MASS. AVE.

Saturday Evening: 5/5/12


Ack! Sorry about this late post! We got home last night and just CRASHED. Our long day really caught up with us. But I will write this in a format of writing it last night :)

After our morning festivities with Grant and Leah we had several hours to kill before we needed to meet Christine and her family for dinner. We hit up Trader Joes for some groceries and visited a really neat wine and cheese shop. We got a 1/4 lb. of a Chimay cheese that I can't wait to try!

Then we headed to Mass. Ave. (Massachusetts Avenue...if you didn't pick up on that), a popular street in Indy with a cool vibe. It was a hot, sunny, gorgeous day and Zach and I got in a ton of walking (probably a few miles total) going all the way into downtown and back.
Our Mass. Ave. afternoon in photos:

We checked out boutiques, novelty stores, modern street art and paid a visit to the Flying Cupcake! It's a local cupcakery that I have always wanted to try out and what better time than on a day that we didn't really get to eat lunch?

We still had two hours until our lunch/dinner so it was decided! Zach got a "Bart Simpson" chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting. I went the route of the S'mores cupcake which had a marshmallow icing with graham crackers and a chocolate piece. Half-way through the cupcakes we switched because you know we always have to have the best of both worlds!

When it got closer to meeting time we went ahead to the amazing restaurant Mesh. Zach and I had been here once before and really fancy this place. Not only does it have a great interior (we love good atmosphere) but the menu is spot-on with dishes made from local and organic meat/cheese/produce. We found two of our party already there and sat down to have a drink with them

I tried the Bitter Sicilian. Note to self- if bitter is in the title, it probably tastes bitter. Do not order said drink again...

Finally my best friend, the college graduate showed up and the fun began! (Besides the fact that my card made her cry...oops) We started with a bottle of Rioja that four of us shared, I had one glass. Great mouth-feel with this red!

And out came a beautiful cheese board for the whole table. They allowed Zach and I the honor of choosing the cheeses (believing that we are such contemporaries in the cheese world ;) )

Starting with the bottom left and working up and then down the right side we had:
Griddled Taleggio
Capriole Farms St. Francis goat cheese
St. Andre Triple Creme
English Stilton (my favorite!!)
Smoked Salmon Spread (typed Slamon first haha, well, it WAS slammin')
Traders Point Herb Fromage
Served with cornichon (like little pickles), pear chutney and a local honey grilled baguette

I had just the tiniest bit of each thing off the platter served with 1 baguette slice and then just the very end of one more slice to get my last bit of cheese. Cheese in moderation :)































For my entree I got: Pork Tenderloin Spinach / Arugula / Apple / Onion /
Walnuts / Pistachio Pesto / White Cheddar / Tarragon Mustard Vinaigrette 
Ordered this without the walnuts and had the dressing on the side. It was all fantastic and very filling! The pistachio pesto on the pork was the best part.

Zach's dinner was the: Short Ribs Horseradish Polenta / Tomato Jam / English Stilton / Creamed Brussel Sprouts
 I had my bites of his and the short ribs were cooked to perfection with such a buttery consistency.

After the Rioja we had champagne for celebrating! 

I had two of these flutes.

I didn't finish my dish leaving behind a 1/4 of the salad and a large piece of pork.

We ventured down Mass. Ave. after dinner in search of a margarita since after all, it's Cinco de Mayo. We found a nice outdoor patio area and ordered some but honestly I was DONE drinking, I should not have even ordered one as I didn't even drink a quarter of it.

This peanut butter sundae from Incredible Yogurt was consumed upon our return to Muncie. Totally blaming it on the drinks. I always get too snacky if I have had a couple of drinks! 

Overall I did very well with intuitive eating/drinking today, just should have turned down the end of the night snack. But I am a work in progress! :)