Burrito Club!

My coworker created a group and we are called The Burrito Club. The idea is to meet once a month at a different Mexican place and try their food...you don't necessarily have to try burritos. This month we met at Diablitos Cantina in Midtown. It opened about a month ago and sounded fun.

Likes: The decor was awesome! They had tin star lamps hanging from the ceiling, lots of bright murals, and lit candles everywhere. The patio was huge and looked like a great place to hang out come summer. My food was really tasty (I got the vegetarian tacos with mushrooms) and my margarita was mixed well. Not too much sweet and sour and lots of tequila! Just how I like it!

Dislike: my margarita was a little small and I feel like for the amount it was overpriced. The service wasn't the best either. I had to ask twice for a water and half the time there were no servers in sight...not a one! I just feel like he could have been a little more attentive.

Overall I really liked the restaurant and I will definitely go back. It looks like it would be a great place for Cinco de Mayo.

Bridal Business

All the Bridemaids got together Sunday to see Margo in her dress and to go look at potential dresses for us. Margo had found a bridesmaid dress online that she loved and wanted to get a feel for what we thought and just to see how it looked on all of us.
We met at David's Bridal around 1pm and it was Bride-mania 2012 in there. Everywhere you looked there were ladies trying on dresses, shoes, and hair accessories . We had an appointment but they were running late so we had to wait a little bit. During that time Margo went over color and hair ideas. Everyone seemed to be on the same page which makes things EASY for Margo!
Finally we were helped and Margo put on her dress for us. As before, it was perfect! All of us ooed and aahed over her and I saw other girls who were trying on dresses starring at her. You could tell they wanted a dress just as perfect. The girls and I grabbed shoes and all sorts of accessories and played around with ideas. Poor Margo was getting pulled and tugged in every direction! Margo decided not to go with a veil, which I totally agree with, and may add a sash. I didn't think I was going to like the sash but when she held it up it did look really pretty. I can see it going either way.

After David's Bridal we headed to the Ultimate Bride in Brentwood. The dress Margo liked only had one size and was this horrible yellow color. I tried it on first and sadly it wouldn't zip. I was very sad but at least I have a while till the wedding and it can be altered. I just need to hang in there! Margo originally was going to have us all in the same dress with different shades of earthy colors but after thinking about this a little more and looking at the samples, we decided to do just one color and I really think it will flatter everyone in the wedding party.

When we were finished at the Ultimate Bride, Margo, mom, and I went to a tapas restaurant down the street in Clayton called Barcelona. We ordered the calamari frito ( fried calamari), coliflor al azafran (roasted cauliflower with saffron, raisins and pine nuts), pincho de maruna (pork tenderloin with curry mayo), and trigueros con romesco (grilled asparagus with romesco sauce). It was all FANTASTIC! Mom had a martini and Margo enjoyed some merlot. We chatted about the wedding and the goings on in our lives. Sometimes things are so rushed so this was a perfect little "catch up" for us.I had a great day and feel like we got a lot done!

Christening the New Deck

Every year Nathan's parents have a combined birthday party. Dottie's birthday is on February 19th and George's is on the 25th. It works out well. This year the party was held at their house and the invitation was adorable. It was a cruise ship theme because they just had a new deck built and wanted to "christen" it.
I bought some oversized sunglasses from the dollar store because when you're on deck on a cruise ship, you need your shades! I got a pair for Dottie and a pair for George. Nathan and I also brought a bunch of food. I made my brown sugar-bacon wrapped lil' smokies and an Irish cream liqueur cake (by request of George). Nathan made a delicious jalapeno cream cheese dip which was a huge hit!
The Kroenung's provided a keg and smoked some ribs. There were a ton of people there and it was a joy getting to know some of Nathan's extended family better. George loved his sunglasses and wore them all night long. Happy birthday, Dottie and George!

Yelp Black and Red Ball

Friday a group of us went to a really cool FREE event through a website called Yelp. It was a black and red ball and was held at The Contemporary Art Museum in Midtown. We met at a new place called Fieldhouse , had a drink there, then walked to the event.
Once we got to the CAM, we were greeted with gooey butter cake, complimentary mixed drinks from a local brewery, and endless samples of food. There were all sorts of yummy things to try including the best Indian food I have ever had, the most tender ribs from Bogarts, scrumptious pasta, and delicious beer from Urban Chestnut. There was a man walking around on stilts juggling, a dance crew that performed, and a really cute photo booth with props. We had a blast!
Later that night when the ball was over, we went back to Fieldhouse to decide what our next move would be. We ended up staying there most of the night. The bartender at Fieldhouse was so funny because he thought we were on a triple date ( it was Caitlin, Nikki, Mark, Aaron, Tom, and me) and he assumed we were all going to the Fox Theater across the street to see West Side Story since we were all in black and red. It was hilarious!

Mardi Gras Rockin in the House Tonight

Saturday was one of my favorite days of the year...MARDI GRAS! Nathan, Jen, Brian, and I started the day off early(about 730am) and went to a nearby bar for a few drinks and a breakfast buffet. We then caught the free shuttle to Soulard and walked around for a little bit before heading to our friend Aaron's where we spent most of the day.

The weather was perfect and I ran into a ton of people I hadn't seen in YEARS! Later on we went to Bar 101 because we had tickets. That place was okay but overly crowded so we didn't stay very long at all.

Later that night we went to The Library Annex and danced. It was really fun but made for a LONG day. We finally caught a cab back to my place around midnight. All in all it was a perfect Mardi Gras! I'm sad it's already over!

The Creation of The Wobbler Club

Here's a little back history:
A few weeks ago I came up with an idea to create a club where once a month a group gets together and we go to a bar or restaurant that we have never been to before. The longer the club lasts the harder it will be to find places that are new to ALL of us so just as long as the majority of the people haven't been, it'll work. The idea is to get us out of our routines and to experience more of what our city has to offer. Along the way I hope to make new friends and find some local gems that I never knew were out there!
So I was thinking the group should meet on a weekday rather than a weekend and each month the date can change. Flexibility was key. I ran the idea past Nikki (just to make sure it wasn't completely unoriginal and lame) and she thought it was great! Whew! We then spread the word to everyone else. For some reason "The Wobbler Club" came to me and I felt like that was the perfect name. Why? I seriously have no clue. I picked a time and place for the first meeting and notified everyone. (We will decide as a group where the next meetings will be...I just picked the first one to kick it off)

Last night was our first "official" Wobbler Club meeting. It was at this new brewery downtown called 4 hands Brewing Co(8th and Hickory). It's only a few weeks old and I thought it would be the perfect way to start a new club!
My fellow "Wobblers" and I arrived at 4 Hands around 7 and sat at a huge table that was made out of an old door (there were 9 of us....pretty good turnout for the first meeting, wouldn't ya say?!). No food menu was available but patrons are allowed to bring in food and the table next to us had ordered a pizza from somewhere nearby. The bar had only two rooms: one small room off to the side with a foozball table and the other, a larger area that included the bar, tables, and a view into the brew room. All in all I thought it was very cute and and the beer I tried was yummy!
The beers were served in all sorts of cool glasses. Two of the "Wobblers" tried the Oatmeal Brew and it came in adorable mason jars that said "May Your Glass Be Filled". LOVE IT! I felt like the prices were very reasonable especially for locally brewed beers.

I walked around and noticed a sign that appeared to be written in chalk and it had the origins of all the decor in the bar. The tabletops, stools, picture frames, and the bar itself were all created from an old barn. Next to the sign was a framed picture of the barn in black and white. How unique and interesting is that!? It made me love the place so much more!
Later Nikki was talking to the bartender/one of the owners about the place and he asked about our group. We told him we were The Wobbler Club. He seemed to get a kick out of it and recommended a few other places for us to check out (many of which purchase 4 Hands beers...how convenient, right?) I asked him if it was okay for me to take pictures of the decor and he said it was no problem. He asked if I had gotten a picture of the brew room and I told him I had taken one through the window earlier. He looked at me with a big grin and said I could do better than that and took us (ALL of us) on our own little private tour. It was really cool. Not long after that, we called it a night.
I feel like our first Wobbler Club meeting was a success! Everyone was throwing out great ideas for the next one and really seemed to be invested in the idea of The Wobbler Club. I am already stoked about the next one! Oh where will it be? :)