Al Fresco

 

It was just too beautiful to eat dinner inside last night. We don’t eat out much these days, on account of COVID, but clearly the glorious temperatures yesterday were calling for some much-deserved outdoor dining. 

We chose the Common Kitchen in Clarksville, because it offered the most choice for the three of us, plus the added benefits of outdoor seating in the courtyard of Clarksville Commons. 

Dinner time entertainment was provided two rather serious-looking skateboarders practicing their moves on the open space of the courtyard. I say serious mostly because they were actually wearing knee pads, etc, for bodily protection and they had fancy cases for transporting their boards when not in use. To be clear, they were not there in any official capacity. We enjoyed them nonetheless.

Since this sort of thing is often noted in posts centered around mealtime: I had a lemongrass noodle bowl with chicken from Anh-Mazing Banh Mi and my husband and daughter choose items from the Taco Joint: quesadillas for one, and some sort of burrito bowl thing for the other. Oh, and strawberry bubble tea for my daughter. She’s a fan. If there’s a bubble tea place, she’ll find it.

After I finished eating I got up to wander around the courtyard. I love the public art on display there. I also took a look in the Little Free Library. There was nothing that appealed to me but I did tidy up the children’s books. Old habits die hard. 

If you happen to be stopping by: the library could use a few more children’s books if you have any to spare. On the other hand, if you are a sucker for mass market romances, now’s your chance. They are well stocked.

If, for some reason, you’ve never been to Clarksville Commons, their website is a good place to start. I’m particularlu fond of the Common Kitchen, which bills itself as an International Food Hall. You can check out their website here. One of the many benefits of picking out your food at the Common Kitchen and taking it outside is that you can actually eat dinner (or lunch) outdoors without looking at your car, which is a rarity in Columbia/HoCo. (If you situate yourself just right, you can ignore the cars on Route 108, too.)

Clarksville Commons host a variety of events throughout the year, especially during the summer months. To keep current with all the goings-on, check out their Facebook page. I was hoping to find a gallery of photos dedicated to their public art pieces. No such luck. You’ll just have to go out and see them for yourself. In my opinion they are eminently Instagram-able,  but, I’m probably too old to judge. Has anyone ever attempted to photograph themselves from inside the silo? Is that even possible?

I’m sure that’s a really bad idea and I’m sorry I mentioned it. If we are really lucky no one will think of go-go dancing, either.