Good morning! I am blogging from the comfort of a big fluffy bed in Columbia, South Carolina. I just woke from a nearly 10 hour slumber and feel rested and just better in general.
Why am I in Columbia you might ask? My mom is here on business so since Columbia is only a little over an hour from Charlotte, I decided to come down for a night to visit .
Lunch yesterday was a quinoa bowl with leftovers from the other night. Quinoa with chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese topped with hummus and Greek yogurt over spinach. I ate this after a quick workout…30 minutes on the AMT followed by a quick ab circuit. It was one of those days where the gym didn’t seem appealing but I felt better after I got it done.
I had some afternoon appointments and then hit the road for Columbia. I arrived right around 6:45 and thanks to the awesomeness of Twitter, we had a list of restaurant recommendations to check out for dinner. We are staying in downtown Columbia and are very close to the University of South Carolina. I have actually been pleasantly surprised by the “scene” but it’s no Athens. 😉
We ended up at Mr. Friendly’s New Southern Cafe for dinner. We were brought bread with herb butter once we were seated.
I started with a salad because when I tried to think back to the last time I ate one…I couldn’t remember. Who am I? Mixed greens with candied pecans, blue cheese, mandarin oranges and bacon with balsamic vinaigrette.
For my entree, I selected one of the dinner specials. It was red trout with a Mediterranean twist. It was topped with a mix of olives, artichokes and a roasted red pepper sauce and then served with orzo and veggies. This was good but there was a lot going on with it!
So…you know the intense appreciation that I have for dessert and coffee? I come by those thanks to my mom. I am not even slightly embarrassed to admit that we already had plans to go out for dessert before we even ate dinner.
Someone on Twitter recommended Nonnah’s for their amazing desserts and oh my god, can we take a moment to appreciate the dessert case? I spent a solid 5 minutes in front of it quizzing the servers about the different desserts and cakes (and this wasn’t all…there was much more to choose from!).
We finally ordered coffee and decided to split a piece of Italian Cream Coconut Cake.
It was incredible. Four layers of cake with thick layers of icing between. I kind of want another piece right now for lunch… 😛
Speaking of which, it is time to get myself moving, dressed and packed. Meeting my mom for lunch before I head back to Charlotte for afternoon clients and class.
Have a happy Thursday!
I am heading down to Columbia in March to run their half marathon so am going to go stalk your twitter responses now to see the other recommendations! Will definitely have to visit Nonnah’s after the race!
oh i got some great responses and recommendations. definitely check it out. i saw that they are having a marathon and half this spring. good luck with your training!
Man that all sounds so good! Glad you’re feeling better 🙂
My husband went to USC and is always raving about Columbia. We drove through on our way home from Charleston and I was sort of surprised that it had such a college town feel. For whatever reason, I thought it was just a big city.
Mr. Friendly’s is hands down the best spot in Columbia for supper (they also serve a yummy lunch) and that herbed butter is a perfect start. Next time try Devine Foods for dessert. It’s a great local Greek restaurant but their desserts are homemade and truly divine! You would also enjoy running along the Congaree Riverwalk.
i love, love, love greek food and desserts. thanks so much for the recommendation. i will definitely keep it in mind!
Looks like a great night with mom 🙂
My husband and I are both alumni!! We love Columbia! We don’t live there but we are not too far away!! Enjoy your time!! If you want a little shopping while you are there, head to 5pts or The Shops on Devine Street!! !!
thanks for the tip! we had lunch in 5 pts yesterday and it was great! i was very pleasantly surprised by columbia! 🙂
Hey Jen! I recently started getting into yoga and am loving it. I want to get the most out of my practice as well as other workouts. Some days I just do yoga and/or run but some days I do yoga and body pump. Do you think it is counter productive to do yoga and weight training on the same day? Any advice on how you would schedule your work outs (especially if you are new to yoga) would be great!
hi nicole! i’m so happy to hear that you are enjoying yoga. i think it’s perfectly fine to do yoga and strength training in the same day…especially if you do the yoga after to help stretch and lengthen the muscles that you contracted from strength training. i would recommend trying to get 2-3 practices in a week. let me know if you have any other questions!
Looks like a good time! I still haven’t made it to Columbia, which is odd for a Clemson grad, I know. Someday! Of course now that I see that awesome meal, I have more of a reason to go check it out.
I just graduated from USC! I love downtown Columbia and Nonnah’s was a girl’s night out treat for us after finals every semester 🙂 I hope you had fun!
that sounds like the PERFECT post-finals treat. especially with a glass of wine! 😉
I love nonnah’s. It’s a must every time I’m in columbia. Glad you got to have a night away in one of my favorite cities
Hey Jen! I just found your blog and I loooove it! That sounds like a fun night with your mom. Unfortunately my mom passed on her incredible sweet tooth …. okay maybe not unfortunately I love that I love desserts.
yay! so happy to hear that you are enjoying my blog. thanks so much for your comment! i don’t have any shame about my love for desserts either! 😉
That cake looks fantastic!