Mint Julep

Quite possibly my new favorite restaurant.

Or at least it is in the top 15.

And it all started with an innocent little Groupon.

Groupons have changed my life. 

Or at least changed our restaurant eating habits.

It can get pretty expensive to eat out, after all.

Anyhoo, I have been dying to try this place ever since it opened. 

1.  It has a great name.

2.  It serves upscale Southern food.

3.  It serves "small" plates similar to tapas, so you can try multiple dishes and share with your loved ones.

What more could you want?

Except for maybe for it to be a little closer.  It is on the OTHER side of town and near NOTHING that I visit on a regular basis.  

That is why my original plan was to meet friends for lunch or dinner or afternoon drinks and have a fun girly experience.   To make a day of it.

But my plans never seemed to work out due to busyness and crazy schedules and the fact that no one particularly cares to be seen with me in person.

I have a tendency to make out with my food.  And for some reason it seems to cause a bit of embarrassment.

For my food.  And my friends.  But mostly for my food.

So, the Groupon went to Kev by default.  Which means that it was expiring in a couple of days and I had NO time to actually go meet someone for a meal there SO I HAD to get take out to ensure that my Groupon did not go to waste.

Kev always wins in the end.  If you can call having to have a "girly experience" with me a win. 

I researched the menu for a couple of days.... and just in case you love to read menus as much as I do, you can find it HERE.

I made a list of what we (I) wanted to try and called it in after I got out of the gym.

An evening when I was particularly sweaty and gross. 

Which is why I probably received the stink eye from most of the patrons in the place.

They were very busy... at the bar, in the lounge, in the dining room.  And I felt like all eyes were on me as I walked up to get my food, in my smelly workout clothes, with a Groupon.

Thank goodness I don't live close by.

And I was wearing a mustache for a disguise.

The people working there were SO nice and amazing and quick.  And were able to get me out of there before I scared off any future patrons.

At this point it was late.  Like after nine.  And I was famished and exhausted and just ready to eat.  You will just have to excuse the pics and the food display... because I literally RAN in to the house, grabbed my camera, opened the containers, snapped a couple of pics, and started eating.

Kev wasn't very far behind. 

We stood at the kitchen island with forks in hand and just played musical positions as we went from container to container grabbing bites.

It was all INCREDIBLE!!!  Even after driving 30 minutes in the car with the air conditioning on full blast.

Here is what we tried...

1.  Blackened Tilapia with yellow rice pilaf and sweet potato fries.

Fish was cooked perfectly.  Rice was AMAZING and flavorful.  Fries were "o.k" - but we eat sweet potato fries all the time so we have become quite the fry snobs.

2.  Shrimp and Grits with green pepper sauce!

OH MY GOODNESS.  Incredible!  Loved the flavors... loved every thing about it.  Kev requests shrimp and grits every once in a while.... but my recipe doesn't even come close to this deliciousness...so, I was glad he finally got to try the REAL thing!

3.  Black Eyed Pea Hummus with grilled pita chips!

Be still my heart!!  First of all, I am a HUGE hummus fan!! Like, I basically eat it every single day.  So, you can imagine why my eyes rolled in to the back of my head when I tasted this!  It was fabulous.  I MUST RECREATE AT HOME!  ( Bethany, you would LOVE this stuff!!)

And I saved the best for last...
4.  Fried Green Tomatoes with dill sour cream sauce and corn salsa.

I imagine this is what you would find at the end of a rainbow! 

I have dreamed all of my life as to what a fried green tomato would taste like.  I've never had the opportunity to have one.... and  had basically decided that they must be a myth.

But I have become a fan!  A HUGE fan.  It was cooked perfectly.  Crunchy but not greasy.  And I truly believe that the sauce and the salsa made the dish.  I just couldn't get enough.  In fact, I may or may not have bit Kev when he tried to sneak another bite.

And I may or may not have taken the container in to another room and hunkered down in the corner to eat my delight in peace.

Yum City!

Basically, I highly recommend this place.  The atmosphere seemed to be so much fun!! Especially the "lounge" section.  And I'm sure every thing else on their menu is out of this world.  It would be a fun place for a bunch of girls to go to together.

Or Kev. 

He is always such a good back up plan.  :)