I had Friday off and I made the absolute most of it with a three-day trip to Virginia.  I drove to Maryland on Friday morning to meet up with my aunt, uncle, and cousin, and then we drove down to Richmond together to visit my other cousin and her friends for the weekend.  Our schedule included beautiful walks, copious booze, and delicious food.  I had a fantabulous time!

I mostly snapped photos of coffee and booze, but we ate until we could pop.  These are a few of the can’t–miss spots we visited:

Black Hand is a locally operated coffee roaster and café.  I started both my mornings with an iced latte and loved them so much that I went back for a pound of beans before we left.

Bistro Bobette for French cuisine.  We had scrumptious foie gras with mango and balsamic and I ate rainbow trout with string beans and brown butter that knocked my socks off.

My Noodle & Bar serves awesome cocktails and the best Thai food I’ve had outside of NYC.

Thai rum, strawberry jam, and local honey shaken with basil with a Thai chili, salt, and sugar rim.  <– ridiculous good

Drunken Noodles with yummy duck.  I forget to request “Thai spicy” and my dish was still tingly-good so you know I was impressed.

Social 52 had biscuits and grits galore and a varied beer (and cocktail) menu with the option of flights with five ounce pours.

Sour, coconut porter, cream ale, and local cider.  The coconut porter was one of the best beers I’ve ever had; the coconut and porter loves alike enjoyed it.

Plus I did a pb&j – peanut butter porter and raspberry stout!

The Daily for – local, sustainably sourced – appetizers and cocktails.  My Bee’s Knees had gin, lemon, elderflower liquor, and vanilla-infused honey.  Perfectly balanced.

Bonus, sightseeing: be sure to check out the fun little shops in Carytown and the gorgeous grounds at the VA Museum of Fine Arts.