Fervent Foodie

It’s funny—I feel like I’ve been running nonstop the past few weeks, but these feet haven’t seen my tennis shoes in nearly a month.  I hate that.  I hate that sometimes life scoops you up in a nonstop whirlwind and you just can’t seem to break free–even for a half an hour—to take care of yourself.

Today FINALLY I laced up my sneakers and spent some quality time with the elliptical and the (GASP!) treadmill.  The treadmill and I aren’t exactly BFFs, but I’ve found that when I read a book or magazine when warming up and cooling down, the treadmill really does hit the spot.

In other fitness news, I signed up for a Y membership which I’m pretty excited about.  I’ve been hearing all about BodyPump, so I’m pretty pumped (wink wink) to try it out myself.

The dinner I made tonight wasn’t very tasty (bummer).  So, instead of sharing a plate o’ blah with you, I chose to share the AMAZING dinner I had this past Friday night.  After work Friday, the BF told me to pick ANY restaurant I wanted for dinner.

Ummm ANY restaurant?!!

My Urbanspoon Charlotte wish list currently has nearly 60 restaurants on it.. and that’s not even factoring in the small restaurants that aren’t listed on the site!  Needless to say, this isn’t the sort of opportunity I take lightly.  After much research, I decided on Mama Ricottas!

Mama Ricottas

Pulling up to the restaurant, you might not expect much.  It’s situated at the end of a shopping plaza at a slightly awkward nook in the road.  They have abundant outdoor seating, but at 6pm on a Friday night we were pleasantly surprised to not have to wait for a table.

First, we were greeted with FREE BREAD! Free bread = happy lady

This bread was served up with olive oil with red pepper flakes.  I love spiciness, so I was a BIG FAN.

Even though bruschetta was featured as an appetizer on the menu (and we ALWAYS order bruschetta), we decided to step slightly out of or comfort zone and go with the Warm Goat Cheese and Mascarpone Dip with grilled crostini:

This dip was OUTRAGEOUSLY delicious.  Insane.  Unfathomable.  I wanted to jump in there and curl up in the warm cheesy goodness.

I dare say this dip ALONE is worth the drive from Ohio to North Carolina.

For the entre, we split the individual Penne al a Vodka with grilled chicken.  This was half of the individual portion, which was the PERFECT size after having the appetizer.

This too was FANTASTIC!  The vodka sauce had a kick to it, which I really enjoyed.  Note that the family size portions are HUGE and also a great deal (if you’re in the mood to feast)!

Unfortunately we were too full for dessert, but no worries.  WE WILL BE BACK!

Now all I can think about is goat cheese.  Oh goat cheese.  <3 <3 <3