the oxford!

bitches!
i absolutely LOVE this place.
i'm pretty sure the oxford is one of my favourite places in raleigh. (no need to worry, flying saucer. i'll never cheat on you... xoxo)

there are a ridiculous amount of fabulous things on their menu. too many too even discuss!
but i will say that i've had enough food and beer off their menu to dub them... amazing!

this evening i had panko covered avocado fries. yeah, you heard me right, bitches. avocado fries. deliciously creamy slices of avocado, covered in panko, deep fried, and served with chipotle cream sauce. honestly, this is the first place i ever had these deliciously golden brown pieces of heaven, and they're outstanding.
additionally, i had a greek salad. boring, i know.
then, the royal oscar chicken. what royal and oscar have to do with a chicken dinner is beside me. i do know that this plate of meat, potatoes, and veggies was out of this world. some ashley farms chicken (organic and locally grown... woot!) with asparagus and a lobster/crab mash... this dish was... regal. it was rich and delicious, the chicken had a crispy seasoned skin with flavourful mash and the asparagus gave me a little... summer. my only complaint was how salty the dish was. in the defense of the nearly-untouchable oxford, i don't eat salt often. i rarely cook with it (after the brontosaurus diet) and i infrequently add it to anything. i feel that i'm hypersensitive to salt, so i'm sure my complaint is my personal downfall. other than that... bring on the food & beer!

located in downtown raleigh, across from the wake county court house, the oxford is an amazing place to hang out, drink, eat appetizers, dinner, or late night snacks. (i've been there for all...) the atmosphere is one you would want in your house, and the food is original & gratifying.

get your ass on a plane, and get down here.
...maybe i'll even buy you dinner.

return to cupcake town.

obviously, the cupcake shoppe has become a fixture in my life.
(side note: i love delicious and unique local food. i am more than happy to support local business and local food. local deliciousness! yum!)

this week: old timey hostess cupcakes.
don't lie. you remember them... and you LOVE them!
the cupcake shoppe is doing them right!
real chocolately cake, real marshmallow filling, real chocolate ganache, and a super-sugary curly-q on top.

i viva le locopops !

LOVE it!

...that's an understatement!

a gourmet ice cream / ice pop place in raleigh? all natural ingredients? holy crap!
loco pops is located on hillsborough st. in raleigh across from the nc state campus, and has been the object of my desire for quite a while now.
i can't lie. i've been studying their menu for weeks. checking the regular flavors, checking the guest stars every week. deciding what i want.
and finally, the day has come!
i decided to have their cherry lime ice pop. i thought of those delicious diet cherry limeades from sonic, and figured it was a necessity. it was tangy and super sweet. i was surprised by how sweet it was, seeing as all the ingredients are natural. i thought the ice pop was amazing, sweet and tangy and perfectly refreshing.
i also tried the cookies n' cream pop, which was super creamy but not as overwhelming as ice cream. it was creamy, light, and sweet and had HUGE chunks of oreo in them. yum!
the last pop i tried today was the vanilla cinnamon heath. i thought this would maybe be too overwhelming with the cinnamon, but the cream pop was light and creamy, still sweet and had a hint of cinnamon that brought out that deep caramel & toffee flavor in the heath bar.
perfect!
...and because tasting three different pops wasn't nearly enough for me i brought home:
-a pint of mojito sorbet
-a cucumber ginger pop
-a mexican chocolate pop (chocolate with nutmeg, cinnamon, & clove)
-a chocolate brownie pop

don't worry, i'll be happy to update you on how delicious those are as soon as i eat them.

fantastic!

the pit.

cupcakes!

need i say more?
while there may or may not have beena bit of a run-in with a civilian while trying to park to get cupcakes, the plunder was well worth it!
enter, cupcake shoppe.
how i love thee, allow me to count the ways...
this trip was purely for gratuitous picture-taking, over-indulgence, and sugar consumption.
hey, at least i'm honest with myself.
i indulged:
black & white - chocolate cake & vanilla icing (yum, good 'ol traditional favorite)
cookie monster - vanilla cake with vanilla oreo icing. nom nom nom.
peanut butter cup - chocolate cake & peanut butter icing.
mocha me crazy! - dark chocolate cake & espresso icing. total super fave!
while the black & white is my never-fail go-to cupcake... that mocha monster.... it's the best! the cake was chocolaty, but not sweet. and the buttercream was the perfect balance of sweet & rich & espresso-y.
i will say, the mocha monster took the top honors!