Look who found themselves in Tampa today!
My brother and his fiance were passing through town and asked if I wanted to meet them for lunch. They’ve only been to Tampa a couple of times since I’ve moved here, so it was a nice treat to see them in the city I now call home. 🙂
Of course, when people ask to meet for lunch in your territory, the fun part is figuring out where to take them. On any given day I could name 10 or 20 restaurants I would love to go to Tampa, but ask me on the spot where to take a couple of out-of-towners and my mind goes blank. Ben and Ashley had already been to a couple of my go-to favorites (The Bricks and Taco Bus), so I dug deep and asked if they wouldn’t mind going somewhere a little ‘out of the norm.’
He agreed and I had them meet me at Cafe Hey.
I LOVE Cafe Hey – it’s a small local business that believes in fresh, organic food with an emphasis on keeping it local. However, it’s not on the best side of town and can appear a little rundown to the naked eye. I told them not to judge a book by it’s cover and to order the famous kale salad.
They were out of kale salad. Boo.
So, I told them to order what ever they wanted because it all looked good.
I went with the soup and salad combo.
The soup of the day was a Pumpkin Ginger. The ginger gave the soup a great asian flavor and really made the sweet pumpkin pop.
The Three Sisters Quinoa Salad was served cold and contained pinto beans, chickpeas, corn, and yellow squash. It was so filling I could only eat half and gave the rest to Ben.
Luckily, Ashley and Ben loved Cafe Hey as much as I do. We all left stuffed and happy. Perfect time to go try on bridesmaids dresses, right?
We hit up Alfred Angelos after lunch and I ended up ordering the same one I tried on and fell in love with last February. (Whoa! Can’t believe it has been that long already!)
It should be here in December, but I’m hoping it comes a little earlier. The fit is a little funky, so alterations are going to be an issue when it arrives. Fun.
One bridesmaid dress down, one more to go. I hope my sister picks out what we’ll be wearing at her wedding soon! 😉
Love the neckline on that dress!
Krissy @ Shiawase Life recently posted..This makes me want to go and run another one, like – NOW.
The pumpkin soup with ginger sounds amazing! That bridesmaids dress is beautiful, I love the sweetheart neckline. You’re going to be quite the busy bridesmaid in the near future.
Beth (Well I’ll Be) recently posted..The Rest Of The Weekend
Oh my gosh that salad looks awesome! I thought it was mac and cheese for a second!
Also – LOVE the dress!
Cait’s Plate recently posted..Hated Them All
That salad looks so delicious! The color on that dress is stunning…awesome choice!
Alexa @ Simple Eats recently posted..Veggie Candy
ooooh love that dress!!
Lisa (bakebikeblog) recently posted..Super speedy sheeeesh kebabs
I just got my bridesmaids dress in the mail for my best friend’s wedding. Talk about needing alterations! I’m going to need to turn it into a totally new dress! Haha!
Hillary recently posted..A Successful Sunday
Isn’t the fit funky? The one I tried on was tight at the waist, big at the boobs, and too long. Blah.
Mine was LITERALLY the same thing. Sigh.
Hillary recently posted..A Successful Sunday
Love that dress!
Joey recently posted..This Week’s CSA Meals
I wish there were more restaurants like that in the world. They are always so much fun to discover, plus the name is so much fun!
I love your bridesmaid dress, it’s so cute and classy! The best part is picking out the shoes to go with it!
Britt @ Run with Britt recently posted..Dreams Really do Come True!
Love it. As a new bride-to-be bridesmaids dresses are hard! You want one that everyone is going to like and feel pretty in!
Amy recently posted..Dude.WTF (Part 2)
That is such a pretty dress!! It’s always nice when you can look pretty as a bridesmaid, and not like a ridiculous pink blob! 😛
Kristen @ notsodomesticated recently posted..Who signed us up for this anyways?
This is so odd- I am new to your blog, and I just so happen to have recently worn that very same dress in my sister’s wedding! It’s an awesome dress, and everyone loved all the bright blue bridesmaids. They were perfect for a FUN wedding party- you guys will love them. I had a yellow (butter?) bow, but it’s otherwise exactly the same. If you’re curious, let me know and I’ll shoot you some pics.
And ps- I’m enjoying your blog a lot too!
I’ve heard it’s a popular dress! I would love to see photo – my email is mealsandmiles@gmail.com
That is such a nice dress! I am not a bride-to-be, but have already decided that I’m going to pick a color and a length, and my bridesmaids can pick the dress!
deva @ deva by definition recently posted..Grocery Helper
That’s what Ashley did with us. She told us to pick what we wanted from 4 or 5 options. There are four bridesmaids and two chose one style and two chose another.
Sounds like a good restaurant – that quinoa salad sounds delish.
Kristen (inspiredbydooce) recently posted..taper tuesday
How fun they were in town! Beautiful lovebirds ; )
LOVE the dress style and color!!! Is that the color they will be? Gosh time has flow since he proposed!
katie recently posted..Purple { love }
Yes, that’s the color! I love it too!
I love that dress color – so pretty!
xoxo from Trinidad
Corey @ Learning Patience recently posted..Plants and Flowers and Bugs – Oh My
I always love introducing people to new, funky places!
Jessica @ Sushi & Sit-Ups recently posted..Fall coffees
That’s so exciting that you’ve ordered your bridesmaids dress! Hopefully your sister will take your opinion into account for her wedding… I had no say for my brother’s wedding – just an e-mail with a link to where to purchase the dress! haha
Katie @ Peace Love and Oats recently posted..Just a Little Bit Different
WOW that salad looks awesome!
Oh bridesmaids dress shopping… I hope to have my own bridesmaids soon 🙂
Ashley @ Coffee Cake and Cardio recently posted..I Want To Be The Biggest Loser
Our Au Bon Pain has a soup like that. It’s delicious!!
Mary @ Bites and Bliss recently posted..Tricky, tricky training
This Quinoa Salad really looks very good! I have to “google” the receipt of something similar! 😉 Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sarah recently posted..Capsiplex Online
that quinoa salad looks delicious! i love little hole-in-the wall spots and often find those serve the best food because the independent owners care so deeply about their small business.
kathleen @ the daily crumb recently posted..today i found a moment
Love the color of the dress! It’s going to look great on you!
Casey @ Pocket Full of Sunshine recently posted..Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies With Peanut Butter and Bacon
i just wore that dress last wknd in a wedding- in the charcoal color. I loved it and plan on wearing it again!
Pretty color for the dress!!
I want a Kale salad now…. 😉
I love the dress you picked out! You have so many fun weddings coming up! 🙂
Ali @ Ali Runs recently posted..Tuesday Blues and Race Talk
Oh, bridesmaid dress shopping can be so fun, or so frustrating. I feel like they don’t cut the dresses for real people..the proportions are so silly! I’m in two weddings in October, and strangely enough, they chose the same color dress from the same store- so I can wear it in both weddings!
Emily @ Perfection Isn’t Happy recently posted..The Day I Actually Liked Running
I agree! The dress I tried on was tight on the waist, large on the bust, and long on the leg! I felt like they were designing a dress for a barbie doll!
I drive by there every morning!
Chuck recently posted..The Nations Triathlon: Dry-land in DC
Reading this makes me so excited- I’m starting to plan my wedding and all of my girlfriends keep asking about the bridesmaids dresses… Cute dress, great color!
Allison recently posted..1 Week [7 Days]
I love that dress! In fact I wore it in brown and pink as my sister’s Maid of Honor a few weeks ago!
It actually fit me well, just needed a smidge taken in at the bust and I had cups sewn in, so I didn’t have to wear a bra.
Katie @ cooklaughmove recently posted..Running Errands
That bridesmaids dress is CUTE. Personally, I’ve never gotten a bridesmaids dress that didn’t need alterations. I think they are made not to fit you!
Cafe Hey sounds and looks amazing!!! Yum!!! Love when local places focus on local foods.
Liz @ Southern Charm recently posted..What I Ate Wednesday #2
I learned about the truely awesome and delicous properties of pumpkin ginger soup at Disney’s Boma. There should be more places like Cafe Hey serving this wonderful soup. Thank you for the yummy post!
Marilyn @ Forkful.net recently posted..Sit ‘n Stay Pet Cafe Debut in Thornton Park
I’ve never heard of Cafe Hey – add another place to my list of restaurants to look into!
I wore an Alfred Angelo bridesmaid dress for my friend’s wedding in April, and I just wanted to give you a word of warning. I assume you were at the Tampa store on Dale Mabry? Do NOT let them alter it; take it elsewhere. The first dress they ordered for me was the wrong size, so they had to rush order a 2nd one that was huge and needed to be altered a lot. Well, to make a long story short: the alterations were horrendous. The hem was completely wonky, they made the dress SO tight that the flap that covers the zipper was no longer covering it, and it was buckling/puckering all over the back. I was in agony the entire wedding, but there was nothing I could do. If I ever have to buy another AA bridesmaid dress, I’ve learned my lesson: take it to my local tailor!
Katie recently posted..Polka Dot
Thanks for the head up! I wasn’t planning on using AA because it would be $$ anyways. 🙂 Do you have any recommendations for where I should take it to be altered in the area?
Oh good! I really wanted to sell the dress or donate it after the wedding, but it is so hacked up I don’t know that even Goodwill would want it! Haha 😉
I live over in the Palm Harbor area, and the tailor I use is just a little shop run by a husband and wife, Rose Tailor. She’s fixed a few of my regular dresses for me in the past and done a good job, but yeah it’s a long drive for you from Tampa for that! 😉
Katie recently posted..Casa Ludovico: Revisited
That dress is beautiful – so painful to have to wait that long for it to arrive!
Sophie recently posted..Life Wobbles & A Catch Up!
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