I gave myself a cold. in July. in Texas.
I all of a sudden started sneezing nonstop 3 days ago, which was perplexing because, a) I don't really get seasonal allergies anymore; and b) there are no seasonal pollen things going on right now anyway (thanks weather.com). But then it dawned on me.
I gave myself a cold. I'll explain.
Jon gave me a Fitbit for my birthday, which is definitely my favorite new toy. I set it up to buzz every half hour during the work week, at which point I get up from my desk, walk a loop around the office, walk outside through the parking lot, then come back to my desk. This little route clocks in at about 250 steps (and makes me look like a complete lunatic to all my coworkers, to be sure).
But as the average temps outside are roughly around 165, and the average temps inside my office are roughly around 27, and I do this lap an average of 10 times a day, switching from freezing to sweltering, freezing to sweltering, on and on and on...
I gave myself a cold.
Don't feel sorry for me, I completely brought this one upon myself. I'm sharing this more as a cautionary tale for all of you other neurotic Fitbitters out there (just me?). Also, I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm currently packing up my apartment of two years, which is rustling up all kinds of dust and invisible monsters.
(I mean I dust my apartment thoroughly every week of course what are you talking about.)
Two weekends ago, Jon and I beat this unbearable heat by finding refuge at
Harvest Organic Grille at their Westchase location. The open, airy restaurant was relatively quiet on that Saturday around 2:00.
After we had been seated, our server greeted us with complimentary rolls, accompanied by the most wonderful trio of dips - a fresh, mild, and creamy hummus; a salty, textural olive tapenade; and a light, aromatic herbed olive oil. The varying delightful flavors and freshness of each dip made this an exciting and playful way to start the meal. I would hands down go back just for this alone!
I ordered a "cup" of the red lentil soup to warm up my insides on that freezing July day (clearly their cups are geeeenerously portioned, and clearly by freezing I mean gouge my eyes out melting hotness). My initial reaction to my first spoonful was that of disinterest. I thought it seemed boring and one note. But then, WHAM, I was smacked in the throat with a burst of earthy beautiful flavors, accented with what I believe was nutmeg, and a perfect zing of spiciness. This creamy, comforting cup of pureed lentil soup really hit the spot.
After my lovely roll/dip and soup experiences, I was super pumped for my entree, the stuffed artichoke. Baked artichoke hearts are stuffed with rice, onions, juniper berries, pine nuts, mint, parsley, and cinnamon, and everything is then wrapped up in grape leaves and served with a side of carrots, sauteed onions, asparagus, and bulgur pilaf. The dish sounded so promising, but I'm sad to report that it was not executed well. The tartness of the artichoke combined with the tartness of the grape leaves was waaaay too overpowering, and I could barely take two bites of it. None of the exciting treats stuffed inside the artichoke were to be enjoyed, as I couldn't taste anything past the pungent flavors of the grape leaves and artichoke hearts. I even tried removing the grape leaves, which did alleviate some of the stridence, but it was still pretty off-putting.
Fortunately, it's difficult to mess up asparagus and carrots, and the sauteed onions were caramel-y and incredibly pleasant, topped with some red pepper flakes for added flair. The bulgur pilaf was also very enjoyable - light, yet reminiscent of indulgent Spanish rice, I ate every bite of it.
Jon ordered the red snapper, which he was indifferent about. I nabbed a few bites of his wild rice and sauteed vegetable medley and liked them both. The wild rice was earthy and almost nutty, and the vegetable medley was - although borderline soggy - silky, vibrant, and packed with flavor.
While the main parts of both of our meals were sort of a letdown, everything else I ate at Harvest Organic Grille was quite enjoyable. The restaurant has several vegetarian options, as well as many healthy meat and fish plates, and gluten free choices, so it's a good middle ground spot for groups dining out with mixed diets. And Lordy, that complimentary roll/dip starter is awesome!
Also I'm pretty sure the red lentil soup would whoop my cold in the keester.
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