on dining in Gainesville

It is true, we like breakfast.  But if I were honest with myself, most of our out-of-the-home dining money is spent on dinner.  John and I date once a week.  For many couples a date is adventurous and fun and something radical.  For us, our hearts beat a little bit faster when we think of eating out.  It is truly a treat not to cook and to imagine all Saturday where we will eat (or sometimes friday depending on what sporting event is scheduled to air Saturday night, that is John's date with ol' Philips).

We like to try new things.  It is enough for me to get a little dolled up for my husband and pretend like I look that way all week.  Our search is always on for a local eatery that is both delicious and charming, inexpensive and hidden, scrumptious and leaving-us-dreaming-of-their-garlic-yogurt-dipping-sauce-all-night-long restaurant.

Oh wait, I must be talking about The Top, and how they have sweet potato fries that you dip in a finger-licking, creamy, drippy, garlic yummo sauce.  AND I cannot get enough.

Here are some of the selling points on this restaurant for us:

1.  It looks like it was decorated from a thrift stores collection.

2.  You can be sure that your waiter or waitress will have tattoos and a shaved portion of their head or        really long hair.

3.  There is a waitress who has a tattoo of a bird, and in place of the bird's head is her face!

4.  Organic and sometimes vegan food, if you are in to that sort of thing.

5.  Good beers

6. They have a photo booth!

This booth really caught us off-guard, which is evident in the first picture.  No countdown, no beeping sound . . . just "SNAP, you better look cute because we ain't stoppin".  Which is why I quickly made sure to smooch my husband before we ran out of film.   Wouldn't you do the same thing in that situation?  And then we do what we always do, smile awkwardly until someone stops taking pictures.

That said, if you live in Gainesville, go get you some fries.  If you don't go get you some photo booth pics.