Restaurant Week // The Heavy Heavy with The Thing

Dress: Midsummer Midi Dress by ASTR The Label (size L) via Nuuly

Sandals: Born

Earrings: Wendy Baker

Necklace & Bracelet : Colleen Toland

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I adored the explosion of vivid warm colored florals on this midi...great fitting light summer dress...reviews state it runs small, so I went up a size & that was correct. There was a fitted area with an underwire for your breasts & it seems like a Goldilocks situation...had my boobs been any bigger or smaller, the fit would have been off...they barely fit. The straps are adjustable, elastic in back, & there is a zipper on the side. Innocent with all the layers & ruffles, yet sultry with the thigh high slit. 

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE not having to wear a bra?! It's amazing. I still wear one if it's not going to show because it does give a nicer look...but there are so many cute summer dresses, like this one, that I am free to wear with nothing underneath. 

Flowers on my feet...

It may have been a mistake to introduce so many other colors with my jewelry when I could have went with mostly orange & pink...but this is what I chose to wear...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mildew, Neon eyeshadow palette from Huda Beauty, Bang lipliner & lipstick by UD, Sugarpill Cosmetics lipstick in Clockwork, & OPI nail polish in Orange You Going To The Game?

I wore this frock to partake in Restaurant Week with David...1st up, reservations at Heritage Tavern. A new cocktail had appeared since last we were here...Insert Beatles Song (gin, Boomsma Cloosterbitter, thyme infused dry vermouth, pineapple & strawberry cordial, rhubarb bitters, lemon & lime)...delightful. It was a 3 course meal & we shared everything. First course: Summer Sweet Corn Chowder (pickled summer peppers potato, grilled scallion) & Duck Confit Toast & Petite Salad (duck confit, smoked ricotta, salted candied pecans, radish, market greens, cardamom-chili vinaigrette). 

After placing our order for duck confit, we had immediately changed our mind, but our server forgot to take note...so we got to try it anyway...plus, what we ordered, Head Cheese & Escargot (creamed grits, tomato concasse, lemon zest, fine herbs, jus tranché). All 3 of these starters were delicious. Main course: Mustard Seed & Juniper Crusted Berkshire Pork Loin (heirloom bean, pork broth, mustard greens, bacon lardon, broccolini, escarole) &... 

Coup du Jour (market beef, braised beef short rib, foraged mushrooms, potato bone, turnip, wilted spinach, bordelaise, blue cheese espuma). Second round of drinks: Rios Mios (Pitu cachaca, Smith & Cross rum, Finocchietto, strawberry purée, honey syrup, lime) & Doc's Orders (Death's Door gin, Saler's gentian, carrot tarragon syrup, lemon tonic water, celery bitters, dukkah carrot rim). Dessert: Caramel Pecan Profiterole (Amish maple ice cream, salted caramel) & Dark Chocolate Cake (vanilla bean anglaise, summer berries, cocoa nib crumble). My favorites were: Duck Confit Toast, Pork Loin, & Caramel Profiterole. Overall, a decent meal...we like to go to Heritage for restaurant week because they rarely make changes to their daily menu & it's wonderful to try something new. 

After dinner, we meandered over to Merchant to see if they could fit us in so we could continue our tradition of eating at these two places back to back for restaurant week. A 40 minute wait...perfect...we took outfit photos at the capitol & walked around the square. It was a splendid summer evening, so we opted to sit outside. Merchant has the best craft cocktails in town...David ordered a Blindman (Bardstown Fusion 8 bourbon, Six Grapes port wine, Smith & Cross rum, raspberry syrup, lime juice, angostura bitters), while I chose Ladybug (strawberry-infused Gray Whale gin, strawberry syrup, lime juice). Another 3 course meal that we shared. Starters: Roasted Beet Salad (crème fraîche, pickled shallot, citrus gel, hazelnuts, tarragon) &...

Roasted Broccoli (chimichurri marinated broccoli, harissa-tomato sauce, whipped tahini, feta, smoked almonds). Entree: Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich (cabbage slaw, jalapeno crema, pickled vegetables, black pepper aioli, fresh herbs, brioche bun) & Crispy Duck Leg (frisée, bacon lardon, herb aiolo brioche croutons). Second cocktails: Red Banana Daiquiri (Ron Colón red banana oleo rum, Combier de Banane liqueur, Plantation Barbados 5 year rum, Demerara syrup, pineapple, Peychaud's, angostura) &...

Peach Merchant Old Fashioned (Blade & Bow bourbon, Old Grand Dad bourbon, peach syrup, peach bitters). Dessert: Passion Fruit Tart (passionfruit curd, strawberry, coconut creme & toasted coconut) & Carrot Cake (pecans, dried currants, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom & orange blossom cream cheese frosting). This was a better meal than Heritage...I would be thrilled to eat it all over again & not change a thing. Actually, most of this stuff is probably still on their standard menu & I should try to make it there before the seasons change. My favorites were: beet salad, hard tie between the two entrees, & while carrot cake is my most cherished dessert (& theirs was a good one), that passionfruit tart was spectacular. 

A stroll back to Veronika...I love that they plant a vegetable garden on the square...little bitty squashes. It was a thoroughly enchanted evening with my love.

The second time I wore this dress was to The Shitty Barn to see Heavy Heavy with The Thing with Kate & Jason. I made us a coconutty red curry salmon salad & they brought farmers' market fruit. YUM. 

False advertising...Jason can no longer be hangry...it should be reversible. 

A little walk around the barn...

Oh! Vinyl! Yay! Front row, just like I like. 

The Thing (Brooklyn, NY) were steeped in an early 80s vibe...they looked like all the college kids that used to work for my parents back then. Fun band!

Break...The Heavy Heavy (Brighton, UK) were also fabulous...& we got to dance! It was a marvelous night & the singer signed the record I bought.