Indy

Devour Downtown!

~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

The past couple weeks were Devour Downtown in Indianapolis, which is always a fun way to try a prix fixe menu at some of the city’s best restaurants for a fraction of the price. Though my husband and I have taken advantage of the semi-annual event before, he’s not always the most adventurous eater, and a night out with girls was a great way for me to test the waters of a restaurant to see how he’d like it. On Saturday, I found two winners that I cannot wait to go back to!

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A girls night out is always a great time to pull out the fun things from your closet. My tunic is on clearance at J.Crew Factory for a crazy $9.99, and I wear it alllll the time. I took advantage of the night on the town to test drive the “leather” leggings I was finally brave enough to buy, and I have to say, I’m a fan. My cape/vest/coat hybrid was a steal at $22, and you can also find an even cheaper version of it here. I liked that it was an extra layer without being too hot, so I didn’t have to worry about taking it off and trying to keep track of it. After being so in love with my black OTK boots, I decided to buy another pair in brown (they only seem to be available in black now), and I’m loving the versatility of having two pairs without breaking the bank. I finished everything off with one of my favorite necklaces and monogrammed earrings.

We started the evening at Bluebeard for cocktails and appetizers while we waited for our dinner reservation at Marrow. I’d heard amazing things about Bluebeard, but hadn’t had a chance to go there yet and now I’m totally hooked. They make their ginger beer and sodas in-house, and every cocktail we had (because let’s face it, when you’re with ladies, you get to sample everyone’s) was perfect. The meat and cheese assortment we had was also incredible; I could’ve gorged myself on charcuterie and never made it to dinner. One of my favorite parts was that they give you your check in an old book – how cute is that?! Kaitlin’s came in Little Women, and I had to snap a pic and pretend it was mine since Little Women is my all-time favorite.

Our dinner reservation was at Marrow, and it’s definitely a place I can’t wait to go back to! Naturally we started with cocktails, so I got the Royale with Duck (no actual duck in the cocktail – yes, I had to ask), and Alex and Liz got their House Old Fashioned, which is actually made with “bone marrow-washed” rye.

We didn’t all stick with the Devour Downtown menu, but there was plenty of food to go around! I started with shrimp and mussels in a Thai peanut sauce (so good), and I didn’t get a picture of the Paneer with Shells, but it was this delicious version of shells and cheese (my favorite comfort food on earth) that I’ll definitely be back to have again. We each got different entrees, and every single thing was that level of amazing where everyone stops talking and is just focused on eating. I had the Thai-style Fried Catfish (surprisingly light and refreshing), Kaitlin got the Tandoori Fried Chicken (also incredible), and Alex got the Spare Ribs (perfectly sticky/spicy/sweet), but the star of the show that I can’t wait to go back for more of was Liz’s Pork and Noodles. The combination of the noodles, pork, and that runny egg was beyond amazing. Our Devour Downtown menu came with a dessert, and all of us got the Chocolate Miso Creme Caramel, which magically tasted like a s’more and was the best way to end the meal.

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Of course, we couldn’t resist playing with Kaitlin’s Polaroid all evening, and the fun part is that everyone gets to take home a real picture! So fun!

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Girls Weekend and Indy’s Bacon Fest!

~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

There’s nothing better than a weekend with your besties, am I right? The weekend kicked off at my house on Friday night with wine, cheese, masks, nail painting, and all sorts of other girly fun together.

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I love a good spread of meats, cheeses, hummus, fruits, and veggies. They’re easy to pull together, and they never fail to look fancy without too much effort (you know, when you actually bother to put the hummus and salsa in bowls instead of leaving them in their plastic Trader Joe’s containers – whoops). This ended up being our dinner for the evening, paired with a few bottles of wine, of course. Then came face masks, painting our nails, and a Hulu marathon while my husband hid out at let us do our thing.

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We knew Saturday would be full of food at Indy’s Bacon Fest, but that didn’t stop us from starting it off with a breakfast of toasted bagels, avocado, and a lesson in poaching eggs from my friend Erin. I can’t wait to see how many eggs I ruin trying to recreate this little bit of heaven, but I’m obsessed with a good runny yolk and anything avocado, so it’ll be worth the effort.

The main event for the day was Indy’s Bacon Fest, an event featuring bacon and “pork inspired” products from 20 local restaurants, beer from a local brewery, and so much deliciousness. It was the second year of the event, and I’m SO PROUD of my sister’s best friend, who has organized the whole thing both years. Baconfest-SarahKristiBaconfest-shirtBaconfest-MeSarah2Baconfest-girlsfood

Have I ever mentioned that one of my husband’s favorite things is a photobomb? All. The. Time. The day included samples like BBQ Sorghum Glazed Bacon from Bent Rail Brewery, Bacon Glaze Donuts from Jack’s Donuts, a Potato Bacon Terrine from Union 50 (my favorite of the day), and so many other amazing things. We were absolutely stuffed trying everything, but luckily it was a perfect 60 degree day that allowed us to go sit outside on the patio and enjoy an afternoon in the sun – so rare for Indianapolis in January!

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Don’t worry, that Indiana Pork tattoo on my sister is temporary…even though we may have tried to tell our mom it wasn’t. Our beers for the day were from Tow Yard Brewing Company, and I was a big fan of the Goldie Hops Golden Ale.

My striped shirt is on sale for less than $15 at Gap, my blanket scarf is probably one of my most-worn accessories, and of course, I think I’ve made my feelings about my Pixie pants pretty clear by now. Kaitlin’s buffalo plaid vest is also on markdown right now at J.Crew with an extra 40% off, and I love it so much I may need one of my own.

After Indy’s Bacon Fest, we took a nice (long) walk in the gorgeous weather to Hotel Tango, a craft distillery that’s one of our favorite places to grab a cocktail. Although we intended to go out to dinner and out on the town Saturday night, we ended up ordering in Thai food and keeping things pretty low key. We did learn that the whole use white wine to get out spilled red wine thing really does work though. Life lessons.

Our weekends together are my favorite, and it felt like forever since our last visit after the summer full of wedding festivities meant lots of play dates. Weekends with your college girlfriends are like food for your soul. Can’t wait for the next one!

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Girly Saturday: Brunch & Antiquing

~ reallifesparkle ~ Leave a comment

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I had a girly day yesterday while my amazing husband and father-in-law were at our house fixing our water heater. It’s been rough for the past few weeks – you had to choose between lukewarm-to-scalding hot water with zero water pressure, or lots of pressure with ICE COLD water. Luckily, my father-in-law is super handy, and he was able to show my husband how to fix the blocked valves and save us from spending a ton of money on a new water heater. The difference today was incredible, so thank goodness for parents who are constantly helping us figure out this whole homeownership thing.

Now, doesn’t that brunch look amazing? One of my best friends moved to Indy a few months ago, so she’s definitely helping me stay cool and try fun new restaurants. Yesterday we went to Milktooth, and what you’re seeing is the most incredible grilled raclette, cranberry, and walnut grilled cheese, drizzled with black truffle honey and topped with a local duck egg. The other girls had a spaghetti squash pad thai pancake (so good!) and the “Milktooth Double,” which was a double burger that our friend said was amazing. Of course, it’s not brunch without cocktails, so I had a French 75, and the other girls had a michelada and beer mimosa. If you’re ever looking for great brunch in the Indy area, Milktooth is absolutely worth the trip and the wait (it’ll be packed, expect a wait).

After brunch, Kaitlin and I went antiquing to find fun things for our house and her apartment. It was my first time really going antiquing, and it was crazy seeing all of the different things in the stalls. I picked up the wrought iron part of an old clock face (shout out to Kaitlin for seeing it tucked in the back corner of a booth and letting me snag it) and this fun old vase. I think the clock piece will be an awesome edition to the gallery wall we’re trying to put together.

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We had actually planned to go to a different antique mall, but ended up missing the turn, so we decided to try out a place my father-in-law recommended instead. We followed up antiquing with her coming over for an evening at our house of takeout, wine, and standup comedy on Netflix, so it was a pretty fantastic day.

Because I knew we’d be walking around a lot and be outside, I tried to layer up and dress for the unexpected.

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It was a day for a plaid tunic, comfy cardigan, my favorite charcoal Pixie pants, and pink Hunter boots just for fun. My monogram is probably my most worn piece of jewelry – not counting my wedding rings, of course. I actually got my pink Hunters about five years ago in the shoe sale room at our local Von Maur, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw other bloggers talking about how Hunter had a “new” pink color last fall that was exactly the same as my old ones. My plaid tunic and cardigan aren’t exact matches, but are still super cute steals from Old Navy. The Pixie pants are marked down to $50 with an extra 40% off right now, making them an amazing deal at $30, so go, go, go get some!

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Today I stocked up on supplies for upcoming craft projects and we’ve got another cold weather favorite planned for dinner, so look for projects and recipes coming soon!

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