Unexpected Surprises

Checking out the chocolate!

One of my favorite all time things are those unexpected days with nothing planned that turn into amazing surprises. I've had a couple of those recently, and they both included food and wine (and beer!). The most recent was when Derek surprised the girls by taking us down to pick out chocolate for Valentine's Day at Christopher Elbow Chocolates in the Crossroads District. A perfect treat for the girl that always gives up chocolate for Lent.

Pretty pizzas

I have always wanted to try Pizza Bella and since we were just right around the corner, we did. Leah and Madison were famished since we made them wait to try out their chocolate choices.

Pizza Bella

Pizza Bella is a little hard to find and doesn't have it's own parking lot, but is worth the stop. And it's also right down the street from The Cellar Rat - a fabulous place to taste and buy wines.

My favorite part

I gave the pizza at B+. It was tasty but didn't quite live up to my expectations given the pizzas I've had in Italy. However, I was delighted to nibble (more like feast!) on the trio of olive oils with fresh baked bread and a variety of olives. I almost didn't let the girls have any, it was so good.

Oh, but we're not done yet

We were on such a roll, we decided not to stop. We took the girls over to the Legends theaters so they could see a tweenager movie, and Derek and I dropped in on Yard House for a selection of beer. I think it literally took me almost 20 minutes to pick one - there are just a couple to pick from.

Too pretty to eat

We brought home a mixed assortment of both chocolates, as well as caramels. I quickly decided they were way too good (and expensive) for the kids, and squirreled them away. I savored the best for last - the middle heart shaped caramel that was infused with red wine and coated in white chocolate. I must now hang up my keyboard as my chocolate-deprived Lenten body is about to revisit withdrawal.