Cville - Hipper Than You

When Northern Exposure was open on Main Street, I ate there a lot. I could never imagine anything else in that space. So, when we decided to eat at the new spot there, 12th Street Taphouse, I have to admit that I did not enter it with an open mind. With memories of firecracker chicken and key lime pie dancing in my head, I approached the new restaurant. It was different. Way different. Even from the outside, it is a much brighter space. Once inside the front door, it was busy and upbeat. And, oh yeah, loud. Friendly loud, not 'horn in your ear' loud. (Think Continental Divide) We were escorted to our table in the back, where miraculously the noise disappeared. It's the best of both worlds! There were so many beers to choose from that we just got wine. (Don't worry, we will go back to sample the hops faire.) We ordered the bruschetta to start. This was no run-of-the-mill tomato-and-oil-on-a-piece-of-bread bruschetta. There were artichokes, pitted olives, red peppers, garlic, and feta cheese in the mix. It was heavenly. Steve ordered the chipotle t-bone special, which I cannot guarantee will be there long, but he truly enjoyed it. Although, he was mystified as to how one side of it was med-rare and the other side med-well. For me, it was a tough decision what to get for dinner. They have curried chicken, salmon with horseradish sauce over linguini, a red beans and rice New Orleans-type dish. It all looked great, but I was actually getting full off of the bruschetta. So, I got the nicoise (sp?) salad, and if you order this, you will not go home hungry. It was a huge portion. What struck me most about the place, however, was how happy all of the servers seemed to be there. This is rare in C'ville these days. Don't get me wrong, most servers around here are attentive and great at their job, but these folks...I mean, I thought they were going to break out into song any minute. And it was a genuine-feeling niceness. I will definitely go back. If not for the delicious food, just to see if a musical happens!

Oh, and I hope to see you at the UVA/Wake Forest game today at JPJ! - A

Tonight, February 26th - UVA Men's Basketball - Come to JPJ to cheer on the Hoos as they play Miami.

Friday, February 27th - Dancing at X Lounge - I've become a big fan of their small, yet fun dance floor. They are also very smart to have plenty of bartenders there, so you don't get too thirsty while you are working up a sweat doing that Beyonce dance.

Sunday, March 1st - Eat Brunch Downtown - New Orleans: 200 West Block Party - eat brunch downtown and support Habitat for Humanity

Tuesday, March 3rd - Joan Baez - The Paramount (theparamount.net) - Still amazing!

After several (okay, multiple) months away from blogging, I have gotten the bug once more. So much has happened, and I catch myself on a daily basis saying 'That would be so neat to talk about on my blog,' and yet I never got back here. Well, now I'm back...to let you know...I can really shake 'em down. (Please forgive my ultra-music references, as you can take the girl out of radio, but you can't take the radio out of the girl.) So, here is a rundown of what I wish I had blogged about:

Election: happy
Trips: Vegas, Key West, Hatteras, Tampa
Fav New Restaurant: Si
New Job: In-arena host for UVA Men's basketball (yes, the season is almost over)
New Website: angielogan.com (coming soon)
Sad moments: one friend moved to Alaska, one to Colorado, still missing friends in L.A.
Celebrity encounters (only counts if celeb doesn't live in C'ville): Samantha Brown (from Travel Channel) - chatted with her before we boarded plane to Key West together
Fav New Saying: Live it while you can.

Some of these, I'm sure, will come up in future blogs. But man, I wish I had been able to share these stories with you at the time. From now on, I promise to keep in touch a lot more often. BTW, hope I see you at tomorrow night's game vs. Miami at JPJ. Go hoos!!!
- A