sapsuckers saturday

for the first time in what felt like forever, i had the weekend off from work, and took full advantage of it with a bunch of friends. on saturday, we drove around and found some out of town garage & estate sales (it still amazes me what iPhone apps can help you do). i picked up some fun stuff, but really i love these trips because i, for some reason, thoroughly enjoy rummaging through people's garbage.

afterward, we headed to centerport to the vanderbilt estate and planetarium! we watched a light show that used songs by the beatles as inspiration and then we roamed around the grounds. the vanderbilt estate is a super interesting place. it's incredible what people used to do with their money. lots of freaky taxidermy and beautiful architecture.

after spending half the day entirely too active for long island's recent heatwave, we were all starving and met up with some more friends in huntington for dinner. with the help of yelp (once again, iPhone to the rescue), we all agreed to try sapsuckers (which was especially exciting for me because new restaurants give me more to do now). it was awesome! thanks yelp!

the menu was short but sweet, with some creative takes on old favorites and a bunch of vegetarian options. sapsuckers is well known for their beer selection also, and half of the restaurant is actually a bar. i decided on some summer blend of dogfish head (the. best. beer.) and the veggie burger,

which was less burger, more chopped spinach and artichoke and mushroom and sheer deliciousness topped with melted cheese and a tomato slice. oh man, it was great.

then, chris had a groupon for a dozen free cookies at a chocolate shop nearby called chip'n dipped. like a good dad (my cell phone service is under his family plan), he let all six of us choose which kind we wanted. i, being me, chose chocolate chip.
and it was yummy, as all cookies should be.

the rest of the night was spent in a swimming pool and in port jefferson eating the frozen goods of our choosing (i went with my tried and true red mango). i slept like a baby well into sunday afternoon.
next entry: cake pops and trader joe's thai!

cafe of the day

today, my friend jill and i caught up over an early dinner at our favorite place to eat together, which is feelgoods cafe. jill moved to north carolina after attending school there and we haven't seen each other (or eaten here) in over two years. the entire experience was fantastic, as friends and food usually are.

what i've always loved about feelgoods is this "create your own" menu. you get to choose the whole grain, protein, veggies and all natural dressings to make your own one of a kind meal. they offer plenty of specialty items on a giant menu board, but i've always taken this route because it's way more fun.
something new that they've added since my last visit is this full blown veggie burger bar. i photographed four flavors, but there were probably fourteen. you can buy them in bulk as they freeze really well. my create your own order included a standard veggie burger, but the really nice girl at the counter let me choose one of these! AND she also gave me 15% off because i "liked" their facebook page as i was paying. they have a laptop and everything set up so you can do this. i'm telling you, this place is great.
if you're not already sold, here's my meal. i wish i could eat this three times a day, every day.
what i got: whole grain panini, pumpkin chickpea burger (oh my god), spring greens, artichoke, avocado & goat cheese with vidalia onion and cilantro vinaigrette. hands down absolutely 100% incredible. i'm already craving another one.

so all in all i had a really great dinner with my friend jill. we caught up on a bunch of stuff and it was really nice to see her. we made plans to meet again the next time i visit my parents in north carolina and i'm really pumped on that.

feelgoods is located on 412 north country road
saint james, NY 11780

check out the website to learn about their menu and other services they offer ($8 meal plans!), as well as what they're all about. which is promoting a wholesome, healthy, delicious lifestyle. love them.

oh, and definitely give them a like on facebook to save on your order!