Weekend Events and Brunch at Mangroves SoHo

Aside from a less than exciting even on Friday afternoon I had a wonderful weekend (that is still going because of the holiday today) consisting of good friends, running, and a little bit of time with Tim. Weekends where he works both days are kind of the pits, as I don't get to see him very much.
On Friday we did go to Mexican, though. I went for a run and started craving it as I was running. It was a bit of an odd thing to crave, but when he got home and agreed to go, I could taste the chips and salsa already. 

Saturday morning I met up with Tori and her fiance Patrick for a long run in Clearwater. I already mentioned yesterday that I'm doing the Irongirl race in April, and those bridges looked intimidating. Though they do look intimidating and aren't the most fun things in the world, they aren't as bad as they look. The views are beautiful!

Saturday night was Tim's dad's birthday dinner at his parent's house, but I didn't take any pictures. Though I meant to get up and workout on Sunday morning, the bed was calling my name. I slept in and got a few chores done until time to go to brunch at Mangroves SoHo.

I received an email a few weeks ago inviting me to attend a bloggers' brunch at Mangroves SoHo to try out the new brunch menu they're now featuring. Emily informed me that Mangroves has mostly been known to be more of a club, but I can tell you that after the event yesterday their food is really delicious.

When we first got there we had the option of trying the Bloody Mary or the mimosas. I always forget whether I like Bloody Marys, as I haven't had very many, so I opted for the mimosas. They kept those flowing for sure!

It was fun to catch up with Emily. I know her through Tim's circle of friends, but we enjoy hanging out on our own as well. She made the trip down to Trader Joe's with me in December, and it had been since then that we'd been able to chit chat. We caught up and discussed that though we've been adults for a while, sometimes the responsibilities that keep getting piled on as you keep going make it so much less appealing than it seems when you're younger.

The food came out, and I don't know what I was expecting, but this was better! It just kept coming, and I really didn't have a complaint about anything that was brought out. I think my favorite was the chicken and waffles. It had a bit of a kick to the syrup, and I didn't want it to be done.

We then got the French Toast and some of the sweet potato hash, and the French toast was so incredibly creamy on the inside. I couldn't stop eating it. I saw Meghann come in and she sat with us for a little bit and talked wedding stuff. We all had contributions because of our own weddings and weddings coming up in the near future.

Next up was the mango grilled cheese sandwich with an avocado bacon and blue cheese salad. I devoured that as well as the salad, although of everything I would say this was my least favorite. The bread was a little heavy on the butter, but it didn't stop me from finishing it.

We sat around for a few minutes and finished our food and drinks. I think there was more food than what we received (we sat at a table in the bar and someone brought it all to us), but I don't know if I could have eaten any more. I didn't know what to expect as far as portions, but they definitely didn't leave us wanting more. On the email it did say eggs benedict and huevos rancheros, so that will probably be part of the menu as well. 

Before we left we grabbed a picture. It makes me laugh, because I think it was the restaurant manager that took it. He clearly wanted that door in the photo. 

I really enjoyed myself at this event! I will definitely suggest Mangroves as a place to grab brunch with girlfriends in the future. I saw most of the restaurant, but since we sat on the bar side we didn't get a full tour. I would love to see what it looks like at dinner, as I can imagine that it might be a fun place to come on a Friday or Saturday night for a more trendy date night.

Thanks for coming with me Emily! And thanks for not laughing at all the bloggers and the food photography (or in my case lack thereof). 

I came home after that and did laundry and picked up a little around the house. After all my food digested I did get in that workout I had earlier missed. A round of Jillian Michaels Level 2 30 Day Shred followed by half of round 3. I figured once I hit 40 minutes that I had done enough. Level 3 is definitely a challenge.

How was your weekend? Do you have today off? How are you spending it?

I'm linking up with Leeann, Alli, and Molly.