I really need to start doing $40 dates again. I’ll admit – it’s easier just to go to some of our existing favorite spots or just spend a little more but we’re trying to spend less eating out and there’s so many new places around town I need to be more adventurous in our date planning but we recently went to a newish place in town so I thought it would make a good post as we’re preparing for the weekend.
Shaun works frequently on weekends so it’s very rare that we get to just have a relaxing day together. A few weeks ago we found ourselves with a Sunday with no agenda for the day so I made the suggestion we visit The Kitchen at Shelby Farms as I had been a few weekends prior and LOVED it. The restaurant and patio overlook Patriot lake and my original intent was that we do a lap or two around the lake and then eat but it wound up being cold the day we went but in the future we’ll absolutely do this as part of the outing.
View from our patio table – it’s more pretty on a nicer day
The price point is a little high (brunch entrees are $12 to $20) but I find brunch is a great way to try a more high end place at a better price (dinners run $30 – $40ish per entrée) and tend to be more relaxed than the hustle and bustle of dinner service. I really enjoy the patio because it’s so peaceful looking out over the lake and you can completely forget that you are in the middle of a major metropolitan area. The patio is completely covered and there’s plenty of spacing between tables so you’re not crowded and hearing everything from the table next to you.
I’m usually not a fan of classic breakfast but the farmer’s breakfast (($13) is so good and quite frankly is presented very well. When we go out I tend to get a non alcoholic beverage and Shaun sticks to water which is how we’re able to keep this at $40 so for some thing might be a $40ish date.
Toast with jam, breakfast potatoes, 2 eggs , 3 pieces of bacon and filed greens – Yum!
Parking is free as is use of the trail and depending upon how sporty you want to be about it you could do a quick jog or take a leisurely stroll and extend the date past just eating brunch. While there we even saw a couple taking what I presume was their engagement pictures, aww. The trail has a nice mix of casual walkers, runners and bikers but the path is wide enough that there’s room for everyone to enjoy this beautiful setting.