ordered the entire menu. 

Round #1: Stuffin muffin and a dozen oysters. It would seem a shame to go to Merroir's and not to get oysters. So we ordered a mix of the three oysters they had on the menu. My favorite were the Olde Salts, which were briny but not assertively briny. I think the Olde Salts went perfectly with the mignonette - but then again really enjoy the salt and vinegar combo. Hubs preferred the sweeter Rappahannocks. We also got the stuffin muffin, which Yelpers often mentioned, which was really good. 

Round #2: BBQ bourbon chipotle grilled oysters and Barcat oyster chowder. The BBQ oysters were flavorful and had a nice gentle back heat that I really appreciated (I'm a spice wuse, mostly when it comes to spicy foods with upfront spice). The Barcat chowder was a bit of surprise in the sense that it had a thinner consistency than what we had expected. The flavors were really good and the oysters were poached in the broth perfectly!

Round #3: More raw oysters! And bread! We enjoyed the raw oysters so much that we had to get another round. We also ordered the grilled asiago sourdough. It comes with pesto and olive oil for dipping. Very tasty! 

Round #4?!?: S'more doughnut! Hubs and I were pretty much done after the second round of oysters - we didn't want to be too full. But our minds were easily swayed to dessert after we heard what the cooks had to offer: S'more doughnut. It was a marshmallowy, chocolatey bit of deliciousness that we felt we needed to indulge in. And I'm glad we did. :-)

While it's a out of the way for us to go here, I totally recommend Merroir for petty much everything we tried - especially for the oysters. I want to try to come back again when it warms up, especially to try the crab cakes many people on Yelp were raving about and to try to get a spot outside to enjoy the view while we dine.

Starting 2015 with a healthy brunch.

HAPPY 2015! OK, I'm a bit late with the New Year's post. But I have a good reason - I was on my honeymoon for the past week or so. 

Since it's resolution season, my blog related resolution is to update this blog every couple of weeks. Hubs and I go out pretty regularly, so it's a shame not to share our gastronomic adventures.

As we are all in the "healthy eating" phase of the year, I'm going to share my thoughts on a brunch hubs and I had at True Food Kitchen in the Mosaic District.  

View of the kitchen from our table. Hubs commented that it has a Founding Farmers meets Ikea feel. 

Mmm... Tea

Decision #1: Drinks? During brunch, why not? Though I had a sore throat that morning and wanted something warm and soothing. The tea choices aren't on the brunch or beverage menu - they're on the desert menu - so I had the waiter list them. Hearing all of the eight choices of teas overwhelmed me a bit, so I went with the Oolong since that was one that I recognized. (Side note: the teas are individually priced, ranging from $4-6. I ended up ordering the lone most expensive tea. Luckily, $6 doesn't break Hub's bank).

There are a bunch of different drinks, particularly the juices that sounded interesting. I've made one similar to the Kale-Aid before. I'll have to try theirs to see if it tastes similar. The bar is also well stocked with a bunch of organic wines. Plenty of reasons to try this place again during lunch or dinner. ;-)

Decision #2: Appetizer? The menu boasts some tasty looking starters, but I was in the mood for something more "breakfast" than what was offered. So we decided to get the Goji Berry Granola to share with the hubs. The granola was good - light and a bit tangy from the goji berries - and decent starter for brunch.





Decision #3: What to eat? I love breakfast foods, which often is sweet. But, that morning I was looking for something more savory. The Chicken Sausage Scramble sounded like a good fit. I think what surprised me about it was the strong shiitake mushroom favor that permeated throughout the dish. I would say that they kind of overpowered the other flavors. Overall, it was very tasty.

Hubs got the Street Tacos (not pictured) with beef, which were well seasoned. The only complaint about them was that there was a lot of cabbage that the beef was a little lost.

Decision #4: Dessert? Why not! I was a bit full, but my sweet tooth was winning out. So hubs and I shared a pomegranate sorbet. A nice and refreshing way to end the meal. 

Overall, I had a tasty little brunch with hubs at TFK. It was nice to know that the restaurant boasts the healthy factor. I look forward to coming back and trying their lunch and dinner options.  

I LOVE YOU SHEENA!!!!!  <----- AHH!! Hubs graffitied my post when I was drafting it. Had to keep it. ;-)