May 8th - the Robermans

The first night of Cafe Davis 2007 was kicked off by our good friends Sarah Smitherman and Tom Robinson. (We affectionately call them the Robermans, however, since the Smitherman-Robinsons is a bit unwieldy.) Sarah works with Mike at JMU, and Tom is a Civil War historian. They moved to Harrisonburg from Savannah by way of Florida. And even though they are both Florida State graduates, at least they didn't go to Florida... hence why our friendship is possible. (Go Dawgs!) Seriously, college football jokes aside, Sarah and Tom have fast become some of our very best friends in Harrisonburg. We love spending time with them, and we hope to have a great time this summer hanging out and exploring the 'Burg. Dinner tonight was Mahi Mahi with Orange, Avocado and Red Onion Salsa, Roasted Eggplant Medley, and Black Bean Hummus with Pita Tips. As is typical in this blog, I made mistakes and requisite adjustments with dinner... as usual. First, I didn't buy enough Mahi Mahi for four people. I don't know where my head was in the seafood department, but Sarah and Tom would have left hungry if I had not had a package of tilapia in the freezer. So, the Mahi Mahi night kind of turned into a white fish assortment. The salsa for the top of the fish was really tasty - the recipe called for blood oranges, which of course aren't available around here. I think it turned out fine with plain old Kroger oranges. And the other adjustment was with the hummus. The recipe called for cayenne pepper, which we had but I couldn't find in the cabinet. So it tasted really really plain to me. Problem was solved with a few dashes of hot sauce however, and the end product was delicious. So much so that I think it will be a staple at future parties and what not. The beer for tonight was from the Starr Hill Brewery in Charlottesville. I thought we could try something somewhat local, and I opted for the Pale Ale. I liked it - definitely not too shabby. After dinner we decided to play "Life." Sarah had never played before, but Tom got off to a huge lead with the doctor's salary and then 4 kids. They actually had to leave fairly early, but we still had a great time at the first night of the Cafe. Of course there are pictures, so enjoy and we hope to see you soon!