Hi there. This is not Terrence, but rather his wife. To give my husband a little break from the ambitious three-times-a-week posting schedule, I told him I would write a piece for today. This will not be about gaming. While T and I do enjoy many of the same things, there are quite a few ways in which we differ, one of them being that I do not share his intense love of RPGs. I like games, but I am happy with point and click, Angry Birds, and party games, and something tells me that no one out there is particularly interested in my talking about topping out my max score on Angry Birds quests levels. This article will be about our five year anniversary weekend at the beach. Actually, that's not really an accurate description. It's really more of a restaurant review piece. I made it clear to Terrence ahead of time that I didn't want this weekend to be about going places and doing things. I wanted to simply relax. So the weekend basically involved reading a really good book, enjoying the sounds of rolling waves, and just spending time together - broken up with trips to local restaurants. If you aren't terribly familiar with New Smyrna Beach, FL, but are planning to go in the future, this article is for you! If you know NSB well, or you live in Montana and have no intention of ever visiting NSB, feel free to go find your own good book. Friday night, Norwood's, after the dinner rush: This was T's favorite dining experience of the weekend, and I must say that other than the dining room being a tad warm, it was really a lovely experience. Besides the traditional dining room, Norwood's has a large treehouse with a bar and live music. This particular evening was wet and rainy, so we opted to dine indoors and were seated under a beautiful, tiered, multi-colored light fixture that was imported from Italy. I got the bacon-wrapped scallops and T had the Admiral's seafood platter. The food was good and the service was excellent, especially for a Friday night. Food - 4.5, Service - 5, Atmosphere - 4, Value - 4 (scale of 1-5). Saturday, Cafe Verde, early lunch: I'm glad that we arrived before noon because this place fills up last! I was really excited to try this restaurant as I had found at least a dozen things on their online menu that sounded promising (we're not vegetarians, but we love veggies and this place has many vegetarian options). I ended up deciding on the Baby Bok Choy as an appetizer and then had the Kale Market Salad as a meal. T got the Carnitas Gyro. The food was fresh, but not as tasty as I'd hoped. Maybe I'd gotten spoiled by the Superfood Salad from The Porch in Orlando. In any case, I would try Cafe Verde again, though on this particular trip it was probably my least favorite meal, taste-wise. Food - 3, Service - 4, Atmosphere - 3, Value - 4. Saturday evening, SoNapa Grille, dinner rush: This was my fourth time to visit SoNapa, and this was the least pleasant of all those visits. I didn't mind the short wait for a table, but wasn't thrilled with the creaky upper floor where we were seated (every time a server bounded up the stairs, you could feel the floor vibrating), not being addressed by our server for almost 15 minutes, being told that there were no clean water carafes, and then being told more than 15 minutes after we ordered that they didn't have the polenta cakes that came with my entree. The scallops were about $10 more expensive than Norwood's - for the same number of scallops, no less - and weren't any better than Norwood's. T got a burger. Food - 4.5, Service - 2, Atmosphere - 2.5, Value - 3. To be fair, I think I'd have given the atmosphere a 3.5-4 had we been seated downstairs. Sunday, The Garlic, early bird dinner: If you've never been to the Garlic, you really should try it. This place is mega-popular, and for people like me who love to save money, they offer a fantastic early bird special. For a reduced price of $14 - $20, you get a side salad, bread, roasted garlic to spread on your bread, a choice of nine entrees, and a beverage which can be soda, tea, coffee, wine, beer, or one single pour well liquor drink. Of course, you have to pay for any additional alcoholic drinks beyond the first one. I got the eggplant parm and Terrence had the chicken parm. Both were yummy! Other options include fresh fish, crab cakes, salisbury steak, and pork osso buco. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. Be aware that the early bird specials are not available in the outdoor bar area. Food - 4, Service - 4, Atmosphere - 4, Value - 5. Monday, Clancy's Cantina, another early lunch: We were literally the first patrons of the day on this visit, and by noon the place was hopping. I ordered the pulled chicken chimichanga and T had the Cantina burrito. While this was not the healthiest meal of the weekend, it certainly was the biggest bang for the buck. Not only are the prices reasonable, but the portions are so large that we were able to take half of our entrees home with us for dinner. This place is next door to Cafe Verde and, I believe, is owned and run by the same family. Food - 4, Service - 4, Atmosphere - 4, Value - 5. We did a lot more than eat on this anniversary trip, of course, and that might not mean what you might be thinking it means. We did a lot of talking on this trip, which to me is key to keeping any relationship healthy and strong - which makes me realize that either Terrence or I need to write an article on Living Room Time* (*trademark pending!). It's one of those things that you just can't do at a restaurant, no matter the ambiance. Hope someone out there finds this article/review helpful on their next trip to NSB. Thanks for reading.