Penelope

I'd heard Penelope was a good place for a light lunch, but it took me a good year or so to make it there. I hit the place with two other lovely ladies, and as we were FAMISHED (it was a very late lunch, around 3pm), we started right away with the hummus platter ($8).

It was thick, and I mean suuuuuper thick, hummus. You could spread it with a knife almost like peanut butter. I would never have paired apples with hummus, but the tart bite of the green apple was a perfect combo of crunch and contrast to the creamy hummus.

I was told THE salad to order is the "When Veggie Met Sally" ($10), which comes with a crumbled veggie burger on top. I haven't eaten that many veggie burgers in my life, but I decided to do the whole when in Rome thing and go with the flow. It turned out to be a tasty decision. Fresh Romaine, tangy red onions, sweet dabs of goat cheese, and a surprisingly flavorful veggie burger, all tossed in a garlic-balsamic vinaigrette. Excellent choice!

We also opted to share a bottle of red to go with our easy, breezy afternoon. We chose the Herencia Tempranillo, which was a wonderful choice. It was light, bright, and smooth. Not too tannic, just enough fruitiness--this went well with everything! Even dessert..which was a Guiness-flavored chocolate cupcake with Bailey's Irish Cream frosting (yes, this was in March!)

I tried one bite of the cupcake, and it was moist, not dry, and the frosting tasted just like Bailey's, which is getting to be a good thing to me. I used to HATE that flavor, but it's growing on me, in other things. I still don't like the actual BIC, but if it's used to flavor something else, I'm learning to really enjoy it.

If you're in the neighborhood, definitely stop in for a light and flavorful lunch that's not too hard on your wallet, either!