Charlie's L'etoile Verte



We went to Charlie's L'Etoile Verte Restaurant for the adults' night out, on Hilton Head Island. The kids stayed back at the condo and had the delicious take-out gourmet pizza. The evening was very special to us. I was with my dear friends. We caught up in life, shared storied of our kids who are best friends, had some good laughs, and enjoyed our wonderful dinner. Charlie's came highly recommended, and I thought it lived up to the hype.

 Very inviting entrance, and cute front porch.

 Cozy decor all around.

  The menu is handwritten every day. I think it's quite lovely. Their cuisine is very French.

 Ribeye Steak, grilled, cracked peppercorn sauce. One of the best steak I've had!

 Local Triggerfish, grilled, fresh tomato sauce. I had a tatse :) It was superb.

 Key Lime Pie and Creme Cramel to share.

A group of great people in my life. They are friends that are like family to me. I love them a whole bunch.

XOXO

Beaufort, South Carolina

During our stay on Hilton Head Island, we also visited Beaufort. While we were falling in love with the charming town, we learned that Southern Living name Beaufort, "Best Small Southern Town", Garden & Gun magazine called them a "Southern Dream Town", and, Money magazine counted Beaufort as one of "6 Terrific Towns on the Water."

The Lowcountry has such unique character and personality. I love those moss-draped oaks we saw everywhere we went. Gullah descendants carry on ancestral culture, weaving artwork from sweetgrass and cooking some of the tastiest cuisine.

We walked around Beaufort National Historic Landmark District most of our visit. The weather couldn't have been any better. Such a gorgeous day we had. Downtown and The Point were wonderful to visit. The Point neighborhood is home to some of Beaufort's largest, oldest, and most expensive homes. Homes in this area range from the impressive mansions that overlook the Beaufort river to Victorian and Queen Anne style homes.

We strolled to the beautiful Waterfront Park overlooking the Beaufort River, where we stopped to grab a bite at Q on Bay, a family-style restaurant featuring BBQ and southern cuisine. Everyone enjoyed their lunch there.

Enjoying some shopping and ice cream

I am glad we went to Beaufort! At every turn there's a reminder of Beaufort's remarkable past. If the kids had gone with us, I am sure they would have really enjoyed the exploration as much as we did.



Harbour Town, South Beach Marina Village, & The Salty Dog Cafe - Hilton Head Island

A beautiful day to visit Harbour Town and Hilton Head landmark, The Harbour Town Lighthouse! Harbour Town in the exclusive Sea Pines Resort offers a variety of excellent shopping, fine and casual dining, boutiques and specialty stores, sidewalk cafes and bars, live entertainment, and a great place for family fun. We walked around, did some shopping, and had a delicious lunch at the famous The Salty Dog Cafe later.

After spending our 2-hour wait for a table enjoying ourselves at the Harbour Town, we moved on to the must-have lunch at the boys' favorite place, The Salty Dog Cafe. Of course, it was still gorgeous there, and the food was as wonderful as we looked forward to. Another great experience there.

Gumbo, "served with a little rice and a whole lotta love"

Fish and Chips 

Southern Style Fried Flounder, served traditionally with fries, malt vinegar, lemon wedge, and a side of Captain John’s tartar sauce.

When our server brought the check, she also brought some Salty Dog Salt Water Taffy for us. It was so good!Love the wrapper as well :)

Terzo Piano at The Art Institute of Chicago



Another great restaurant I visited with Lynne while staying in Chicago was this gorgeous Terzo Piano. It is located on the 3rd floor of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. Just walk up the bridge from Millennium Park, you will find one of the beautiful looking restaurants. Terzo Piano is proud to support the local farms and purveyors. They are committed to serving only farm-raised meat and poultry, local and organically grown produce whenever possible. Everything produced in their kitchen is done from scratch. Our lunch was very delicious and beautiful. We both went with Restaurant Week menu, and did enjoy everything.
 

A drink to start the meal 

Chickpea and vegetable soup with tahini, cumin, fried chickpeas, cilantro salad

Crispy perch with red beet puree, marinated beets, frisee, dill vinaigrette

 Chilled shrimp salad with mixed greens, capers, marinated peppers, red onion, lemon

 Hand crafted tagliatelle 'alla Puttanesca' with olive, capers, tomato, goat's milk cheese 

Our meal was eneded with a very lovely banana tiramisu with brown butter gastrique. Happy ending!

A Day in Traverse City

We travel a lot for soccer, and I love it! Last weekend we drove up from Lansing to Traverse City for a soccer game. It was a very nice drive on such beautiful Sunday. On the way, we had to make it to Claire to pick up some yummy doughnuts at the popular Cops and Doughnut. The Bacon Squealer is quite awesome. And after a game, we had a very nice meal with our Rush soccer families at North Peak Brewing Company. The restaurant has a warm open atmosphere. Food is great and staff is very knowledgeable on their beer selection. We all had a nice dining experience there. Since it was such a short trip to Traverse City and there are so much more to enjoy there, I definitely plan on going back.

Spring Break at Hilton Head

We're back from a great vacation over the 10-day spring break. My son and I, together with a few families of our good friends (15 of us!) spent the whole week in the absolutely gorgeous Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We had the best time!!!

We visited Harbour Town Yacht Basin, located within The Sea Pines Resort.

We mostly hung out at the Folly Field Beach right where we were staying.

I even woke up early enough to go catch the sunrise at the beach. Gorgeous sunrise coming over the Atlantic - it was stunning!

We stayed at the Island Club of Hilton Head at Seawatch, the beachfront resort which offered lots of amenities we all, especially our teen boys and younger siblings, got to enjoy -- 9 tennis courts, outdoor racquetball court, pools, hot tub, lagoon to fish in, and outdoor cooking area. We were just steps away from the wonderful beach!

A day trip to Savannah, Georgia, was a great fun. We had a nice time walking around the historic district, enjoyed delicious lunch, -- and went aboard Haunted Trolley Tour!


Of course, Hilton Head has so much to offer when it comes to good eats. We wined and dined at quite a few signature places on the island; great seafood and lowcountry cuisine.

Definitely, one of my most favorite vacations - with wonderful group of great friends!

XOXO :)