Exit Strategy {Date Nights Worth the Babysitter}

Hey babe, I've got an idea for our date night. You. Me. Let's lock ourselves in a dimly lit room. We'll conjure up some magic - and then.... solve puzzles, unlock hidden secrets and protect the castle against a dragon attack! This was the M.O. for escape-the-room-game date night at Exit Strategy, an hour of brain-expanding, challenging excitement.

The moment you step into the 'Quest of Honor' room you're transported to a castle where medieval music fills the room and builds excitement as the Exit Strategy guide reviews the rules of play. I can't reveal too much about what we did in the room, the strategy of the game must be kept a secret to ensure fair play. If you enjoy strategy board games, intellectual experiences, trying new things and having lots of fun, you'll love the rooms at Exit Strategy.

We pieced together clues and riddles and worked together with 6 other team members to complete our mission and defeat the dragon. Unfortunately we didn't beat the room, we achieved about 75% of our mission within the hour, but we had SUCH a blast! It was fun not to know what to expect. It required me to dust off my baby-brain and start thinking out-of-the-box, inside of the room. 

There can be up to 10 participants in a room, and we played with people we didn't know. I think it would have been an even better time trying to exit the room with friends. The additional familiarity and camaraderie may have helped in the decision making and negotiating the room to locate and decipher clues faster. Either way you try with friends or strangers, you're set up for an adventure. We got stuck on a couple of clues and were able to ask the Exit Strategy guide for clues via the walkie talkie. They  gave us a little direction, since the majority of us were first time strategists. 

Now that we've experienced one room we're hooked and want to try the other rooms. We think that we'll have a better feel for how to strategize (even though each are quite different) and hopefully be able to beat the room. Not that we REALLY want to beat the room or anything. (We really want to beat the room..) 

For more information and to easily book a date night worth the babysitter online you can check out their website here. You can keep up to date with their Instagram, Facebook at Twitter pages. 

Exit Strategy also works with companies offering team building experiences.

We were invited to experience Exit Strategy free of cost so I could review it, but as always all opinions are my own. I only review and share what I love in the Queen City with my readers. 

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{Date Nights Worth the Babysitter} Chef Alyssa's Kitchen

If you're a parent there are two things that are hard to come by - first healthy
tasty dinners, second date nights worth paying the baby sitter for. Enter Chef Alyssa's Kitchen in Atherton Mills Market. Chef Alyssa's offers fun, innovative cooking classes where you learn, prepare and enjoy meals together - kid free.

We picked out a bottle of wine and headed off to Chef Alyssa's ready to don aprons and enjoy a much needed date night. My husband looks so cute in an apron ;) Chef Alyssa's is situated inside the trendy organic-friendly Atherton Mills Market that I've blogged about before here. 

The atmosphere is inviting, with stand up butcher block tables abutted by flat cook tops and all things kitchen supply at the ready. The kitchen has a cohesive upscale feel,  I loved how they incorporated their business colors, lime green and blue into their decor, appliances and utensils.

Andrew, their marketing and planning guru introduced us to Chef Alyssa, a home grown Charlottean. She's a local who keeps the produce and meats she uses locally-sourced, fresh and healthy. She started us off with delicious bolognese-topped sautéed veggie pasta - I'm going to be breaking out the Veggetti to make that tasty creation!

Here was our menu for Healthy Weeknight Meals.

• Braised Chicken Cabbage "Tacos"
• Grilled Marinated Steak with Arugula and Apple Salad
• Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Gratin 

I'm not going to lie, when I first saw the list of meals I wasn't so sure how it would hit my palate. But I'm SO glad I stepped outside of my comfort zone of grilled chicken and baked potatoes and tried something new. Each dish was delicious and Alyssa dropped some chef knowledge on us about some of the important cooking basics. For example, how to rock a chef knife to slice and dice, how to keep your onion in place for chopping, a secret to getting the juiciest steaks and how to incorporate coconut oil into your cooking as a healthier option.

We prepared the marinade for our steak by toasting the spices and herbs and crushing them with the heavy skillet - not only was it aromatic it developed into a fully-flavored steak. We learned how to blanche purple cabbage that played the role as our crisp and tender taco shell. My absolutely favorite dish was the sweet potato and cauliflower gratin - I wasn't sure how those ingredients would meld together but WOW - it tasted more decadent than healthy!

It was relaxing to sip on a glass of wine as my husband and I cooked and laughed together. We enjoy working as a team in the kitchen - but usually it's done under the dire circumstances of hungry impatient children. We really enjoyed ourselves, and both felt like we learned so many things that we didn't know about how to refine our cooking techniques to create tastier, healthier meals for each other and our family. 

Chef Alyssa's Kitchen isn't only a great date night option, it's also a unique girl's night out, group or corporate event and they also offer summer camps. Their summer camp information is here and offered to kids ages 8-12 and 13-18. What a great gift to provide your kids with life-long kitchen skills! I enjoyed our experience so much that I'm putting together a neighborhood cooking event in a few months.

You can check out all of their classes here - they do book up quickly so if you see a class that fits your needs you'll want to snap it up. They range from $60 - $65 per person. Wine, Beer and appetizers are BYOB but they provide cups and water. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes because you will be on your feet as you cook.

Keep up with what's cooking in Chef Alyssa's Kitchen by following them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

We were invited to participate at Chef Alyssa's Kitchen free of charge, but all opinions as always are my own. I only share what I love with my readers - and this experience was top-notch and I'm excited to share it with you.

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Dads About Charlotte: Charlotte Brews Cruise

Dads and Charlotte breweries, some things just go hand in hand. The Dads of Mom About Charlotte ventured out on a beautiful fall day with Charlotte Brews Cruise tours to weigh in on all things pilsner, ale and lager. Top notch Charlotte based microbreweries have been popping up around the NoDa (North Davidson) area for the past several years. My IPA loving hubby Jim, and ale aficionado brother-in-law Gary boarded the Charlotte Brews Cruise van for an afternoon of beer education and tasting. They toured three breweries: Birdsong Brewing Company, The Unknown Brewing Company and finally Heist Brewery.

Birdsong, known for serving up the most affordable growlers in Charlotte, gave the guys a full tour of their brewery. They explained the brewing process, showing the specific grains and malts they use to create their award winning flavors. They explored the brewery floor (with beer in hand) and got to taste a flight of five of their hand picked brews - including their very unique jalapeno pale ale. Scott the tour guide gave a little background about each of the samples prior to tasting, allowing novice and experienced tasters alike to connect to each brew. Jim and Gary's favorite was the Higher Ground IPA. 

Having Scott and Hannah as tour guides created a laid back VIP atmosphere at each brewery. Their rapport with employees and tour goers translated into a fun welcoming way to meet new people with similar interests (I <3 beer). They were very knowledgeable about beer and the Charlotte microbreweries and history. 

Next up was The Unknown Brewing Company, whose founder Brad Shell has a rich micro-brewing pedigree, hailing from previous engagements with Sweet Water, Terrapin and Rogue Breweries. With their close proximity to BOA Stadium The Unknown Brewing Company sells plastic half growlers perfect for thirsty tailgaters. The ambiance has a modern feel, the brewery floor is visible from the tasting area with plenty of room for future growth. The brews are innovative, including the perfectly southern tea-based Hospitalitea beer. Jim's favorite was the Over The Edge IPA and Gary's was the Ginger What. 

My brother-in-law loved the convenience and safety that the tour guide afforded on the brewery tour experience. He got to lay back and enjoy while they did the heavy lifting and driving. He enjoyed learning about the history of each brewery they were visiting and also the history and current on goings of microbreweries in the Charlotte area. Charlotte Brews Cruise picks up at Heist Brewery for their public Saturday tours but also offers pick up at specific locations for private tours. We're in the process of setting up a brewery tour that will pick up and drop off in our neighborhood to maximize neighborhood fun ;) 

Last was Heist Brewery, which specializes in twisted American cuisine and handcrafted beer. Heist offered the widest range of brews - something for every taste. Heist Brewery hosts tall ceilings and wide open spaces speckled with high top tables and outside seating. The guys agreed this was the best place to drink and dine, and you could do it with your friends or with kids in tow. Jim's favorite was Cross Pollen Nation and Gary's was The Out To Pasture. 

Going on the Charlotte Brews Cruise Tour offered the guys the chance to sample beer that they wouldn't normally try - Gary had never tried a ginger beer but loved the Ginger What. Jim was a fan of the jalapeno pale ale, but if we were at dinner probably wouldn't have otherwise risked ordering it as an entire beer. It expanded their palette and was a lot of fun. When my sister and I arrived to pick them up 3.5 hours later our husbands had happy beer smiles and enjoyed getting out for some guy time. 

They were able to purchase their favorite beers to bring home and stored them in the van's cooler. Charlotte Brews Cruise provided waters and snacks during the tour. The tour was given four thumbs up by the guys and they look forward to their next tour. Public Saturday tours cost $49 per person, and private tours start at $54 per person. You can keep up to date on all things brews by following Charlotte Brews Cruise on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

MomAboutCharlotte.com Disclaimer: I received a free happy husband and brother-in-law for my review of Charlotte Brews Cruise (their tours were comped). However, as always my opinions are always my own and I only share what I (or I by association) love. As soon as I'm not preggo or nursing I plan to join Scott and the gang on a tour myself. 

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