Day 51 of 57: Dinner and a Dress to Kill

    Day 51 of 57 Days of Dresses. Jason and I went out to Avenue M for dinner. It was out first time visiting the restaurant, and we weren't too impressed, but willing to give it another try. The drink list was suitable, although the special was a dill pickle martini that might suggest a tangy and salty flavor profile those lovers of dirty martinis with extra olives might enjoy, but for me it suggested the kitchen had a surplus of pickle juice the restaurant wanted to do something with.
    We got the Modern Mediterranean sampler for our appetizer, which was a medley of sun-dried tomato basil hummus, baba ganoush, falafels, olives, grilled veggies and pita. It was delightful pleasing and the emerald green inside of the golden-brown fried falafels was a telltale sign of made-from-scratch.
    For dinner, Jason got the House-Made Veggie Burger with Swiss and a side of sweet and russet potato fries, and I got the Garbanzo Salad with tofu instead of garlic goat cheese. Dinner took a little longer to come out, but the wait was occupied with fun conversation and chit-chat between the two of us.
    The restaurant's decor is modern, eclectic, minimalist and slightly rustic. The high vaulted wood-panel ceiling and exposed steel beams with brightly colored paper flowers hanging from them were very cool. The warm lighting also accentuated the darkly stained, oddly shaped tables.
    At last, our meals arrived.
    Jason's burger only came with sweet potato fries, instead of the sweets and russets liked he asked for: A minor setback to our dining experience, seeing that the sweets were absolutely delicious. The veggie burger was dressed with lettuce, tomato, carrots, avocado, zucchini, parsnips and a red pepper Veganaise. The patty had a full, rounded flavor and satisfyingly heavy mouthfeel, but it was very messy and fell apart too easily--sadly a common problem with homemade veggie burgers. The kaiser roll was typical and didn't do it any service. Overall the veggie burger was maybe slightly above average.
    My salad had crispy fried chickpeas, grapefruit segments, almonds and golden fried tofu atop a bed of arugula and spinach with a champagne vinaigrette on the side. The salad was, unfortunately, lacking. The presentation was a little sloppy, the tofu was completely bland, and the spiciness of the arugula greatly overpowered the savoriness of the spinach. The fried beans--a culinary fad I desperately hope goes away soon--did add a much-needed crunch but had a bitterness to it; the scant sprinkling of almonds were a neutral element, and the grapefruit was kind of out of place. However, the mildly sweet champagne vinaigrette was pleasing and somehow tied all of the oddly matched flavors together. Still, I wouldn't eat it again.
    After diner, we were ready for a photoshoot.
    This vintage teal bodycon is another fabulous find at Local Honey in Nashville. This mini has a turtle neck and long sleeves. The dress itself is cut to an hourglass figure, so it hugs the contours of the bust, waist and hips perfectly. The dress is a very simple style, and gives the wearer legs for miles when matched with pumps or booties.I have it paired with a an intricately-patterned jacket I got from Free People, Messaca "Julietta" booties and my trusty pink pocketbook, also from Free People (like I said before, I have way too much Free People stuff). This is the type of dress that really brings a sense of physical self awareness to the wearer--hence the namesake of these skin-tight "body conscious" dresses--but if you got it, it's nice to flaunt it every once in a while, and this is just dress to do it in.