Category Archives: 52 Restaurants in 52 Weeks

52 in 52: Pueblo Viejo – Hillsborough, NC

52 in 52 is a weekly series that I publish on Friday afternoons where the hubs and I visit / try out a new restaurant in the area that either one or, preferably, both of us have never been to. Then we review the restaurant! The goal: 52 different restaurants in 52 weeks of marriage.

Pueblo Viejo | Hillsborough, North Carolina | Facebook | Website

[Shirt: Target, Skirt: Express, Boots: Thrifted, Sunnies: Target, Headband: Target (similar), Bag: Longchamp, Denim Jacket: LOFT]

This is Pueblo Viejo. Two years ago on July 15th, it was called Casa Ibarra. And it’s the place where John and I went on our first, real, non-Toby-Keith-concert date. I awkwardly asked him after work what he was doing that night and suggested we go eat Mexican food.

We ended up at Casa Ibarra.

Coincidentally, it is RIGHT NEXT to the place where we had our wedding reception. Who knew that two years ago whilst sitting at dinner at Casa Ibarra / Pueblo Viejo, we’d be married less than two years from that point RIGHT next door…?!

So, since we hadn’t been back to Casa Ibarra / Pueblo Viejo since that night, we decided to go on the two-year anniversary of that night and use the restaurant as a 52 in 52… you know cause it’s a new restaurant.

The food was the same. Delicious, traditional Mexican food. You can’t really go wrong. Is it the BEST Mexican food we’ve ever had? No. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But it is good. And nostalgic for us.

And to make matters more awesome? They just HAPPENED to sit us in the SAME EXACT BOOTH as the night we went there on our first date. We didn’t even ask them to… It was kind of awesome.

So, ~~Casa Ibarra~~ Pueblo Viejo wasn’t a let down. It was delicious, affordable, quick and easy… and honestly? That place kinda means a lot to us… even if it’s not the BEST ever. Although their Queso dip was pretty dang stellar.

Where should we go next? Have you tried any new places lately?

Overall Stillman Rating: 3 out of 5 Stillman Stars

Happy Friday! YAY OLYMPICS!! GO USA!

-all for now. molly <3

52 in 52: Antonia’s in Hillsborough, NC

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Antonia’s Restaurant | 101 North Churton Street | Hillsborough, NC 27278

(919) 643-7722 | Website | Facebook | Yelp

So, last Friday, husband and I finally got to try the little Italian restaurant in our town. It opened a little while ago and it’s a LITTLE on the fancy side and we just hadn’t been able to try it yet.

Well, we had both hit a lot of milestones and we both had pretty big and successful weeks at work (and I made my first big sale!) – there was a lot going on – and, needless to say, we decided that it was a night to just celebrate.

*Above is what I wore out to dinner. (You may have seen this outfit earlier this week). Hubs snapped a pic of me in this little alley way… I really do love our little town. Downtown Hillsborough is so quaint and awesome and has so much character.

Another shot of downtown Hillsborough.

Welcome to Antonia’s. That lady right there… in the photo below… that’s Antonia. Sweetest little Italian lady. She even sat us at our table. Love it.

The menu at Antonia’s changes depending on what’s in season, with the exception of a few “staples.” They also have a separate, printed Dinner Specials menu with a ton of REALLY good food. The specials were a little on the pricey side, but the “staples” on the menu were VERY reasonable! Pasta ranged from $9-$14 a plate.

Since it was a special celebratory night out, we opted to toast with a glass of the house prosecco. I don’t honestly know much about wine or really, any bubbly, in general but it was very good.

For an appetizer, hubs got a bowl of the gumbo and I got bruschetta. SO. GOOD. Ah those tomatoes were so fresh and the basil was just right.

For dinner, we each opted to go with a “staple” – I got the lasagna bolognese (pictured below) and hubs got the linguine al ragu. I LOVED my lasagna – seriously. One of the best lasagna’s I’ve ever had (only second to the lasagna my mother-in-law makes (now THAT is good lasagna…). But seriously, the cheeses were perfect, the sauce was delicious, and with the bread they brought out for dipping? Perfect.

Hubs liked his meal, didn’t love it. I tried his linguine and the sauce was great, but the noodles were cooked a little too hard, in my opinion. They weren’t quite… al dente. Is that what you say? It was good, not great. My lasagna was definitely the right choice of the night.

We were so full after dinner we didn’t do dessert in house… we went to Wendy’s and got a Frostie. Don’t judge us.

Anyway, all in all I really loved Antonia’s. I don’t think it’s necessarily going to be a “regular” place for us – but it’s perfect for a special occasion or when you’re craving fresh, local ingredients and a big ol’ bowl of pasta.

Overall Stillman Grade: 3 out of 5 Stillman Stars

So, where should we go next?

all for now.

52 in 52: Russell’s Steakhouse in Hillsborough, NC

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You guysssssssss, I have a man outfit in this post. YESSSS!

You’ll see more of these pics in a coming post… but I figured since this is what we both wore to dinner, I’d include it for fun.

If you don’t know, 52 in 52 is a weekly series that I publish on Friday afternoons where the hubs and I visit / try out a new restaurant in the area that either one or, preferably, both of us have never been to. Then we review the restaurant! The goal: 52 different restaurants in 52 weeks of marriage.

Check out my hunk of a husband before dinner! Check him out in his Cody James boots c/o Boot Barn!

…And, I felt a little frumpy, but it was SUPER hot this day and I just threw this on out the door to dinner…

Seriously. How hunky is this guy?

hubs: shirt: old navy, jeans: old navy, boots: c/o boot barn, shades: ??

me: shirt: juicy couture (old), jacket: old navy, necklace: jcrew via ebay, shorts: belk, boots: ebay

Anyway, onto this week’s 52 in 52.

Ladies and gents, let me introduce you to Russell’s Steakhouse in Hillsborough, NC. Okay, I’m going to be honest with you… this place is not new to Hubs and I. Nope. It’s our favorite restaurant in the whole world (well, all of Hillsborough and the surrounding area, at least). We had our rehearsal dinner here and we hadn’t eaten here since we’ve been married… and honestly, I feel like I’d be letting Y’ALL down if I didn’t tell you about it.

Russell’s is located off of Old 86 and I-85 in the old Occoneechee Steakhouse location. The owners, Rusty and Sheila, took over the place, renovated it, and completely re-did the menu and it is now AMAZING.

Seriously.

That’s hubs probably telling me to stop taking pictures…

It’s a rustic-looking restaurant with all certified Angus beef, local chicken, and fresh fish. Honestly, the prices are really good for what you get, too.

The filet (my favorite) is only $21 for a 9oz. Yes, $21 is expensive for steak, but for THE BEST FILET EVER? $21 is not bad. At all. And their burgers and other dishes are all VERY reasonably priced. Oh and the service is great, too!

Their sides are amazing. Their shimp scampi? TO DIE FOR. All their beef. SO GOOD. Oh, and the bread? The bread! GAH! SO GOOD. …now I want Russell’s tonight.

This is the lobby of the restaurant. I didn’t get any pictures of us at dinner because it is really dark in there and my camera doesn’t do well in low lighting (dangit!) but I can assure you, Russell’s does not disappoint.

We go there a lot for dinner but like I said, they specialize in special events. They have a GORGEOUS (read: SO NICE) event room / space that we had our huge rehearsal dinner in and it was PERFECT. In fact, the place was SO nice, we had almost considered it for our wedding reception. It’s such a cool, rustic venue.

Seriously, y’all. I can’t say enough good things about Russell’s. I LOVE the people, the place, and the food. It’s such a hidden gem that I just want to scream from the rooftops how awesome it is.

So, yeah. Go. Check Russell’s out. You won’t regret it.

Here are the deets: Russell’s Steakhouse, 378 South Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278 | (919) 241-4902

Website | Yelp

What restaurant should we check out next?

All for now.

52 in 52: Jack’s Restaurant in Hillsborough, NC

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You guys, Happy Friday afternoon! This week’s 52 in 52 feature / review is Jack’s Restaurant in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Hubs and I went to Jack’s restaurant last weekend for breakfast and below is what I wore (please excuse my sorry excuse for hair. It was early. I didn’t feel like doing anything with it):

Dress: Old Navy (old), Necklace: F21, Boots: c/o Boot Barn, Sunnies: Target, Bag: Longchamp, Watch: Target, Bangles: F21

Okay, y’all. Onto the review. This, ladies and gents, is Jack’s Restaurant. Hubs and I had been wanting to try Jack’s for a while – but it’s another one of those super small places that is only open for breakfast and lunch. So, Saturday breakfast is really our only dining option.

It’s located in the Boone Square shopping center (with the Food Lion and whatnot in Hillsborough). They have no website, or Facebook… or Twitter, so here’s their Yelp page that is rather lacking, if you ask me.

This is what you see when you walk into Jack’s. Simple. To the point. My kind of place.

We got there pretty early, so there was only one other table of people in the restaurant… two little old ladies who were cute as can be. The place started to fill up as we were leaving.

We ordered from the sweet, like, REALLY nice owner who is this teeny older Asian woman and she told us to have a seat and she’d be right out with our food. Seriously, nicest lady ever.

Jack’s has my favorite Diet Coke machine! The “tap” form… this is the kind of soda fountain they have at Lockhart‘s too. BEST EVAR.

Husband snapped this photo of me mid-Diet Coke sip.

My breakfast. I ordered a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich with hashbrowns. Now, I know this doesn’t look like much, but oh. my. golly. It was one of the best breakfast sandwiches EVER. The sausage is a local sausage they use which has the perfect amount of kick to it and the toast is the perfect buttery breakfast toast that makes your mouth water. And I’m a sucker for hashbrowns, so yeah.

This is hub’s breakfast. He got the ham and cheese omelet, grits, and toast and he said, “This is one of the best omelet’s I’ve ever had.” I had a bite. He wasn’t lying.

Now, I got my meal on a paper plate and he got his on a real plate. I think the owner liked my husband or something. hehe jk!

Then, we’re about halfway through our meal and the sweet owner comes over with some freshly cut watermelon and offers us some. Seriously? FREE fresh watermelon? I THINK SO. And oh boy was it good.

Seriously, how many restaurants do you go to where they’re just like, “Oh, here’s some fresh watermelon.”

Needless to say, hubs and I were HUGE fans of Jack’s. It’s small, its quaint, it’s cheap, and the food is so so so so so so good. We’re going back tomorrow. We might even make it a Saturday morning routine kinda place.