White Oak River Bistro

Tonight, we finally went out and celebrated my new job and we went to a local place in Swansboro named White Oak River Bistro. I'd only seen it from the outside and it looked like a nice enough place and the word bistro just seemed to be what my brain wanted tonight.

When we got inside, my first impression of the place was that the decor was very nice. It was a pine-clad interior with a brick fireplace in the corner. There were beams and columns in the center that were wrapped in faux ivy, white strand lights and gauze. That feature made the decor. There were two seating options: inside and out on their deck overlooking (unsurprisingly) the White Oak River.

The waitress took our drink order and gave us some bread. The bread was what appeared to be one normal slice of bread cut into long strips and was served with a cup of olive oil (garnished with red pepper (I think), peppercorns and rosemary). The dipping sauce was very good because the rosemary was so fragrant but Matthew and I were both looking askance at each other over the bread service (we were offered more later on during the service).

As we were reading over the menu and deciding what we wanted for our entrees, we were slightly surprised by the prices. This restaurant is a little more pricey than I was expecting but it is in line with the type of restaurant that it is, in my opinion. This is a nice, local eatery that would be great for a special, romantic night out.

I decided to get one of the specials, salmon wellington served with hollandaise, sauteed vegetables and my choice of pasta (bowtie or linguine) with my choice of sauce (marinara, alfredo, pesto, white wine or pesce). I chose bowtie pasta with alfredo sauce and their parmesan peppercorn for the salad that came with the meal.

The salad came very promptly. It was a small salad of romaine lettuce with two slices of a ripe roma tomato. The parmesan peppercorn salad dressing appeared to be homemade from the taste and texture and it was very good.

The entree came and was presented very nicely. The salmon wellington was a single serving portion all wrapped neatly in puff pastry which was a nice golden brown. Inside the puff pastry was the salmon which was slightly overdone but still very flavorful topped with a medley of cheeses that I don't quite remember (one of them, I'm fairly certain, was ricotta judging from the texture of the dish). Overall the wellington was very nice. The lemon of the hollandaise clashed a bit with the cheese mixture but was very good on the sauteed vegetables. The sauteed vegetables turned out to be zucchini and squash that were perfectly cooked (They were still crunchy! Yum!) and finished with a basil-infused olive oil. That finishing touch really made the vegetables special. The bowtie pasta was cooked nice and al dente and the alfredo sauce was thick and rich. The entree overall was just the right amount of food and it allowed us to try dessert.

For dessert, we had tiramisu. The espresso-soaked lady fingers and mascarpone filling were traditional and very tasty. In addition to this, the chef had included a thin chocolate cake layer on the bottom and a chocolate ganache on top. The chocolate was not overly sweet and was not enough to overpower the espresso flavor. Overall, the flavor of this dish was very balanced and was very delicious.

I would recommend the White Oak River Bistro to anyone who comes into the area that is looking for a place to have a special dinner. The restaurant is kind of pricey for everyday eating and the food can be somewhat fancy but it would definitely be a place to keep in mind for special occasions.

First Week is Over

And, I think I'm really going to like this job. I feel like I'm doing more to actually make a contribution. (I'll probably feel more like this once I'm fully trained). I've always wanted my job to have more meaning than just making money for someone else and now, at least, I'm supporting those law enforcement officers and social workers and other government workers that are out there helping people and that thought makes me really happy.

Also, I've used 5/8 a tank of gas in five days of work and a quick run to the grocery store. I used to use 3/8 a tank a day. 'Nuff said.

What a Whirlwind!

Well, we finally have the majority of our stuff shoved into the house in Stella. Most of it is still in boxes but we are slowly organizing and putting things away. We ended up moving everything by ourselves and boy was that a job.

We loaded up everything onto the truck on Friday and drove during the night (from 9 - 11PM) and unloaded our chest freezer and the cat's stuff.

Speaking of the cat, Matthew had to grab Mischief by the scruff of his neck (after I tried to gently put him in there and he scratched me...think a small version of Wolverine...*snkt*) and I had to pry his feet away from the sides of the carrier to get him ready to travel and then he meowed all the way home.

Saturday, we spent unloading the truck onto the carport, taking the truck back and then put everything into the house or the building outside where it now mostly resides.

Sunday, we unpacked clothes and made sure I had everything ready for my first day of work.

Monday was my first day of work. It was all a blur. New faces, new responsibilities, new things to learn. I went home with a massive headache (I forgot my glasses) and went to bed around 8PM. The woman that is training me (who has been doing this job since it was vacant) is my age and she told me that she looked me up on Myspace (she said she looks everyone up there) before I started. I have a feeling we're going to get along well given my proclivity for looking everyone I've ever known up on Myspace or Facebook...

Tuesday was better. I got a little more hands-on experience and I'm picking things up.

Today was good. I had quite a bit to do and I got to sit in on several exit interviews. The woman that is training me is out starting tomorrow through September 8 so, I will be jumping right in, I think.

Everyone at my new job is really nice. It seems like a very close knit group, and, I'm glad about that because I just left a really tight-knit group. I also have my own office (WOOT!) so no more cube farm.

The best thing, though? My drive. I was driving about 1 1/2 hours (around 55 miles) each way to work each day. Now, I drive about 18-20 miles and it takes me roughly 30 minutes. Even with traffic (which my relatives complain about but is laughable to me coming from an RTP commute).

Moving...

We're finally moving since I start my new job on Monday. I knew it was going to be hard work but, man alive, has it been hard work.

This week we've packed and cleaned and packed some more. We've taken six trips to the dump to dump trash (with the car full) and one trip to Goodwill to donate (another car full of stuff).

Tomorrow we get our 26 foot U-Haul truck and we get to load all our furniture and all the boxes that we've packed and move it down to Stella. Right now, I'm so tired I can't even think about it.

The bad news? We still have to pack the kitchen and the living room...

We've also changed our address with the post office and I'm working on doing that for all of our bills (credit card companies, Netflix, etc.).

I suppose that's enough loafing around for now...gotta get those dishes packed!

Update!

A job! I has it! I start August 25th!

Update

Not too much to report. We moved a load of stuff (with Matthew's truck and my car) to the house in Stella over the weekend and we are currently in the process of unpacking it. We have all of our books unpacked and all of our movies and still have CDs, Liquor and Bar Glasses to go. Oy!

I also have an interview today for a Human Resources position. Please wish me luck. I need all that I can get!

Found in my mom's attic...

We were up in my mom's attic today getting some boxes to pack in and I found some paintings that I had done in high school (probably 10th or 11th grade so 15 years ago).

I was a big fan of the Bob Ross TV show on PBS and my parents bought me one of his painting kits for Christmas that year.

These were the only two paintings I did:

This was the first painting.


This was the second and my favorite.

Weeeeeeee. Another Diet!

My mom saw this program on television and decided to order it for herself. When she ordered, they gave her 50% off of another kit for a friend or family member so she ordered it for me. Over the last week, I've read through the information and have decided to try it and I started yesterday (though I didn't do very well). The program isn't too terrible. I get lots to eat and it's normal food. I just don't get dairy, bread or sweets (other than fruit which I get loads of).

In the interest of telling just about everything on this blog, I have about 120 pounds to lose (I'm not going to tell you how much I weigh but my before picture (taken today) is here). No, I don't plan to do it in six weeks but you can continue with this program for as long as you need it. According to the plan, I have a very slow metabolism and have hypoglycemic tendencies. I should be eating mostly poultry and fish and making sure I have carbohydrates and/or fruit at every meal to keep my blood sugar balanced. I also have to drink 100 ounces of water (approximately 3 liters) a day, at least, which is proving to be quite hard (especially if I have to drive anywhere more than 10 minutes away...hehe).

I am doing okay so far even though we visited family and had dinner at Matthew's parents' yesterday and went out for lunch today. Monday, I start doing the body sculpting exercises in addition to the cardio (right now, just walking around the neighborhood) and eating programs.

I'm trying to blog about the diet itself but am doing it here to spare everyone who isn't interested all the gory details. I'll check back on this in a couple of weeks to let you all know how it is going.

OMG Pictures!

07/27/08
Brogan playing in the water after his bath. (Click here)

07/28/08
Visit to Fort Macon with my mom and her mom. (Click here)

07/31/08
Spending the day with my in-laws' miniature livestock. (Click here)