After reading about Moto on Lauren's blog Old Red Boots, I knew that I had to add it to my list. It's one of the M Street restaurants in the Gulch, and I'm a sucker for Italian food. When my friend Lindsey and I were planning a girls' night out, we made a reservation for dinner.
Moto, with its proximity to the other M Street restaurants, offers valet parking, which is a blessing in the ever-hip Gulch. We handed off the keys and were escorted to a table with an adorable wooden "Reserved" sign, feeling quite VIP. The decor is modern, and the menu has a ton of options.
I started with a glass of prosecco, the house-made foccaccia bread, and a shared appetizer of their housemade burrata. The cheese was so excellent! Everything was delicious. I also thought the croutons in the burrata/tomato mix were awesome, and I usually hate croutons.
For my main course, I chose the Garganelli, a delicious pasta with a spicy tomato cream sauce and fennel sausage. It definitely had a kick! The pasta was perfectly chewy and fresh, and the sausage was a great complement. I ate every last noodle. I also sampled Lindsey's gluten-free pasta and a delish meatball. We also had a side of brussels sprouts (not pictured) that were actually really good. I mean, I hate veggies, but I could definitely eat those without protest! If only Moto knew what a huge compliment that is from me.
We were so stuffed that even though we wanted dessert, we could not physically eat another bite. I would definitely come back to Moto for some more delicious bites. But I need to work my way through the rest of M Street sometime too!
I had a great time catching up with one of my best friends over a superb meal.
When Anjolee reached out to me to see if I would be interested in reviewing one of their jewelry pieces and website, I jumped at the chance! I mean, SHINY. I was thrilled when a package showed up for me in a beautiful wooden box.
I received a CZ version of what they actually produce in DIAMONDS... a beautiful tennis necklace that I wore with a pair of tiny diamond studs I already own.
Anjolee is the leading manufacturer of fine diamond jewelry since 1977 specializing in diamond wedding and anniversary rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. Anjolee offers thousands of high-quality fine jewelry designs which can be customized based on metal type, diamond weight, and size, thus creating various price options for each product. All orders enjoy free overnight shipping and insurance, arrive in stylish gift packaging, and a 30-day return policy.
I received my first compliment on the necklace within minutes of arriving at work. True story! I think that the beautiful pave stones give it a unique shine, yet it's not overly flashy for the office. I have to mention the quality of the necklace, because even though it was CZ, they did not skimp on the details. The stones are perfectly placed, and the silver is quality and of a great weight. The pendant itself looks delicate, but definitely stood up to my usual wear. I think people were secretly wondering if it was a new gift from Dan.
Based on my experience with Anjolee, I would not hesitate to purchase from them in the future... especially if I needed to drop hints about some bling I wanted. Shipping was fast, the presentation of the box was beautiful, and I find myself looking in the mirror a lot when I wear this piece. It's definitely going to become a regular in my rotation of necklaces. Now I just need to save up for some real diamonds, eh?
Disclosure: Anjolee provided me with a cubic zirconia version of one of their necklaces for the purposes of providing a review. I received the necklace at no charge in order to provide my honest, personal opinion of their product offering.
(I know, more food posts... but to be honest, I've had a lot of these posts queued up for while! Been playing catchup on homework and other projects in the meantime. Enjoy it nonetheless!)
While we were in Knoxville for a DAR event, my friend SM and I had a delicious meal at The Stock & Barrel, an establishment known for their selection of bourbon and burgers. While the wait for a table on a Friday night was a couple of hours (there was a lot going on!) we were able to walk right up to the bar for food and drink.
Check out all that booze!
For my bourbon drink (a must!) I had the Bourbon Fizz, which was Belle Meade Bourbon, lemonade, and muddled strawberries with basil. It was one of the less strong-tasting bourbon drinks (since I just can't handle the stronger stuff) but definitely delicious and refreshing.
For my meal, I had the Farmhouse Burger, featuring barrel aged cheddar, Benton's Bacon (a TN farm-to-table powerhouse), a fried egg, and garlic aioli. The meat was deliciously cooked. Thumbs up from this burger fan! I also upgraded my fries the Duck Confit fries, which I highly recommend. They were so decadent, SM helped me finish them off. The portions are huge at this place.
I highly recommend you make reservations before you go, or call in to add your name to the list, especially given the small size of the restaurant plus its obvious popularity. Otherwise you can sidle up to the bar like we did.
If I ever bring Dan to Knoxville, I'm definitely going to bring him here. Not only is the meat excellent, but everything from the fries to the drinks would be right up his alley. I'm glad SM's friend recommended the place, because we had a great time there for a little DAR girls' night.
