Palmetto Bluff and lunch at Buffalos

Welcome to Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina. Palmetto Bluff is what they call the "Ultimate Southern Escape" and one of my favorite places in the world. This plantation like community is home to many and a luxury destination for few. It is a vast expanse of land bordered by the May, Cooper and New River, steaming with wildlife, outdoor adventure opportunities, fine dining and luxury amenities. Many people have bought land and built homes on the property, but you can also rent a cottage at The Inn for the ultimate luxury Low Country getaway. 

The incredible thing about Palmetto Bluff is many of its amenities are still open to the public. Wilson Village, located about 5 miles from the entrance, is home to restaurants, shops, activities and even a post office. There is so much I could say about Palmetto Bluff. I hope you'll visit the website and read more about all it has to offer. The beauty of the Low Country is truly exemplified through this destination.

Back in South Carolina for the week, I was excited that all my friends were able to come into town to visit. We met up at Buffalos for lunch, located in the heart of Wilson Village. Buffalos has a variety of seating options with views of The May River, the Chapel as well as the old Wilson home ruins. 

I was very excited to see my sweet friend Allison. She and her husband are expecting their first child in about a month. They made the drive from Charleston just for the catch up. 

I love those friends that no matter how much time passes, you pick up right where you left off.

Once everyone arrived we headed inside to eat. The story of Buffalos is actually really interesting. In 1917, Alfred Lee Loomis purchased a large amount of property on Hilton Head Island that he turned into a preserve for riding, hunting and fishing. One of the animals put on the preserve were buffalos. When the buffalos realized they were being hunted, they decided escape rather than stay and get shot. The buffalos swam through the water and ended up at the property that is now Palmetto Bluff. Little did they know that Palmetto Bluff was also a hunting preserve. Above is one of the original Buffalo that was hunted.

Six out of seven of us got the Grilled Cobia Fish Tacos. The homemade corn tortilla was packed with perfectly grilled fish, cabbage slaw, cheese, and peppers. I chose to pair it with a black bean avocado salad that complimented well. 

Kathleen was the only to stray and opted for the Crab Cakes with a side of Sweet Potato French Fries. These two items are probably some of the best on the menu.

The restaurant has a super casual feel with a lot of Southern Charm. You can even take some of it with you if you'd like.

We decided to take a walk around Wilson Village after lunch to explore the beautiful and historical sites.

This Chapel is what little girls wedding dreams are made of. It is beautiful and also comes with an incredible price tag.

Wilson Ruins are the remains of the original property mansion that burned down in 1926.

The General Store is an actual grocery store, with little food selection but a lot of wine, treats and trinkets.

I could not help get a few shots with the ladies. Look at that beautiful baby belly.

My pleated mint dress is from ASOS (on sale now) and my shoes are Seychelles (wore them on my birthday, purchasing link here). 

xoxo from the Low Country

Brooklyn Sunsets and Cafe Ronda

I have a dream that some day I will be able to live in an apartment that has access to an outdoor space. Don't get me wrong, I love my apartment, but on those perfect summer nights, I would trade anything for a rooftop with a view. 

When dreams aren't a reality, it is nice to have friends who share their blessing. It was a lovely evening to catch up with Cara before she headed to South Africa for a couple months.

Her apartment is in Williamsburg. The view of the city is sick; the sunset never looked so good.

Wine, cheese, meats, a sunset and great friends...nothing better.

The next morning the Frans and I rolled out of bed and popped over to Cafe Ronda for brunch. Cafe Ronda is a Spanish Tapas Grill on the Upper West Side. I've been a couple times before but only for brunch because of their delicious baked eggs.

You can order the eggs baked or as an omelette. We each decided on a different version. Nat chose the Spinach and Portabella. Her's came out a little off so she sent it bake for the omelette version.

I chose the Black Forest Ham Baked Egg. It was packed with Spinach and Mozzarella. I opted for the home fries as the side.

Mer had the Argentinian Sausage Baked Eggs which included peppers, onion and cheese.

It was a lovely morning catching up with the Frans and a lot of scarfing down food. Mer and I spent the rest of the day wandering around the Upper West Side. We ran into a friend who just moved back to America, and got to catch up over coffee for a bit. We then proceeded to run into people we knew walking home.  I love when that happens, it make the city seems so small. Overall, it was a very lazy relaxing day in NYC.

Heading home for the next week, can't wait to share some South Carolina adventures!

Family Dinner at the Ng's

A few weeks back the Frans were treated to a very special Family Dinner. Our sweet friends Kevin & Christina asked if they could cook Family Dinner for us one Monday. Not ones to turn down a dinner invitation, we ventured to the Eastside for a very special Family Dinner. 

As much as I want to give Christina credit for the food (she was a lovely hostess), Kevin was the mastermind behind the Malaysian-Asian themed meal. We were blown away by the flavors of all the dishes as well as the quantity. Kevin may or may not have been preparing multiple days for this meal. Feeling spoiled before we even arrived, we came to the meal with major expectations. Our hosts did not disappoint. 

Our wonderful hosts. 

Here we have 3 of the dishes. The two in the front are Chicken Curry (one spicy, one mild), on the back left is 5-Spice Pork and the back right is Beef Rendang Curry.

The 5-Spice Pork was packed with melt in your mouth sweet potatoes.

Can't forget the veggies!

Here we have the Steamed Fish. This was probably my favorite dish.

I had three full plates of food.

A little dessert digestive.

Here is a rundown from Kevin on how to prepare some of these dishes.

Beef Rendang Curry - Purchase Beef, slice, put in a sauce pan with a little water. Cook on very low heat for many hours. The secret to this dish is using a spice mix from Prima Taste.

Chicken Curry - Purchase Chicken and use a curry paste from Malaysia. This can be found here.  You pretty much cook it at the same slow pace as you do the Beef.

Steamed Fish - Purchase whole fish scaled, Kevin used Branzino. You rub the fish with salt and then steam it over a Wok (you can also wrap in foil and bake for about 20 minutes). You then add in some green onions, ginger, parsley and the special ingredient, a Seafood Soy Sauce from Lee Kum Kee. The super secret ingredient is crunchy garlic over the top.

Can't wait to try these on my own, but I'm sure they won't be anywhere near as good as what we were served. Thanks again!