Time to eat your face off

I’m all for healthy eating, but I believe there’s a time and a place for eating a brownie the size of your face.  Case in point: when your very first visitors come to your new town, you are obliged to eat your face off during the length of their stay.

So I ate.  And I ate.  And I ateeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

One of the added perks of having my first visitors was that it provided the swift kick in the butt I needed to get the rest of my crap unboxed from the big move.

The new home is FINALLY nice and clean and box free.

Never underestimate the joy a clutter-free home can bring

Ok, so maybe it’s a little sparse… But you know, I actually prefer it that way.  Less to clean, less to worry about, less things to absorb my energy.

And more room to just be.

I feel relaxed already.  How about you?

One of the MANY foodie stops I made with my friends Tim and Jaci this weekend was Pike’s Old Fashioned Soda Shop.

Pike’s is tucked away in a little nook off of South Boulevard in South End Charlotte.  The brightly colored umbrellas lining the patio, low strung lights, and old fashioned soda shop sign made me feel like I’d been transported back to the 1950s.

Once we walked inside, we realized Pike’s really lives up to being “old fashioned.”  The walls were covered with old advertisements, the wait staff was incredibly friendly, and the faint smell of ice cream and homemade baked goods lingered throughout the entire place.  Add to this a menu overflowing with dozens of old fashioned tasty treats, and I’m sure you can imagine the serious salvation that was going on in my mouth.

Jaci was a little bummed she didn’t bring her poodle skirt with her, but she and Tim were still able to force smiles for the picture

It took us an exceptionally long time to order because each of us were going back and forth debating our decisions.  Philly Cheese Steak?  Onion Rings?  How about the meatloaf?  Ooohhh  the homemade chili sounds really good.  Blue cheese potato chips?!?

Tim went with an unpictured buffalo chicken sandwich—I snagged a bite of the crispy chicken on the sandwich and was a big fan of their buffalo sauce.

Jaci and I both decided on Burgers in Bowls.  She created her own bowl with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and avocado:

I went with my new obsession (meat chili and coleslaw) and got the appropriately named Carolina Classic.  It had a homemade meat chili, coleslaw, mustard, and onions:

This was pure heaven.  I’m in love with this combination of the hot slightly sweet chili against the cool crunchy coleslaw.  Pair that combo up with the smoky char of the fresh ground chuck and it’s a match made in heaven, I tell ya.  I was never a fan of coleslaw until I moved to North Carolina and tried this combo for the first time.  Now I cannot get enough!

Each of the three of us downed our meals with gusto.  The waitress let out a little laugh when she came back to three near-sparkling empty plates.  Full is an understatement, but we still felt obliged to try out one of Pike’s desserts.  We took a quick peak into the dessert case, and even though the Key Lime Pie, cupcakes, and blueberry cobbler looked amazing, we were all drawn to the giant brownies on the top shelf.  These brownies were large and in charge.  Several inches thick and big enough to surely require two hands to eat.  They looked just too darn good to pass up, so we agreed the hot fudge brownie bowl was the way to go:

I haven’t had REAL ice cream in AGES.  I’ve found Charlotte to be a hard-core Frozen Yogurt town, and I’ve been searching high and low for some good old fashioned ice cream.  This ice cream hit the spot—dense enough to eat with a fork, creamy, and perfectly sweet.

30 seconds later, we declared ourselves champions.

After our large lunch, we thought it would be nice to take a stroll in Freedom Park.  A little sun, a little nature, and a little jump start on digestion

This was my first time visiting Freedom Park, and I was pleasantly surprised by how large the park was and by how  peaceful and serene it was.  I can see myself coming here, sprawling out in the shade, and reading.  Or napping.  One of the two