Small pleasures in the Gump: Sushi Cafe

As the saying goes, "Enjoy the little things in life; for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things."

I often don't have the energy for a full-fledged blog post, but I still have things to share about Montgomery, Alabama that make me smile.   My life is not perfectly in order right now, nor am I in a particularly happy place personally (long distance relationships are no fun, work sometimes hands me more pressure than I think I can handle, etc...).  However, I still want to take time to appreciate the little things.  If I am ever to climb my way out of this rut and reach a more positive outlook, I MUST take the time to savor life's little happy moments. 

Small pleasure #1:  Sushi Cafe on Zelda Road.  Nom, nom, nomnomnom..... delish!  Do yourself a favor and try the Black Pepper Tuna Roll (Avocado, Cucumber, Crab meat, Black Tobiko, Seared Blackened pepper, Tuna on top w/ Wasabi Peanut Sauce).  It's pure heaven. 
 

Music in Montgomery: Dead Fingers House Concert

Last weekend, we were lucky enough to host a house concert for the up-and-coming Dead Fingers, a folk-rock duo from Birmingham.  House concerts are a growing trend for touring musicians across the country.  As Taylor and Kate from the Dead Fingers each shared with me after the show, it means a lot to musicians to play in intimate venues where people are actually listening to the words and meaning behind their songs.  From a musician's perspective, undivided attention is the ultimate form of respect - something you don't usually get from playing at a crowded bar.  Case in point:  nearly every single person that attended the Dead Fingers house concert purchased their CD.  Aside from the heavenly tunes, the best part of the night was seeing the guests line up to buy Dead Fingers CDs at the makeshift "merch table" we set up in the hallway.  Listening to live music and introducing people to new music are some of my absolute favorite things.  If you haven't heard the Dead Fingers, you must check them out at www.deadfingers.com.  I look forward to seeing them at the Bottletree in Birmingham on Friday, June 29. 

Picturesque riverfront drinking at the SandBAR

Yesterday evening, a few girlfriends and I checked out the SandBAR, an (incredibly) welcome addition to Montgomery's Riverfront Park.  I can't think of a better way to spend a beautiful Friday evening in May. 

SandBAR is located on High Red Bluff, overlooking the ampitheater and the Alabama River. To get there, just go through the "Riverfront Park" gate and head into the park via the tunnel underneath the railroad tracks.  Then hang a right and hike up the steps to the bluff (look for cylindrical white silos; you can't miss 'em). 

If Riverfront Park is an oasis in the middle of Montgomery, SandBAR is an oasis within an oasis.  SandBAR offers cold beverages, live music, corn hole, plenty of seating, and even a real-life sand bar for the kids to play in. 

There's also plenty of history to take in.  From the SandBAR Facebook page: "Also called Hostile Bluff or Thirteen Mile Bluff, this spot located in a deep bend of the Alabama River was once the key to the Southeast and a strategic point in Colonial days. The first steamboat, the Harriet, arrived at this point in 1821, and the first railroad came in 1880, making Montgomery a transportation hub for people and commerce. When cotton was king, millions of bales were shipped from the wharf here by steam boat to Mobile and thence to the mills of England. The tunnel under the railroad tracks was built in 1879 so that horse-drawn wagons of cotton could be brought to wharf without crossing the tracks."

This time of year, the breeze is already warm and fragrant and the days are getting longer and longer.  As my friends and I celebrated the end of a very long week with generous pours of crisp, white wine, the sun sank lazily over the river into a bed of scattered clouds. 

Enjoy the photos, and do yourself a favor - visit the SandBAR ASAP!  I'll be back today, for Jubilee CityFest!

Hunt's Oyster Bar, Panama City, FL

Thank you, Hunt's Oyster Bar, for beckoning with your off-the-beaten path location in the Historic St. Andrews community of Panama City.  Thank you, Eva Z., for recommending Hunt's on Yelp.  Thank, you, weather, for being rainy for most of the day on Saturday during our visit to Panama City Beach.  I have officially had the best oysters of my life.

Last weekend, the boyfriend and I decided to rendezvous in Panama City Beach, since I could easily drive from Montgomery (and fit in a work meeting on the way), and he could quickly fly nonstop from the D.C. area.  Panama City is not the best beach that the Gulf has to offer, but the coastline is beautiful, the sand is fluffy-white, and we thankfully stayed in a hotel free of spring breakers (also thanks to my favorite Yelper, Eva Z.).  I love you, Eva

                                                                       

When Saturday morning greeted us with rain, we spent a leisurely morning in the hotel room and out on our balcony trying to decide whether to head to the outlet mall in Destin or to Hunt's for lunch.  We made the right choice.

Hunt's is divey, yet quaint.   Its yellow-cottage exterior beckons, though it's not on the waterfront or anything special like that.  But it's good.  And it's real.  And, a man with two fingers on his left hand shucks the plumpest, juiciest oysters right in front of you and piles them on your plate. 

Hunt's had the freshest oysters I've ever seen or tasted, from just down the road in Apalachicola, FL.  We had three-cheese baked oysters, which were delicious (especially with jalapeno), but our true loves were the raw oysters.  We ate a dozen baked oysters, three dozen raw, and at $4.45 per dozen, our wallets were also a fan of Hunt's.  We washed the oysters down with glasses of Pinot Grigio (and I'm pretty sure we were the only ones in the joint that preferred wine over beer, but that's OK).  We left full, frisky, and most importantly.... happy.  

The moment I realized leaving DC was the right move.

This post is very special to me.  It signifies a big shift, from the past to the future.  From the big city to a slower pace.  Let me describe the moment when I knew that leaving DC for Alabama was the right decision.

Last weekend I enjoyed a beautiful trip to Washington, DC, to visit my boyfriend.  He’s still living there and working while he looks for a new job so he can join me here in his home state of Alabama.  The visit was picturesque:  we walked lazily beneath the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin; enjoyed long, leisurely brunches; went to dinner at our two favorite restaurants; and even caught some live music at the 9:30 club.  But, one moment in particular stood out for both of us.

On Friday night, weather was so mild that we flung his apartment windows open to listen to the hum of Connecticut Avenue as we drifted off to sleep.  Yet, at 4:30 a.m. we were abruptly awoken by the sound of a heated argument outside.  One man was shouting at another man, loudly and sternly.  It went on for at least five minutes, and we lay in bed – slightly annoyed, slightly perturbed, and a little scared – trying to make out what he was saying.  It turns out that a cop was shouting to a severely intoxicated man, “How are you going to pay this cab?” over and over, like he wasn’t getting the answer that he wanted.  Ah, DC.  The land of (otherwise smart and put-together) twentysomethings getting trashed every weekend in Adams Morgan, being thrown in a cab, forgetting cab fare for their ride home (or worse, losing their purse or wallet entirely).

I admit that I have been guilty of lots of debauchery myself.  But this incident was different.  The man was so disgustingly intoxicated, the cop was so, so angry.  It was all so…. loud.  Eventually the cop carted the man off to spend what I’m sure was a very enlightening night in jail.  And, we tried to go back to sleep. 

The next day, we discussed the incident.   I said to my boyfriend, “that was the moment when I knew leaving DC was the right move.”  He agreed.  It’s time for us to carve out a life elsewhere.  Somewhere where we can begin to ponder what it would mean to settle down.

“You should blog about it,” said the boyfriend.  So, I did, while sitting in the sunroom of my little house in Montgomery, Alabama, with all the windows open, listening to the peaceful sounds of the morning songbirds.  I am home.

The Great Outdoors: Swayback Bridge Trail

From time to time, I like to explore the great outdoors.  Get out of the city.  Get lost on a country road.  Scout out a swimming hole. 

Back in DC, my idea of getting outside usually involved heading to the Virginia wineries and patio-drinking with views of the Blue Ridge.  But, I also love a great hike (or trail run).

So, when my new friend M invited me to run the Swayback Bridge Trail near Lake Jordan on what promised to be a perfect, 70 degree Saturday in March, I jumped at the chance.  And boy, was it worth it.   

I didn't think to snap a photo, but when I go back it will be even prettier (once the leaves come out on the trees and provide a lush, shady canopy over the trail).  The water views along parts of the trail helped me forget about side-aches and the general discomfort of running.  Pretty soon, my breathing became more regular and I began to say silent prayers of thanks for the beautiful day and surroundings. 

Thanks, M, for making me get out of the city, and for pushing me to run four miles in the dirt and the mud! 

With a great trail only 30 minutes outside of Montgomery (and at LEAST three bar-be-cue joints on the drive there -- we counted), I am sure I'll be back.  Next time, it will probably be for a more low-key hike followed by a bar-be-cue crawl.  Who's in?

Central: New, like me.

On a weekday afternoon, on my way to the downtown post office, I noticed a sign on Coosa St. near the Alley development that simply read "Central."   After googling it to death, I couldn't come up with any local results... UNTIL I found the facebook page for Central, Montgomery's hottest new restaurant.  It was actually set to open the very week that I discovered its sign.  Per usual, I had to check it out.  So, a new friend and I headed there for drinks around 6:30pm on their first Thursday in business.  

Since we are both recovering urbanites living in Montgomery, my new friend and I could not get enough of Central's decor (Atlanta! DC! New York!).  The place has that great feel: intimate yet sprawling, just enough noise, exposed brick, great design.  It had us at hello. 

I decided to return to Central a week later for dinner. I had a great reason to celebrate: My BFF (from college and DC) was in town. Before I moved to Montgomery, she generously offered to come visit me during my first month in Alabama.  Knowing that I'd be a little lonely and in need of some help settling in, she booked her flight to Montgomery before I even left DC.  Now, THAT is a good friend. 

And, she loves good food and wine, just like me.  So off to Central we went on a Saturday night in late February.

What we ordered:  Biscuits and pimento cheese (cheese was to die for, biscuits were meh).  Raw oysters (as pricey as DC but delicious and worth every penny, and paired well with the pinot gris). Seared Ahi tuna skewers with avocado (AH-MAY-ZING and only $8).  Wood-grilled Gulf Amberjack (delish but we just wanted more of the Ahi tuna..... that will be my go-to dish at Central in the future).  Brussels sprouts with bacon (incredible).  All in all, we were happy campers amid the candlelight, wooden wine racks, sea of happy diners and potted cotton blossoms (BFF gets credit for noticing that the cotton blossoms really "made" the decor).

While the evening wasn't perfection (some of our food got cold on the table while we waited for our second glasses of Oregon wine - pinot gris for me, pinot noir for BFF), we wholeheartedly enjoyed the cuisine and ambiance at Central.

After my return visit, I am certain that Central will now be a regular Girl Meets Gump hotspot for drinks, dinner, and lunch.  And when they introduce brunch, I will be all over that.  Welcome, Central.  You and I, we're both new to Montgomery.  We need to stick together.