When a Planner Doesn't Plan + Accidentally Has the Best Meal Ever

TL;DR This unexpected night turned out to be amazing, I had all of my favorite dishes in one meal, and I met who I consider to be a celebrity. Now, read on.

birthday nerves

Guyssss!! As y’all know, I celebrated my bday last month (woot-woot!). Birthdays have gotten funny as I’ve gotten older. You know, not doing too much planning these days to avoid 2 things:

1. The disappointment of your busy adult friends not being able to come through for whatever you plan

2. Not feeling like being at your own party once it gets here because you like the idea of hanging out more than actually hanging out

So my style of an ideal birthday celebration is simply to go to a good restaurant for dinner. That’s it! And it makes me SO happy! Well, this year, I did that….but this time, my husband picked the spot 😳 

Listen - I trusted him, but it threw me off my element because I’m the kinda person that looks at the menu online, searches photos of dishes on yelp, and picks out what I’m going to order days (sometimes weeks) in advance. Ridiculous, I know. And yes, I have panicked in the past when I’ve planned this all out just for the waiter to tell me the kitchen is out of whatever I planned for days prior.

Anyway, you can imagine that while I was excited to try a new spot, I was a lil nervous not knowing what to expect and most importantly, not being able to plan out my meal ahead of time.

how did this turn into the best meal ever?

When we pulled up to the restaurant I was so excited to see that Marta was the spot!! It’s been on my list for a minute and I’ve heard nothing but good things. So my expectations were high. Which is dangerous. But this experience surpassed anything I could’ve ever imagined.

We walk in and the aesthetic checks all the boxes. I’m not talking tik-tok-aesthetic restaurant. I’m talking sophisticated-design-that-I-captured-photos-of-to-use-as-inspiration-for-my-future-home-aesthetic.

When we arrived to our table they had a handwritten birthday card waiting for me. #ItsTheLittleThings

I looked at the menu and right away I saw my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE DISH EVER. Whipped Ricotta. And this was by far, the best I ever had.

So I’m looking through the entrees and feeling indecisive because everything sounded soooooo yummy. Well, the waiter comes over to run through the chef’s specials for the night. Y’all…why did this man say they had LOBSTER RAVIOLO?? No, that was not a typo. Raviolo is the singular version of ravioli. So it was a big behind ravioli noodle stuffed with lobster. If there is ever lobster ravioli on the menu, I will always order it. Cherry on top that this was Lobster Raviolo which made it feel fancier. And it was bomb.

Then just when I was more than satisfied with the meal, they bring out the dessert menu. And they have DONUTS. Just like whipped ricotta and lobster ravioli, if there’s ever donuts on a menu, I am ordering them. I couldn’t believe this unplanned meal combined all of my favorite dishes and every single thing was top tier.

but wait, there’s more…

The food blew me away but the night got even better. In the middle of our meal, we noticed a guy sitting in the corner of the bar. I pointed him out to my husband because I thought it was hilarious that he was in his zone, in the corner, watching the game on his iPad. I was like “he’s clearly a regular.” Then maybe 20min later I overheard the bartender address him as the Head Chef. I almost spit out my food (out of excitement not disgust lol). I have so much respect and admiration for chefs. For me, meeting the chef of a restaurant is like a teenage girl meeting her favorite boy band.

I got super nervous but my man encouraged me to say something. I ended up meeting the head chef (shoutout Chef Matthew) who just so happened to be sitting beside another local chef at The Urban Oyster, a restaurant opening later this week (shoutout Chef Malcolm). I met 2 chefs in one night and they both subscribed to my newsletter!!

look at God

This is somehow turning into a testimony of how God always does His part. It felt like a life lesson entering my 27th year, reassuring me that I’m better off not trying to control every aspect of my life. Yup, that’s what this surprise date night taught me.

I took the plunge and launched a newsletter a couple weeks ago not knowing what I’m doing. It put me in the position to be ready to confidentially introduce myself as an up-and-coming food critic to coincidentally meet 2 local chefs. AND I had something to show for it by having my newsletter subscription ready to go.

wanna know more about the food at Marta?

Yes this is a call to action. For a sneak peek, follow me on the other platforms (tik tok // my new instagram)! The food at Marta was truly presented like a work of art. It’s a must-see. Stay tuned for another email from me tomorrow breaking it all down.

Until then ✌🏾