You guys, I like to give love where love is due. And often where it isn’t necessarily due, but just cause I want to. Or something. 

I’ve been learning a lot in the last few months as I’ve ventured into married life, as I’ve been exploring my creative juices more, as I’ve begun to harness my passions. But that post delving more into those musings is for another day.

With that being said, I’ve really been loving the community feel lately online. So, I’ve decided my Saturday weekly round ups will also feature my Top 5 posts from the week that I’ve read / seen across the web! Who knows? Maybe you’ll be featured! Maybe you’ll be in a Top 5, soon! I just thought it’d be fun.

1. Marion over at Marionberry Style had an UH-MAZE-ING outfit on Thursday – pastels & lace. I. AM. A. FAN. So cute. And seriously, I love this girl’s blog.
2. I love photography and I have a passion for it. I’m not a photographer, but I just love to follow my favorite photographers as they capture all things beautiful. Abby Grace of Abby Grace Photography has been playing around with FILM lately and her photos have been amazing. I love this post she did on Tuesday about Film and what she’s learning. And her images are GORGEOUS.
3. I love New York City. I’ve really become a Southern girl at heart, but I love New York City. And my girl Clare at Clarabelle did an AWESOME post about how to visit New York. (You know, she lives there, so she knows).
4. If you haven’t checked out Bonnie at Mini Me Style, you’re missing out. I love this girl. She’s funny, she’s nice, and she’s got GREAT style. She posted an outfit on Tuesday that was nautical inspired and she wore a BACKWARDS CARDIGAN. WHAT?! I loved it. So so so awesome. It looked so cute and I would have never thought to do that. Check it out.
5. Jess at Makeunder My Life is freaking awesome. She’s a great businesswoman who started a movement called Things I’m Afraid to Tell You. She posted another installment this week and I’m continually wowed by her!

Phew. Okay. Now onto the Round Up:

still being [molly] posts:

• Desiring God: A Marriage Story
• Fashion + a DIY Mother’s Day Gift
• [FASHION + PARTY + PORTRAITS]: The Born to Rock Baby Shower
• My Attempt at Rainy Day Fashion: Pink + Zebra
• My Attempt at Fashion: Cobalt + Bubble Skirts + Bubble Necklaces
• Friday High Fives!
• 52 in 52: Vinny’s Italian Grill + a Serious Confession

rAVe [Publications] posts (aka: what I’m doing at work all day!):

• rAVe SMB Tip of the Week: Tip FOUR in the Top FIVE Ways to Get Started in Social Media
• Using LinkedIn To Your Advantage
• Pulling My Hair Out #CTS
• What AV Has Taught Me
• Fuggedaboutit Friday: Nom Nom Nom

What did I miss this week? Anything you’re proud of? Share a link below! 

xoxo, all for now.

So, I watched the bag of cotton candy for about 5 minutes. The cotton candy sat there. Alone. No one eating it. So, my thought was, “Oh snap! Someone left their cotton candy. That cotton candy shouldn’t go to waste.” I made my husband go get the bag from the seats. We were giggling thinking the whole thing was silly. We started eating the cotton candy. I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW. SO TERRIBLE. But NO ONE WAS EATING IT! It was just there all by itself! No jackets or purses or other accoutrements to show that it was someone’s cotton candy. Well, after we ate about 1/4 of the bag (to, maybe, almost half… nah, not THAT much) AND sharing it with some of the coworkers, this wave of guilt came over me and I put the rest back in the bag and tied the bag up and put it back on the chair where we found it.

Well, needless to say, TEN MINUTES goes by from the time I set the bag back down and boom! a couple sits down in the seats where the cotton candy was and opens the bag and starts eating it. APPARENTLY IT WAS SOMEONE’S COTTON CANDY. OH NOES!

I started to feel SO bad. And all I could do was giggle awkwardly. Cause they TOTALLY didn’t realize that almost 1/4-1/3 of the bag was eaten.

Now, here’s where I feel even worse: I didn’t say anything to them. Ugh. It’s been eating me alive and I feel so bad about it. On the other hand, it might NOT have been theirs and they may have done the same thing we did and saw a lone bag of cotton candy and eaten it. But I should have said something. And I didn’t. The good, honest, loving on people, can’t lie to anyone Christian in me has felt so bad about this silly thing ever since then. So the only thing I can do is publicly confess it to my blog readers.

And if you’re reading this and you were at the Durham Bulls game last night sitting in section 124 with a half-eaten bag of cotton candy, I want to say: I AM SORRY. I am so sorry. I know it’s silly, but I’m sorry. Send me a message, tell me what you were wearing (you know, so I know it’s you), and I will personally, send you TWO baseball game’s worth of cotton candy. I’ll even deliver it to your home, personally.

Phew Okay. Sorry, I had to get that off my chest first. Do you guys forgive me? Have you ever done anything silly like that but felt totally bad about it? Have you ever needed to just confess something? Share it below. I won’t judge you. I promise.

+++

Okay, now on to the 52 in 52. Husband and I have finally discovered the TRUE beauty of 52 in 52. We’re going to a fancy dinner tonight at a place we’ve never been, but we hadn’t been on a date in over a week and I needed a restaurant for this week’s 52 in 52.

Sure, it may sound a bit superficial, but we’ve promised ourselves we would eat at 52 different restaurants in 52 weeks. Along the way, remembering to date each other AND trying new places in North Carolina.

So often I hear about married couples NOT dating. So, it’s important for us to keep each other a priority and DATE each other. YEAH! For fun!

Anywho. Well, the place we wanted to go this week ended up being closed, so we were sort of scrambling to figure out where we’d eat for dinner – especially since we’ve been to pretty much every restaurant in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill.

So we decided to drive around a find a place. We were determined. We drove up and down highway 70 and then BAM. Found an unsuspecting shopping center and a little Italian place called “Vinny’s”. We looked at each other, acknowledged that we’d both never been there and BOOM. Dinner was settled.

Vinny’s Italian Grill | 133 North Scotswood Boulevard Hillsborough, NC 27278 | (919) 732-9219

Now, it turns out Vinny’s is, in fact, a franchise-type place. But it didn’t feel like it when we went there. It felt like a little small town, down home Italian place. I found out it was a chain after the fact. Oh wells. It’s cool. It’s still a franchise in Hillsborough. We’re still supporting the little guy!

[cheese-tastic, I am].

[first win for Vinny's? FREE TEXAS TOAST GARLIC BREAD!]

[husband and I are extremely fancy eaters. We got the finest Mozzerella Sticks this side of the Mississippi for our appetizer. NOMNOMNOMNOM].

[husband ordered the Sausage-Ravioli-something-Americana. he liked it, didn't love it. I took a bite, it was DELISH].

[I got the chicken and vodka cream sauce something pasta. nomnomnomnom. SO good. I had leftovers for lunch on Thursday and it was STILL good].

So, yeah. I’d say, all in all, it was a successful date night and a successful 52 in 52! We’ll DEFINITELY be going back to Vinny’s!

Overall Stillman Grade: 3 out of 5 Stillman Stars.

Where are you eating this week? Do you date your spouse / boyfriend / girlfriend often? Girls nights? Guys nights? I’d love to hear your ideas!

xoxo, all for now.

Anywho. Here are my High Fives today:

1. I’ve been married to THIS GUY for 3 months today. Whoaly moly! Where has the time gone? And he’s so HUNKY! I am super lucky.

photos by Katelyn James Photography

2. Today is my best friend, Bec’s birthday. I wrote about her on this here blog last year on her birthday, but this year, I’m just going to re-emphasize how much I love her. She’s been through A LOT in the last year, and she’s one of the strongest women I know. We’ve been through A LOT together in our 25+ years of friendship. I love her with all my heart and soul. Happy Birthday, Bec. I love you!

photos by Katelyn James Photography

3. I am addicted to this song and I don’t care (okay, I kind of care) who knows it. WHY?! WHY DO I LIKE IT? I don’t WANT to like it. But I can’t help it. Ugh.

4. This video of my husband and Tater having play time. Just cracks me up for some reason. Please excuse my awkward laugh. I know it’s loud and obnoxious. It’s a disease. I’m not ashamed.

5. WE GETTIN’ CHIPOTLE FOR LUNCH TODAY.

The office buys lunch for the staff every Friday and today we’re getting lunch from my happy place: CHIPOTLE. I mean, burritos are my thing. It’s even in my blog description.

What are YOU high-fiving today? And, as usual, I’m linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk.

I’m not gon’ lie. I’m obsessed with it and now I want it in every color.

ALSO, I found an AWESOME blogger, Christine Andrew, who also runs an AWESOME Etsy shop, ILYCouture, and she makes the necklaces, too! You’ve probably seen some of her styles floating around Pinterest…

Well, I have had this skirt for, what feels like, forever. And so I LOVED wearing the skirt again (I like to think it’s almost like a bubble skirt… amiright?!), pairing it with my trusty cobalt shirt, and my necklace!

What do you think? Would you wear this? Have you hopped on the “bubble necklace” wagon? Or whatnot.

[tater is forever trying to get up in my grill. love that dog.]

[tater looks a little like she's judging me...]

[without fail. thumbs up.]

[now, if you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you may have seen I posted this picture last week and polled whether I should go BELT or NO BELT? now, I know the photos above are sans belt, but i did end up going WITH the belt which I loved. I just didn't have it on in those pics. i hope you'll forgive me.]

Outfit Deets:

• Skirt: South Moon Under (circa 2005?)
• Cobalt Shirt: Banana Republic Outlet (circa 2007?)
• Necklace: JCrew via eBay
• Sandals: Steve Madden
• Belt: Target

all that social media talk reminds me – I just learned about this “bloglovin‘” – i mean, i knew what it was, but didn’t set one up… well, i set one up. SO, you can follow me on bloglovin’, if you so desire.

also, i started Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 last night. I was dying. I mean, seriously. I felt like I was about to PASS OUT. I’m not trying to lose a bazillion pounds or suddenly fit into a size 4, that’s just not in the cards for me. I know what my body can look like and I know how I am when I feel healthy – and honestly, that’s all I want. So, we’ll see. I will keep you guys updated on the Jillian Michaels…

anywho. what are you wearing today? (i mean that in the least creepy way possible) – share your stuff in the comments below!

xoxox, all for now.

I mean, I’m not complaining, cause lots of rain means MOLLY DON’T NEED TO WATER HER PLANTS. WOOP!

Anyway, just cause it’s raining doesn’t mean you can’t look coordinated or cheery despite the dreary days.

I’m not gonna lie, when it rained, my mood used to drop (Seasonal Affective Disorder, or something??) – I’d wear sweats, old jeans and a raddy t-shirt, or, you know, something. Now, there’s nothing wrong with dressing comfy on a rainy day – but you’d be surprised how much my mood improved just by dressing fun and cheery on a rainy day!

Also, who doesn’t love some pink and zebra print? I mean, I know I do.

BOOM.

[embracing the self-portraits - also, i love that it stopped raining for the 5 minutes in the morning for me to take my portraits. dramatic irony? or just irony? or coincidence?]

[standard close up]

[oh hai dirt and wet leaves]

[sans rain jacket now, yo.

and yeah, i know my headband, cardigan, and umbrella match. and i don't care. i love it. haha]

[you know, just a shot of what it looks like from the back. haha. why? i dunno.]

[my dogs were trying to crawl through the deck to get to me. i was amused.]

Outfit Deets:

• Black Eyelet Dress: JCrew Factory (Spring 2009)
• Zebra Print Cardigan: JCrew Factory (Spring 2009)
• Zebra Print Umbrella: JCrew Factory (Spring 2009)
• Zebra Print Headband: JCrew Factory (Spring 2009)
• Belt: Target
• Wellies / Pink Pinstripe Rain Boots: Thomas Pink London (really old, I think I got them in the winter of 2006)
• Necklace: Ann Taylor Loft (circa 2005)
• Earrings: JCrew Factory (Fall 2011)
• Pink Rain Jacket: North Face (circa 2007 – got it on sale at Dick’s at the end of the season!)

anywho. is it raining where you are? what do you wear on rainy days? what are you sporting now? i wanna know, yo!

xoxo, all for now.
SIDE NOTE: who watches the Bachelorette?! the new season started on Monday. YESSSSSSSSS. it’s totally my guilty pleasure and i’m not ashamed to admit it.

Linking up with A Little Bit of Laquer, Rolled Up Pretty, and The Pleated Poppy.

This past weekend, some girlfriends of mine from church got together and threw the SICKEST Baby Shower for our dear friend Emily. Emily + Dustin are expecting a baby girl, Austyn Blakeley in July. Emily + Dustin are both worship leaders at our church and so when I was coming up with a theme for the shower,  “Born To Rock” I knew IMMEDIATELY would be PERFECT.

To start, I’m gonna get the boring stuff outta the way – my outfit for the shower!

[i wanted to look cute, but also be comfortable since i knew i'd be running around and setting up. hence why i went for my trusty pink cowboy boots rather than heels. i would have DIED in heels. plus, the pink boots went with the theme.]

[typical.]

[my attempt at being "couture"]

[i am a dork.]

Outfit Deets:

• Dress: JCrew (Summer 2010)
• Necklace: JCrew via eBay via Hong Kong
• Belt: Target
• Bangles: Jewelmint
• Boots: eBay (worn in my wedding! )

Okay, now the outfit part is over with – let’s get on to the party details. Again, the theme was “BORN TO ROCK” – so, we just went with it.

[so, these were the invitations i designed. i wanted them to look like a "band flyer" - i designed them in photoshop and then had them printed at kinkos! it was super easy and i loved the way they came out. (i blurred out the details obviously haha)]

[my A-MAZING sister made the cake for the shower. she made the cake for my wedding and when i asked her if she would do the cake for the shower, i was PUMPED when she agreed. and it was SO awesome (not to mention SO DELICIOUS). you can check out my sister's stuff on facebook!]

[i lost my pin almost right away]

[my friend ariel put these swag bags together - they had DELISH cakes pops, DIY hair bows, and sweet bracelets in them!]

[in lieu of a guestbook, we had a guitar case for "tips" - guests wrote tips to the new parents about parenting, love, and life! it was a hit!]

[emily has been craving breakfast foods throughout her pregnancy, so we had BREAKFAST foods galore! jackie pitched in and helped to get the coffee and paper plates and my friend dani worked SO hard and made ALL the food.]

[you know, just posin']

[so many wonderful gifts! austyn is so loved already!]

[my friend ashley came up with all the baby shower games - she did such a great job finding really fun games for us to play!]

[time for me to cut the cake!]

[some other fun shots from the party]

[seriously, how cute are they?]

[the beautiful mom to be and ashley!]

[our game planner!]

[yeah. i had a piece of cake with black icing. woops. i am awkward.]

[it takes A LOT for me to post this on my blog. those onesies should be carolina blue, but i'll deal for now cause i love her.]

[swag bags!]

[the gang]

[emily and her mama are so pretty!]

[the party planners and the mom to be!]

[seriously, how pretty and awesome are my friends? these are some of the most wonderful, godly, caring, selfless women i know.]

[the mom to be and me]

[and this is what i love about her! hahaha doesn't take herself too seriously.]

so then, we decided to have an impromptu “maternity portrait session” – note: i am no professional photographer. i just love taking photos (always have) and emily is a pretty dang good model! i’m so glad she’s allowing me to share some of these GORGEOUS photos.

Enjoy:

[beautiful]

[emily (and dustin) play the guitar - so this was only appropriate...]

[i want her eye color!]

[gorgeous]

[emily could seriously be a model]

[my attempt at being artsy]

[how gorgeous are they? such an amazing couple! these two love the Lord and are going to be amazing parents]

[dustin cracks emily up all the time]

[oh my gawsh]

[hahahahaha bellies!]

[beautiful]

[austyn is going to be so loved]

phew. okay. that was a LONG post. i know. but wasn’t it AWESOME? what was your favorite part?

pin your favorite photos! comment below and tell me what you loved the most! oh, and ALL the photos from the day are going to be up on my Facebook page later today!

thanks for sticking with me. i’m so blessed by amazing friends!

xoxo, all for now.

OH, and one more thing, I made a “baby shower” playlist that played in the background of the party and I kept getting questions about what songs were on it – here’s the playlist for those who are curious:

• “Baby Baby” – Amy Grant
• “Baby I Want You” – Amos Lee
• “Baby” – Brandy
• “Hey Baby” – Bruce Channel
• “Baby Blue” – Dave Matthews Band
• “American Baby” – Dave Matthews Band
• “Beating Heart Baby” – Head Automatica
• “Baby Be Mine” – Michael Jackson
• “Little Bitty” – Alan Jackson
• “I Wonder” – The City Harmonic
• “Born to Run” – Bruce Springsteen
• “Born for This” – Paramore
• “Sweet Child O’ Mine” – Guns N Roses
• “Always Be My Baby” – Mariah Carey
• “Baby I Need Your Lovin” – The Four Tops
• “Baby I Love You” – The Ronettes
• “Baby Love” – The Supremes
• “Baby” – Justin Bieber
• “Baby It’s You” – The Beatles
• “Be My Baby” – The Ronettes
• “Baby, I Love Your Way” – Peter Frampton

Oh, and yeah, I’m out of control and ALSO made a little video of the day! I’m an amateur, but thought I’d share it anyway.

I had the day off of work on Friday and I felt like such a rebel. I consciously didn’t make my bed. WHAT?!  I am a bit OCD about making our bed every day. And Friday, I was heading to Burlington to meet my sister and nephew for lunch and I took one look at the bed and said, “Nope. I’m not making you.”

As my husband so appropriately said, “You’re so metal.”

He’s so sweet.

Anywho. Saturday was JAM PACKED. I helped to throw my friend’s baby shower and it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Seriously. It was so awesome. I had a blast. And the girls who helped me put it all together were amaaaazing. I’m gonna blog the whole thing this week. You can bet your boots das right.

Saturday afternoon, hubs and I headed to Newton to spend time with his parents. Dinner, visiting, and whatnot. Sunday (Mother’s Day) we got up – went to church, bible study, and then came back to the house for some grilled chicken and corn-on-the-cob. Nom. Nom. Nom.

My mother-in-law (or mother-in-love, as the card I gave her stated) wanted some impromptu family photos – so these are my only “Sunday / Mother’s Day / Church FASHION” photos from the weekend:

[this is me, my MIL, and hubs. my FIL was the photographer - hence why he wasn't in the photo]

[me and hubs]

[in case you were curious - my dress was $13 from Old Navy last fall, cardigan is from JCrew, belt is from Target, and necklace is from JCrew via eBay via Hong Kong.

husband is sporting: a shirt from Old Navy, Jeans from Old Navy, and Old Gringo Cowboy Boots - those were his "wedding boots" as he likes to call them.]

[below is husband and his mama. aren't they adorbs?]

[this is random, i'm aware, but this lonely magnolia was blooming on the magnolia tree at his parents house and i just thought it was so gorgeous]

now, what did we do for mother’s day gifts? well, we did a couple little things – but we knew we wanted to make her something nice – and what’s more nice and sentimental than wedding photos? oh yeah. so, i did a little remix of my DIY wooden photo boards.

If you wanna see how I did the other photo boards, you can check them out here.

Now, here’s my DIY photo gift board remix.

I wanted to do stacked frames. So, I got plain wood cuts from Hobby Lobby.

I got SIX total – THREE 7×9 cuts, ONE 11×9 cut, TWO 5×7 cuts.

I printed ONE horizontal 5×7 photo and TWO vertical 4×6 photos at Walgreens. That way they’d match up. Now, I did print them in color cause I liked these shots better in color than in black and white.

[I got spray paint. Now, I have now used both Krylon and Rust-oleum spray paint. I will NEVER get Krylon again. It is horrible. I've had bad experiences with Krylon dripping and getting watery and pooling before but I thought it was a fluke. Nope. No fluke. Rustoleum just goes on so much smoother and takes a lot less coats to get the job done. Krylon takes SO many coats and it doesn't even fully cover. Blech. Anyway. This is was I used, and I just dealt.]

[Spray paints your boards. And if you're using Krylon, like I did, it will take you all day to let it dry and repaint. Let it dry. And repaint.]

[Once your boards are dry 17190281098 hours later after using Krylon (haha!) get your Mod Podge and photos ready]

[Put a coat of Mod Podge on the wood itself, on the back of the photo, lay the photo down and get it centered, then coat the whole photo on top and get it nice and covered. Now, remember, the Mod Podge goes on cloudy but dries clear.

Also, I learned this, BE CAREFUL when doing this to color photos (especially glossy color photos) - I started to notice the Mod Podge turning a hint of pink and was taking some of the color off the photo. Thankfully I caught it in time, but just be careful.]

[After your Mod Podge is totally dry (the length of a movie - i.e. a movie hubs and I watched) you can either use Polyurethane or Gloss Sealant to seal your photo boards. For my previous project, I'd used Polyurethane. For this I tried the sealant. I'm not sure which one I like better yet. They both work just fine. Anyway, seal that photo board!]

[Now, let it dry completely (preferably overnight). Now is the time to get ready to get your stackable frames, well, stacked. I had hubs help me with this part getting the frames centered and marked.]

[Because I am a BEAST with a hot glue gun, I took over this part. Now, you could probably use Gorilla Wood Glue for this, but I love hot glue. So I used hot glue. And I hot glued that mess RIGHT ON.]

[Now you gotta get it so you can hang your photos up. This time I didn't wanna risk them being flimsy, so I opted NOT to get the hammer-in ones, so husband helped me get these on and centered.]

[And voila! Now, obviously they're not hanging on a wall cause the in-laws weren't sure where to hang them yet. But I thought they came out great! What do you think?]

Anyway. Sorry, I know that was a long Mother’s Day recap post. I hope you had a great weekend. What did you do? Did you do anything fun? Post your links in the Comment Luv section of the comments with a recap of your weekend. Or you can just tell me about it. Anyways.

xoxo, all for now.

Ian was in a car accident before they got married. He experienced severe brain damage and was almost left in a vegetative state. Larissa has been by his side every step of the way.

A great blog I read, Simply Chic Mom, shared this video earlier this week and it brought me to tears.

I know, the girl who laughs all the time crying. Shocker.

But yeah, it’s an AMAZING story, an amazing testimony of love, God’s love, and what faith can do.

Watch the video. You won’t regret it.

The Story of Ian & Larissa from Desiring God on Vimeo.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-story-of-ian-larissa

A Citygate Films Production
Directed, produced, and written by Carolyn McCulley
Director of Photography: Michael Hartnett
Additional cameras: Shepherd Ahlers, Andrew Laparra
Location sound: Stefan Green
Production consultant: David Altrogge
Original Music by Roger Hooper
Edited by Suzanne Taylor
Additional editing: Stefan Green, Andrew Laparra
Sound mix and design by Dallas Taylor, CAS

Copyright 2011 Desiring God

Happy Sunday, y’all.

and Happy Mother’s Day. missing the greatest mom I ever knew today.

xoxo, all for now.

Boom. That’s why I post round up posts.

However, I’m gonna try to make them at least A LITTLE more interesting, cause, you know, I wanna keep you guessing.

So, today, I present to you – adorable photos of our dogs. In advance, you’re welcome.

[tater is the white pitbull/cattle dog/pig and audrey hepburn is the black cavalier king charles spaniel]

hilarious side note: i’m borrowing the nice canon camera from my office for the weekend to take pictures at a friend’s baby shower today – and the dogs are used to my phone or my teeny camera. so every time i snapped a photo they growled or barked. they’re terrified of the big camera. hahaha

still being [molly] posts:

• sunday scripture: renewed
• DIY neon toed shoes!
• my attempt at fashion: pixel prints, neon shoes, and friends
• recipe: molly’s signature arroz con pollo!
• my attempt at fashion: monochromatic what?!
• friday high fives!
• 52 in 52: city kitchen chapel hill

rAVe Publications posts (aka: what I write at work):

• rAVe SMB tip of the week: week three in the top 5 ways to get started in social media
• communication: IRL
• fuggedaboutit friday: the best cover ever

what are you up to this weekend? any posts this week you’re proud of? link ‘em up below!

xoxox, all for now.

[For new readers of the blog - 52 in 52 is a post I, well,

You guys, husband and I had a much needed date night last night. We’ve both been so busy lately and we’ve both had so much going on that we had forgotten to just spend time together. Not talking about work, not talking about what needed to get done, just spending time together laughing, eating, relaxing, whatnot.

Anyway, for those of you who live in the Chapel Hill region of North Carolina, City Kitchen, this week’s 52 in 52, is the newest restaurant in the area. If you remember Spice Street in University Mall, well, City Kitchen is the new Spice Street. It’s a more “upscale” American food-type place. It’s owned by the same guy who owns a bunch of fancy restaurants in the area. Well, without further ado, City Kitchen, y’all.

City Kitchen | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Yelp | Blog?

201 S Estes Dr, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-7009 | 919-928-8200

 [City Kitchen is located in University Mall, right next to Scout & Molly's - again, where Spice Street was located]

[So the setup of City Kitchen is very similar, almost exact to Spice Street. The decor is a little different - more "modern" - I actually really like the decor. Also, that clock was WAY off. Like, two hours and 43 minutes off.]

[This is the bar area - I always loved the setup of this when it was Spice Street so I'm glad they kept it.]

[Looks like the kitchen is working hard]

[Now, this is sorta strike one. I LOVE those huge chalkboards with all the cool stuff written on them. Well, if you look in the bottom right corner there's "Days of the Week" - with specials written next to them. The Thursday special was "Cincinnati Five (something) Chili" - I can't remember the full title. But yeah, it sounded DELICIOUS. So we asked the waiter how it was. And he said, "Oh, we don't actually have specials. Those different dishes for different days of the week are just for decoration."

WHAT?! Specials for "decoration" - don't tease me like that. I love Chili. I know that seems silly, but REALLY? If you're a new restaurant, don't advertise specials on a GIANT CHALKBOARD WALL, if you don't want people to actually order them.

I mean, am I being irrational? I'm just saying.]

[More pretty cool decor.]

[Standard Menu shot. I do love their branding.]

[Another sorta weird thing - they still bring out this red pepper or something hummus with warm bread before the meal. It's the exact same, mediocre hummus Spice Street served. Now, I'm not complaining cause it's free hummus. But it's not GREAT free hummus. It looks kinda gross cause, well, it kinda is. I think it's well intentioned - but a more straightforward garlic or plain hummus would be better and suit more universal tastes. Husband didn't like it at all - it left kind of a bitter aftertaste.

I swear, I don't say all negative things. I just try to keep it real. And there's good stuff coming up. I promise.]

[More decor and setup of the restaurant. Those huge cone ceiling things are... HUGE. They're massive.]

[Now, when I went to order, I genuinely wanted some feedback - and I didn't get too much from our server. He suggested the fish which I am allergic to, but I did let him know. I was really asking about the steaks. Not too much help. Oh well, I ended up going with the Pepper Crusted Flat Iron Steak - with "Sauce Diane" and crumbled bleu cheese - and I subbed out mashed potatoes for the onion rings.

And holy. moly. It was so good. It was expensive ($20) but SO. GOOD. Seriously. Holy crap. I had dreams about this steak. Now, it's not THE BEST steak ever... but the marinade is amazing, the goat cheese mashed potatoes were heavenly, and anything with bleu cheese on it can win me over. I would DEFINITELY order this again. In fact, husband had a taste of mine and wished he'd ordered it.]

[This is husband's meal. He ordered shrimp scampi. His words, "It's good. Not $17 good. But it's good. It's okay. Wait, this is a meal? A whole meal? This is not a lot of food for a lot of American dollars."

Yeah, it wasn't the largest helping ever. He said the flavors were okay - but we both agreed that this Shrimp Scampi dish was HIGHLY overpriced.

My steak was expensive, but worth the money IMO. His dinner? Not so much. Word to the wise: don't order the Shrimp Scampi.]

Anyway. That was our dinner and our experience at City Kitchen. It wasn’t the best – they’re clearly still learning. My meal was phenomenal. It also wasn’t quick – service was a little laggy – but honestly, I don’t really care cause I was sitting across from a pretty handsome dude so I was distracted. haha

Overall Stillman Grade: 2.5 outta 5.

Oh, and it’s pretty expensive $$$ – well, expensive for two people who like to spend no more than $10 on dinner for two people. Okay, that’s an exaggeration… sort of.

Anyway. Do you live in the area? Have you been to City Kitchen? Do you plan on going?

If you don’t live in the area – where have you eaten recently? Any place good? Recommendations? Tell me where we should go next!

xoxo, all for now.