Julienne's Cafe - Hampton, SC

So on my latest travels, I got to go to Hampton, South Carolina. With a darling downtown and several other places I'd love to go back and eat at, I know it's a place I'll definately go back too (I just need to cultivate the customers I have in town so I have an excuse to go more often!)

Around 11am, I was absolutely starving, so I headed downtown to see what good eats I could find. I stumbled across Julienne's Cafe. I was a bit nervous at first, because it is billed as an espresso bar, but when I asked if thehy had food, they handed me a full lunchion menu that had so much appealing stuff, it was difficult to decide! With soups, salads, and sandwiches, I felt like I was in a home-grown panera, and I decided on a Broccoli-Cheddar Soup with a Turkey Sandwich.

Let me take a moment to rave about the soup. DELICIOUS. I am a huge broccoli-cheddar fan, and this did not dissappoint. It had a rich creamy texture that aided in the tasting of the mix. Big chunks of broccoli swam in the creamy cheddar sauce that I literally cleaned my bowl.  

The store was also decorated with an ambiance that I tend to go towards: exposed brick, eclectic art on the walls, and friendly staff. It was enjoyable for me to sit in the window and soak up the people wandering in the streets, the 'usual crowd' that were making their way in (The fact that the waitress greeted the customers by name tipped me off), and taking a few moments of the day to enjoy myself and my delicious meal.

Pricing was very reasonable: Sweet tea, half a sandwich, and a cup of soup for $10 made it wallet conscious for me to support a local eatery.

So if you happen to be driving from Charleston to Savannah and feel like making a far out detour, I would recommend coming to Hampton. If you're a big fan of watermelon or festivals, Hampton is home of the oldest, continuing festival in the state, the Hampton County Watermelon Festival, held the third week of June.

You can find Julienne's at:
301 Lee Avenue
Hampton, SC 29924

Joe's Grill - Darlington, SC

So this week, I took my manager with me on my travels and we did an impressive amount of cold calls to try to generate some new customers. When we were in Darlington, we stumbled past a corner lot with a gravel parking lot and a trailer that said "JOE'S GRILL. FAMOUS SINCE 1952" So of course, we had to stop.


As you've probably been able to tell, I am a huge fan of local, one-of-a-kind, home cooked deliciousness. So when I suggested to my manager that I wanted to eat at Joe's, he looked at me and said "are you trying to suck up to me? I love greasy spoons!" (At this point in my head I was thinking, 'Duly noted: easy way to suck up is to take him to somewhere off the map, also what is a greasy spoon? This place is called Joe's?')


So when you walk up into Joe's, there are these steep steps and a narrow doorway, and you open the door and the place is crammed with tables and people. We were free to sit anywhere we please, so we chose a corner booth so we could have the best view of the joint. 


A part of me was nervous when the menu was brought out: it was a photocopied handwritten daily menu in hard-to-read handwriting. And they only served meat + 3. I went for the grilled pork loin, while my manager selected the meatloaf. While we waited, Joe brought out our pitcher of tea. Yes! This is one of those amazing places where they bring you a glass of ice, and a pitcher of sweet tea, and you never have to wait for a refill! 


While we were waiting for our food to be cooked, we took the time to look around the restaurant. Darlington is well-known for its speedway and the races that happen there, and this restaurant was almost racing themed. Pictures of Dale, Jimmy, and the other nascar greats covered every space on the walls, along with paraphernalia from racing sponsorships ( Budweiser/nascar signs, the likes), and picture of fans with their favourite drivers. I grew up in a NASCAR loving family, with a father who raced in the Busch league when I was young. Needless to say, I am a fan. This place was a restaurant after my own heart.


When our food came out, it was delicious. My manager and I both cleaned our plates, and the biscuits and cornbread brought out only added icing to the cake. Spread with REAL butter (it was so fresh and good, you'd think he had just milked a cow and made it himself), they melted in your mouth and left me happy, stuffed, and ready for a nap!


A super friendly staff, welcoming environment, and delicious food make for an Emily Approved dining experience. If you're ever in Darlington for lunch, I'd strongly suggest finding time to eat here. But make sure you hit an ATM first: they only take cash!


You can find Joe and his tummy-filling grill at:
306 Russell Street
Darlington, SC 29532-3324
(843) 393-9140

The Decorating Commences!

Hey Yall!

So you should know by now that I am in the big girl world of home-ownership! One of the best perks I'm finding about this is that I can decorate however I want! The sad part is that all my furniture is from college (read: IKEA), and I only had enough to fill the 650ft closet of an apartment I had in Raleigh. Now that my house is 3x bigger then that, I am in some serious need of furniture. But, until I can acquire some new furniture, (don't worry! I've already got pieces in mind!) I decided that the walls would be easy and affordable to decorate.

You'll notice incompletes in the pictures (like, items taped on the walls as place holders for furniture or other pictures) but you can also play a cat version of Where's Waldo and play Spot the Cat. Jack made sure she was in every picture.

View right when you walk in the door 

Living Room: note the taped on picture frames. Also, please
note the painting by a penguin chilling on the shelf!

Living Room

This needs more

Empty Closet

The Office / Future Vacuum Show Room

Where the dining room table WILL go

Kitchen, bike storage, etc

Relaxing after a hard day of being OCD while he hung pictures

So a day of hanging pictures, a sad matt stewart, and a house that's starting to look like a home later, here are some results-in-progress! I thought it was a fun day, and really enjoyed watching matt try to get everything perfect in a house built in 1935. A little note: homes built in 1935 tend to shift and settle over time. So, being 83.25" from the floor on one spot on the wall doesn't necessarily mean it will be level 83.25" 2 ft down the wall. We had to actually (oh god!) hang things by eye and it still looks good!

The best part was after all was done, Matt made us spaghetti, sauce, garlic bread, and sweet tea. After dragging the current dining room table out to the porch, we feasted on our homecooked meal, and agreed that I can't change my mind about where things are hung.