Weekend Basics

We were all over the place here in RVA this weekend it was enough to make a wired puppy pass out...

1. Before starting our busy Saturday morning, we stopped into Lift Coffee Shop for a little coffee and breakfast sandwich to start the day out right:

While there, we spotted some of our longtime favorite natural dog treats, Whoofles — we loved seeing these local treats being offered up!

2. With a little java kick, we were ready to hit up our local yard sales and a couple antique shops in Petersburg to boot!  Here's the car-ful of finds we brought back home before making the trip down to Petersburg:

A pristine aluminum Royal Crown Cola cooler with built-in drain and bottle opener in tact, a quaint wooden chair with pretty detailing and a lot of potential, and our proudest find of the day — this dusty old double church pew! Oh the possibilities....

A lot of times we'll find things that Tim will clean up and find a new home for via his Etsy Shops, Behind The Screen Door and Vintage Crack, though we both decided these were finds we'd like to just keep and incorporate around the house.

3. We got to Petersburg with a little time before the shops opened so we ventured on over to the city-center where their local farmer's market takes place:

It's always fun to see what different markets offer — many things remain staples across farmer's markets, but you'll also find those unique vendors you won't find anywhere else!

Then it was time to explore the antique shops. Petersburg is this cute little city in Virginia not far from Richmond filled with history, charm and antique shops in almost every other building.

While we didn't leave with anything other than a good sized cast iron skillet, we sure did have a good time looking.

4. Saturday night we were lucky enough to attend an incredible culinary event here in Richmond at Pasture called OFF Broad Appetit.

Jason Alley gives a speech at OFF Broad Appetit.

This dinner was a kick-off to the annual Broad Appetit event, brought 6 famous chefs into one space, celebrated the importance of the movement towards more sustainable agriculture and the net proceeds benefited FeedMore. Tim and I had a blast not only getting a chance to eat and drink the incredible offerings, but chatting with familiar and new faces all just as interested in food as we are.

5. Early Sunday it was finally time to go back to Broad Appetit — another food event if you hadn't gathered already! It's a time where many of Richmond's best restaurants come together and serve up mini-dishes in the style of their place for 2-3 dollars each; you can visit and partake as you please. Tim and I like to take a couple laps around and then go back to the ones that stood out to us. We also like to try to get there right as it opens to beat the heat and the crowds.

It was the 5th year anniversary and we always seem to find a few new-to-us restaurant we're looking forward to trying out. This year we came across Lunch, which is located within walking distance from our home. Everything we tried was delicious, we may have even stuffed our faces at some points... That freeze pop up there is the culinary genius of new Chef John Maher from Spoon. Can't wait to try more from this place.

My favorite from last year was Lady N'awlins grilled corn, but this year my new favorite was Mezzanine's version of pimento cheese fritters. omg. I probably could have eaten 10 of them.

Also, The Magpie had a mozzarella ice cream with tomato and basil oil — it was crazy good.

6. I think one of most exciting events of the weekend was attending last night's Live Art performance at the Carpenter Center put on by SPARC and getting to see the surprise performances by Jason Mraz. He casually rolled out onto the stage, surprising everyone there, and performed a set of songs alongside the many talented children involved with SPARC.

Already a Jason Mraz fan, his appearance at this show was just amazing.

For those interested in a little more about SPARC and the Live Art Project, we recommend the video below — it's an incredible thing we've got going on here in RVA.

We hope each of you had a wonderful weekend and are just as ready to take on the week ahead!