How to Gain 10 Pounds in One Day

A sign of a growing city is the number of events happening on any given day. I can still recall days when I couldn't find anything to do in Charlotte. Now? There are so many events happening that it's difficult to choose which ones to go to and which ones to skip. 

Today was one of those days. 

Thankfully, with the help of my lovely date Erin, we were able to narrow down the list for a perfect afternoon.

Our first stop was at Joe's Doughs for their grand re-opening. They tweaked their dough recipe and are adding a coffee bar soon (rumored debut date is sometime in August). 

I ordered two donuts, maple bacon and cinnamon peach crunch, since my child stole my breakfast sandwich earlier that day and I was a bit hungry...

Erin ordered a chocolate glazed donut with sprinkles:

After catching up on each other's lives, we moved on to our next destination: to celebrate the opening of the future location of Not Just Coffee inside TABOR/SOCO Gallery at 421 Providence. 

I've heard a lot about TABOR and SOCO Gallery and I was excited to finally check out the space. TABOR is a modern men's clothing store and SOCO Gallery is a contemporary art space and bookshop. The future Not Just Coffee location is the perfect addition and their new merchandise, made in partnership with Centennial Trading Company, is really cool.

Weird Empire pins are my favorite.

Can we please take a moment to talk about how cute the new NJC Cold Brew Bike is?! My dream is for one day to see it come through our neighborhood...

Now back to the coffee. I have an unpopular opinion that may upset some folks: I don't like cold brew or iced coffee. Every time I order it I am disappointed or disgusted by it. 

That changed today.

Today was the first time I enjoyed cold brew. No sugar, no creamer, no other additives necessary. It was flavorful, smooth, and enjoyable.

Hey, Mr. DJ! | Cream Puff Records

One of my all time favorite food trucks, The Dumpling Lady, was at the celebration. I love nothing more than dumplings drenched in spicy Szechuan sauce on a hot summer day. Today my order consisted of shrimp and chicken dumplings and a bowl of spicy beef noodles. 

I was a sweaty mess eating my lunch but it was well worth it! Thankfully, there was a bucket full of Lenny Boy beer to help take down the heat a bit.

Before we knew it it was time to head out to event number three: Mixology with Bob Peters at Earl's Grocery. We learned all about making classic cocktails and even got to try a few.

We were seated near the baked goods so I may have accidentally ordered a doughnut covered in grapefruit cardamon sugar. Oops.

But the day of eating was not over yet, oh no! There was ice cream to be had with Corri, one of my most favorite human beings. 

In my opinion, Elizabeth Creamery is a local treasure. Family owned, homemade, and delicious. Need I say more?

I ordered my favorite: a scoop of black cherry in a waffle cone. A sweet ending to a sweet afternoon.

Before heading back to the 'burbs, I picked up a whole chicken and three sides at Viva Chicken to take down to the pool for dinner. We got rained out but it didn't stop us from enjoying our delicious Peruvian dinner.

And that, my friends, is how you gain ten pounds in one day.